Hard As Ice (Fortis Series 1)

by Raven Scott

  Why? Why now?

  The variables raced around in Evan’s brain while he held Nia’s hand. His thumb brushed the pulse at her wrist, keeping track of the rate despite the beeping machine clipped to her finger.

  Someone had targeted Nia, and he hadn’t seen it coming.

  At the hospital emergency ward, the doctor on call took her right into an exam room, leaving Evan at the counter to fill out whatever patient information he could provide. He completed the forms, listing himself as her boyfriend and her only close contact, with no next of kin. Without her insurance information, he also provided his credit card to cover any costs.

  Tony arrived a few minutes later to find Evan standing outside the exam room, legs spread and arms folded.

  “Ice, how’s she doing?”

  “They’re still running tests,” he replied in a clipped voice, his gaze fixed on her through the glass window.

  “Has she come to at all?”

  “No.”

  There was an awkward silence. Evan could feel Tony’s stare but ignored it.

  “Ice.”

  Finally, Evan looked back at him. His anger and frustration was hidden behind a granite-hard expression.

  “She’s going to be all right,” the other man assured. “I gave the description of the truck to Raymond. He’s trying to locate it through traffic cameras and other surveillance. We’ll find it.”

  Evan nodded, looking back into the exam room. Nia was still motionless, wearing a blue hospital gown and covered with a white sheet. The heart rate machine beeped steadily at regular intervals.

  “You’re certain it was deliberate? Not some random accident?” Tony asked.

  “Positive. They pulled out of the alley beside the gallery and ran the red light to get to her. No way it’s a coincidence. It’s our guy.”

  “You’re saying it was the thief?” Tony clarified.

  “The thief or whoever’s our suspect on the inside. They could be one in the same for all we know. For some reason, they want to take Nia out of the equation.”

  “Why? What’s changed in the last week?”

  “That’s what we need to find out,” affirmed Evan, turning to the agent. “I want the team all over it. Let’s look through everything she did today, again. Inspect all surveillance and communications we can get our hands on.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you need anything? Coffee?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Tony pulled out his cell phone and called the team, relaying the instructions and working out a plan of attack. Evan returned his focus to Nia, resisting the urge to check the time. How long has she been out?

  Finally, the doctor came back to provide an update on her status and the test results.

  “Mr. DaCosta? I’m Dr. Gordon. I’ve been overseeing the care of Nia James.”

  “Hi, Doc. How is she doing?”

  “Well, she has several abrasions and contusions along the right side of her body, likely due to how she landed on the ground. The good news is that we haven’t found any sign that she was hit by the car. X-rays are clear and no fractures that we can find.”

  Evan let out a deep breath. He felt a sharp sense of relief.

  “But she’s still unconscious,” he stated.

  “Yes,” the doctor confirmed. “We’re concerned she may have also hit her head when she landed causing a concussion, and some swelling. It’s still early, so it could also be from the shock of the incident. We’re going to watch her closely for the next couple of hours.”

  Evan nodded.

  “Thanks, Doc. Can I go see her now?” he asked.

  “Yes, that should be fine.”

  Now that he knew how Nia was doing and had the team in motion with a plan, Evan was able to turn down the activity in his brain and be in the moment. He sat down in the chair next to her bed, elbows braced on his knees, head hanging low. The reality of what had happened slowly settled, along with a tight knot of dread at the pit of his stomach.

  She had almost died. On his watch.

  Best-case scenario, she would be in pain for a few days. Worse case? A serious concussion, maybe even a coma. Instead of meeting her at the gallery, being there to protect her, Evan had been on the phone debating her innocence and pretending he had things under control.

  Shit! How had he missed the signs that she was vulnerable and could be in danger? Evan had been so busy trying to control his feelings for her that it had clouded his judgment. And he failed Nia because of it. His stomach sunk deeper, twisting painfully until he felt nauseous. Evan now had a clear sense of how he would feel if anything happened to her, and it hit him hard.

  When he finally had the courage to look over at her prone shape, she seemed frighteningly still and lifeless. He reached out to stroke her cheek then froze. Evan could have sworn Nia responded, shifting her head slightly in reaction. He held his breath, heart beating loudly, but nothing further happened. Sitting back in the chair, he took her soft hand into his and began the patient wait for her to wake up.

  Less than an hour later, her fingers twitched. Evan was deep in thought and the gesture was so slight that he almost missed it. But she moved again and groaned. He stood up to lean over her bed, squeezing her hand in his.

  “Nia? Sweetheart?” whispered Evan.

  She blinked, wrinkling her forehead from the effort.

  “Evan?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.” He was so relieved, he felt lightheaded.

  “What happened? Where am I?” she asked, looking around.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re in the hospital.”

  “What? Why?”

  Nia tried to sit up, but Evan gently coaxed her down by the shoulders.

  “No, don’t move,” he urged. “There was an accident. A truck ran the red light while you were crossing the street. You were hurt.”

  She relaxed back and closed her eyes. Evan roamed his eyes over the length of her body, reevaluating her mobility and checking for signs of other injury.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “Weird.” She slowly reached up and touched her forehead.

