“Bitch, you’re going to pay for what you did to her. A life for a life,” Jed growls.
I try to keep my bearings and not pass out, but the pain in my head is intense. I vaguely make out another figure heading towards us.
“What the fuck? You?” Jed spits out.
I try to focus on what's happening, but my head is spinning, the pain increasing each time my head pounds
“Yeah, me. Hand it over.” The second voice sounds familiar, but I can't place it
There's sounds of a scuffle, followed by feet hitting the pavement at a run.
“Yeah, behind Dan’s Grocery, Jaycee McGinty has been attacked and is hurt.” A hand swipes my hair from my face and cups my cheek gently, running his thumb softly across my cheek bone. He’s kneeling next to me.
“Thank you,” I mumble, but there's no reply. Sirens sound in the distance and only then does he finally speak.
“Gotta go, baby.” He disappears from my side and moments later I see lights as the police and an ambulance and firetruck pull up. After the sirens turn off, I think I hear the roar of a motorcycle, but I can't be sure.
“Jayc!” Nash. He yells out my name and then drops down next to me. “What happened?”
I want to tell him but my head is pounding. “Nash, my head and my eyes,” I moan.
I hear more voices; another man talking to Nash. “Hey, McGinty. I’m going to need you to step back a little so we can get to her.”
“Yeah, okay.” He tells him. “Jaycee, I’m going to be right here.” He takes my hand and holds it tight. “But I need to step back a little and give them room. I'm going to call Dad and Blue, but I’ll be right here.”
“Kay.” I moan out my reply as he releases my hand and moves away.
“Ms. McGinty, I’m Lieutenant Bryant. I’m with the fire department’s paramedic’ team. I’m just going to check you out, okay?” he says softly while pulling my hand away from my head. “You’ve got quite a bump there. Did you fall?” he asks while softly prodding the area.
“Hurts,” I whisper.
“I’m sorry, Ms. McGinty. She’s in too much pain to answer any questions. Let's get her loaded up and transport her. Call it in and let them know we’re on our way.” Lieutenant Bryant orders.
People are moving around me and then I feel a hand take mine. Nash is back.
“Hey, you’re going to be okay. Dad’s going to get Grandma and meet us at the hospital. Blue wouldn’t wait. He’ll be here in a minute,” Nash tells me while rubbing his hand up and down my arm, soothing me.
Yet again I hear the sound of a motorcycle and I know Max is close. I know the sound of his bike like I know the sound of his voice and the feel of his touch. The sound is a relief but it’s also making my head pound. The engine cuts off and his boot stomps running towards me. Tears of relief and pain fall from my eyes, down the sides of my face and into my hair. My Max, he’ll help me.
“Love?” he says too loud and I wince.
“Blue, her head. Not too loud,” Nash tells him.
“Jaycee, what happened? Jesus. What happened?” he barks.
“We need to get her prepped before we load her. You and Nash can ride or follow but let’s get her in,” Lieutenant Bryant says.
“Go head.” I hear Nash say. “Want me to follow on your bike?”
“Yeah, thanks, Nash,” Max answers.
“Ms. McGinty, we’re going to lift you onto a gurney and load you up, but first I need to put this brace around your neck and take your vitals. I know you’re in pain so I’m going to give you a shot with some strong pain medicine." He rubs something cold along my hand. "I need to get an IV started as well. You’re going to feel a pinch but then your pain should start subsiding a little.” Lieutenant Bryant explains.
I feel the pinch but it’s nothing compared to the pounding in my head. It starts to sting and then I feel warmth spread through my body and I relax, as my pain begins to subside.
“We’ll give it a couple of seconds to kick in and then we’re going to start to do this as quickly and as painless as possible.” Lieutenant Bryant says as he taps my hand gently. “Better?”
“Yes,” I hiss out and smile wide as the pain fades even more.
“Let’s get her loaded.” Lieutenant Bryant says.
Everything else happens fast. All at once, something wraps around my neck and the band of the blood pressure cuff tightens around my arm.
“All good.” I hear someone say.
