Marked For Revenge (Emergency Responders Book 2)

by Valerie Hansen

  “Unless you have another cane for me, hand that one over,” Daniel ordered, admiring the man’s courage but hoping to dissuade him from involvement.

  “Nope. You’re on your own. This here stick is mine.” Swinging it to rest on his shoulder like a rifle, he saluted. “Let’s go, sonny, before all the fun’s over.”

  * * *

  Wondering where Daniel was hiding, Kaitlin stuck close to her friend and followed her down the deserted hallway. Margaret stopped at a cabinet and pulled open a lower drawer. “There. Take what you need. I recommend these.” She pointed.

  Lacking a sack, Kaitlin began to stuff her pockets.

  “Take more,” Margaret said. “Space the doses evenly, every four to six hours, and don’t miss a dose.” She reached into a nearby storage space and produced a disposable hair cover. “Put some samples in this. Then you won’t drop them.”

  “Thanks. But Daniel...”

  “First things first. Do you want the meds or not?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Here’s where we keep gauze and rolled bandages. Take what you want and go stash everything in your truck. The police will be here soon and you don’t want to have to explain.” She grimaced. “Neither do I.”

  Still, Kaitlin was torn. If she left, even for a minute, she wouldn’t be there to help Daniel, wherever he was. Rationally, she knew he couldn’t be in the waiting room yet or his enemies wouldn’t still be demanding access. It was probably only a short time until one of the thugs decided to kick down the locked door. Therefore she’d do as Mags suggested and stash her supplies before trying to find and liberate her patient.

  The only actual surprise was that he had gone into hiding. Wait! Maybe he was already outside in the truck, waiting for her. Could he have chosen to leave the nurses to fend for themselves? Impossible as it seemed, that was exactly how things looked.

  Disappointed on one hand and relieved on the other, Kaitlin headed for her truck, yanked open the door. Daniel wasn’t there.

  She deposited the bulging scrub cap on the floor and emptied her pockets onto the seat, then raced back to find him. To rescue him again if necessary. To spirit him away and save him from infection as well as more physical harm.

  The metal door had swung closed behind her! And locked.

  With Daniel inside. And she was stuck in the alley.

  * * *

  If he hadn’t been hampered by his aching thigh, Daniel could have easily outdistanced his strange new ally. Instead, he and the elderly man approached the melee together.

  The receptionist was curled up under her desk, hands over her ears. Daniel paused by a raised counter. Made eye contact with one of the burly thugs.

  “Police are on their way,” Daniel announced. Although his voice was firm he had to keep one hand on the counter for balance. “Get out of here.”

  “Hah! Knew it was you.” The thug looked over his shoulder. “Told you it was him.”

  In the half second it took the assailant to raise his gun, Daniel had ducked out of sight and taken the old man with him.

  Shots made the windows vibrate and splintered holes in the interior door. Without knowing exactly what caliber and make the pistol was, Daniel couldn’t be positive it was empty. They might never have a better chance for a counterattack, though.

  Approaching sirens were enough to convince him to hold his position and wait for law enforcement. The wail was rapidly building. Patrol cars were almost on scene.

  He sagged against the nearest wall. The old man passed him the gnarled walking stick. “Guess you need this more than me, after all. Take it, son. I carve ’em outta hickory. Got a dozen more at home just like it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Why’re they chasin’ you?”

  “Long story.”

  “Figures. I got a few I could tell you, too. I remember once...”

  Daniel held up a hand to stop him. “Quiet. Listen.”

  His heart begged him to be wrong. His mind insisted. Besides screeching tires, wailing sirens and the shouts of fellow officers storming the building, he’d heard another voice. One he knew well by now.

  Somehow, Kaitlin North was on the wrong side of the locked interior door. And, true to form, she was screaming orders to the cops and berating the hit men as if they were naughty boys instead of cold-blooded killers.

  Adrenaline flooded his body, took over his brain, sharpened his senses and erased pain.

  Daniel raised the gnarled cane, jerked open the door and rushed into the fray.

  * * *

  Kaitlin had tried to explain what was going on as soon as the first officers had arrived. Nobody paid the slightest attention to her. Guns drawn, they stormed the clinic with her right on their heels.

  Across the waiting room, silhouetted in an open doorway, Daniel Ryan looked every inch a gladiator ready to face hungry lions. She’d never admired him more. He was acting the fool by showing himself but that didn’t change her opinion of his courage under fire. When she’d heard those shots she’d feared the worst, yet there he stood.

  Ducking and weaving she managed to avoid most of the grappling men in her path. By the time she reached Daniel he was on the floor, on his back, straddled by some civilian trying to strangle him.

  A potted plant ended the struggle when the ceramic broke over the attacker’s head. Spitting dirt, Daniel pushed him off.

  Kaitlin gave him a hand up. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Saving you.”

  She didn’t appreciate his gruffness but this was not the time to complain. Instead, she nodded toward the police officers who were quickly gaining control of the situation. “I’m fine, but you could use rescuing.” She lowered her voice. “Unless you want them to take you in, too, we need to get out of here.”

