“Stuart, is there any chance he’s still in town?” Mitch asked.
“There’s always a chance. He’s crazy, man. He’s broken his patterns. He’s not thinking clearly. It makes him more unstable. It’s why I called Connors; otherwise I never would have,” Stuart said absently, a little distracted.
“Faster!” Mitch turned to the officer behind the wheel and demanded. The sirens went on, drowning Aaron out.
Minutes later, Mitch stared helplessly at the swinging doors of the OR. Being high level federal law enforcement gave him special privileges—one was that he was able to get this far into the hospital without being family, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t get any farther. Cody was being operated on, and until he got to see his cowboy face to face, the nagging ache wouldn’t fade.
The lingering doubt that perhaps the killer was still somewhere close by wouldn’t let him go. Per a text message on a choppy signal, Connors arranged FBI security here in the hospital. Apparently, that decision hadn’t been popular with the Austin PD. The hospital was being flooded by the local police, as well as State Troopers, who packed the downstairs waiting room. The unity touched Mitch’s heart, but not enough to join the local police department in their fight to continue to provide security for Cody.
He absolutely did not believe they could handle this crime by themselves. There was no way they knew the severity of these offenses, and as for the suspect, currently Cody Turner was the only person on the planet able to give a positive ID.
It made sense that the killer would come back and finish the job. Mitch hardened his heart at the thought. The panic and desperation that hovered just below the surface fled as anger began to take hold. As the helplessness ebbed, he started to think a little more clearly—a first since he’d heard that gunshot through the phone.
No question, Agent Langley had come after him personally. Mitch would be staying right here in Austin to protect what was his until the FBI was in place.
In his moment of clarity, Mitch walked across the hall to a bank of windows and glanced down at his phone. His signal increased by one bar. That had to be enough. He dialed quickly, calling the two people he knew would help. First, his director in Louisiana.
“Director Skinner, sir, he’s hit me personally,” Mitch said, staring out the window, completely unaware of the world outside the glass.
“What’s happened?” Skinner asked.
“Sir, he got to my boyfriend this morning. But he’s made a mistake. He’ll be back once he realizes that,” Mitch relayed the information, steeling his heart.
“Do we know who this is?”
“Yes, sir. He’s being tracked down, but if we let him slip through the cracks, he’ll be back to finish this job. Once he finds out Cody’s not dead, he’ll have to return to cover his tracks,” Mitch reaffirmed.
“What do you need from me?”
“I need backup. I want our guys on this. I want him arrested the minute we find him,” Mitch answered.
“Of course, I’ll arrange it now. What else?” Director Skinner asked.
“I want my dad to oversee Cody’s care. We need security to transport him here. And I need security detail on my family. Once Cody’s stable, I want him up there with my dad. I don’t care about the investigation. He’s safer away from here.” Mitch ran his palm along his jaw. All he could think was that he needed Cody away from this place as soon as possible.
“I’ll arrange that. Tell your father to contact me. Does Connors have your whereabouts?” the director inquired.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Mitch let out a sigh of relief.
“Keep me updated, Knox. Watch yourself. I can’t say I didn’t see this coming. It worried me, son. Because of who you are, I should have put someone else on the case. You and Kreed watch yourself.” The director ended the call. Mitch was wound up so tightly, the moments of relief hit him hard. Mitch stood there, shaking off all this unwanted emotion keeping him from thinking reasonably. Instead, he searched his contacts until he found his father’s phone number.
“Hello, Son, your mom told me you called her.” His dad sounded happy, and with all the background noise, he thought he might be in the middle of something.
“I need you, Pop,” Mitch spoke quietly. All that emotion he’d been fighting came out in those four words. It was always hard talking to his parents. Just their voices brought out the inner love and compassion that no one else on the planet had seemed to ever have.
