by Rose, Karen
‘That was Daisy,’ Rafe said.
‘He rode off on his dirt bike with the rifle,’ Daisy told him.
‘He dropped the rifle after I shot him in the arm with the madam’s gun,’ André said. ‘He started to come back for the rifle, but his arm was hanging at his side, like he couldn’t move it. The first shot – Daisy’s – got him in the left shoulder, then I got his left arm. I think that’s his dominant side, because he was all over the place after that, like he couldn’t steer with his right arm.’
‘Did you see which way he went?’ Rafe asked.
André nodded. ‘Should be a trail of blood. I tried to chase, but was too damn dizzy.’
Gideon redialed 911 to have a BOLO sent out on DJ Belmont and his dirt bike, then asked the ETA for the medics.
Mercy’s gaze had returned to Amos, whose breathing was slow and frighteningly shallow. ‘When will help be here, Gideon?’ she asked when he’d ended the call.
‘They’re sending a helicopter,’ Gideon told her. ‘Should be soon. They’ll airlift Amos and probably the guys from SWAT who were also shot by DJ. They’ll have to send a second rescue unit for Damien and Molina.’
‘I should go with Amos,’ Mercy said weakly. ‘He got hurt saving me. He can’t die. I just got him back.’
‘He’s still breathing,’ Daisy murmured, ‘so don’t lose hope.’
Sacramento, California
Wednesday, 19 April, 11.30 P.M.
Wincing at the sudden pain in her hand, Mercy looked down at the little girl gripping her hand as if her life depended on it. Maybe it does. Abigail was staring at the sign posted on the doors into UC Davis’s ICU, her little body so tense, like she’d shatter at any moment. Right there with you, sweetheart.
‘What does that mean?’ Abigail asked, so quietly that Mercy could barely hear her question even in the deathly quiet of the ICU family waiting room.
Mercy slowly lowered to one knee, stiff and sore from where Amos had knocked her down, saving her life. He saved my life.
And now he fought for his own. He’d lost so much blood at the scene, lapsing into unconsciousness almost immediately after DJ’s bullet had ripped through his throat. Daisy had stayed with him as he’d been airlifted to Sacramento, not leaving him until he’d been taken into surgery. In all that time he hadn’t regained consciousness, and that wasn’t good.
Mercy brought her and Abigail’s joined hands to her lips to kiss the little girl’s white knuckles. ‘ICU means Intensive Care Unit. It’s the part of the hospital where they put patients who need someone watching them constantly.’
And was probably not the place for a seven-year-old, but Abigail had been insistent, according to Irina, who’d driven the child to the hospital herself. Well, along with Karl, who wasn’t letting his wife out of his sight after the events of the day. The man who’d been so kind and welcoming was still pale, still trembling, even though his son was mostly fine now that the effects of Ephraim’s sedative had worn off. Damien had a concussion, but was home with his wife, who, according to Irina, hadn’t left his side.
Mercy figured that once it all sank in, she’d be as shaky as Karl. For now she was blessedly numb, which kept her from breaking into tears in the face of Abigail’s fear. The little girl’s expression was anxiously trusting, as if she’d believe any word that came from Mercy’s mouth but desperately hoped the words were what she needed to hear.
‘Will he die?’ Abigail whispered.
Mercy almost said no, but she wouldn’t lie to Abigail. Too many people had. ‘I hope not.’ She tucked a stray hair behind Abigail’s ear. ‘Papa is a strong man.’ Totally true. ‘He loves you very much and will fight to stay with you, but if his body is hurt too badly . . .’ She sighed and, tugging her hand free, pulled Abigail into her arms. The little girl came willingly, sliding her arms around Mercy’s neck and fiercely holding on. ‘If he doesn’t wake up, it won’t be because he didn’t want to stay with you forever. Does that make sense?’
A slight nod, but Abigail was trembling. Crying. Oh, baby. ‘I’m sorry, Abigail. I’m so sorry.’
Abigail shook her head. ‘You didn’t shoot him,’ she said into Mercy’s neck.
No, I didn’t. ‘There’s sorry-apologize and sorry-sorrowful. I mean the second one.’
Another slight nod. ‘Can we go in now?’