Then hands are lifting me. Lots of hands. Surely I’m not that heavy that it takes that many hands to lift me. Someone nearby lets out a laugh.
“No, you’re not heavy, Ms. McGinty. Just didn’t want to jostle you too much.” Lieutenant Bryant says.
Oh, I said that outloud? That’s funny.
I feel myself being rolled and then I’m inside the back of the ambulance. Nash tells Max he’ll meet us at the hospital. The ambulance doors slam shut and then I start swaying a little as the ambulance moves.
“I’m cutting the lights back here. Call it in and tell them it’s a code two but we’re coming in cold. No siren. Just light it up if you need to.” Lieutenant Bryant orders to whoever is up front.
“Yes, sir.” The person replies. Conversation continues around me, but I have a hard time making out what they're saying.
“What happened?” Max asks but I can tell he’s not talking to me. His hand takes mine, being careful of the needle in my arm.
“Dispatch got a call of a woman being attacked behind Dan’s Grocer. That's all the information they gave before cutting the call,” Lieutenant Bryant tells Max. “Got there and found her lying where you saw her. She has a pretty good bump on her head. Probably has a level two concussion. I don’t think she lost consciousness.”
“Attacked? I knew she was hurt; but attacked?” Max voice radiates with anger.
“That’s what the caller reported but whoever called was gone when we got there. She was alone.” Lieutenant Bryant tells Max.
“He didn’t stay? Leave a name?”
My pain is now a dull pounding so I try to respond. I lick my dry lips and tell them who the caller was.
“A customer, Jed, Jedidiah, he tried to kill me. The one I told you about Max. He said a life for a life. I don’t know what the means, Max, but we struggled and I fell. He started to come at me but I saw someone stop him and then call 911. It was Rocky. He called. Rocky stopped Jed. He’s alive, Max. Rocky is alive. I saw him at Jacala’s too.” That's the last thing I say before I let the effects of the medicine take over as the adrenaline leaves my body.
My eye is pried open and a light is shined into it. What an asshole. I try slapping away the hands but when I reach to do it, the other eye is opened and I’m blinded again. Jesus, what the hell? I change directions and try to slap at the hands again but they’ve moved again. I let out a deep sigh of defeat and drop my arms and hands back down to my sides.
“Sorry, Jaycee but I have to check you over.” A familiar voice says with momentary humor. It’s Dr. Kilpatrick. I open my eyes and turn towards his voice. He looks pissed off as he probes around my head.
“You got a nice bump going, Jaycee. And a concussion. I’m sure it hurts so we’re going to give you something for pain and check on you every couple of hours. I examined you and all but your head looks okay. Anything else I should know?”
He almost looks scared as he waits for the answer. He knows I was beaten and raped the last time I was brought here.
“No. Just my head, Dr. Kilpatrick,” I try to smile.
“Okay, good.” He releases a deep breath. “Sergeant Bradshaw is about to lose his mind so I’m going to send him in first but the detectives and sheriff are here too. Do you feel like talking?” he asks. He glances to the side and its the first time I realize there's someone else in the room. Corporal Blass.
“Hi.” I say softly, feeling slightly embarrassed to be here again.
“Hi, Jaycee. How’s your head feeling?” she asks and walks c
loser.
“Better, I think.” I whisper. “Max?”
“Let me get him for you.” she offers. Dr. Kilpatrick writes in my chart as she leaves the room. A few moments later, Max and my dad walk in.
“Sweetheart, what happened?” Dad asks as he carefully touches my face.
“Jed, this customer, was waiting for me in the parking lot. He asked for my help. Asked me if I knew who something he had belonged to. When I took it from him to get a closer look, I recognized it. That's when he attacked me. Told me I was going to pay. An eye for an eye.” I start to cry. Max hasn't said a word; his body is vibrating with rage. Shit. He’s going to freak out.
“Jed? The guy you told me about? What did he have Jaycee?” Max grinds out through closed teeth. I swallow hard and wipe my eyes. This is too much for him.
“It was the necklace Rocky gave me the night I went to dinner at his parents' house. The one Kelly ripped from my neck. It’s a Celtic cross with an emerald in the center. I have no idea how or why he had it.” I answer cautiously. My breathing becomes heavy as I recall what happened next.