  “You’ve been unconscious for a bit,” he explained. “Are you in pain?”

  Nia wrinkled her face again, but her doctor entered the room followed by one of the nurses.

  “Nia, we’re glad to see you awake,” the physician stated with a satisfied smile. “I’m Dr. Gordon. How are you feeling?”

  She looked around the room, as though finally understanding the situation.

  “I don’t know. A little beat up, I guess. Evan said something about a truck while I was crossing the street. What happened?”

  Evan gripped her fingers tighter. He was so relieved to see her alert and talking, but hated the confusion and fragility on her face.

  “Well, we were hoping you could help us with that,” the doctor replied. “Do you remember anything, Nia?”

  “I’m not sure. I saw you across this street,” she explained, looking up into Evan’s eyes. “Then I started across the intersection. You called my name and you were running.”

  Evan nodded, encouraging her to continue.

  “That’s all I can recall.”

  “That’s good, Nia,” stated Dr. Gordon. “The police were concerned it was a hit and run, but your scrapes and bruising suggest you got hurt when you hit the ground, rather than from being hit by the car. So that’s good news. We’re just going to do another exam to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

  “I’ll be right outside,” Evan told her. “Do you need me to call anyone for you?”

  She shook her head to say no.

  “I’ll call my friend Lianne a little later.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her forehead and left the room.

  Outside the door, he looked around feeling a little lost. The nurse had pulled the curtain over the window for privacy so there was nothing to do but wait. Evan walked down the hall where h
e found a vending machine. Suddenly hungry and thirsty, he bought a sports drink and a protein bar. It was hard to believe it was only after nine o’clock in the evening.

  He was back in front of the exam room when his cell phone rang. It was Lucas.

  “How’s she doing?” his friend asked right away.

  “She’s awake.”

  “Good. What’s the doctor saying?”

  Evan filled him in on the details.

  “Well, I have bad news. Raymond tracked the truck heading toward Cambridge, but lost it after that,” Lucas confirmed.

  “Damn it! Any plates?” growled Evan.

  “No.”

  Evan cursed roughly, his fist clenched tight.

  “Tony said you think it was someone at the gallery?”.

  “We have two viable scenarios,” explained Evan. “Either she was involved from the beginning and she’s another loose end, like Flannigan. Which means she wasn’t the ringleader. Or she’s not involved, but discovered something about the robbery that puts the plan at risk. Either way, someone wants her out of the picture.”

  “By trying to run her over?” Lucas questioned. “Doesn’t have the same M.O. as the person that took out the security guard, Ice. That was at least semiprofessional. This is amateur hour.”

  “I agree. They wanted it to look like an accident, but it was sloppy.”

  “And why now?” continued Lucas. “We’re still going through her day to figure that out, but I’m sending you an audio file.”

  Evan heard a message indicator on the cell phone.

  “She definitely spoke with St. Clair on her cell phone in the morning,” continued Lucas.

  “Anything valuable?” Evan asked.

  “From her side of the conversation, it corroborates your second theory,” explained Lucas. “Nia called St. Clair after the fact, to see if he could find out anything about the robbery.”

  “Did he know anything?” Evan asked, rubbing his forehead.

  “Hard to say. She’s clearly worried that someone in the office was setting her up for the fall,” Lucas concluded. “Listen to the audio. I don’t think Nia had any involvement in the robbery.”

  Evan nodded. After everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, he wasn’t surprised.

  “What about Edward? Have we notified him yet? She’ll have to be off work for a few days at least,” suggested Evan.

  “Yeah, Mike called him almost immediately,” Lucas confirmed. “We told him that one of our agents was on-site as part of our investigation, and we’re looking into any connection to the theft.”

  “Good.”

  “Do you need anything”? Lucas added. “Do you want me to come out there? I can take the chopper and be there in a few hours.”

  “Nah, I’m good. I need you at headquarters tracking down this asshole,” replied Evan, running a hand through his hair. “He won’t have another opportunity to get her. That, I promise.”

  “We’ll get him, Ice. He’s revealed himself and we’ll get him.”

  They hung up soon after. Evan then called the team to give them the update on Nia.

  “Mr. DaCosta?”

  He turned to find the doctor behind him.

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “Pretty good, considering. There’s no sign of any other injuries so it seems she managed to move out of the way in time.”

  Evan sucked in a deep breath and dropped his head in relief.

  “We’re still concerned about the possibility of a concussion, so we’d like to keep her overnight for observation,” continued the doctor. “We’re moving her to a more comfortable room. But otherwise, she should be fine to leave in the morning.”

  Both men turned as an orderly pulled Nia’s bed out of the exam room and headed down the hall.

  “Thank you, Doc. That’s very good news,” Evan stated as he shook the other man’s hand.

  They had Nia settled in a hospital room a short while later. Evan managed to talk to her briefly, offering to go to her apartment to grab toiletries and a change of clothes. Tony met him at the hospital to provide a ride to Evan’s car, still parked downtown. Evan then stopped by the hotel to pack a bag before driving to Nia’s place in South Boston.

