Operation: Endgame

by Christi Snow

  Derek was getting worked up and that made him unpredictable, so Jake simply nodded at him. “The police will straighten it all out when they get here.” Thankfully, he could hear sirens coming so that would happen sooner rather than later.

  Jake could see Cassie was trying to puzzle it all out, especially when she took it upon herself to start questioning Derek. “If you didn’t do this, then why were you here, Derek?” Jake tried to catch her eye to dissuade her from that line of questioning. They didn’t need Derek to become irrational, but Cassie wasn’t looking at Jake. She only switched her attention between Derek and War.

  Derek was looking at War with the glazed look of someone going into shock. “I needed to talk to him. I felt bad after our fight Saturday night. I shouldn’t have brought Melissa to your party. It was my fault.”

  “What was your fault, Derek? Why shouldn’t you have brought her? That doesn’t make any sense.” Cassie continued to question him.

  Derek’s voice sounded broken. “You don’t understand. Is he going to die? God, he can’t die.”

  At that moment, armed police and paramedics filed into the room. They quickly took custody of Derek and took him out of the loft in handcuffs and then worked on freeing War from the chair while trying to stabilize his condition. Brian arrived in the midst of the melee and quickly moved both Cassie and Jake to the side of the room so he could question them.

  “What the hell happened today?” Cassie had given Brian a brief overview of her conversation with her stalker on the phone on their way over to War’s, so now they filled him in on what they had discovered once they arrived. Brian questioned, “Did you see Derek shoot him?”

  They both shook their heads.

  “Did you hear the gunshot on the way up to the loft?”

  Again they both shook their heads. Brian rubbed his forehead. “Something just doesn’t make sense here. Why would he tie him up like that, shoot him, then stick around and work to save his life?”

  Cassie exchanged a concerned look with Jake, but she interjected. “There’s something more you should probably know. Derek and War had a huge fight at the party at my house Saturday night. When we got here, Derek kept talking about how sorry he was and saying it was his fault.”

  Brian looked at her shrewdly. “Do you know what the fight was about?”

  “Not really.” Cassie shook her head. “They’ve always had a contentious relationship, but there was more to it that night. From everything I could tell, it had something to do with Derek bringing his new girl Melissa to the party. Honestly, it didn’t make any more sense at the time than it does now. I just don’t understand any of this. How could Derek be my stalker? I just don’t see it.”

  Jake looked at her with sympathy. “Cassie, he’s your friend. You just don’t want to see it, but he’s had opportunity every time something’s happened. We know he was there late the night your office was vandalized. The note in the finals…he was handling those. The morning of the shooting, he’s the one that left so there was opportunity for an attack on you. We know there was some sort of issue between War and him, so this attack makes sense. Even the competition for military prowess is something that fits with him working in your same field.”

  “Not really, he works the political side, not the military side. Besides, if he wanted this to be a game and a competition, why would he have hung around after shooting War? That just doesn’t fit. Everything else is too easy. I don’t buy it.”

  Brian nodded. “I have to agree, but it should be fairly easy to clear up, if we’re wrong. If Derek doesn’t have gun residue on his hands, then that should clear him of suspicion…at least as far as this shooting. I need to head down to the police station to handle his booking and questioning.” Brian started to head out the door, but he turned and added, “You both need to stay on guard, just in case.”

  Jake nodded.

  Cassie added, “Please let us know about Derek. We’re headed to the hospital to find out how War is doing.”

  Unfortunately, that was much easier said than done. When they arrived at the hospital, they found out War had been rushed to surgery to remove the bullet which was lodged dangerously close to his heart. He’d already gone into cardiac arrest once on the way to the hospital in the ambulance. Jake and Cassie settled into the waiting room, hoping for good news.

  Five hours later, they were still waiting with no word when Cassie was surprised to look up and see Brian and Derek walking into the waiting room. Cassie rushed over to hug the haggard-looking Derek, although Jake tried to stop her. She turned to Brian, “Does this mean there aren’t any charges against him?”

