by Matt Lincoln
I hunched over Rosa, checking her leg for an exit wound. I didn’t find one. I glanced over at Doc, whose head was slowly bobbing side to side. They and Mia needed some severe medical attention, more than what I could offer and more than we had access to. I turned to Kippy. “Do you know a doctor with a tight lip and needs to work?”
She nodded at me solemnly. “I do. But unfortunately, he’s in Florida right now.”
I would have laughed if it hadn't been so crazy. “That’s six, seven hours away on a good day.”
Kippy looked Doc and Rosa over. “We can patch them up here, at your place, and I can call in a few favors.” Her voice sounded different, as though she was really trying to be kind and hadn’t managed it before now.
I shook my head. I didn’t like having to wait that long to fix this or for them to have medical attention. Too much could go wrong, and I refused to risk Rosa and Doc’s lives for secrecy.
Doc woke up just enough to respond to the offer. “I can make it to Florida.” He looked over at Rosa and got her attention. “What about you?”
She grimaced and shifted to be able to sign to us. Give me some morphine, and I’m good to go.
I fought all the way back to the safe house for them to go to a hospital here on the island, but in the end, I watched Kippy put them on a private jet, along with Xavier and Mia, and fly off into the night. I would be staying behind to clear out the house and to let Eve know what had gone down. Wraith and I would be making a very solitary trip back to Miami, where we’d meet up and regroup.
Chapter 15
Eve
I stepped out into the departure gate and joined the line of passengers looking for familiar faces and the correct exit to our next destination. I had no idea where I was supposed to go from here. Jake had only said that someone would be meeting me here when I arrived in Miami. Then, whatever line or connection he had been using to call me on cut out, and I couldn’t reach him again.
Jake had called me to tell me about their mission to rescue Arik and Mia only last night, but it felt like days ago now. Many of his team had been wounded in action, but I wasn’t sure which ones because I had yet to meet any of them. Agent Ozoa had been involved as well, and I was still waiting for her to report in. Arik had been taken by another ship to places unknown, but Mia was safe with Jake’s team. And for some reason, they had all gone to Florida. That’s why I was here now.
Jake claimed to have had some unfinished business in the Azores, but he asked that I come to Miami to get together with his team and to speak to Mia. It made sense, as she was the only witness and fellow victim of the kidnappers. So, I packed up my stuff, made some new reservations, and boarded a plane here. And now, I didn’t know what was next.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a couple trying to get my attention amid the mass of departing and welcoming people. The guy was on the younger side with curly brown hair, glasses, and a pale skin complexion that screamed for some sun. He was dressed casually in a white tee and khaki shorts. The woman looked intimidating and fierce, like a modern-day Amazonian warrior from a comic book or something. She had blonde hair and wore faded jeans with a tank and a parrot-themed club shirt. Her arms were tattooed from the knuckles to beneath her shirt sleeves.
I smiled at them and kept walking until I got closer. I pulled out my phone to check for messages and saw one pop up.
Jake sent us. I’m Xavier, by the way.
I looked back at the couple and saw that the guy was texting on his phone. The woman had a sly grin on her face and nodded at me, then gave a little wave. So, I took a chance and made contact with them.
“Javier?” I asked, purposefully getting his name wrong to make sure that I was correct in trusting them.
“Xavier, actually. Did my autocorrect mess up?” He checked his phone as if it had betrayed him.
“No, I was just testing you. I wanted to make sure that you were who you were supposed to be.” I felt confident enough now to relax a little around them.
“Look who’s trying to be all smart and stuff.” The woman snidely remarked at me.
“Rosa? I thought that you couldn’t… oh.” It then dawned on me. “Agent Ozoa. A pleasure to meet you face-to-face.” I reached out my hand to shake hers, but she declined. It was then that I recalled her… warm reputation.
Xavier tried to be the better person and gestured for us to go. “Let’s get your bags and head on out, shall we, Ms. Sarabia?”
