by A. V. Asher
“Apollo to Artemis, do you copy? Confirmed. Symphony secured and in place. ETA for stage two”—he checked his watch—“eight minutes.”
He turned to her. “Right, here are some clothes for you. Do you need help getting dressed?”
“If you’d untie my gown, I think I can do the rest.”
He complied, discreetly turning away. After five days in the hospital, modesty wasn’t a priority, but she appreciated the gesture. Back turned, Shake stripped off his scrubs, a light blue plaid button-up, and khakis on underneath. To Mercedes, he looked like a different person.
She dressed as quickly as she could. Beads of sweat gathered on her brow, and she was shaking again. It was the most physical activity she’d had in days, and her weakened body was revolting.
She looked down at her ensemble and frowned. “The shirt’s huge. Is it supposed to be this way?” She was swimming in it.
“Oh. That’s the best bit of the plan.”
Returning to the black bag, Shake rummaged around until he pulled out an oval-shaped pillow with a long, thick strap dangling from one side. Mercedes tilted her head at the contraption.
“It’s to, you know, make you look preggers.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. The corner of his mouth turned up. “No one looks at a woman when she’s in labor. Makes people uncomfortable. Especially those two tossers.”
Shake examined her face. “We have to do something about these bruises, though.” With that, he produced a small makeup bag filled with an assortment of tubes and brushes.
“I don’t have time to do a perfect concealment, but it should make you less conspicuous. This stuff is thick, and when it dries, a bit like cement.” He worked deftly, layering the heavy cream on her face in gentle strokes.
“You know a lot about concealers,” she remarked.
“I do.” He laughed, turning her face to get better coverage. “My mum’s an actor. My sister and I grew up in and out of West End theaters. Spent all our school holidays working with costume changes and such. Even had a few minor roles here and there. That’s why Alec likes us to do this work. We’re good at playing a part.”
“We? Your sister works with Alec too?”
He grinned. “Oh, for sure. You met her already.”
“Cressida?”
“Yep, she’s my twin.”
The resemblance became so obvious, she didn’t know how she’d missed it. They shared the same warm brown eyes and soft curly hair, though his was cut shorter.
She couldn’t seem to harness the belly around her waist, so Shake moved to help. When she lifted her shirt, he sucked in his breath with a hiss.
“Sorry, love. Didn’t think about this part. This’ll probably hurt.”
“It’s okay, I can manage.”
Shake tightened the strap around her waist. She winced when the rough trim rubbed against her stitches, pulling when she moved.
But the finished result made it worth it. She looked like a trendy, expectant mother.
“Apollo and Symphony are ready.” Shake packed the makeup into the bag. So she was Symphony then. Alec must have played a part in giving her the name.
“Right then. When we walk out this door, another member will escort us.”
“Wouldn’t more people draw attention?”
“Quite the opposite. Those buggers will be looking for an orderly and a woman in a wheelchair. They won’t even see us.” He zipped the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Plus, we need one of the big guys to carry you if our cover is blown and we have to run for it.”
The blood rushed away from her face, making her head spin. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“Alright.” Shake looked her over one more time. “Do what you think a laboring mother would do. Breathe heavy, cry out, or swear at me if you like; that’d be fun. But don’t do it in your own accent. If they hear an American, it’ll catch their attention.”
Mercedes took all this in, terrified she’d make a mistake.
As Shake reached for the doorknob, he stopped. “Oh, and make sure you waddle.”
“Waddle?” It struck her as absurd.
“Yeah, like.” He made a penguin-like motion with his hands. “You know, waddle.”
Mercedes couldn’t help but smile at him. He looked ridiculous.
“Oi, you know what I mean.” His grin told her he didn’t mind the ribbing.
Mercedes agreed to add a little extra waddle to her step. And with that, she followed him out. A doctor leaned against the wall, reading a clipboard. When he turned, it took a beat to recognize him. The dancing blue eyes, so like his cousins’, were gone. In their place, a pair of coffee-brown eyes peered over wire-framed glasses. He wore scrubs and a white coat, a colorful surgical cap covering his dark hair.