  “No, there are no charges. He showed no signs of gun residue. Also, we’re lucky War’s building has a significant video surveillance system which proved Derek wasn’t in the building at the time of the shooting.”

  Jake looked thoughtful. “Does that mean you have video of who did shoot him?”

  Brian nodded, “Yes, although he’s smart. He kept his face averted and covered. We actually have video that show both he and Derek walked right past each other.”

  “So you saw him?” Cassie asked Derek.

  “That’s what they tell me, but I wasn’t paying any attention. I was thinking about what I was going to say to War.”

  “Derek, why are you here? You’ve had a long day and night. Why don’t you go home? I can call and let you know what happens with War.” Cassie told him. “Chances are, even when he comes out of surgery, they won’t let any of us see him since we aren’t family.”

  Derek started shaking his head before Cassie even finished. His voice sounded tortured. “I can’t. I have to know he’s going to be okay. I need to talk to him. He could’ve died today. He still might. I need to be here.”

  “Okay.” Cassie turned her confused look towards Brian who was watching Derek with pitying eyes. There was obviously more going on between him and War than she’d realized. “Come on,” Cassie linked her arm through Derek’s, “let’s go see if we can find some bad coffee while we wait.” She turned to reassure Jake, “We’ll be right back. We’re just going down the hall for a minute.” Jake turned to Brian who nodded she should be okay with Derek.

  As they walked down the hall, Cassie spoke softly to Derek. “What’s going on between you and War? What’s happened between the two of you in the last week? I think I need to understand what’s really going on here.” She looked at Derek searchingly.

  Derek looked tortured as he met her eyes. “Remember when I told you both War and I were late at the office the night before we found it vandalized. Something happened that night. War and I kissed.” He looked worriedly down the hall before turning back to her. “We hooked up.”

  Cassie stopped walking in shock. “Wait, what? Hooked up? As in… had sex, hooked up?” She was looking at him with wide shocked eyes.

  Derek gave a short nod and pulled her to keep her walking. He glanced around making sure no one was listening to their conversation.

  “I don’t understand. War’s not gay.”

  “No, he’s bi-sexual, like me, but he doesn’t want anyone to know. That night just happened. We didn’t plan it, but afterwards he was in a panic I was going to tell someone.”

  “I don’t understand. What about Melissa?” Cassie asked, still trying to sort it all out.

  “I got mad he was so embarrassed about what happened between us, and picked her up the next night. She was fun and honestly, I just wanted to show War I wasn’t going to mourn our non-relationship.” Derek rubbed a hand over his tired face. “I brought her to your party to hurt him. I think I succeeded and now he’s really hurt and I may never have the opportunity to apologize and make it up to him.”

  Cassie was still grappling with all the unbelievable details of what Derek was telling her. “So are you saying you want to have a future with War?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Right now, I just want to have the option. He has to survive this. Our night together was…. I don’t know how to
describe it besides… magical. It was his attitude the next day at the office that sucked. I just don’t know. I felt a connection with him I’ve never felt with anyone else.” He looked at her with such heart-breaking emotion filling his eyes. “Do you think he’s going to survive? There was so much blood.”

  “I don’t know Derek, but I do know War is strong and stubborn as any man I know. You know as well as I do that he takes care of himself. He’s in great shape. He has to have good odds with those things in his favor.” She rubbed his arm. “Come on; let’s go get those coffees and head back to the waiting room.”

  When they got back, there was still no word. Jake gave Cassie a questioning look, but she just shook her head. The secrets about War and Derek’s personal lives were not hers to divulge.

  Several hours later, Cassie had dozed off on Jake’s shoulder. He reached over and shook her awake as the surgeon came into the room.

  He addressed the group. “Are you all here for Warren Hendricks?”

