by Amy Reece
“I’m having trouble remembering some things, Mom. I think I freaked poor Mac out. He’s been amazing, though.”
“That he has. You’re a lucky girl, Isabelle Marie. Don’t let him slip away this time. He’s a keeper. How bad is your headache?”
Izzy shrugged. “It’s there, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“Well, you’re a strong woman, of course. We all know that, but don’t be a martyr, dear. Take the medicine the doctor gave you and get lots of sleep. That’s the best thing, you know.”
She smiled at her mother’s fussing, delivered in her soft brogue, a leftover from her youth in Ireland. Izzy allowed herself to be coddled and tucked under the blanket again as she sipped the chamomile tea laced liberally with honey her mother brought to her.
“Now, Melanie is going to come and stay with you tomorrow so Mac can go in to work. He’ll drop Janey off at preschool in the morning, but I’ll bring her home after lunch. I know you’ll rest better with your wee chick close to the nest.” She winked and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I need to get home to your father, but call if you need anything at all.”
Seamus and Tony stopped by after dinner, bearing flowers and a box of her favorite French chocolate mints. “We needed to see you with our own eyes, Iz,” Tony said as he scooped Janey into his arms and tickled her. “We wanted to come earlier, but your watchdog here made us wait until now.”
Mac merely sipped his beer, without comment, and continued to watch television.
“Thanks, guys.” She ate a chocolate to please them, but her stomach was still a bit queasy. She’d managed a small amount at dinner, but it wasn’t settling well.
They waited until Janey was in her bath to ask about the accident. “Did Finn find the person who hit you?”
“Not yet,” Mac said. “Both agencies are looking into it. We’re hoping one of the security cameras in the area managed to get a shot of the car. A license plate would be helpful.”
“I hope you find the son-of-a-bitch and nail his balls to the wall,” Seamus said with a growl. “This was way too close a call, Izzy.”
“I agree. It could have been a woman, you know.” Something clicked in her mind as she said it, but she couldn’t pin it down. She frowned as she concentrated.
“What’s your point?”
“About what?” She couldn’t remember what they’d been discussing. At the concerned looks on the three men’s faces, she shook her head, then smiled and turned to her youngest brother. “How’s your semester so far?”
Tony took a swig of beer and grimaced. “Slow. I’m so ready to graduate and be done with college. Speaking of, I have a paper to write, so I need to get out of here.” He and Seamus finished their beers and left, wishing Izzy a speedy recovery. She noticed the non-verbal communication going on between the three, however, as they were obviously worried about her.
She sighed as Mac returned from seeing them out and sat next to her. “What did I forget? You all looked worried.”
He put his arm around her and explained. “Do you think it was a woman you saw driving the car, hon?” he asked as he finished.
She rubbed her forehead and tried to concentrate. “I don’t know. Maybe. Ugh! This is so frustrating, Mac!”
“Hey.” He pulled her aching head against his chest. “Don’t force it. It won’t help you remember any faster.”
Janey came into the room, carrying a stack of books. “I can read to you, Momma. Pick which one you want.”
Izzy smiled and chose, content to lean against Mac while Janey sat on his other side and read, stopping to show the pictures on each page. Then she listened as Janey told her about her day at preschool, and the afternoon helping her grandmother make the casseroles they’d brought home.
Later, curled against Mac’s warm body in her bed, she tried to remember what it was that had made her think it might have been a woman driving the car. “How long did the doctor say this memory loss would last?” She laughed softly as she finished speaking.
“What’s so funny?” he murmured against her hair.
“Oh, I just think it’s kind of ironic that I can’t remember what the doctor said about my memory.”
“Well, at least you still have your sense of humor.” He rolled her over gently and kissed her. “He said it could last a few days or a few weeks. Head injuries are anybody’s guess, hon. I wish you wouldn’t worry.”
She raised her eyebrows at him, but realized the expression was lost in the dark. “You’re one to talk, mister. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how worried you’ve been all day. You didn’t bank on a crazy girlfriend, did you?”
