“I know. They have Mabry in custody. He’s the one who shot you.” She pulled a chair over to sit beside his bed.
“I wonder how many times he tipped those guys off.” He closed his eyes for a minute. “How many kids did we lose because of that piece of scum?”
She pulled the envelope that Jed had given her out of her purse and handed it to him. “I haven’t had a chance to read it. I thought you should have it first.”
He set it down. “Do you suppose you could come close enough for me to give you a kiss before this room fills up with people? You can’t imagine what I was thinking when you went after that guy.”
“I bet I can. You didn’t know whether to wring my neck before or after you shot me.” She grinned at him.
“That pretty much covers it.” He chuckled. “Come here, be kind to me, sweetheart, I’m in pain.”
“On one condition…” She frowned at him.
He raised his eyebrows. “What might that be?”
“That you post a police officer outside your door.”
“You can’t be serious, whatever for?”
“Willie Booker. He’s still out there. There’s enough evidence to arrest Brinkman, Mabry, and whoever has the kids but Willie—he’s trouble.”
“He may just go underground and live to play another day.”
“I’d like to believe that, but mean boys get crazy when you take their toys.” She bent down and kissed him. Thoroughly. And smiled as she felt his surprise.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He grinned up at her and then kissed her back. Leaning back against the pillow, he closed his eyes, taking her hand in his. She wiped her eyes and sat back down, content to let him hold it.
Those were the last few quiet minutes that they had together. Dylan showed up, followed by Tom, Kip, and Jeremy. They talked about the case. She went to sit in a chair away from the guys. She needed time to think.
When all the others left, she decided to stay. The senator’s arrest was already on CNN but not Mabry’s. She wondered about that. Jessie was restless and didn’t want Matt to be alone. She couldn’t convince him, or Dylan for that matter, that he needed police protection.
He did. She knew it.
Booker was angry. She could feel it. The life he had created so carefully was all coming down around him. He blamed Matt and would try to kill him.
She didn’t know when, but she knew it was only a matter of time.
****
He saw her when he first awakened. Curled up in the chair with a pillow and blanket, she looked uncomfortable, but beautiful with the morning sunlight shining in on her through the big window. He was going to see her every morning when he woke up. At least that was his plan. He stretched his leg and winced, then glanced at the door. Maybe he should take her warnings seriously. She didn’t throw them around lightly.
“I see your guardian angel is still asleep. She was here all night and awake for most of it.” Dr. Brown looked at Jessie as he walked into the room. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Morning, Doc.” Matt managed a thin smile. “Outside of the nagging pain in my leg, I’d say happy to be alive.”
“That’s how most shooting victims feel about it.” He chuckled. “I think your leg will heal nicely. It will hurt and that’s what those pills are for. The stitches will dissolve on their own. I had to do some repairs to the surrounding tissue torn by the bullet’s entry. It barely missed a big artery. You could have bled out. You’re lucky.” He frowned, looking over his glasses at Matt. He checked Matt’s pulse. “Pain and tenderness are to be expected. I know we like to avoid pain when possible, but it’s what happens when people and bullets collide.” He listened to Matt’s heart. “You will need to be on antibiotics for a while. The biggest threat from an invasive wound like this is infection. You get past that, and you’re home free.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re young, you should heal quickly. The nurses will get you up today to walk with crutches. You’ll hate working with the nurses, but they’re used to it. And believe me, they won’t let you bully them.” His eyebrows rose. “You’ll need to walk with a cane until your leg feels strong again. Any questions?”
“Only one…when can I get out of here?”
“I’d say tomorrow afternoon if you do everything the nurses tell you to.” He turned to Jessie as she stirred. “Good morning, little lady. Can I trust you to keep this guy in line? I don’t want to see him with any more bullet wounds.”
“I’ll do my best.” She smiled at him. “Since he’s in capable hands now, I’m going home to freshen up.” She walked out of the room.
“Matt, I’ve known you since you were a little boy.” Dr. Brown peered at him over the rim of his glasses. “Enough with the bullets! What’s happening to this town anyway?”
“Crime has a way of moving beyond the cities. I guess it finally caught up to us, or maybe it was here all along and we just woke up to it.”
When his doctor left, Matt picked up the envelope Jessie had given him. Most of it was just what he had heard Jed tell her but in a little more detail. With a sigh of relief, he found what he was looking for, the place where they could start looking for the kids. He would call Frank.
After a walk up and down the hall with the drill sergeants dressed as nurses, Matt could hardly keep his eyes open.
Dylan kept him up to speed on the fast breaking case. Mabry’s arrest was kept quiet and away from the press. They needed him. He was singing like crazy. He was the one who had worked with Willie to fix the police records. Mabry told them that four men they had hired after the arrests of Pearson and the others were watching the kids now. They were waiting for the all-clear from him.
Tom had Mabry arrange to meet them at their usual place so he could give them the money for relocating the kids. It was to take place today at four o’clock.
“You have to let Jessie go with you,” Matt told him. “She has to be there to see the kids rescued.”