  As a group they nodded and he continued. “He survived the surgery and is stabilized. The next 24 hours are the most critical, but I think he’ll survive. The bullet was sitting very close to the heart and that’s why the surgery took so long. It was very delicate work. To complicate matters, Mr. Hendricks also took a hard blow to the head and is suffering from a mild concussion. He’s still in recovery and hasn’t woken up quite yet from the anesthesia, but when that happens, I’ll have someone come out and notify you.”

  The doctor looked over at Brian whose badge was showing prominently on his belt. “Are you the detective on this investigation?” At Brian’s nod, he continued. “You should be able to talk to him as soon as he starts to come out of anesthesia, but like I said, he’s had a hard blow to the head, so I’m not sure how much he’ll actually remember from the attack.”

  An hour later, Brian came out after a short interview with War. He shook his head at Jake and Cassie as he came into the waiting room. “Unfortunately, he’s still groggy and doesn’t really remember anything right now. Maybe as he comes out of the anesthesia better, he’ll remember more. I’ll talk to him again tomorrow.”

  The door to the waiting room opened again and a nurse came into the room. She glanced over their motley crew and focused on Cassie. “Are you Cassie?” At Cassie’s nod, she continued, “Mr. Hendricks is asking to speak with you. You can come back with me.”

  They arrived to the recovery area and she motioned towards a curtained area. “He’s back there and still pretty groggy. You can stay for a few minutes, but try not to stress him out, okay?”

  Cassie nodded and turned to go to War.

  She drew aside the curtain and whispered as she walked to the side of his bed, “War, it’s Cassie.” He was so pale and still. This was not the way she was used to seeing this big warrior of a man.

  He slowly opened his eyes.

  She took a hold of his hand, “Hey, you. You gave us quite a scare today.”

  His voice was low as he said, “It wasn’t my favorite day either. You be careful. Dangerous.”

  “Shhh, I know. Save your energy. I’m going to stay safe. Jake will make sure of it. Right now, you just need to concentrate on getting better.”

  War gave a short nod and closed his eyes, but suddenly his eyes flew open again. “Derek? He was there?”

  Cassie nodded and looked at him carefully, “Yes, Derek was the one who found you. He’s in the waiting room. He’s been here all night and I know he’d really like to see and talk to you. He’s worried about you.”

  War’s eyes became guarded, so Cassie tried to sooth him. “He’s worried. He cares about you, War. Please let him come in and talk to you.”

  War closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “You know?”

  Cassie gave another short nod. “Yes. I was surprised, but I love you both. I never understood why you couldn’t get along. I just never guessed it was a symptom of something else.” She gave him a teasing grin. “He’s a good guy, War. So are you. Let him come in and talk to you.”

  War nodded. “Okay, but first…promise…be careful.”

  She kissed his forehead. “I promise. I’ll be back tomorrow to see how you’re doing. Get some rest and get recovered soon, War. I’m going to need my running partner back.”

  When she walked back into the recovery room, Derek looked at her hopefully as she spoke. “He’s going to be okay. He wants to talk to you, but try not to upset him, okay?”

  The relief showed on Derek’s face. “I guarantee you I won’t do anything to endanger his recovery. I need the big oaf to be better so I can beat him to a pulp for scaring me like that today.”

  Cassie wrapped her good arm around Derek’s shoulders and ignored the tears filling his eyes. “He’s going to be fine. Go see him to reassure yourself, then go home and get some sleep. You’ve had a horribly long and dreadful day. Call me if you need me.”

  “Thanks Cassie.”

  Chapter 38

  As they walked out of the hospital, Cassie was surprised to see the sun was already peeking over the horizon. “Ugh, it’s morning.”

  Jake chuckled, “Just the way every morning should be started…with a positive attitude.” He gave her a teasing smile.

  She smiled back at him. They were both exhausted and ready to fall into bed, but first they needed some sustenance. She grabbed his hand and said, “Hey, I can feel all that bad hospital coffee eating a hole through my empty stomach. Let’s go grab some breakfast and decent coffee at The Mocha Mermaid.”