“Shh. You’re not crazy, sweetheart. Of course I’m worried. I love you and I’ll be worried any time you’re not at a hundred percent. I know you would feel the same if it was me.”
“Speaking of which, now would be a great time to tell me about your injury.” She reached around to smooth her hands over the scars on his lower back.
He sighed. “Yeah, I guess I should, but I need you to not freak out, okay?”
She nodded and reached for his hand, bringing it to her lips.
“We were on a mission—it’s still classified, so I can’t tell you what or why—near Mosul. That’s in northern Iraq, in case you’re not up on your Middle Eastern geography. We were on a sweep through the town when we came under sniper fire. One of my team was hit and went down as we were crossing an open space. I couldn’t leave him there, so I sent the rest of team to find cover while I went back for Ben. I managed to get him back to the team, but I took two bullets in the back before I got under cover. Darius dragged me into the building before they could finish me off.”
“What about Ben? Did he live?”
He shook his head. “He’d been hit in the head.”
She shuddered as she realized Mac had risked his life for a dead man. She suspected that was why he’d been awarded the Silver Star. “What about you? What happened?”
He sighed again. “I had to be evac’d out, but it took almost six hours to get the helicopter in there because of all the sniper fire. Longest six hours of my life. They sent me to Landstuhl—that’s the military hospital in Germany. I was there for eight months, then stateside for another surgery and a year of rehab.”
“And you didn’t want to go back into the army when you got better?”
“It wasn’t an option. I had to learn to walk again and—”
“What?” She sat up and reached to switch on the bedside lamp. “You couldn’t walk?” She’d had no idea his injury had been so serious.
He remained flat on his back, but reached his hand up to push her hair behind her ear. “One of the bullets damn near severed my spinal cord. I was lucky. Hey, don’t cry.”
She stared through her tears at this amazing man who had been through so much. “What about now? How is your back now?”
He reached over to the nightstand for a tissue. “Here. I’m okay, for the most part. It gets pretty stiff if I don’t keep up with my exercises. I don’t do a lot of heavy lifting anymore.”
“You shouldn’t have carried me last night!”
“It’s fine, Izzy. I wouldn’t consider carrying you ‘heavy lifting.’”
“William David MacNeil, you are not to carry me ever again! I would never forgive myself if I hurt you.”
He laughed, causing the whole bed to shake. “Did you just middle-name-scold me? God, Izzy, you’re priceless!” He stopped laughing when he saw she was still crying. “Ah, sweetheart. It’s okay, I promise.”
She nodded and sniffed again. “I wish I’d looked at your dog tags that morning.”
“What?”
“That morning after, well, after our night together. You were still asleep and I wanted to look, but I didn’t. I just left. I left a stupid note with a fake name. I’ll always regret it.”
“I still have that note. It helped me get through some dark times. Listen, Izzy. We both have a lot of shit we could regret about that night. I’ll alway
s wish I hadn’t missed your pregnancy and Janey’s first four years. But I don’t regret meeting you. And I can’t seem to find it in me to regret making love to you all night all those years ago. It was the single best night of my entire life.” He grinned at her. “Tonight’s pretty awesome, though. Anytime I find myself in a bed with you, I call it a win. What if we try to forget about the stuff we should have done six years ago and focus on what we’re going to do for the rest of our lives?”
“Mac.” She leaned down and kissed him. “I love you so much. I know it’s crazy because we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks, but I do.”
“Sweetheart, we’ve known each other for six years. It’s not our fault most of it was spent apart. I love you too. And I love Janey. God, three weeks ago I didn’t even know I had a kid and now…I can’t imagine life without either one of you.” He pulled her down the rest of the way to lie in the crook of his arm with her head on his chest. “Go to sleep, Izzy. Janey and I need you to get well.”
***
Mac
“Here. Special delivery.” Mac set the small plate covered with plastic wrap in front of Darius.