Mercy pulled back, wiping Abigail’s wet cheeks with her thumbs. ‘My mama used to dry my tears like this,’ Mercy whispered. ‘Then she’d kiss my forehead. Can I kiss yours?’
Abigail leaned forward, presenting her forehead, which made Mercy smile as she kissed her. ‘Your papa would be so proud of you right now. You are a very brave girl.’
‘You are, too. You helped save your friend. She told me.’
Farrah and André had returned to the Sokolov house to rest and be taken care of by the Sokolov horde. Farrah had texted Mercy that she felt right at home. ‘Farrah is my very best friend. Of course I helped to save her. That’s what you do for the people you love.’
‘Like my papa saved you.’
Mercy swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’ And by extension, he’d saved Rafe, which guaranteed him a place at the Sokolovs’ table forever. If he wakes up. Please wake up, Amos. Abigail needs you.
I need you.
‘Will he be . . .’ Abigail’s body went rigid. ‘Will he have blood on him?’
Mercy’s heart crumbled. ‘No, sweetheart. He’s all cleaned up. But he has a bandage on his throat and there are machines and tubes that will look scary.’
Abigail nodded stoically. ‘Miss Irina told me. She said he has a tube that helps him breathe.’
Mercy kissed Abigail’s forehead again. The girl’s skin had gone clammy with fear. ‘That’s true, and I won’t lie to you, it’s really scary. I . . . I was scared, Abigail. I still am.’ Which was why Rafe hadn’t left her side in Amos’s ICU room. He was waiting for her there now, elevating his leg in the room’s recliner.
‘You’re scared he’ll die?’
Do not lie to this child. ‘Yes,’ Mercy whispered. ‘But I have hope, so you should, too. And, Abigail, if being here at the hospital is too scary, and you want to go back to Irina and Karl’s house, you can do that. No one will be upset with you. Especially your papa. I promise.’
Abigail’s jaw set stubbornly. ‘I want to see him.’
‘Then we will.’ Mercy stood, took Abigail’s hand, and hit the ICU admittance buzzer with her other hand.
Poor Rafe. Mercy hurt a little, but Rafe was in serious pain. One of the doctors had checked him out when they’d arrived at UC Davis, worried that Amos’s tackle had reinjured tendons that had been shredded by a bullet six weeks ago. From the expression on Rafe’s face when he’d thought she wasn’t looking, he was afraid of this, too. It would put him further back on his PT rehab schedule, which meant even longer before he could be a cop again.
If he ever could. Mercy had felt the anxiety coming off him in waves and it broke her heart. But it was time to shift her worry over Rafe to Abigail as a nurse opened the ICU door to take them to Amos’s room. They’d had to get special permission, but Irina had worked her magic and they’d been allowed an hour. Squeezing Mercy’s hand hard, Abigail walked into her papa’s room, pressed close to Mercy’s side.
Rafe looked up with a tired smile. ‘Hi, Abigail.’
Abigail nodded, her eyes fixed on Amos in the bed, on the way his chest rose and fell, powered by the ventilator. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged and she was even paler than she’d been before.
Mercy moved closer to the bed and took Amos’s hand with her free one. ‘Abigail’s here,’ she said quietly. ‘She is so brave, Amos. You’ve raised her well. You’re a good papa.’
‘Can he hear us?’ Abigail whispered.
Mercy smiled down at her. ‘Maybe. But in case he can, let’s let him know we’re here, okay?’
>
Abigail joined Mercy close to her father’s bedside. ‘Hi, Papa. I’m . . . here. I’m here, Papa. I hope you can hear me.’
‘I think he can,’ Rafe said softly. ‘When I had my surgery and was recovering, I could hear Mercy talking to me.’
Abigail lifted her gaze to Rafe, who sat on the other side of the bed, studiously avoiding Amos’s face, half-covered with the ventilator mask. ‘What did she say?’
‘She mostly read to me, I think.’
Mercy was surprised. ‘You heard that?’
‘I did. I don’t remember exactly what you read, but I’d hear your voice and it gave me something to hold on to.’
‘It was an astronomy book.’ Mercy sat in the chair next to Amos’s bed, biting back a sigh of exhaustion. ‘Come, Abigail.’ She patted her knee, relieved when the girl sat in her lap easily, resting her head on Mercy’s shoulder. ‘It was the only book that I had in my purse at the time. I’d bought it for my brother John’s daughter. She wants to be an astronaut.’