“Where are you, Son?” his dad asked, and Mitch heard the immediate change in his tone from Dad to Dr. Knox. There was movement on his dad’s end of the line. The background noise slowly fading away as he sought out somewhere he could hear the conversation more clearly.
“I’m in Austin, Texas. They got him, Dad. Just like with Colt; they got him.” Mitch lowered his head to the big windows. He bumped his forehead against the cool glass, having to remind himself Cody was alive. God, what would have happened if the killer had succeeded?
There was silence on his father’s end of the line for several long seconds until he finally said, “Your guy?”
“Yes, sir,” Mitch responded immediately, his voice broke on the words.
“What’s his condition?” his father asked, the professional tone masking the concern. He knew his father did that for him, to help him stay strong.
“All I know is that the cell phone saved his life. It took the bullet to his chest. He’s got another in his shoulder, and he hit his head somehow. He’s in surgery.”
“All right, I’m on my way.” There was never any question his father would do this very thing. The weights were slowly lifting off his shoulders. Getting Cody the care he needed while protecting him from another attack were his two main focuses. The people in Mitch’s life were taking over, taking care of him and Cody.
God, the fucking tears were starting again.
Mitch dug his thumb and forefinger into his eyes, pushing them away. He’d cry for hours, just not right now. Later. Much, much later, when he was all alone and no one could see.
“Dad, I need you to call Director Skinner. He’s arranging your flight and security for you and the family until this bastard’s caught. If we don’t get our hands on this guy soon, Cody’s gonna be a big target. I want him to go back home with you and mom when he’s stable. I want him far away from here until we get this resolved,” Mitch said firmly.
“All right, Son, whatever you want. Can you text me the director’s number now? I’m at a game and need to get your mom home before I leave,” Dr. Knox replied.
“Thanks for doing this, Dad. I’ll send the text now.” Mitch ended the call and immediately sent his father a text with Skinner’s phone number. He waited until he got the return text from his father confirming receipt. As he turned away from the window, a tall, blond-haired man entered the secured area. There was an older woman flanking him. Mitch looked at the two. They had tears in their eyes, a panicked look that Mitch totally got, and they eyed him as closely as he watched them.
They had to be Cody’s mom and dad. Damn.
Chapter 47
Mitch steeled his spine and walked straight to the distraught couple. He absolutely didn’t want to meet them this way. Certainly, he’d never wanted to apologize for allowing their son to be put in harm’s way, but he manned up and stuck out his hand.
“Mr. and Mrs. Turner?” They both nodded. “I’m so sorry,” Mitch started, clasping Mr. Turner’s hand first.
“You’re Mitch.” A woman entered the room, catching Mitch off guard. There was no denying the family connection. She was tall, blonde, and pretty, dressed in a business suit and high heels. She was no-nonsense and there in front of him, sticking her hand out to him.
“I’m Sheila, Cody’s sister. He’s Cody’s new boyfriend,” she said to her parents. “Have you seen him yet?” she asked him. Mitch looked from her to her parents. She was most definitely taking the lead, something it looked like his mom and dad were accustomed to.
&nb
sp; “Sheila, let’s meet him,” Mr. Turner started, but she stared at Mitch, ignoring her parents, waiting for him to answer her question.
“I haven’t. I’ve only been here about fifteen minutes. He was already in surgery when I arrived.” Mitch looked between the three of them.
“They came down and got us. He’s supposed to be in recovery now. We can see him soon,” Mrs. Turner said.
“I don’t even know that much. I only got this far in because of the deputy marshal badge,” Mitch admitted. That seemed to frustrate Cody’s sister. She looked at him hard, then did an abrupt turn, focusing on her parents.
“Mom, you need to come sit down,” she said, ushering her mom to the chairs in the middle of the room.
“How did I not even know Cody had a boyfriend?” Mrs. Turner asked her daughter.
“I talked to him about noon today. He told me. He said he was going to come tell you and Dad this week sometime,” Sheila answered, her voice fading. As much as he wanted to hear whatever else she had to say, Mr. Turner was still standing in front of him, waiting for the women to get out of hearing range.