  Jake agreed. “That sounds like a good plan.”

  As they walked into The Mocha Mermaid, Ricky glanced up from where he was working behind the counter. He flashed Cassie a quick smile, but then took a double-take as he took in her haggard, exhausted appearance. He scowled at Jake, and then turned his attention back to Cassie. “Professor, why is it each time I see you, you are looking more the worse for wear?” Again, he gave a dirty look to Jake.

  Cassie gave a good-natured chuckle. “Just think, I used to come in here because Ricky could always make me feel better about myself with his glowing compliments.”

  Ricky frowned. “Of course, you’re still beautiful, Professor, but you look exhausted. I worry about you.”

  “I’m fine. We’ve just spent the night at the hospital waiting for a friend to come out of surgery.”

  “Is your friend okay?” Ricky asked, concerned.

  “Yes, thankfully, it looks like he’s going to be fine, but it made for a long night.”

  A quick moment of distress crossed Ricky’s features, before he simply said, “Good. Good. Venti non-fat latte and a normal coffee?”

  “Yes and can we add a couple of muffins to that too?”

  “Sure.” Ricky handed over the muffins and coffees and added a final. “I hope your friend makes a full recovery. Take care of yourself, Professor. You need to be in top form next time I see you.”

  Cassie gave him a smile. “I promise next time I come in, I’ll be back to normal.” She turned to Jake. “Should we take these to go? I’d like to get to bed as soon as possible.”

  Jake gave her a leering look. “I like your way of thinking.”

  Cassie turned and they walked out the door, both of them missing the look of hate and irritation which crossed over Ricky’s face before he turned to help the next customer.

  Chapter 39

  Jake awoke to the wonderful sensation of Cassie snuggling into the warmth of his chest. They’d come home, quickly eaten their breakfast, and then tumbled exhausted into bed without a thought about anything more than sleep. But now, after a few hours of rest and with Cassie’s lush body pressed into his, Jake’s thoughts were definitely straying away from anything to do with sleep. But as he looked down into Cassie’s face, he could see the circles of exhaustion under her eyes so he simply shifted his erection and tried to enjoy the perfection of having her in his arms.

  As she slept, he thought about the events of the last 24 hours. The stalker was playing a game
. He was playing a game he expected Cassie, with her military tactical skills, to participate in, but why? What was this guy’s motivation? All of the letters had been signed –BK or Bernard Kleptofine, the bad guy from the video game Cassie had worked on. Jake had played the game, but he hadn’t watched the video clip of Cassie’s interview on the video in a long time. Maybe it was time to revisit exactly what she said. They might just find some answers there.

  Jake eased out from underneath Cassie and went to find her gaming system. By the time he set everything up, Cassie came wandering into the living room, looking bleary-eyed and less than awake. She quickly stumbled over to start the coffeemaker as he booted up her section of the video. She handed him a coffee cup and snuggled in beside him on the couch. Yawning widely as she looked curiously at the screen. “What exactly are we doing?”

  “Obviously, this guy has been triggered by something in this video.” Jake nodded his head at the screen which was going through the technical expert interviews. “I thought if we watched your segment of the interview, there might be something to clue us into what this guy’s next move may be.”

  As Cassie’s image came on the screen, she couldn’t resist commenting, “God, I hate that shirt, but they wanted to show off my cleavage.” Cassie rolled her eyes, critically eyeing the dark purple wrap shirt which made her look much bustier than nature intended. She continued scowling at the screen, seeing every flaw in the interview.

  Jake drew her face around to his and kissed her. “I think you look pretty hot, but you come across as intelligent too. I used to watch this video when I was missing you so much I hurt.”

  Cassie gave him a sweet smile, and tried not to think ahead to when he had to go back to Arizona after the New Year. Denial was a wonderful thing and she planned on living the next few weeks fully immersed in it.

  Jake drew her attention back to the screen. “If I remember right, this is where you start talking about the bad guy.”