Abigail looked up at her. ‘What’s that?’
Ignoring Rafe’s stunned expression, Mercy answered levelly, because she knew exactly what Abigail hadn’t been taught – and what lies she’d been fed. ‘It’s a person who goes into space. A few men went to the moon, but that was long before I was born. I think even before your papa was born.’
Abigail’s lips pursed. ‘That’s not true. My teacher said it wasn’t true, that it was a movie, made in Hollywood. That the government lied.’
‘What else did she say was a lie?’ Mercy asked patiently as Rafe gaped in astonishment.
‘Phones. Oh right. They’re true.’ Abigail’s brow scrunched, the little girl in deep thought. ‘Bigfoot? One of the boys in school said Bigfoot hides in the forest.’
Mercy couldn’t contain her laugh. Across the bed, Rafe was biting back a grin. ‘Well,’ Mercy said, brushing Abigail’s hair from her face, ‘I’m not so sure about Bigfoot. He’s probably not true. But astronauts are totally true. I’ll get you some books so you can read about it for yourself.’
Abigail resettled against her shoulder. ‘Can you read to Papa now?’
Mercy toyed with the bands holding the girl’s braids in place, tugging them off. She ran her fingers through the plaits, stroking the hair she’d freed. Like Mama used to do for me. ‘How about I read to both of you?’
Abigail yawned. ‘What book do you have? I read Ramona the Pest at the library. I started to read the next book, but then Irina came. And then the FBI.’
‘Let me check.’ One-handed, Mercy opened a browser window on her phone and searched for the next ebook in the series, finding it easily. ‘You started this one?’
Abigail sucked in a breath, her finger hovering over Mercy’s screen, afraid to touch. ‘Yes. It’s in your phone?’
‘It will be in a few seconds.’
Abigail was staring at the phone. ‘How does it fit?’
Mercy tried to think about how to explain data to a child, but she was way too tired for that. ‘Can I explain it later? For now, all you need to know is that you can fit a lot of books on a phone.’
‘How many?’
Mercy blinked. ‘Thousands, at least. Rafe?’
‘At least.’ He did a search on his own phone. ‘Twenty thousand books, give or take.’
Abigail’s eyes were like saucers. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’ Mercy glanced at Rafe while she purchased the book, then downloaded it, grateful that the ICU had lifted its rule against cell phones. ‘You want to read or do you want me to?’
Abigail looked over at Amos. ‘I want to. I want him to hear me. Can I hold your phone?’
‘Of course.’ Mercy showed her how to swipe, amazed at the child’s ability to absorb new things so quickly. Cuddling her close, she kissed Abigail’s hair and listened as she read to Amos with a strong, steady voice.
Gradually, though, Abigail’s voice grew softer, sleepier, and Mercy had to rescue her phone when it slipped from the little girl’s small hands. ‘I need to get her back to your parents,’ Mercy murmured to Rafe, before realizing that he’d fallen asleep, too.
‘We’re here,’ Irina said from the doorway, Karl at her side. ‘We were waiting for her to finish before we took her home.’ She aimed an affectionate look at the sleeping Rafe before coming in to crouch by the chair. ‘Abigail?’ She gave the child’s shoulder a light shake. ‘Time to go home with me and sleep in a real bed, okay?’
Abigail murmured something unintelligible, snuggling into Karl when he lifted her into his arms.
‘You can come back tomorrow,’ Karl whispered, then gave Mercy an unsteady smile. ‘How are you doing?’
‘I’m okay. Sore, but okay.’ She glanced at Amos, who was unchanged. ‘I think it’ll start sinking in soon, but right now, I’m okay.’ She realized she’d said ‘okay’ three times. ‘Well, maybe not so okay.’
Balancing Abigail on his hip with one hand, Karl cupped Mercy’s cheek with the other. ‘You did well today. You stood up to Ephraim, faced your worst fear, and you won.’
She looked over at Amos. ‘At what price?’
‘He will pull through,’ Irina said stubbornly. ‘You must have faith, lubimaya.’
‘What does that mean?’ Mercy asked. ‘Lubimaya?’
‘Beloved,’ Karl answered. ‘It means you are loved.’
