by Mel LeBrun
Lauren and Emily were all over them the instant they stepped inside the cabin. Emily clutched Jessica's legs and Lauren insisted that Michael pick her up. They introduced the girls to Jinx and after giving them sufficient attention, Jessica and Jinx sat down with Kevin to discuss where he was at with the programming.
Michael took over as sole entertainment for the girls. They dragged him over to help them with a puzzle they were working on. Since he couldn't help with the programming, he figured the least he could do was keep the girls occupied and out of their hair. Plus, even though he wouldn't admit it, he enjoyed spending time with them.
A few hours passed and the puzzle was nearly finished when Michael received a voicemail alert on his phone. In spite of the alert, he had no signal. He must have only gotten a signal long enough to get the alert. He wandered the house trying to find a spot with reception. Outside he managed to get one bar. He dialed his voicemail. It was Josh.
I don't know where you are, I've been trying to call you. Call me asap!
Michael dialed Josh's number. “What's going on?” he asked.
“I'm at Mass General with Elaina. She was having abdominal pain, fever, weakness. She threw up and she was bleeding. I had no choice. I didn't know what's wrong. I registered her under a fake name but I don't feel safe here.”
“When did this happen?”
“About an hour ago. They got her in a room for observation. They think it was a miscarriage but they're waiting for some test results. She might also have an infection.”
“Any idea when she'll be able to leave?”
“I don't know. We're still waiting for them to confirm the diagnosis.”
“Where is Alonso?”
“Back at the garage with Eddie.”
Michael took a deep breath. “I'm on my way. As soon as you can leave, go. Don't wait for me. If they're watching the hospitals, it's only a matter of time.”
“I know. I'm keeping an eye on the room from the hallway. I'm nervous, Michael.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. Did this just come on suddenly?”
“Guess she hadn't been feeling too good the past few days but didn't think much of it.”
“All right. It will probably take me about an hour or less to get there.”
“She's in room 347.”
“See you soon.” He hung up.
Michael rushed inside. “I gotta go. Elaina is in the hospital. You girls stay here.” He headed for the door.
“What happened?” Jessica called out to him.
“I can't explain. Stay here.”
He was out the door before she could say anything else.
MORGAN HAD been keeping tabs on the investigation into Gomez's assassination attempt. There was a lot of commotion coming from the conference room they were using as a base and he decided to check it out. A man and woman were talking on the phone while another man was looking at pictures of the Gomez family.
“How is it going?” he asked.
“We might have a hit,” the man answered.
“Really?” he stepped forward.
“Yeah, we got a woman matching Elaina Gomez's description that just checked into Mass General in Boston. We're waiting on a photo to confirm. They should be sending it any minute.”
“How likely is it to be her?”
“Well, we suspect they're in Boston, so it could be her. Though I'm not really expecting it to be. Can't imagine getting that lucky,” he shrugged.
Morgan nodded, then left. Once clear of the room, he made a bee line to his car. He grabbed the cell phone from his glove box and popped the battery in. He quickly dialed Milovich.
“It's me. You have to act fast. There's a chance Cailen is at Mass General Hospital in Boston. If he is, the CIA will be all over it soon. You need to get there first. I'll call you if I learn more.”
He closed the phone and took a deep breath. He slipped it into his pocket and walked back to his office. After ten minutes of tapping a pen on his desk he went back to see if they had confirmed it was Elaina.
The room was buzzing. The agent Morgan had spoken with was on the phone. He just asked to speak with Agent Gatti. Morgan hovered nearby so he could eavesdrop on the conversation.
“We have visual confirmation of Elaina Gomez at Mass General in Boston. She's in room 347...”
Morgan slowly eased his way out of the room and hurried back to his office while dialing Milovich again. “Room 347. Make sure your guys don't blow it.”
Milovich's men were already at the hospital. Dmitri and Andrei were also on their way. The men were given orders to blend in until they saw Michael.
MICHAEL ARRIVED at the hospital and quickly navigated to room 347. He tried his best to avoid security cameras, but couldn't do anything about the hidden ones. He figured he wouldn't be there long enough for it to matter anyway.
Elaina was sitting up in bed crying. He walked to her side. “How are you doing?”
“The doctor just left. I had a miscarriage and I have a mild infection. He's prescribing antibiotics and bed rest.” She wiped more tears away.
“I'm sorry.”
“It's not my first one. Though they were never this bad,” she tried to brush it off.
“I'm still sorry.”
She gave in to a weak smile. “Thank you.”
“We need to go now. Can you get up?”
She nodded.
“Do you need help getting dressed?”
“No, I'm okay.”
Michael turned to give her some space when the door to the room opened and an orderly entered. He had an intense look on his face as he walked towards them, like he was on a mission. He raised his arm, and it was then Michael saw the gun. He knew in that moment it was over. It happened too fast. He wasn't prepared, and there wasn't enough time to react. A shot rang out and the man fell to the floor lifeless.
There Josh stood with his own gun drawn. “I think it's time to go.”
