by Julie Miller
Tears stung her eyes as Teresa smiled her gratitude. “He will. Nash is a stickler for repaying a debt and keeping his promises.”
Emilia stood, slipping back into doctor mode for a moment. “He’ll need his dressings changed once a day for a couple of days. After that, he’ll need air to get to the wounds for them to heal properly. If there’s any green or yellow discharge, he’ll need to come back and see me.”
“I know the drill.” Teresa pulled her sister into a hug. “Thank you. For taking care of Nash—and for giving me the chance to take care of him.”
“Don’t make me regret this.” When Emilia pulled away, her eyes were a little bright, as well. “If anything goes wrong...if you get hurt—”
“I know a good doctor.”
“I don’t just mean physically. If you care for him, and he—”
“I know a good friend, too.” She hugged her again before gathering up their coats and her bag and heading out the door. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Teresa was halfway to the elevators when she heard her sister groan. “What are we going to tell AJ?”
* * *
THE HOSPITAL WAS swarming with cops.
Okay, so maybe swarming was a bit of an overstatement. But the black-haired man with the graying temples and wrinkled suit striding down the hallway carried himself with an air of authority like law enforcement. The uniformed KCPD officer walking beside him confirmed it.
Teresa ducked back into the hospital gift shop, hugging the bag of clothes she’d just bought for herself and Nash. She pretended a rapt interest in a display of Kansas City postcards as the two men entered the gift shop and crossed to the clerk at the counter to introduce themselves.
The dark-haired man pulled out his badge and clipped it onto the pocket of his suit jacket. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m Jesse Puente, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. This is Officer Reynaldo from your local police. We’re looking for someone.”
That man was Nash’s supervising officer? The captain she’d inadvertently alerted to Nash’s location when she’d sent him that frightened email? Panic jumbled her thoughts for a moment. What should she do? Nash was only two floors above them. How had Puente and the other officer tracked him here to the hospital?
Go. Run. No. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Just mosey on out of here, then beat it upstairs to warn Nash.
The conversation faded as Teresa shifted the package in her arms and headed into the hallway. But the glass door hadn’t closed behind her before Captain Puente called out to her. “Teresa? Teresa Rodriguez?”
She kept walking. She wasn’t in scrubs today, wasn’t wearing her name badge or classification pin since she was off the clock. For all anyone knew, she was a guest here to visit a sick friend.
“Ms. Rodriguez?”
When he asked the clerk for confirmation of her name, Teresa knew she had no choice but to stop and face the two officers hurrying down the hall behind her. “Yes?”
The older man was all smiles as he slowed his pace and approached. “Hi, I’m Captain Puente. We exchanged emails?”
“Ma’am.” Officer Reynaldo looked bored with introductions and more interested in watching everyone who entered the hospital’s main lobby and came down this corridor to the gift shop or visitor elevators at the end of the hall.
She shook the captain’s hand when he offered it. “Nice to meet you.”
If he noticed any reticence in her greeting, he didn’t respond to it. “In your email to me, you mentioned you were a nurse. But you didn’t mention where you worked. Some of my men from Houston and your local PD are checking out area hospitals, searching for Agent Nash. It’s lucky I ran into you.”
“Yes.” She moved her sack behind her back, hiding the men’s shirt and underwear she’d just purchased. “Lucky coincidence.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Teresa shook her head. She minded like crazy, but if she could keep the cops occupied down here on the first floor and maybe even send them on their way, then they wouldn’t find Nash upstairs.
“This is where you work?” he asked, probably confused by her sweater and jeans. “You’re out of uniform.”
“Yes. I’m off duty today. Doing a little Christmas shopping. We get a discount here.”
“I’m glad that Agent Nash has released you. He’s no longer holding you against your will?” So much for pleasantries.
Something down the hallway caught Officer Reynaldo’s attention and he circled around behind her. Teresa clenched her toes inside her boots to keep from bolting. Even though they’d effectively blocked her escape in either direction, he still didn’t seem that interested in her, so she tilted her gaze back to the older man and concentrated on Puente. If Nash wasn’t sure he could trust him, then neither was she. “No. As you can see, I’m a free woman. I was never in any real danger. It was just a...miscommunication.”
Puente pulled back the edges of his jacket, giving her a clear look at the gun he carried as he rested his hands at his waist. “I was hoping you’d call me so I could reach Nash. I’ve lost three agents already. I don’t want to lose another one.”
His paternally indulgent tone made her suspicious instead of putting her at ease as he’d most likely intended. “Some men broke into my apartment. Looking for Mr. Nash, I expect.”
“You weren’t hurt in the break-in, were you?”
She was getting too good at this twisting-the-truth-into-a-lie thing. “I wasn’t there at the time, but I haven’t wanted to go back to check my computer or anything else on the premises. And I didn’t have your number.”
He arched a black eyebrow. “You can’t check your email from another location?”
“I’ve been very busy.”