“I knew you’d see it that way so I already arranged it.” Dylan shook his head. “Matt, try to take it easy. You’ve run a tight ship, and we’re ready to do our jobs. Two bullets in a couple weeks could set anyone back. So give yourself time to heal. We’ll let you know as it’s going down.”
“Thanks, Dylan.” Matt’s tone became serious. “Keep her safe.”
“Hell, she’ll probably save me. I wish you could have seen her last night, all bold and sassy, telling Mabry that if he pulled the trigger again it would be the last thing he ever did.” Dylan chuckled. “I’ll call you, as soon as the operation concludes.”
Four was still a few hours away. He would just take a little nap. Weary, he laid his head back, closed his eyes, and was sound asleep within minutes.
****
Jessie was waiting. She kept popping up and down to look out the back door. She saw Dylan the minute he pulled into the place where her car usually was. It was a shot up mess. It made her cry to think about it. She grabbed her jacket, putting it on as she walked out the door.
“You ready?” Dylan asked as she opened the door to get in.
“Of course.” She closed the door and put on her seatbelt. “Have you notified the parents?”
“They’re all on their way to the hospital now. Let’s hope everything goes well, so we can bring every one of them home alive.” He backed up and started driving. “It’s not too far from here, but we have to find a place to stash the cars and hide.”
“I’m excited to be a part of it.” She looked over at his grin. “Are you sure Matt told you to take me?”
“His exact words were ‘You have to let Jessie go with you. She has to be there to see the kids rescued.’ ” He peeked over to see her smile. “Then he told me to keep you safe.” He grinned when she frowned.
“I know he’s just looking out for me, but…” She sounded disappointed.
“I told him you’d probably save me.” Dylan laughed outright.
“I know I could if I needed to.” S
he sat up a little straighter in the passenger’s seat.
“I believe you could, too.” Dylan glanced over at her. “Jessie, you need to keep your eyes open. Mabry told us there might be a woman with them. She’s a sister of one of the suspects. He wasn’t sure if she’d be a part of it this time. Her name is Selena, and he said she was a mean one.”
She was quiet for a few minutes. “I will.” She frowned. “I’m concerned that Willie is going to go after Matt. I can feel his thoughts. Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m an oddity by now.” She stared through the windshield, not really seeing the light traffic. “He’s blaming Matt for everything.” She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. “Jed said he was mental, which to me means he’s unpredictable. He might feel he can just walk into the hospital, take him out, and slip away never to be caught. The truth is I don’t know if Willie is the one who is alive and he posed as Travis or if Travis is alive and Willie is dead. Either way, the brother who is living is the real hit man.”
“All right, you’ve convinced me. Let’s see what we can do.”
They arrived at the site in plenty of time to stash the cars and hide. Jessie hid in a thick group of bushes on the other side of a grove of trees. She was to remain there through the operation. That was the condition. She waited and she remembered! It had all started with Abigail. Now, here she was. She wanted to see some of the faces she had seen in her dreams. She sucked in her breath and her body tensed when the vans pulled off the road. Boy, she would love to do some damage to a couple of these guys. Mabry was sitting in his car. She watched him open the door when he saw the vans. Several guns with sights locked in on him. With his briefcase in hand, Jessie watched Mabry head toward the three men who had gotten out of the vans. “Where’s your brother?” Mabry looked around.
“He’s in the van with the kids.” The man looked around him.
“Go get him. I need to talk to all of you. Is there anyone else?”
“No, only him and he’s keeping an eye on the kids.”
“Dammit, get him out here!” Mabry yelled. “Threaten the little brats and they’ll stay put.”
He went and got his brother, waving his gun and yelling at the kids. Jessie could hear their whimpers. She knew exactly what she would like to do to him. To all of them! Mabry handed the tallest man the briefcase with the money. That was Tom’s cue. He leaped out of his hiding place followed by the others. “FBI, you are under arrest.” The FBI surrounded them.
Jessie saw Selena when the others couldn’t. She had slipped out of the van and made her way toward the back of the vehicle. Jessie didn’t stop to think about it. She moved from her hiding spot, following the same path the woman had taken. She took her gun out, aimed. “If you fire that you might hit someone, but I guarantee you’ll be dead.” The woman spun around and for an instant, their eyes met. Jessie stopped breathing, time slowed, and her finger tightened on the trigger as the woman’s eyes narrowed.
“Damn!” She dropped the gun, lips pulling back from her teeth. “You bitch!”
“Jessie, I’m glad you saw her. No one could see her from our position.” Dylan trotted around the van.
“Thanks for the warning earlier.” She held the gun steady on the woman as Dylan cuffed her.
“Nice job!” Dylan escorted the woman to a waiting cruiser. She cursed him all the way.
The kids were dirty and scared, but alive. Tom popped his head in and showed the kids his badge. We’re here to take you home. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“He’s a cop,” the tall boy told them. “He’s going help us get home.” They all began to chatter at once.
Jessie remembered his face and several others. So many emotions! Tears, drat these blasted tears. She swiped at them. She walked around to the other side of the van to get control before she really cried. A few minutes later, she got into one of the vans with Kip. She wanted to be near the kids she had seen in her dreams. They drove the kids to the hospital for evaluation, and then to be reunited with their parents.