He was watching the door when Michael entered the room. He noticed an orderly acting strange and followed him into the room. The man had tunnel vision, not even noticing Josh behind him. As soon as Josh saw the gun, he quickly pulled his own and shot the man in the head before he could fire.
Michael turned to Elaina and told her to quickly get dressed. He tossed Josh the truck keys and asked him to get the it ready for them. Josh took off and Michael drew his gun. Elaina got dressed faster than she ever had before in her life. Michael took her hand and walked to the door. He peeked out of the room. Screams of panic filled the air as people scattered trying to find cover. All but one, who seemed focused on their doorway. Michael readied himself and opened the door a little more. The man raised a gun and shot at them. Michael returned fire, putting three shots into his chest. He fell backwards onto a cart.
They ran out, quickly making their way down the hallway. Another man appeared at the end of the hall and looked right at them. He pulled a gun, but without even slowing down, Michael shot him before he could even aim. Screams filled the air.
They reached the doors at the end of the hall and spotted four security guards running towards them. Michael didn't want to go through them. He grabbed Elaina's hand and ran in the other direction. They dashed down another hallway and came to another set of doors. He saw two security guards advancing towards them. He didn't have a choice. He was going to have to take them out.
He stationed Elaina in a nearby room and hid until the guards came through the doors. After a brief scuffle, the men were unconscious. He grabbed Elaina and they continued making their way towards a stairwell to get down to the ground floor.
AGENTS GATTI and Price, along with a small team of agents, arrived just as the shooting broke out. It was sheer chaos. They headed straight for the security office and Gatti introduced himself to the head man, who was himself in a state of panic and confusion.
“What is going on here?” Gatti asked.
“Damned if I know,” he replied. “We got reports of shots fired on the third
floor. So far at least three confirmed dead.”
One of the agents looked over the security footage of the shootout. “Sir. It's him.” He turned to Gatti. “And we have company.”
“What do you mean?” He turned to look at the video footage.
The agent replayed one of the shootings. He pointed to a man firing at Elaina's room before being shot by Michael.
“He's shooting in self-defense,” Gatti said.
“Yes, and he avoided a group of security guards,” the agent observed.
“Tell your men, no lethal fire,” Gatti demanded.
“What? He's shot three people!”
“In self-defense. Tell your men or have them stand down.” Gatti spoke with an authority that was hard to ignore.
Reluctantly, he picked up his two-way radio and ordered his men not to use lethal fire. He gave Gatti a look like he still wasn't sure it was a good idea.
“How long before the police arrive?” Gatti asked.
“Hopefully, only a few minutes.”
“I want this place locked down. No one in or out.”
Gatti turned to the agent who was watching the video feed. “Stay here and keep me updated.” He turned to the rest of the men. “Let's go! I want them alive.”
Chapter 69
Michael and Elaina were still trying to get to the ground floor while dodging security and assassins. Michael began shooting out cameras to make it harder to track their movements. He was going through bullets quickly.
They came to a spacious area with a large nurses' station and waiting room. It was deserted and Michael was uneasy about walking out into it. It felt like a trap. He carefully scanned the area, spotting a terrified nurse cowering under a counter. She looked right at him and shook her head as if warning him. The security cameras had already been taken out. It was a trap.
He leaned back against the wall and turned to Elaina. “It's going to get bad right now.” He looked back in the room and then again at Elaina. “Stay here. If something happens to me. Get away from here as fast as possible. Find a security guard or get to an exit. Just don't stick around. Okay?”
Elaina tried to nod. She was terrified and silently crying.
Michael took a few long deep breaths and then made his move. He jumped out into the room and men started coming out of the woodwork firing at him. He took one guy out right away before ducking behind a counter. An onslaught of bullets continued in his direction. He waited for a lull and then moved again. He got an opening on another man who had just stood up from behind the counter. He shot him once in the head and took cover again. He was closer to the nurse now who looked even more terrified than before. By Michael's count, there were only two left.
It was a stand-off. The other men became fearful since Michael had so easily picked off the first two. He didn't have time for this though. Once the police locked down the building, it would be impossible to escape.
He checked the ammo in his clip. Only three bullets left. He swapped it for a fresh one he had in his side pocket and removed the three remaining bullets. He peeked around the corner. Coast was clear. This was it. Make or break time.
He threw the empty clip and then hurried across the room after it. He hoped it would distract them just long enough for him to get an edge. It worked. In the split second they turned to look at the clip, he was on top of them. Two bullets and it was done.
He called to Elaina and they were on their way again. Things were heating up though. Security was everywhere. They made it to the stairwell and down to the ground floor, but it was crawling with guards and police. They had to find another way out. They started back up the stairs but a patrol came out of the second floor and they were forced to go down to the basement level.
Michael tucked his gun in his waistband as they walked down the hall. He snatched a lab coat from a room they passed and put it on. He next grabbed a clipboard off a counter and every so often pretended to be looking at it. The whole level seemed to be deserted though so it wasn't really necessary. He was hoping to find an access point to a parking garage or something. He wasn't familiar with the hospital though and neither was Elaina.
They ducked into a room and Michael closed the door. He pulled out his cell and called Josh.
“You're not out yet,” Josh remarked.