“You can call me Eve.” I already felt like an outsider here. There was no need to make it more awkward. “Is the rest of our team doing alright? Jake, I mean, Mr. Header mentioned some of you were injured during the rescue mission.”
“I’d rather we didn’t discuss this in an airport full of eyes and ears.” Agent Ozoa was blunt, but I could appreciate her vigilance.
I apologized. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. So, how’s the weather here?” I smiled over at Xavier and hoped to engage him from here on out.
“Have you ever been to Florida, Eve, or is this your first visit?” He looked for my bags to expedite our stay. I thought he was trying to be very gentlemanly. It was cute, and I had to hide my grin behind my hand.
“No, I’ve never visited the Southeast Coasts. Born and bred in Chicago.” I had spent what most would call a “misspent youth” in school, racing toward that Doctorate of Juridical Science that earned me the income and clout I had wanted so badly.
“Well, it’s hot and muggy and busy, so I hope that you came prepared.” Xavier found my luggage and handed the smaller bag off to Agent Ozoa.
“I can carry my own things,” I protested. “There’s not that much.”
Xavier shook his head at me and quietly explained. “We want to check them and make sure no one ‘added’ anything to them.”
We watched as Agent Ozoa pulled out a small, cylindrical device that looked like a really fat pen. She ran it over my smaller bag. A green light flashed periodically, and that seemed to satisfy her.
“Is that… are you suggesting that someone may have…” I didn’t want to finish that sentence or thought.
“We can’t be too careful.” Agent Ozoa handed me the bag and took the larger one from Xavier to check it in the same manner. “Mia has been telling us some interesting things about her time with Arik and her hosts on the boat. Let’s just say there’s more going on here than we all originally thought.” The fat pen blinked green every few seconds, to everyone’s relief. She placed the device back into her jeans pocket and motioned that we were ready to leave.
Questions were filling my head at a rate I couldn’t process. I was dying to know what was going on, but I decided to wait until we had all gotten into the vehicle.
Agent Ozoa led us to a dark green Hummer with way too much chrome to be street legal. Inside, it smelled like disinfectant and had an off-white leather interior with plastic casing and compartments. I had new questions, but Agent Ozoa halted all of them before I could speak. “No, it’s not mine. Yes, it’s supposed to smell like this. Yes, we’re only borrowing it, and no, you can’t drive.”
“I wasn’t… okay. Fine.” I climbed into the backseat and waited for them to climb in, as well. “Um, so let’s backtrack. Your injured team. How are they?” I wanted to know since I guessed that I would be working pretty closely with all of them now.
Xavier had taken the passenger’s seat, so he turned to address me. I sat behind Agent Ozoa, so he and I had an easy time of seeing and speaking to one another now. “Doc had a slight concussion, a fracture in his middle phalanx, another fracture in the metacarpal, and some rib contusions. He’ll be the guy with a hand-cast when you meet him.”
Agent Ozoa interjected at this point. “Bruised ribs, broken right hand.”
Xavier continued, undeterred by the interruption. “Rosa was shot in the left peroneus longus and has some minor damage due to rib contusions as well. Also, some contusions to her---”
“Bruises, Ace. Just call them bruises.” Agent Ozoa sighed as
she wove in and out of traffic, unconcerned with the honking horns aimed her way. “They are in capable hands, I promise. I’m taking you there now so that you can see for yourself and report back to Jake.”
“He told you not to call him that, Kippy,” Xavier cautioned her.
“You gonna tell on me, Scout?” She glanced over and sneered playfully at him. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but the situation did not feel tense.
“Sorry, I’m a bit lost. Who is ‘Kippy’? And why doesn’t Jake let her call him ‘Jake’? Is it like a special agent protocol thing I should know about?” I was trying to keep up, but they obviously had a rapport that I didn’t get yet.
“I’m Kippy. You know that.” Agent Ozoa shook her head disapprovingly. “You’ve gone over my profile a dozen times, remember? You told the Judge not to hire me because of…” She stopped talking and avoided Xavier’s stare. “Yeah. I’m Kippy. Your Sancho doesn’t like me calling him by his given name. And since I’m not part of the squad, I won’t call him Header. I do have a special little name for him, though. Just between us.”