“Declan?”
He pulled her into a gentle hug. “Hi, Sadie lass. How ya feeling?”
“Nervous, but I’ll do. Ready to waddle out of here.”
He flashed a grin at her, then spoke into his earpiece that they were ready to move. Shake intertwined his arm with hers, and she allowed herself to lean on him. With a deep breath, she took her first steps into the main corridor as a laboring woman, supported by her apprehensive sweetheart.
Chapter Thirteen
Shake set the pace toward the elevator. Mercedes kept her head down, grimacing. She wasn’t faking her discomfort. The strap around her waist irritated the hell out of her side.
She stole a glance at Patrick. He had lifted his head toward the radiology entrance, observing anyone who came in and out. His gaze moved toward them. So she cried out, slowing Shake down. Patrick shifted his attention to his book.
Huh, how bout that.
For their parts, Declan and Shake played the part of doctor and overwrought father-to-be brilliantly.
“Um, yeah, like is this normal?” Shake squawked at Declan.
“Yes, this is par for the course at this stage. We’ll check her progress when we get her settled into a room.”
They hobbled through the waiting area and were feet from the main hall when Mercedes’s weakened knee gave out, rolling her ankle outward. She lurched to the side. Shake caught her, but her elbow jammed into her damaged ribs. A flash of blinding white pain hit her.
Mercedes clutched onto consciousness, taking full, even breaths through her nose. She couldn’t pass out in the waiting room.
Shake’s voice pierced through the veil, becoming clearer as the pain receded. “Babe, are you all right? Babe?”
Somewhere in the fog, she fought to keep it together. “I’ll do. Can I get my bloody drugs now?” she snapped in an English accent.
Her side throbbed, but the bank of elevators were only steps away. Her grip was cutting into Shake’s hand. When they reached the doors, Shake murmured in her ear. “Alec says, ‘Hang on a little longer. It’ll be over soon.’”
Mercedes stared at him in surprise. Alec could hear them?
Once inside, Declan turned to her. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” The pain had subsided to a dull ache. “Are we safe to talk now?”
“Aye, Cress is manipulating the live camera streams. Anyone monitoring the feed will see an empty lift until its next pickup.”
“Damn it. She’s bleeding,” Shake interjected. “Is it your rib or your arm?”
A crimson blotch was spreading across the floral maternity shirt and smearing against her sleeve. The nurses had dressed the injury on her forearm with a gauze bandage, but they’d left the long ribbon winding down her abdomen uncovered.
“It’s the ribs, but I don’t think it’s bad,” she said.
Shake traded a smirk with Declan. They both must have heard the same thing in their earpieces.
Declan rolled his eyes. “Aye, reel it in, man. She’ll be all right.” He turned to Mercedes. “Keep your arm against your body to hide it. Hopefully, they won’t want to look at you.”
“What every girl wants to hear,” Mercedes snarked. Declan gav
e her a crooked grin.
The elevator opened, and the bustle of people disoriented her. They had arrived in the hospital’s basement, the main entrance from the parking garage. Shake, holding her hand, led her off the lift and into the busy hallway.
She was keeping pace until her eyes landed on a familiar face in the crowd, stopping her heart.
Letting go of Shake, she spun and prayed he hadn’t seen her. She dashed into an adjoining hallway and leaned against the wall for support. Taken aback, Declan and Shake followed.
“Jason’s here,” she whispered. “I think he saw me.”
“You’re sure?” Declan asked.
“Yes. Black jacket, brown hat near the car park entrance.”
Declan scanned the hall. His eyes landed on a single, unisex bathroom. He threw the door open, hustled her inside, and jerked it closed behind her. Mercedes sat on the edge of the toilet seat, giving her protesting legs a break.