Mercy’s eyes stung. Not again. She would not cry any more. So she forced herself to smile. ‘Spasibo,’ she said, pronouncing it the way she’d found online, then stood to hug Irina. ‘Thank you.’
Irina beamed. ‘You said it right the first time. Now, I suppose you will stay here tonight.’
‘Yes, ma’am. I don’t want him to wake up and be alone.’
‘Then Rafe will stay with you,’ she said. ‘I won’t even try to wake him up. He won’t leave you anyway.’
She and Karl left, taking Abigail with them, but no sooner had they left than Gideon arrived. She hadn’t seen him since they’d all given their statements to Molina’s second-in-command.
Five agents were dead: four SWAT members and Agent Schumacher. All shot by DJ Belmont. Who was still out there, free as a damn bird.
She hadn’t really allowed herself to think about DJ yet. She didn’t have the mental energy now, so she shoved thoughts of him into the box in her mind and visualized herself hammering down the lid. One thing at a time. Deal with Amos first, and then she could focus on DJ, because the bastard was still out there and he would be back. But not tonight, at least. The FBI had posted guards in the ICU, so she didn’t have to worry that DJ could get to them. For now, she could just worry about the people she loved.
Poor Gideon hadn’t been allowed that luxury. Molina’s second-in-command had kept asking questions about DJ and had Gideon filling out paperwork for hours. He hadn’t had a moment’s peace.
‘Hey,’ she said to Gideon. ‘You want to sit here?’ she asked, pointing to her cushioned chair, because her brother looked just awful, his face drawn and haggard.
He pulled up a plastic chair and sank wearily into it. ‘No, you sit. I can’t stay long. I just wanted to see how he’s doing.’ He nodded toward Amos.
‘The same. The doctor said that they were able to repair the damage to his artery, but they don’t know if he has any nerve damage. It missed his spinal cord, thankfully. Another fraction of an inch and he’d be dead. They’ll do more tests when he wakes up.’
Wake up, Amos.
Gideon blew out a breath. ‘I swear, I thought he’d fired the shot that took out Ephraim. The last thing I said to him was to accuse him of shooting that SOB.’
‘He’ll understand,’ Mercy said, confident of that, if nothing else. ‘How is Molina?’
‘Hurting,’ Gideon murmured. ‘She’ll be out for at least a few months. He shot her in the leg and nicked a bone. And she’s angry.�
�� He winced. ‘But not at us. Not really. She’s pissed off that we took you with us to Dunsmuir, but we gave her all the information as we received it, so we’ll probably just get smacks on the wrist – Tom and me, I mean. She’s mostly angry because she’s in pain. And that DJ got the drop on them. And wants to know where he was trained.’
‘Where was he trained?’ Mercy asked quietly. ‘He took out eight federal agents, Gideon. Molina and two of the SWAT guys will live, but he incapacitated them. He killed five agents.’ He’d shot them all with a sniper rifle, apparently from the trees. ‘He had to have been trained by someone. He isn’t a mercenary with any large organization, because he can’t leave Eden, except when he makes deliveries.’ Oh. ‘He’s making deliveries to drug dealers. Did he learn how to shoot like that from them?’
Gideon looked impressed. ‘Nice job. I think that’s exactly where he learned his skills. He knew enough to aim for the exposed area of the neck, because Molina and the SWAT team were wearing tactical armor. Same with Schumacher. And Amos.’
And me. He was aiming for me.
Nope. Not thinking about that. Shove it into the box. ‘It doesn’t explain how he knew we’d be there, though.’
Rafe stirred in the recliner. ‘He had to have been tracking Ephraim,’ he said with a yawn. ‘He made sure he killed Ephraim before he started on the rest of us. Well, after he stopped Molina and the SWAT team.’
Mercy shuddered at the thought of Amos lying on the ground, bleeding. So much blood. ‘Thank goodness for Daisy. If she hadn’t shot him, he might have killed all of us.’
‘She’s upset that she didn’t kill him,’ Gideon said wearily. ‘She’s afraid he’ll be back and she’s right. But he’s gone for today. We’ll have to regroup and manage security, though. But I’m going to let the Bureau handle it for now. I’m too tired.’ He rubbed his temples. ‘But you’re right, Rafe. DJ was tracking Ephraim. The Escalade that Ephraim was using had a tracker stuck to the undercarriage.’