“Excuse me, sir.” Officer Reynaldo came up behind Teresa, and she stiffened. But the brief whiff of the tacos or burritos he’d had for lunch quickly receded as he backed away again. “There’s a good view of the parking lot across from the elevators. I thought I’d go take a look.”
Puente nodded, dismissing him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. You can show me around the rest of the hospital then.”
The rest of the hospital?
A nervous suspicion shimmied down her spine. “How many of your officers did you say were here, Captain?”
“I didn’t.” He folded his hand around Teresa’s arm and pulled her aside, ostensibly to clear a path for the balloons-and-wheelchair entourage coming down the hallway with a new mother and baby. But he didn’t release her. “I get the idea you don’t trust me, Ms. Rodriguez. I want to help you. I want to help Nash. But I need information. Where is he? How is he? Look, I get that he’s threatened you to keep his secrets.”
Teresa twisted her elbow from his grasp. “He hasn’t threatened me. I’m not afraid of him.”
“He’s probably told you, then, that if we can connect you to him, then the Graciela cartel can, too.” He braced a hand against the wall and leaned toward her. “Graciela’s men are here in Kansas City. They want Agent Nash. I suspect they’re the ones who broke into your apartment. They’ll use you to get to him. I’ve seen the Gracielas’ torture victims. Most of them would rather be dead.”
She tightened her grip around her backpack and the sack. “Stop trying to scare me. Nash explained how dangerous the men after him are. Why do you think I’m avoiding my apartment?”
Puente grinned, dropping his hand and pulling away. “So at least I know he’s alive. And nearby, I’m guessing.”
“All I did was patch him up. I haven’t seen him recently.” At least that, technically, wasn’t a lie. She’d been hunting down clean clothes that would fit him for the past half hour. “He was injured in the shoot-out where your Agent Delvecchio got killed.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “Wh
at do you know about Tommy?”
“Only what Nash—Agent Nash—mentioned when I was helping him. He said Agent Delvecchio was like a kid brother to him.” She glimpsed movement behind her from the corner of her eye. Officer Reynaldo. Had there really been anything to look at outside? Or were the two men cornering her into a trap? Teresa’s breath stuttered in her chest. “Maybe you all felt that way. I’m sorry for your loss.”
He shrugged. “We’re still looking into Delvecchio’s disappearance. Thank you.”
“Wait.” Something wasn’t right. “You said disappearance?”
For a moment, Jesse Puente looked grim. But just as quickly, that pleasant professional facade reappeared. “Apparently, the M.E.’s office here in Kansas City isn’t releasing the bodies from the warehouse to us, pending identification.”
“Sir?” She startled at Reynaldo’s voice beside her. “I just got a call that the main office has the E.R. record for the past few days you were asking for.”
“Good.” Captain Puente pulled out his wallet and handed her his card. “If you see Nash again, have him call me. He may not trust anyone right now, but I can help him. But not if the cartel finds him first. If he needs backup, tell him I’m closer than he thinks.”
Teresa accepted the card, a little surprised to see Puente already retreating down the hall after Officer Reynaldo. “You’re letting me go?”
He paused. “This is just a friendly conversation, Ms. Rodriguez. I’m not detaining you in any way. This is a big city. And I’m not that familiar with it. It’s hard to find someone under those conditions. Especially when he doesn’t want to be found.”
And yet Puente had found her.
“It’s my job to follow up on any leads. And you’re the best one I’ve had so far. But as you said, you’ve had no further contact with Nash. So I have no reason to take up any more of your time. Gracias.”
Teresa didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until the captain caught up with Officer Reynaldo, and the two men fell into step and crossed the lobby toward the business offices.
Then her lungs emptied with such a rush of relief that it left her light-headed. She swayed against the wall for support. But only for a few seconds.
The moment Puente and Reynaldo disappeared around a corner, Teresa spun around and hurried toward the elevators. But five steps and she stopped.
She glanced back over her shoulder to see if either officer or anyone else was watching her. The hospital lobby was busy. The gift shop had the clerk and a handful of customers inside. Although Puente and Reynaldo hadn’t reappeared, there were too many people to keep track of. She needed to make sure no one followed her up to the third floor.
Instead of heading for the elevators, she changed course and opened the door to the first empty consultation room she passed. With one last peek over her shoulder for curious eyes, she closed the door and cut through the room’s back exit into the hospital employee area. She hurried through a break room and came out in an inner hallway, away from anyone’s watchful eyes. Once the coast was clear, she dashed over to the employee elevator and got in to go to the third floor to find Nash.
Chapter Eleven
“Nash?” Teresa pushed open the door to 3010 and darted inside.
“That was too long, Peewee.”
She butted the door shut and tossed him the bag of clothing. Nash was sitting up on the edge of the bed and caught it with his good hand. He dumped the contents onto the bed and ripped open bags and tore off tags with an urgent sureness that made her think he was feeling stronger.
“I know. Sorry.”
“Tell me what’s happening.” His dirty-gold hair stuck up in rumpled spikes on one side of his head, as though he’d just awakened from a nap. But he’d already pulled on those big scuffed boots and had his gun strapped to his belt. Shirtless and golden, bruised and bandaged, her wounded bear seemed to have found the energy for one more battle.