It was several minutes before the door opened, and Declan slid inside, the backpack over his shoulder. He was in mid-argument with his earpiece about this unexpected development.
“I don’t think he saw her, but the bastard’s not leaving. And we can’t stay in the loo all day.” There was a long pause. “What do you want me to do, shoot him in the middle of a hospital? Aye, I bet you would.” Another pause. “You can’t be seen here, and you know it. We have to shift to Plan B.”
Declan seemed to win the battle and knelt next to her.
“How you holding up, lass?”
“Eh, I’ve been better.” Mercedes shot him a crooked smile. Her muscles refused to stop trembling.
“We’re going a different way. Luckily, we already have someone in place at that exit; we just have to get there. Can you manage?”
“Yeah, I’ll be alright.”
Declan stood and stripped off the blue scrubs, revealing a Manchester United jersey and a pair of jeans underneath, and shoved everything into the bag. Keeping the glasses on, he added a ball cap to cover his dark hair.
He helped her to her feet, and they rejoined Shake in the hall. “Don’t worry about the act.” Declan took her hand.
They returned to the elevators and rode up on a packed lift. Mercedes’s nerves were on edge. She expected Jason to appear at any moment. Declan squeezed her hand. She looked up at him, and he smiled like this was just another day. How could he be so calm?
Then they were on the move again, walking as fast as Mercedes could manage across a glass atrium walkway. About midway across, Declan paused, sharing an alarmed look with Shake.
“Shit,” he muttered. He put his hand on her back and hustled her across the narrow bridge. Her head swam, but she did her best to keep up with Declan’s long strides.
“I’m so sorry. Dickhead number one changed course.”
Declan put his back to an adjoining wall, spun her to face, him and pulled her into his arms in an embrace. He held the back of her head against his shoulder, his head buried against hers. Much like his cousin, he had a powerful upper body and gave great hugs.
“How’d you know he was there?” she murmured.
“Cress. She sees everything.”
Mercedes smiled against his shoulder, grateful for a moment to catch her breath. “Why do you think Jason was here? I’ve never seen him at the hospital before. Do you think he knows something is up?”
“Aye, maybe. These assholes are ridiculous. But as soon as this slow arse piece of shite gets past us, we will be out the door.”
Declan ducked his head closer. Adam must be in the same room as them now. She peered beyond Declan’s shirt and saw him. She pressed her face against Declan’s chest again and waited for some sort of sign.
Shake moved first, and Declan followed. They led her through the grand foyer of the main entrance. The glass doors shushed open, and for the first time in days, she was outside.
The soft cool rain touched her face, and she inhaled, grateful for fresh air. Declan, his hand in hers, led her down the sidewalk toward a black van.
The door slid open, and Cressida popped her head out. “Hello, love.”
A tall Black man jumped out of the van, holding his hand out to her. Mercedes took it and stepped up, her legs like rubber. Declan and Shake jumped into the front seat. The van pulled away from the curb before the door slid shut.
The Black man gave her a warm smile. “Hi Sadie, I’m Mason Wright. I’m the team medic. I’d like to have a quick look at that laceration that’s giving you trouble.” He nodded to the blood on her shirt. “I might have to stitch you up tonight.”
Mercedes’s heart was slowing to a normal pace. The muscle aches returned with a vengeance, and the violent trembling made it difficult to remove the baby bump. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead.
Mason donned surgical gloves from his bag and examined her injuries while she tried to keep her balance. After he finished probing her ribs, he took her blood pressure and temperature and clipped an oxygen monitor to her finger.
“That wound will need watching, and I’m a little concerned about your color. Once you get some rest, that should improve.”
“I can’t seem to make the shaking stop.”
“It’s alright,” Mason soothed. “Your body is recovering from all the stress. Adrenaline hangovers are a bitch. You might feel terrible for the rest of the day.”
“Eh, I wasn’t planning on feeling good today anyway,” she quipped, which made them chuckle.