“I tried to fight him but he was strong. I fell and hit my head and it was instant pain. Everything was blurry, but I could still see images. I saw Jed walking towards me and I knew I was in deep trouble; but then someone else arrived. I don’t know what happened after that. The next thing I remember is Rocky leaning down, checking me and then calling 911. He stayed until the sirens could be heard and then he said he had to go.” A sob escapes from my throat. “I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
“Jesus, love, stop crying. Why in the fuck would you be sorry?” He climbs next to me on the bed and pulls me to him gently. “I’m so fucking sorry. I should have gone down there. I should have made sure you got to your car safe. You usually work days, I wasn’t thinking. This is my fault.”
“It’s no one’s fault except who did this.” Dad tells us. He doesn't get a chance to say anymore as the door to my room opens and in walks a very pissed off trio. Oh, shit.
Sheriff Cullens, Captain Walters and Sergeant Taylor look like they have murder on their mind.
Sheriff Cullens approaches me and gives me a kiss on the forehead. “Hey, darlin. How you feeling?” he asks.
“I’m fine.” I answer, sadness in my eyes.
“This shit needs to end, gentleman,” Dad demands.
“We know, Stone. We know. How are you, Jaycee?” Captain Walters asks as he comes forward and stands next to Max.
“It hurts a little but better than before.” I say and then turn to Sergeant Taylor who’s reading something on his phone.
“Hey, Jaycee,” he says as he puts his phone away and walks over to my bed. I smile at him as he looks at Captain Walters before he speaks. “Max and I talked while you were out and I need to get a few things straight so answer as best you can. So, let me just ask first, are you saying Jedidiah Price is the one who attacked you?”
“Jedidiah, Jed, yes. I don’t know his last name,” I reply.
“I just got a message from another detective who answered a call about a shooting three blocks from Dan’s Grocer. A caller reported hearing two gunshots and when the police answered the call, they found a man, dead. He's been identified as Jedidiah Price. After a quick background check, it was found he was connected to Kelly Price. She was his sister."
“What the hell is going on? You know something. You need to tell us so we can protect, Jaycee.” Max demands.
Captain Walters and Sargent Taylor exchange a glance with Sheriff Cullens. Sheriff Cullens drags over a couple of chairs and has my dad sit in one as he takes the other. Sergeant Taylor takes a seat on the small couch across from the bed and starts explaining what the police think is going on.
“We've learned quite a bit more concerning Rocky Jennings and Dr. Jennings, since we last spoke. It’s pretty scary stuff. Basically, Dr. Jennings and few other people, high up in city government were trying to create a new narcotic drug. A pain medication. It seems to have started out with the pure intentions of finding something that would help people, but then the greed for money and power took over. Looks like early on they tried the honest approach and applied for grant money, worked with the FDA and even presented theories and research they’d done to large drug companies.”
Well, that’s not too scary but I feel it coming. I can feel the room shift and change. Darkness and anger is now radiating off the three of them. My dad sits up straight and leans forward with his elbows on his knees, waiting like Max and I. Captain Walters take in a deep breath and releases it before taking over where Sargent Taylor left off.
“When nothing panned out in those avenues, that's when things took a turn for the worse. They decided to continue trying to create the drug by selling it on the streets or to the cartel if need be to make their money. When the cartel got involved and set them up with a lab, they went to work. When the cartel started feeling like they were getting jerked around, Dr. Jennings and the others pushed things forward fast. They stepped up testing. Here’s the thing,” Captain Walters lowers his head for a moment so Sheriff Cullens finishes up.
“It seems they didn’t use normal or more traditional methods for testing. They were using humans. Unknowing and unwilling humans. It made some of them very sick with heart and kidney issues, muscular issues, mental issues, anger, memory loss, paranoia. In extreme cases, some of their "patients" died. They did this to people they knew. They were secretly drugging them through food, tampering with medicine, injections. From the evidence, Rocky was allowing his father to use him for testing. We’re surmising it was to protect his brother and mother. To keep the focus on himself and away from them.” His expression is grim.