“Your captain is here. In the hospital.” Teresa dropped Jesse Puente’s card on the bed as she hurried past to open the tall slim cabinet that functioned as a closet. She pulled out their coats. “He wants you to call him. He said he could help you and offer backup if you need it.”
“He showed you his badge? You’re certain it was him?”
She nodded, stopping at the bed to stuff her own change of clothes into her backpack. “There was another man with him. He wore a local uniform, but he kind of gave me the willies. He wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He was just...lurking.”
He pulled a T-shirt over his head. “Did you catch a name?”
“Officer Reynaldo. Does that mean anything to you? Is he in your little black book?” Nash squeezed her shoulder as he shook his head. “Puente said he had a whole team of officers and agents combing the city looking for you.”
He pulled the IV from his hand and shucked into his shirt. “They’re not going to find us. Let’s go.”
Grabbing their coats in one hand and her arm in the other, Nash peeked into the hallway before opening the door. “Which way?”
She pointed to the right. “Back stairs are down there.”
Clinging close to the wall, keeping his head bowed but his gaze on a constant scan, he led her down the pristine white hallway. Three steps. Four. Five. She plowed into his back when Nash suddenly stopped and swore beneath his breath. “Moreno.”
He snatched her hand and quickly reversed course.
“What is it?”
“Company.”
She glanced back to see the two men at the counter of the ward’s central desk. Although they had their backs to her, it was easy to recognize a uniformed police officer. But she guessed it was the man with the cowboy hat and curly black hair Nash wanted to avoid. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah.” He ducked into the first room on the left, pulling Teresa in behind him. “He’s in the book.”
Her stomach knotted. A cartel man or the suspected mole. Right here. In her hospital. Not twenty feet from where Nash was peering through the slit he’d left open in the doorway. Teresa fisted her hand in the back of his shirt, willing him to put more distance between them and the people who wanted him dead.
Nash retreated, all right. But only to urge her to move. “Hide our stuff.”
Teresa turned. Froze. She hadn’t checked the room number. “Oh, no.”
Laila Alvarez was propped up against the pillows in her bed, playing with her stuffed horse. She smiled. “Hey, Mr. Nash.”
“Hello again.”
“Again? Mr. Nash?” She couldn’t stop him from brushing past her and pulling aside the middle curtain to make sure the second bed in the room was empty. “You two know each other?”
He closed the curtain and opened the closet, pausing for a moment to assess its size. “We’ve met. Hide our gear.”
“Hey, sweetie.” She spared a reassuring smile for Laila before following him to the cabinet closet, where he was pulling out hangers and tossing them into a drawer. “We can’t stay here and endanger a patient.”
“We can’t go out there.”
“But—”
“Every person in this hospital could be in danger if one of Graciela’s men decides to take a shot at me.” He grabbed their coats and stuffed them into the drawers, too. “If we get out of here, the danger comes with us. Now hide.”
“I hate this. How do you two know each other?” She opened another drawer and set her backpack inside.
“I took a walk as soon as Chester left me in the room. I needed a better idea of exits and who belonged here and who didn’t.” He winked at the girl in the bed. “We talked about Texas for a couple of minutes.”
“You were supposed to be resting—”
Nash pressed his finger over her mouth and shushed her. “Moreno’s coming this way. Get in.
”
“There’s no room for both of us, you big beanpole.” She heard the men’s voices approaching, too. “Bend your legs. That’s it.”
“Teresa—”
She pushed him into the closet and shut the door. She nervously patted her chest to make sure she wasn’t wearing any identifying pins or nametags, then pulled up a stool beside the bed. This wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the only one she could come up with on a split second’s notice. “Laila, I need you to be very brave. Don’t tell anyone anything about Mr. Nash. It’s like hide-and-seek, and we have to win.”
“Okay.” Her favorite patient looked small and fragile with her pink knit cap on her bald head and the oxygen clip on her finger.
But her dark eyes lit up with anticipation as Teresa asked for her help. “We’re going to play a pretend game now, okay? You be a patient, and I’ll be your friend who’s come to visit you.”
“That’s not much of a game.”
“You can’t call me Teresa. You have to make up a name.”
The little girl laughed. “Okay, Laila.”
Teresa squeezed the girl’s hand as she heard men’s voices outside the room. She picked up one of the Marguerite Henry stories stacked beside the bed. “Shall we read a book?”
“You go down that side. I’ll check over here.” A man’s voice preceded the soft knock at the door. It opened without invitation, and the curly-haired cop from Texas strolled in. He stopped when he saw Teresa and pulled back the front of his jacket, flashing both his badge and his holstered gun. “Excuse me, ma’am. Good afternoon. I’m Agent Cruz Moreno, DEA. We’re following up on a lead and conducting a search of the hospital.”
“What do you think you’ll find in this little girl’s room?”
He smiled, probably used to charming his way into getting what he wanted. “Mind if I take a quick look around?”