Laying her head back, Mercedes took in her surroundings. They didn’t feel real. It was like any moment she’d wake up and still be in that shitty apartment.
As she glanced around the van at the near-strangers who were risking their own safety for her, her heart swelled in gratitude. She wasn’t going back to him, she vowed. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”
“Of course, love,” Shake called from the front seat. “It was either that or watch the boss go to prison for putting a bullet in an arsehole’s head. We thought this was a better route.”
“That was his plan A,” Declan laughed. She tried not to read too much into that.
“Can I ask for a favor?” she asked Cressida. “I mean, another favor.” She waved her hand around her getaway van.
“Of course.”
“Can you help me make a call to Jason tonight? A safe one?” Cressida hesitated. “Please? I need some closure.”
“Alright.” Cressida’s face broke into a wide grin. “I’ll be there cheering you on while you tell that wanker to piss off.”
The van slowed to a snail’s pace, and she peered out the window to see if there was a problem. Shouldn’t they be driving as fast as they could out of the area? No one else seemed concerned. They pulled into a parking space and stopped. Declan jumped out and opened the sliding door. The brown contacts were gone, and his cobalt blue eyes had returned. He looked like Dec again.
“Come on out,” He offered his hand to her.
Mercedes’s legs had become relatively useless, but she somehow made it to Declan. The drizzling had subsided, and the sun’s afternoon rays peeked from behind the clouds. They had pulled into a wooded park. Beyond a walking trail and a concrete wall, the River Thames flowed by.
“We didn’t go far.” They couldn’t have been traveling even ten minutes. She had hoped to get as far from Jason as possible.
“Oh, aye. This is just a brief stop. Someone was anxious.” Declan lifted his chin toward the walking path. She turned to see Alec striding toward her. An unexpected relief washed over her, and she took a step toward him. The sun cast a rich glow across his defined features, sparking fire and copper in his dark hair. His vivid blue eyes took her in as he approached.
Without a pause in his stride, he opened his arms and enveloped her, his warmth and security folding in around her. No longer holding back her need to touch him, she sighed and sank into him, savoring the feel of his body against hers.
Part II
Chapter Fourteen
&
nbsp; Alec held her gently, not wanting to hurt her battered body. She trembled in his arms, and he rubbed her back to warm her. He didn’t want to let her go, but he pulled away, taking her in. Her eyes were enormous, and the gray pallor of her lips made the thick concealer garish in the light. The blood on her shirt had dried, and there was no evidence of fresh bleeding.
“Are you all right then?”
Mercedes nodded, her teeth chattering.
It was Cressida who spoke from inside the van. “Holding up like a champ. She’s had a hell of a go of it, and the poor thing’s knackered.”
Mercedes moved into his arms again, resting her head against his chest. The tension that had grown in him since he’d gotten the call finally released. She was safe and letting him hold her. It was more than he could have asked for.
He looked to Cressida. “They know she’s gone yet?”
Cressida leaned back to the bank of monitors. “Nope. Jason met up with Dickhead One. They’re hanging out by a coffee cart. Dickhead Two is still in the imaging waiting room. He’s pacing, so it won’t be long.”
Feeling Mercedes’s energy waning, Alec guided her toward his black SUV he had parked several spaces down. The team followed. “All right, Dec, you’re with us. The rest of you, work on setting up and securing the location. We’ll take the long way to get out there.”
Alec opened one of the rear doors. Mercedes climbed in and sighed, laying her head against the seat. After the last few instructions, the team was off, and he joined her in the back seat. She’d already belted herself in and was leaning back with her eyes closed.
When he touched her hand, she opened them and smiled at him. “Alec,” she murmured. Warmth spread through him. How was it just hearing her say his name made him crazy for her?
“You sure you’re alright?” She looked so damn fragile.
Mercedes yawned. “I will be. I just need some sleep.”
“Would you like this?” he asked, reaching behind the seat to take out a heavy faux-fur blanket. “We have a bit of a drive, so I grabbed it for you.”