His partner carefully lifted a corner of the wrap. “A cinnamon roll? It’s still warm.” He lifted the sticky confection and took a huge bite. “Oh, my God! This is amazing! Did Izzy make it? You need to marry her ASAP, dude.”
Mac laughed as he turned on his computer. “Izzy sent it, but Mel made it. She brought a whole pan over this morning.”
“Who’s Mel? Can I marry her?”
“How do you know Mel’s a she?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Darius said around another mouthful. “I’ll still marry him. It’s legal in New Mexico.”
“Kendra would probably have something to say about that. Mel is a woman and is married to Izzy’s brother. Sorry. She’s staying with Izzy today so I could come in to work.”
“Man, all the good ones are already taken. Did you bring anymore?” Darius craned his neck toward Mac’s desk.
“Sorry, no. You better hope I never repeat your comments to your girlfriend. They could slip out at any time, you know, so you better be nice to me.”
“I’m not worried. Kendra’s a terrible cook and she knows it. She’d probably be thrilled if I brought home someone who would cook and clean. Too bad polygamy’s illegal.” Darius and Kendra had recently moved in together, but neither was much of a housekeeper. “How’s Izzy doing today?”
Mac sighed as he pulled up his department email. “Better. She’s less agitated with Janey home.”
“Good. She’s great, Mac. I really like her. Be sure to tell her and Mel thanks for the cinnamon roll.” He turned back to his desk.
They worked in companionable silence for an hour. Mac’s cell phone buzzed as he was returning from the break room with fresh coffee. “This is Mac.”
“Hey, Mac. It’s Finn. We got the security video from the area if you want to swing by sometime today and take a look. We’ve officially handed it off to Albuquerque Police because it’s their jurisdiction, but I thought you might want to see.”
“Definitely. Thanks, man. My partner and I will swing by after lunch, if that works for you.”
At noon, Mac told Darius he’d be back in an hour, then drove to Izzy’s house to check on her.
“She’s in the shower, Mac,” Mel said as he let himself in. “But lunch will be ready in a few minutes. Why don’t you go check on her?”
He found Izzy sitting on the edge of her bed, wrapped in a silky robe, her wet hair clinging to her neck as she concentrated on removing the bandage from her calf. “Here, let me do that.” He knelt in front of her and finished the job she had begun.
“Thanks.” She ruffled his hair. “It’s an odd angle and it hurts my head to twist it around like that. The instructions the doctor gave you said I could take a shower today and remove the bandage so it can get some air. Hmm, doesn’t look as bad as I expected.”
Mac ran his hands over her leg appreciatively. “Yeah, looks great.”
She laughed. “I meant the stitches.”
“Those too.” The doctor had done a good job, placing the neat stitches close together. The scar would be minimal. He bent down and placed a kiss above the wound, inhaling her warm scent.
“Don’t start something you’re not willing to finish, Mr. MacNeil.” She groaned and ran her hands through his hair.
He grinned against her silky skin. “Oh, I’m perfectly willing.” He levered himself up and kissed her, pushing her gently back onto the bed. He lay beside her and cupped her head, indulging them both in a wickedly deep kiss. “But perhaps not right this minute,” he whispered against her lips. He stood and pulled her up with him. “Come on. Mel has lunch ready.”
“You’re a tease, Mac.”
***
He and Darius arrived at the state police precinct shortly before 2:00 PM. Chris and Finn led them to a small room with several large computer monitors and told them to sit.
“Okay, the first video is from the restaurant and shows the accident pretty well.” Chris pressed play and they watched the black and white video. The camera was obviously mounted above the front door, for they saw people entering and exiting the restaurant. About ten seconds in, Mac saw Izzy and Cara exit. Izzy was in front and stepped off the curb as she turned back to say something to her sister, who was leaning down, doing something with her shoe. There was no sound but the picture was surprisingly decent quality. A dark sedan appeared in the corner of the frame, heading straight toward Izzy. He saw her head jerk around as she jumped out of the way. He was grateful there was no sound; listening to her scream would have been intolerable. It was bad enough watching as the car’s bumper caught her lower leg and her head hit the curb; she collapsed, unconscious, her leg bleeding all over the sidewalk. The next few minutes were much as Cara had described in her statement: Izzy remained unconscious for nearly five minutes, coming around as the paramedics arrived. She sat up and vomited into the gutter, then one of the paramedics ripped her trousers to the knee while the other started an IV. Within minutes they had her loaded into an ambulance and away to the hospital.