It took a while to get them back to Blue Cove and to the hospital. She waited. She walked over to Tom who was standing against the wall. “Thanks for all your hard work. This is a good day.”
“If I remember, you were the one who started all this.” Tom smiled down at her. “It’s a very good day.”
She looked around the room as the parents filed in. One by one, she watched as the freshly scrubbed children began to trickle in and went right into the arms of their waiting parents.
Soon, everybody was crying.
Someone had heard that today was Lily’s birthday and a couple of nurse’s aides rolled in a cart with cake and punch. A nurse opened the door. “Before you cut the cake, I brought a few more guests for the party.” She wheeled in Josh followed by Abigail and Frank with Radar.
Jessie watched the children’s faces light up as they gathered around Josh and Abigail, excited and giggling. Full of questions, each one approached the two, and they repeated their stories several times.
“How’d you know to come?” Jessie stood beside Frank who watched some of the kids pet his dog.
“Matt called me this morning and told me what was going down. I didn’t want to miss this for nothing.” Frank grinned. “He also has something he wanted me to do at the morgue so they can release Booker’s body.
“Doesn’t Josh look good?” She pointed him out.
“He sure does. I didn’t think he’d make it. And look at Abigail with Radar.” He listened to Abigail tell the others how Radar had found her. “You did it, Jessie. Thank God, you heard Abigail’s call. Take it all in and enjoy! Now you can take it easy.”
“Not just yet.” Jessie watched the happy reunion scene. “There’s still someone out there. I feel he’s coming after Matt.” Her eyes filled with moisture.
“Hey, doll…” Gary walked up and handed her a set of keys. “Matt’s car is in the parking lot. He wanted you to have it to use until yours gets fixed.” He noticed the tears.
“That was nice of him to remember.”
The room became crowded and stifling as more family members arrived. “Jessie, we’re headed up to Matt’s room. Do you want to come along?” Tom passed her on his way to the door.
She shook her head. “I’m going home to freshen up. But let Matt know I’ll be up right after dinner.”
Chapter 39
Jessie finished dinner, ran the brush through her hair one last time, and put on her lip-gloss. As she looked in the mirror, she suddenly felt a sense of urgency. She needed to get to the hospital. She put her gun in the holster, grabbed her jacket, and got into Matt’s car. She called Dylan as she drove past the Inn toward the highway.
“Where are you?” she yelled into the phone.
“Home…What is it, Jessie? What’s wrong?”
“We need to get to the hospital. Something is wrong.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Jessie drove as fast as she could. She pulled into the hospital parking lot just as people were running out.
“What’s going on?” she called out as she ran by a man and his daughter.
“An explosion rattled the hospital. We didn’t stick around to see what it was.”
He was here. His MO. It was his diversion tactic. She took the stairs two at a time. She had to get to Matt’s room before he did. She pushed the door open to the second floor, looking cautiously around. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. He was close, she could feel him. She crossed the hallway to the corridor where Matt’s room was. He was just getting off the elevator wearing surgical scrubs. He spoke to one of the nurses briefly. Jessie heard her tell him room 255.
She picked up her pace, but he was closer to Matt’s room than she was. She pulled the gun from her holster and saw Dylan coming from the other direction.
“Travis, you can stop right there.” She watched as he turned toward her, a gun coming up in his hand. Aiming at her.
She dropped to the ground and
rolled behind a cart in the hallway, firing a shot. Time seemed to stand still. He cursed her. She heard a shot and something struck the wall slightly above her head. Her finger was still on the trigger, but her hand wouldn’t quit shaking. She couldn’t fire! She heard another shot and rolled over against the wall. Trapped!
Silence.
A woman screamed. She peeked around the edge of the cart just as he folded forward, to land face down on the floor with a sickening thud. Dylan ran up from behind him and kicked his gun out of reach.
“Jessie, are you okay?”
She sat up, too shaken to answer and waved at Dylan. When she finally stood up, she saw a doctor bending over Travis giving orders, and hospital personnel scurrying to get what he requested. She also saw Matt in the doorway of his room with a gun in his hand, leaning on a walker.
****
Matt watched her walk toward him. His heart was just beginning to beat normally. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life. She walked around those working on the suspect and straight into his arms.
“I didn’t know if I could get here in time.” She started to shake.
“But you did.” He rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“Did you shoot him?” She looked into his eyes.
“No, baby, you did, and then Dylan finished it.” He pushed her hair off her face.
“I don’t remember doing it.” She shivered again.
“When you dropped to the ground, you fired and hit him. That slowed him down, and Dylan had time to get him.” He held her close. “How’d you know?’
“I felt I needed to get here and I called Dylan…” She stared out the door at the white-coated figures working on Travis.
“Come in, I need to get off my leg.” He pulled her into the room and shut the door.
“You saved my life.” He looked at her, not letting her go. “I knew something was up, but I couldn’t have moved fast enough to save myself. If I hadn’t heard you call his name, I wouldn’t have even known he was here.” Matt made it to the bed and sat down, pulling her down beside him. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He held her while she cried.
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