  Although his jaw was rigid and his eyes narrowed, he agreed. “Yeah. Where are you parked?”

  “Same place as before. I got locked out and had to run around front to get back in.”

  She ducked and grabbed his hand, drawing his arm across her shoulders to help him walk. “Let’s go.”

  “Is your friend all right?”

  “Yes. And I have the meds we came for.”

  Sensing his hesitation she gave him a slight push. “Move it. They don’t need any more help.”

  “No. There was an old man... I have to be sure...”

  “You mean the guy over there swinging the chair?”

  Daniel snorted. “Yeah. Him.”

  In spite of everything she saw a smile begin to quirk her patient’s lips. It was easy to mirror him, to share the amusement. “Friend of yours?”

  “Yeah. As long as Barney is okay we can go.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Kaitlin shot back, half dragging him down the hallway. “I’m getting sick of rescuing you.”

  He sounded a bit breathless when he countered, “Hey, I was rescuing you this time,” but she was satisfied just the same. As long as he could think up witty comebacks he wasn’t that far gone.

  He was, however, plenty heavy. If he hadn’t had the cane to also lean on she didn’t know if she could have managed to get him all the way to the truck and loaded.

  She slid behind the wheel and turned the key. “Hang on.”

  “When have I ridden with you and not?”

  “Very funny.”

  There was one more thing she wanted to do before hitting the road again. She had to see for herself if the black SUV she’d noticed before was still near the clinic. If it was, they needed to be sure all the assassins had been taken into custody. Leaving just one on the loose could be disastrous.

  Daniel leaned forward, his hand braced on the dash. “Where are we going?”

  “I want to check the parking lot while you grab a drink out of the cooler and take your first pill. I thought I spotted a suspicious vehicle
when we got here and I want to see if it left.”

  “What if it didn’t?” He swallowed the medication.

  “Ask me later.” Kaitlin could follow his reasoning. He should be concerned. So was she. But it seemed logical to at least try to find out how many enemies they had and what their vehicle looked like, assuming she’d been right about it.

  “Later may be too late,” Daniel countered. “This truck doesn’t exactly blend in.”

  “Sure it does. Missouri is filled with old pickups. Half the people who go to my church drive them. Even the pastor does. His is just cleaner than most.” She glanced at his bandage. “I’m surprised your leg looks okay. Your blood pressure must have been through the roof when you got in that fight.”

  “If I hadn’t heard your voice I would have stayed out of it,” Daniel said.

  “You really were coming to save me? Aww.”

  “Didn’t your mother ever teach you it’s not nice to make fun of heroes?”

  “Not as I recall. She was more into which fork to use or how to throw a perfect garden party.”

  “At least your parents helped with your education.”

  “Yes.” Concentrating on finding the black SUV, Kaitlin didn’t look over at him but she could tell he commiserated. “There. That one, I think. Check out the license plate when I drive by.”

  “No!”

  “What do you mean, no? There’s a pencil and paper in my purse if you need to write it down.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Daniel yelled. “There’s somebody sitting behind the wheel. If he is who you think he is and he sees us, we’re in deep trouble again.”

  “Rats.”

  He was glowering at her. Kaitlin could feel the anger coming off him in waves.

  It was too late to back up and if she stopped suddenly and blocked the aisle that would call more attention to them, so she maintained her speed until they were past.

  Finally, she chanced a peek at her passenger. “Well? What did you think?”

  Daniel was hunkered down in the seat and peering into the side mirror. “I think you’d better get out of town,” he grumbled. “That black SUV is backing out of its parking place.”

  “Coincidence?” She looked for herself. He was right. And they were blocked by police cars stopped at all angles in front of the clinic, their emergency lights still flashing.

  Hands clamped tight to the steering wheel, Kaitlin managed to slip between the rear bumper of a parked car and the side of one of the patrol units. Excitement had kept her from remembering to pray beforehand but success deserved a whispered “Thank You, God” when she was in the clear.

  “I don’t know how you did that.”

  “Neither do I.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I was holding my breath.”

  Daniel’s loud “Ha!” made her jump.

  “What?”

  “He tried to follow us and hit the cop car.”

  “Oooh, that’s gonna leave a mark.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  It was a relief to hear his mood lightening. Kaitlin checked behind them once more and saw the other driver backing up. He might not have made it through the narrow passage she’d used but he was far from stuck. As soon as he could reverse far enough down that aisle he’d be after them again.

  She merged into traffic and scooted to the far left lane, putting as many cars between them and their pursuer as possible.

  “Can you see him?” she asked Daniel.

  “Not yet. But if he is after us he won’t be far behind.”

  “Yeah. I figured.” Facing front and leaning forward as if that would make the truck go faster, she made a face. “Sorry about that one. I was wrong.”

  Blurting another sharp “Ha!” he added, “It’s almost worth all the trouble we’re in just to hear you admit a mistake.”

  “It could still be a coincidence.”

  “You really believe that?”