“Shit,” he muttered and cleared his throat. “Okay. Can you back it up and freeze on the car?”
But the driver wasn’t visible from the angle of the restaurant camera; it only captured the front, right side of the vehicle. New Mexico did not require front license plates, so there was nothing to go on.
“The only other video we have is from the ATM across the street. It’s crappy quality, but it shows the car a lot better.” Finn pulled up the video. It was the typical quality of an ATM: jumpy and exceptionally grainy. But it showed the entire vehicle, a dark 4-door Chrysler 200. Finn froze it on the image of the car as it sped away. “We got a partial plate number.”
“And?” Mac demanded.
“And APD is running it. Top priority, I promise. She’s my sister, Mac.” Finn frowned, eyes narrowed at him.
“Yeah, I know. I just…”
“Knock it off, you two,” Chris said. “We don’t need a pissing contest to see who cares more about Izzy. APD is on the hit-and-run; it’s outside our jurisdiction. What we need is to figure out how we’re going to bring that son-of-a-bitch Lyon down, because I have a hunch Hugh is right about the timing being a bit too convenient. I think we can get a warrant to search the business based on the records they sent Izzy and Hugh. State police can handle that. Finn and I can talk to a judge this afternoon. ”
“Homeland Security is working on a warrant to raid the headquarters of the Southwest Anti-Poverty League,” Darius added. “If all goes well, it will be waiting when we get back to our office. Can your precinct lend a support team on short notice?”
“How short?” asked Finn.
“This afternoon, if the warrant is ready. We don’t want to give them time to clean up.”
“We’ll make it happen.” Chris stood and led the way to the door. “Let’s keep in touch.”
***
The warrant was delivered shortly after they arrived back at their office. They made the necessary calls and met up with the state police support team a block away from the home that had been identified as the headquarters of the group in the southeast part of town. Mac placed his laptop on the trunk of one of the police cars and showed the other team leaders the plan.
“We’ll wait until you and Finn are positioned at the back door. Are you clear on the positions for the rest of your team?”
Chris nodded absently as she studied the screen.
“Good. Darius and I will go in the front. Let’s go.” He stowed his laptop in the trunk of his car and grabbed a black flak jacket, handing one to Darius. They both donned the body armor and checked their sidearms. The plan was for them to approach the residence from the front and simply knock on the door. He had high hopes this would go down without the need for weapons. He waited until Chris radioed in to say she and Finn were in place, then checked in with the rest of the team. They got the green light, so he and Darius made the short walk to the residence in question, a small, unkempt adobe flat-roofed house. He noted the closed shades and curtains at all the visible windows, but didn’t feel the accompanying dread this type of situation would normally cause. There was an empty, abandoned feel to the property that boded ill for this raid. He drew his weapon and rang the doorbell. No answer. He opened the screen and knocked. Nothing.
“Police! Answer the door!” Darius shouted, but there was no answer or sound from inside.
Mac reached to check the doorknob and found it unlocked. He pushed it open and stepped to the side as Darius did the same. When nothing rushed out to shoot/greet them, they carefully peeked inside. The house was empty.
“Shit. They were tipped off.” Mac radioed Chris and led the way inside. A quick search indicated the occupants had left in a hurry, leaving folding chairs, stray papers, and trash all over the floor. The other police officers executed a quick search of the rest of the rooms, but only found more of the same. “Gather up all the papers and bag anything else you find. Let’s get a forensic team in here to dust for prints. Fuck!” He kicked a pile of trash at his feet.