“I see.” I tried to sort out her tirade.
Xavier picked up the rest of the details. “So, now you can drop the ‘Agent Ozoa’ label. We’re all a little less formal now after the other night. Anyway… I have explained to Header several times that they are well taken care of.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “What about that deal at the bags at the airport? Am I about to be framed for smuggling or something like that?” It seemed a silly thing to say, but I had heard of more ridiculous ways to set up someone.
“There’s a lot to unpack there, and I’d rather wait until I’m not driving to explain my end of it,” Kippy justified. She glanced over at Xavier. “Feel free to fill her in, though, about your team. I’ll shut up and drive.”
Chapter 16
Jake
I had helmed Wraith straight through to Miami with only the minimal number of stops and breaks. I was running on coffee and nerves by the time I reached my old “hiding” spot where I kept Wraith when I was visiting this part of the world. It would be quietly concealed, tarped, and refueled due to a transaction I once made with someone in a tight spot. I called him up, gave him my ETA, and let him oversee the rest. The less we got involved in each other’s personal matters, the better. We both liked it that way.
My next call was to Xavier. I needed to know how the team was, first off, and I also needed to know that Kippy hadn’t pulled any crap on us. I also would have to ask him for a ride into the city and to wherever Kippy had taken Rosa, Doc, and Mia to get medical attention. In my sleep-deprived state, I didn’t even remember Xavier coming to get me, though. I had vague recollections of a drive where the music was low, and Xavier didn’t say a word. I spent the ride trying to nap with my face planted against the passenger side window.
I was woken by Eve, gently wrestling me out of a dead sleep. She looked good, I thought to myself.
“You’re a good sight to wake up to,” I murmured groggily. “Want to do it again tomorrow morning?”
Eve blushed a little and continued to pull me out of the vehicle. I wasn’t making it easy for her in my current state. “Jake? Everyone is waiting for you to come inside. You can’t sleep in the car all night.”
“Sure, I can.” I’d done this sort of thing before. “I can sleep anywhere. Just ask Rosa.” Then I remembered what was on the line. I climbed out of the passenger seat and found that my feet and legs didn’t agree with what my head told them to do. “Xavier, how is everyone? Tell me everything that’s been going on and where the hell we are.”
Eve steadied me as Xavier came up from the other side and balanced us out.
“How are you doing, Header?” He asked in a softer tone than normal toward me. I wondered what that was all about, but I had more pressing concerns on my mind.
“I feel like…” I didn’t want to answer that one. “How are Doc and Rosa? They’re here, right?” My mind was still very foggy from the stressed hours of helming Wraith alone, just to get here in record time. My body was barely responding to anything I wanted it to do.
“They’re doing fine. George is a good doctor and is looking forward to meeting you, too.” Xavier led me to an elevator as Eve tucked herself under my arm for extra support.
“My legs don’t seem to be wanting to work. They feel weird.” I tried to focus on what he had just told me. “Who is George?” The motion of the elevator drew my resistance down, and I crumpled into a heap on top of Xavier. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s…” I didn’t want to talk anymore as I felt my insides tighten. Something was definitely wrong.
The doors to the carriage opened, and I saw a familiar and unwelcome face. Kippy was standing in front of us with that stupid smirk she had too damn often.
“Not you again,” I mumbled. I didn’t know if she had heard me or not. Not that I was worried either way. She was the last person I wanted to see.
She laughed and hauled me up off Xavier. Eve looked relieved at this, too.
“Hey, G! I need a hand,” Kippy called out over her shoulder as Eve and Xavier dragged me forward out of the elevator.
A man I’d never seen before came into my view. He was older and taller than any of my crew. He had receding blond and white hair and stubble on his chin, and his skin was weathered and very tanned. He walked up to me and took Xavier’s place at my side. “Hold on to me, Mr. Header. I’ll have you comfy in a bit.” He had a Scottish accent that was starting to give way and sound more American.