  When he returned to the hospital, she was asleep. So he settled into a chair with his phone to finally listen to the voice recording of Nia’s conversation with St. Clair, caught off their surveillance recordings. Evan clenched his jaw at the worry and fear that was palpable in her voice. After three reviews, he tossed aside his phone in frustration.

  Surprisingly, Evan also managed to sleep that night for a few hours, waking at dawn as one of the nurses stopped in for a regular checkup. Evan used the opportunity to wash up a bit, then grab a large cup of coffee.

  He was reviewing the various files on the other Worthington employees, sent by Lucas and Tony when Nia woke up. She immediately tried to sit up, but winced in discomfort.

  “Hey, let me help you.”

  He closed the laptop and leapt to her side so she could use his arm as leverage.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Where else would I be?” mumbled Evan, noting the confusion on her face.

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost eight in the morning.”

  She looked up and down at him then around the room.

  “Did you stay here last night?”

  “Of course I did. You almost got hit by a truck, Nia. I wasn’t going to leave you.” Evan clenched his jaw. His tone sounded harsher than he intended. But it bothered him that she would expect less from him in the role as her new lover.

  “I was going to call my friend Lianne. But I guess I fell asleep,” she explained, sounding apologetic.

  That annoyed him even more. She thought he only stayed out of obligation, because no one else was there. He cleared his throat, biting his tongue. Now was not the time to think about his bruised ego.

  “Are you in pain? Do you need anything? The nurse left some pills in case you need them.”

  She shook her head then grimaced.

  “No, I’m just sore. Pretty minor considering what could have happened. I guess I was lucky.”

  They were interrupted by another nurse visit. Evan left the room so Nia could get showered and dressed in the comfortable gym clothes he had brought for her. The doctor on call arrived a short time later, officially releasing her from their care. Evan drove her home and Nia used the time to call her office and her friend Lianne. He was surprised she didn’t also call Nigel St. Clair. Or would she only do so in private, he wondered with a sharp bite of annoyance.

  At her apartment, Evan got her settled on the couch. He would have preferred she stay in bed to ensure a good rest, but Nia insisted she wanted to be in the living room. It didn’t seem to matter. After some orange juice and toast that Evan made quickly, she fell into a deep sleep bundled in a blanket, and with daytime television playing in the background.

  He spent a few hours sitting at her dining table working until he got a call from Tony.

  “Are you alone?” the agent asked right away, his tone suggesting it was essential.

  Evan checked in on Nia, still resting comfortably.

  “Give me a sec.”

  He left the apartment to stand out in the building’s small hallway. It was the middle of a school day, so the area was quiet.

  “What’s up?” he demanded.

  “We found a bug on Nia.”

  “What? Where?”

  “It was in her bag. Her laptop power cable. It’s one of those transmitters disguised as an adapter. Clever, but pretty basic stuff. It has wireless Internet transmission built in, powered by the adapter itself. So the receiver could be anywhere.”

  “Son of a bitch!” cursed Evan. “How did we miss it the first time?”

  “We did the initial sweep early in the morning last Wednesday. She wasn’t in the office yet, so she would have had the power cable with her,” Tony explained. �
��Ice, it explains how they knew about the jewels, the delivery, and the code to the safe. They would know everything she’s discussed in her office. Or anywhere her laptop was powered by the cable.”

  Their suspect pool was now extensive.

  “Did you find any others in the building?”

  “No. We’re doing a second sweep now, but it looks like just Nia so far,” confirmed Tony. “We’ll check all the other laptop equipment tomorrow when everyone is back in the office.”

  “Okay, leave the device intact. We don’t want to tip our man that we’re on to him,” Evan instructed. “But now we’ll know everything they’re hearing. Is there a way to trace the signal back to the receiver?”

  “I’ll check with Raymond and Lucas.”

  “Okay. Now we need to go back to the beginning and start over,” Evan continued. “Our suspect list is wide open again, including whoever installed their security system. We can’t afford to overlook any options at this point. She could easily have been bugged from the outside for an undetermined amount of time.”

  “Got it, Ice. What about Nia?”

  “I’ve got her. All of our new information points to her being uninvolved. But, clearly, she knows something or has talked to someone that’s made her a threat at this point. So, she’s now an asset, and her protection is now our top priority.”

  “Under your cover?” the agent asked.

  Evan closed his eyes.

  “Yes, we continue the cover. I’ll take her to Virginia through the weekend to work on my dad’s collection, just as planned. She’ll be safe there, and I’ll have more time to find out what she knows. It still may be valuable to solving the mission.”

  “Look, Ice, I’m not second-guessing you. But you could step back now. Once we tell her we know how they got into the safe and that the hit and run was deliberate, I’m sure she’ll cooperate. And the rest of the team can provide round-the-clock protection. She’d never have to know you’re Fortis.”

  It made sense. It might work. But Evan dismissed it. There was no way he was giving Nia’s safety over to someone else now, not even some of the best men he’d ever worked with.

  “We won’t tell her anything. She’s discovered something valuable, Tony, but she hasn’t told anyone, not even her boss,” Evan explained. “If Nia was aware the same person who has set her up for the theft is also trying to take her out, she’d never give up what she knows. Otherwise, she’d have said something already. I’m our best chance at answers.”