“What are they saying? I’ve heard ‘a random act of violence’ on the radio coming in, but I can’t get through to anyone who knows anything. Damn Sunday, nobody’s fuckin’ working, and I’m not buying it,” Mr. Turner spoke up. The years in law enforcement left the older man shrewd, and you could see the wheels turning as he worked through the situation.
“Sir, as much as I hate to say this, I’m not at liberty to say,” Mitch responded honestly.
“So there is more to this?” he asked. Mitch sighed and just gave as much as he could at this moment.
“Yes, sir. It’s much bigger.” Mr. Turner’s face turned hard. This wouldn’t be the end of their conversation, and thank god, the doctor chose then to enter the room. Otherwise Mitch may have caved under the intensity in Mr. Turner’s eyes.
“Are you Cody Turner’s family?” the doctor asked.
“Yes, sir.” That same attitude Mr. Turner just gave him was there all over Sheila’s face. She was the first one to the doctor.
“How is he?” she asked.
“He’s holding his own and currently in recovery. It’ll be a while before he wakes,” the surgeon informed quickly and efficiently. “Are you Deputy Marshal Knox?” he turned, looking directly at Mitch.
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“Officer Turner regained consciousness in the ambulance. He gave me very strict instructions to talk to you and no one else. I had to promise him and then repeat the words back to him before he would allow surgery. He said, a special agent, CIA, badge authentic. The suspect was tall, lean, muscular, graying hair, brown eyes, a scar along his left cheekbone, and one under his right eye. Hate-related,” the doctor repeated Cody’s words and looked visibly relieved he got them all out. “He also felt sure you would be here.”
Mitch pulled his phone out, typing into the notes section as the doctor spoke. He repeated the words back to him. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes, but it was only if he didn’t make it through. Since he did, I’m not to say,” the doctor added.
Mitch was having none of that. He tossed out his own hard stare, trying to match that of Cody’s sister. “Tell me what he said.”
It took a full minute of silence before the doctor responded. “He said he meant what he said this weekend.”
Those words were said in a completely different tone than the first. They had meaning and stole Mitch’s breath away. He nodded, looking down at the phone, pretending to type. He felt an arm at his back, patting him, and he looked down at Cody’s little mother trying to give him comfort while her son lay in recovery just a few feet away.
“What are his injuries?” his father asked, breaking the silence.
“Someone was watching out for him. His chest wound was nothing really, just deep bruising. Shards from the protective case on the phone had been embedded into his skin, but other than that, the bullet didn’t penetrate. The one in his shoulder was a clean entry. He was very lucky.”
“Were there any other injuries?” Sheila questioned.
“At first we thought he may have a closed head injury, but he’s been downgraded to a nasty contusion. It’ll heal. He was unconscious when he got here. Probably the pain and shock took him under,” the doctor said.
“Can we see him?” his father asked.
“Yes. They’ll be back to get you in a few minutes.” The doctor nodded and gave a small smile.
“Thank you, doctor,” Mr. Turner said as the swinging doors opened. Two suits stepped in, silently taking their places. Mitch suspected every entrance into this part of the hospital would have the same security detail in place by this point.
His phone rang, and Mitch went back to the far side windows, trying to get as much signal as he could. He saw Aaron on the caller ID and answered immediately.
“It’s him. I got proof, well, sort of positive ID. You can’t see his face super-well, but it’s his height, build, profile, and the rental he’s driving’s registered to him. He’d been in Austin for a few days. He got there Friday, per the rental.”
“Is he on a flight?” Mitch’s heart rate sped up.
“You haven’t heard back from Connors?” Aaron asked.
“No.”
“Hang on, I’ll get it. You guys are too slow.”
“We don’t all have the skills you do, Stuart.” Mitch prayed they got that son-of-a-bitch.