“No. The ground floor is crawling with security. I need another way out. Do you know your way around here?”
“A little. Where are you?”
“Basement.”
“Are you serious? What are you doing there?”
“Josh.”
“Yeah, okay. Umm ...” There was a long pause. “Find the kitchen. They should have a separate access point.”
Michael sighed in frustration.
“There's one more thing. I passed Dmitri on my way out. He had someone with him.”
“Andrei. Dammit.”
“Friend of yours?”
“Dmitri asked me not to kill him. He wants to take him in alive.”
“Well maybe they gave up and left with all the heat in that place.”
“Maybe. All right, I'll try to find the kitchen. Hopefully we'll make it out of here.”
He hung up and slipped the phone back in his pocket. They stepped out of the room and started walking again. A security guard popped out of a doorway ahead of them and started walking in their direction. There wasn't anything they could do but keep walking as if nothing was wrong. Michael thought to himself that the guard must have lost a lot of weight recently because his uniform looked too big for him. He tried to remain calm as the guard got closer. The guard didn't even seemed concerned with them which made Michael somewhat suspicious. Michael pretended to be looking down at his clipboard as they passed and noticed the guard's shoes. There was no doubt they were Russian military issue. He put it all together and turned around just as Andrei was pulling his gun.
Michael lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Andrei lost grip of his gun and it slid across the floor. He turned his attention back to Michael and a fierce battle ensued. No matter what he did, Andrei just couldn't get a good hit on Michael. He tried repeatedly to get to his gun and even tried to take Michael's gun. Michael just kept disarming him. He pulled a knife and tried grabbing nearby objects to use as weapons, but nothing lasted longer than a few seconds in his hands. Eventually, Andrei had been hit in the head so many times he couldn't see straight.
He tried in vain to get the upper hand, but he was no match for Michael. Finally falling to his knees, he slouched against the wall. He looked up at Michael. He thought he was imagining things because he swore he saw Dmitri standing next to him. But then he spoke to him.
“I told you. You have never killed a man like Michael Cailen.”
Michael looked at Dmitri. “How long were you there?” he asked, still trying to catch his breath.
“The whole time,” he smiled.
“This whole time? Why didn't you step in?” he asked annoyed.
“You looked like you were doing fine.”
“Had nothing to do with your ego?”
“Well, maybe a little,” he grinned. Michael shook his head.
Andrei couldn't believe his eyes or ears. “How could you betray us?” he asked.
Dmitri knelt down in front of him. “In order to betray you, I would have to of been on your side, comrade.” He smiled. “I was never on your side.”
Andrei clenched his jaw and called him some nasty names in Russian. Dmitri just smiled and stuck him with a syringe full of Valium.
Michael looked around at the cameras. “Why is no security coming?” he pondered out loud.
“They are offline at the moment.”
Michael looked at him. “You did that?”
“You can thank me later.”
Michael frowned. “I wasted all kinds of ammo shooting those things out.”
Dmitri chuckled. “Shall we get out of here?”
“You know a way out?”
“There is a service entrance no
t far. My extraction team is here. They will clear the way. Oh and your CIA is here. Might get messy if you are spotted. We should hurry.” He grabbed Andrei's phone and dialed his extraction team to let them know he was coming. He looked back at Michael and pointed to Andrei. “Could you bring him?” He turned and started walking away. Michael looked down at Andrei and then back at Dmitri and then at Elaina who just shrugged. Michael wasn't thrilled with the assignment, but Dmitri was his ticket out. He pulled Andrei up over his shoulders and followed Dmitri.
“Any reason you chose now to extract him? Not exactly great timing,” Michael complained.
“The team was standing by, but I had not been able to get away from Andrei long enough to call in and let them know where we were. When he broke off to search for you, it was the first chance I had. Then I just followed him, waiting for a good opportunity to subdue him.” He looked at Michael and smiled. “You did that nicely.”
“You're welcome,” Michael replied sarcastically as he adjusted Andrei on his shoulders. “How did you know I was here?”
“Morgan tipped off Milovich.” Dmitri kept walking.
“I really hate that guy.”
They arrived at the service entrance in under ten minutes, dodging a couple patrols along the way. There was a security guard posted at the door, but Dmitri kept walking unconcerned. The guard smiled at them and greeted Dmitri in Russian. Guess this was his extraction team.
The guard opened the door and two men dressed as paramedics relieved Michael of Andrei. They put him on a stretcher and loaded him into an ambulance.
Dmitri turned to Michael. “They can take your friend.” He gestured towards Elaina. “She won't raise much suspicion if they get stopped. But as for you and me, we are on our own.”
Michael nodded and told Elaina to go with them. She was hesitant, but Michael assured her she would be safe with them and that he'd meet up with her later. She nervously climbed into the back of the ambulance and they were off.
“If you don't hear from me, then you will have to get her to Josh.”
After giving Dmitri Josh's number Michael called Josh and told him where he was. As they were speaking, a police cruiser pulled up to the door and stopped. The Russian operative dressed as a security guard went out to talk to them. He smiled and waved then walked back inside. The cops parked the cruiser and got out.