He wore a maroon medical coat with a black tee underneath. I couldn’t see him from the waist down due to my position, but I noticed he had an odd kind of watch on his right wrist, and he smelled of disinfectant and mint tea. I at least had a name for this stranger, George.
He and Kippy took me into a bright room with dark, unexposed corners. It smelled like any other hospital would, and I had the feeling that we were somewhere that might not be overly safe. I was lifted up onto a table which impressed me even in that state, as I wasn’t exactly dainty. The room held what looked like modern equipment and machinery. At least that was something. The man took out a small penlight from his pocket as he leaned over me, prepping for an examination.
“You a doctor?” That seemed like a lucky thing for me, given the state that I was in.
“I am, Mr. Header. I’m the fellow that worked on your other friends, Rosa and… the bearded lad. Are you experiencing any dizziness, Mr. Header?” At least he was polite, I thought.
“Jake.” I hated the “Mister” part every time he spoke it, or anyone spoke it, for that matter.
“No, his name wasn’t Jake. It was… I’m teasing, of course. About that dizziness?” He was checking my eyes and flicking the penlight up and away.
“Yeah, maybe a little. I haven’t slept much in the last… couple of days.” I had forgotten how long it had been since the incident on the boat with Arik and Mia.
“That’s understandable, given your state of exhaustion and mental fatigue.” George moved around my head and checked my neck with his fingers. “Some stress-related tension in your muscles.” He kept moving and prodding at me as he spoke. “His body is shutting down due to excessive exertion and lack of intake.” I didn’t know if he was saying that to anyone in particular. “I understand from your mates that you do not prefer to take sedatives or medication if you can help it, is that correct?”
I tried to move my head to see who else was around me. Kippy was off to my right with her arms crossed and a pensive look on her face. I could hear typing on a keyboard, and I hoped that this was Xavier just out of my line of sight. “That’s right. I mean, if I need to, I’ll take it, but right n—”
“Is he always this taut and tense?” George looked up and asked someone as he pinched nerves in my shoulders. “The overall stress is manifesting itself against his body. Each and every person reacts differently when the form is pushed beyond its limits.” What he was doing was uncomfortable, but I d
eclined to show it. And he kept speaking about his finds, to himself most likely. “I published a paper on it some decades ago. Fascinating evidence, though I say it myself.”
“He needs to get laid.” Kippy snapped her fingers. “Eve, you’re up!”
“Shut up, Kippy.” Doc’s recognizable voice was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever heard. A wave of comfort flooded my brain, knowing that I hadn’t sent them off to something worse than getting wounded in the Azores.
“Doc? You alright over there?” I strained to lift my head to find him, but George pushed me back down.
“I will respect your wishes about medication, Jake, but only if you respect my need to examine you for lingering damage or trauma. Are we agreed?” He held one hand on my shoulder and let the other one press on my chest, feeling for… something, I guessed.
“If left untreated, your body could simply shut down until it feels that it is ready to function again. I am assuming that you would prefer for that not to happen?” I nodded reluctantly at him. “Uh-huh, good.” This George doctor finished up whatever he felt the need to examine and then pronounced his diagnoses. “Fine all the way around, then.” He stepped back and placed both of his hands into his jacket pockets.
“He needs forty-eight hours of rest, fluids, and simple physical therapy afterward,” he announced to the room. “I recommend a bath as hot as you may tolerate it to ease your muscles into compliance, and a great intake of clear liquids. Oh, and no extraneous exercise for up to three days. Beginning now. So please do ignore Kippy’s advice from earlier.” He looked around the room and nodded at someone I couldn’t see from my position.
“Wuss,” Kippy responded.
I took a good, hard look at George and Kippy from my spot flat on the table. So, this was the doctor she flew my team to from the Azores? I needed to know more about him and how they knew each other, as I wasn’t ready to trust any part of this yet. But foremost, I needed to see my team. I needed to know that they were all well. “Xavier, Doc, Rosa, if you’re there, come let me know that you’re not dead.”