“Hot damn, man! You got your break! He’s on a non-stop to DC, flight three eight seven. His boarding pass was scanned about thirty minutes ago. Want me to call Connors?”
“No, I got it. Thanks, man. I owe you,” Mitch said, disconnecting the call. He dialed Connors’s cell phone.
“He’s on flight three eight seven out of Austin; we know where he’s going, Knox.” Connors supplied immediately.
“Good. You going after him?”
“We’ll get him the minute he steps off the flight,” Connors assured.
“Don’t lose him. It’ll be a crowded flight. Don’t take chances.”
“Do I ever? We’re notifying the airlines now. We’ll get him, I promise,” Connors responded. “How’s Officer Turner?”
“The surgeon just told me he can identify him. Aaron’s got us a good visual from the street view and proof he’d been in town this weekend.”
“You know we can’t use his video work.” Connors and his stupid rules.
“He’ll tell us where to get the best shots. Look, man, take it as a gift and be thankful we have it,” Mitch said. It wasn’t until he felt all eyes on him that he realized he’d probably said those words a little too loudly, perhaps a little too roughly. “I’m heading to the local office as soon as I’m done here. I’ll get the footage myself.”
“It’s gonna blow things up around here to arrest a Secret Service agent. We need to have our argument ready,” Connors stated.
“Don’t fucking say a word to any other department until we have him. When I get done here, I’m heading back there. I want to talk to him myself.” He made his way to the bank of seats facing the waiting room door.
“Mitch, I’m not sure that’s wise.”
“You’ll be there. You’ll stop me if I take it too far, but we gotta get him to say something to tie him to those other cases.” He sat in the chair away from everyone. He didn’t want anyone listening in on the phone calls he needed to make.
“Then get back here today. Sunday’s our only excuse for not advising everyone,” Connors said. “I gotta go. I’ve got to pull this arrest together.”
“Get him, Connors,” Mitch said.
“Got it.”
~~~
By the time he got through the phone calls, Mitch found himself alone in the waiting room. Not completely alone, the two FBI guards stationed by the door were the only other people left in the room. Completely confused, he took a second look around the room again.
“They went through that
door. They tried to get your attention,” one of the guards said. Mitch didn’t hesitate. He gave a nod and hurried through the swinging doors that had earlier kept him separated from Cody.
The freedom of shoving the doors was fleeting when he came face to face with a wall. He could go right or left, with no direction as to what was down either long hall. Mitch stood there a minute before sticking his head back through the swinging door.
“Did you see if they went right or left?” Mitch asked.
“Left,” the guard said, fighting back a grin.
Mitch was off, going left. Several missed doors and wrong turns later, he found a back entrance into the recovery area. He walked in on what had to be ten people lined against a wall. There was a security guard stationed by this door, a nurse’s station in the distance, and rows of curtains to his right. Mitch nodded at the guard by the door and looked the people over who stood to his left. They all stared at him. After a quick assessment, he guessed some of these were the Turner siblings. Every other one was blond. Mitch could pick out some of Cody’s features in everyone with blond hair.
Sheila stepped out from around the curtain and caught sight of him. “Mitch, come in. He’s here,” she said, ushering him around the curtain as the rest watched. Cody lay in bed, his eyes closed, with his mother and father on either side of him. Cody’s mom was crying, and Mitch had no idea what that meant. She held on to Cody’s hand.
“Has he woken yet?” Mitch asked quietly, staring at Cody. His hair was a mess, his skin very pale, and he was bandaged around the shoulder and chest. He breathed evenly, and his eyes were closed, but moving. Mitch thought he was beautiful.
The overwhelming relief was staggering, and he wondered how many more times his heart could go through the high and lows of today and still continue to beat. He walked to the end of the bed, rested a hand on Cody’s foot, and squeezed.
I love you, he mentally told Cody.
Full Disclosure (A Nice Guys Novel Book 2) Page 34