  She shook her head. Her jaw clenched. “No. Not for a second.”

  SEVEN

  “We need more supplies,” Daniel said flatly. “If you stop someplace after we leave all this traffic we’ll be too easy to spot.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “That world-famous sporting goods store. You know the one I mean. It’s not far and they have acres of parking. It’ll be easier to get lost in the crowd there.”

  “And we do need a gun. At least you do. I’ve never even touched one.”

  “Another lapse on your parents’ part. Even if you never fire a shot you should be taught gun safety.”

  “There are pros and cons.”

  “About use, yes. Safety is another thing. Nobody can guarantee a person won’t be thrust into a situation that will require knowledge of firearms. It’s basic, like knowing when to cross the street and when to stay on the curb.”

  “I’ve got that one down pat, thanks. I don’t even know what kind of gun to ask for.”

  “We’ll need something easy to operate. Like a shotgun. I’m not suggesting you go hunting. I just want you to be able to defend yourself if I can’t do it.”

  He knew he was ill. Only God knew how bad it would get before the antibiotics kicked in. Kaitlin might not like the idea of going on the offensive but she should at least be prepared to stand her ground. If arming her was what it took, then so be it.

  “I’m not real familiar with Springfield,” she said. “Punch in the store name on my phone and get directions.”

  “We won’t need to. I know this town, remember?”

  Observing the shift in her expression he decided to fill in a little more detail. “My undercover assignment didn’t start here. I’m on a task force out of St. Louis. At least, I was. Clues led me southwest and I ended up here. That’s when the job went sour.”

  “The guys you were with figured out who you really were?”

  “Yes. And they weren’t happy about it.”

  “I can imagine.” Although she didn’t turn and look at him he could tell she sympathized by the jut of her chin and the way she pressed her lips together. Imagine? She couldn’t possibly put herself in his place. Not in a million years.

  Thoughts of the panic he’d felt, the conclusion he’d come to that his life was over, hit him so strongly his body reacted as if it were still happening. His gut clenched. His tongue tasted of bile. Every muscle tightened, ready for a nonexistent battle. Only this wasn’t the same as what the old marine had meant when he’d talked about combat. This was debilitating.

  And totally ridiculous, Daniel insisted to himself, fighting his senses. They were lying to him. He knew what was real and what wasn’t, didn’t he? Of course he did. The times he had to rally himself and crawl back to reality through the blackness of his mind were getting fewer. Farther apart.

  He thought about the temporary home he’d made in the isolated house outside Paradise. Those days had done a lot to settle him, to help him gather his thoughts and control unexpected panic. He laid a hand over his bandage. Until now.

  Kaitlin’s voice broke into his disturbing reverie. “I said, which way on Sunshine?”

  Blinking, he forced concentration. “Um, left. I think. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Well, you’d better start,” she said crossly. “I’m not positive but I think we have company behind us again.”

  * * *

  Choosing to turn in the middle of the block, Kaitlin took evasive action by pulling into a parking lot and exiting on a side street. Daniel wasn’t the only one whose alertness had waned. Fatigue was overtaking her, too, and making her less observant. Knowing how bad that was and countering her weariness were two different things. She’d been on the move since her early shift on the ambulance and the day’s events had worn her to a frazzle. Too bad their troubles were far from over.

  “If we were rich we could
trade in my truck for a different one,” she said. “Or if we were crooks we could just steal one.”

  “You should have asked your friend if you could borrow her wheels.”

  “Oh, no. We took enough advantage of Mags by going there. I wasn’t about to involve her any more than necessary.”

  Pausing the conversation while she turned again, and relieved to see no other vehicles copying the zig-zagging pattern, Kaitlin frowned over at him. “I hope she doesn’t get in trouble for helping us.”

  “She won’t. I’ll see to it. Somehow.”

  Kaitlin could visualize possible scenarios, most of them bad. If they kept running they were bound to make a fatal mistake eventually. Yet what choice did they have? Thinking about his job she pulled out her phone and tried to hand it to him. “Call your boss and tell him now.”

  “You mean before somebody catches up to us and shoots me again?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way,” she argued. “I’m trying to work out a sensible way to end this chase.” And I’d be devastated if anything happened to you, she added to herself. That was the truth, like it or not. In the short time she and Daniel Ryan had been together she felt they had bonded. At least, she had. Every time he winced she felt his pain. Other patients she had cared for had brought out her sympathy, of course, but this man was different. Threats to his well-being sent shivers along her spine and made her tremble, head to toe.

  Kaitlin slowed to enter the driveway of a house sporting a For Sale sign.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need to rest a minute.” She began shaking and rubbing her hands to bring back circulation. “And we need to make a shopping list. I’m too antsy to remember everything I’m supposed to buy when we stop to shop. And I’ll need details about the shotgun you want. I’m assuming you won’t be going in the store with me.”

  “No.”

  She reached for her purse and handed him a pen and paper, then stretched her shoulders and rotated her head, trying to release the tension.

  “We need to pool our resources so we don’t run out of money.”