A lump grows in my throat, my nose starts to tingle and my eyes turn glassy with unshed tears. I cough to clear my throat and confirm what they’re saying.
“You’re saying Dr. Jenning’s poisoned his own family? Is he responsible for Lina Jenning’s being in a wheelchair?” The horror that her condition could be a direct result of her own husband’s madness is almost too much to bear.
“What kind of man does that to his wife and sons?” Dad asks in an angry whisper.
“No man, Stone. No man would ever do that to anyone much less his wife and children.” Captain Walters’ replies.
“Now that Dr. Jennings is dead and not poisoning Lina and Rocky, will they be okay? Return to what they were before? Whoever they were before?” Max asks.
“We don’t know yet. First we need to find Rocky. We had a feeling he might have survived when a list of high profile names allegedly involved with this mess along with evidence kept turning up. Jaycee confirmed it. We can possibly get him some help. We have all the proof of what they did to him. His torture has been going on since his early teens. Mrs. Jennings, her torture, longer mostly because she was there the years Rocky was away with the military but when he came back, it seems Dr. Jenning’s stopped testing on her. At least a few months before his murder anyway. She is in Lubbock with Lincoln. Texas Tech has a medical annex school there that might be able to help her along with her physicians. Rocky, I don’t know exactly what effects this testing had on him or if it reversible. We need to find him. He's out for vengeance,” Sargent Taylor tell us.
“Do you blame him?” Dad asks.
“If I wasn't an officer of the law, I’d help him exact his justice.” Sheriff Cullens adds his thoughts.
“We all would,” Captain Walters adds. “But we cannot allow him to perform acts of vigilantism."
“Sure you can.” Max finally speaks and his answer surprises me.
“Max, are you okay?” I ask and lean into him.
“Fine, love.” He rubs the top of my head. “How are you feeling?”
“It hurts, but better,” I tell him, forcing a smile.
“I say let him have his vengeance. Whoever did what they did to him, they’re ultimately the reason he hurt Abigail and Jaycee. They deserve to pay. They all do.” Max says.
“Yes, but what re
ason he had for doing what he did to Abigail and Jaycee, may not apply here. If he knows what he’s doing now, when he’s caught he can’t use that as an excuse. He’s probably going to prison.” Sergeant Bradshaw.
“Doesn’t it?” Sheriff Cullens asks. “Drugs could still be missing with him. We don’t know.”
Like I’m having an out of body experience I agree with Sheriff Cullens. “Does he? Does he really? Because if that's true, then I hope he seeks and gets his revenge and I hope he gets away.”
Max looks at me in shock. I know he’s thinking about my feelings for Rocky now knowing his behavior wasn’t of his doing. I can see it and feel it in his touch. He’s pulling away.
“Max, I love you. I always have. I thought I loved Rocky, but no, it didn’t reach the level of what I feel for you. Even if Rocky was perfect, it would be you, and only you, but there were times I saw the little boy in him and that’s who my heart hurts for. They should have to pay.” I turn to Sergeant Taylor. “The list. How many names are on the list?”
Captain Walters looks at Sergeant Taylor and Sheriff Cullens before he answers. “Eight. A total of eight names are on the list.”
“Two are dead and one turned himself in this morning, a doctor. He came in with his lawyer and he wants to make a deal. He’s willing to give us his documentations of the work he was involved in and also names from other major and minor players. The ones on the list, they were the biggest of all. Another doctor has gone into hiding, a politician is denying any involvement, a law enforcement officer was listed and is being dealt with first by Internal Affairs and another one of the major players ran back to his compound in Mexico.” Captain Walters tells us.
“We strongly believe that Rocky is hunting the members of this list. We have no idea how or when he’ll strike next. One of the deaths was by a woman we think he was involved with. That turned into a murder suicide.” Sergeant Taylor fills us in.
“A woman? What woman?” My head starts to pound. I don’t know if it’s from my injury or all the information, but my dad notices and puts a stop to it all.
Love Is Forever Blue Page 15