Down the road, the helicopter’s rotors sped up, and they all watched as the craft hovered a few feet off the ground, moving north in the southbound lanes until it was directly across the median from the disabled Escalade. The pilot positioned the chopper so the tail was facing them, but turned slightly so they could see the open door on the left side, then set it back down on the ground. From what she could see, there was no one else inside, except for the solo pilot.
Kat decided to try one last futile attempt at getting the Russians to leave her behind. “Please, let me go. You have the helicopter to escape in and I’ll write down the account number and password for the bank account the money is in. Please.”
“Shut up!” Denisovich tightened his grip on her arm and eyed the activity surrounding them. “Open door and get out. Be stupid and you regret it.”
“I have a feeling I’ll regret it either way,” she mumbled, pulling on the handle and easing the door open. She climbed out slowly, still in his tight grasp as he got out behind her. Once she was blocking the officers’ line of fire, Pig-face also exited the vehicle, his own gun pointed toward her as well. As a unit they started making their way over the grassy median with Kat held close to both of them.
“Kitten!”
Her head swiveled at the sound of Benny’s voice as Denisovich forced her down a slight incline toward a low guardrail. It took her a moment to spot him in the southbound lanes standing next to Ian and two men dressed in black holding very large weapons. Kat’s eyes filled with tears as she climbed over the thigh-high railing. Would this be the last time she ever saw him?
“Kitten, I love you! Remember a sub always listens to her Dom!”
What? Was he fucking kidding her? Okay, the ‘I love you’ was great, but why bring up subs and Doms?
Behind her, Denisovich growled, “Faster. Move.” He urged her up the small incline.
“Kitten! Remember!”
Kat focused on Benny again. He and Ian were waving at her. No! Wait! They weren’t waving. They were signaling her. One. Two. Three fingers. And then their right arms, palms down, making the sweep out in front of them from their waists up over their heads—the K9 sign language for ‘down’. Holy shit, on the count of three, they wanted her to hit the dirt and stay down!
She copied the silent command, hoping the Russians thought she was waving. “I love you, too!”
Keeping her eyes on Benny and the chopper in her peripheral vision, she waited for the signal and prayed she understood them correctly. Two steps before she would need to duck for the slow moving rotor, he raised his hand in a fist and one-by-one, uncurled his fingers.
One.
Two.
Three.
Kat let her knees buckle and she dropped to the ground so fast that Denisovich had no chance of stopping her. She felt his hand release her arm, unable to hold onto her sudden dead weight. The man shouted something foreign in surprise, then roared his anger. As she covered her head, two simultaneous shots sounded, followed by shouts and running feet. She didn’t dare look up until she heard Benny’s voice again. This time he was right next to her. “Kat, are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay!”
His words came out rushed as his hands quickly roamed her body. She rolled onto her side, thrilled to see his handsome face. “I’m okay, I’m okay. What happened?”
He hauled her to her feet and wrapped his strong arms around her, coming close to crushing her. “Oh, thank God, you’re all right! I was so fucking scared. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Leaning back, he searched her face for confirmation. She nodded as her body began to tremble in the aftermath of the crisis. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw both Russians dead on the ground a few feet away, surrounded by men in black. Denisovich was missing half of his head, while Pig-face had been shot in the chest, leaving a bloody gaping wound. Kat quickly turned back around, her stomach threatening to revolt. Benny wisely moved them several yards away from the dead bodies.
Ian approached and ran a hand down the back of her head as if reassuring himself she was indeed okay. “Well, Kat, I’m sorry this happened, but you can add yourself to a growing list of people who owe Master Carter their lives.”
It was then she noticed Carter and a man dressed in black on the far side of the southbound lanes, handing their rifles to another man. “What happened?”
“Carter and another sniper were in the woods over there and as soon as you dropped, the Russians aimed their guns at the cops. The snipers took them out. These two weren’t going to let themselves be taken alive.” Kat shuddered, knowing it was true and she could have been dead as well.
Jake appeared next to Ian, shaking his head and jerking a thumb toward the spy and two feds. “Damn, I know they have to take my rifle for a while until the required investigation is complete, but I’m getting tired of going through all the paperwork to get them back. This is the second time in less than five months.” He gently pulled Kat from Benny’s grasp and into his own embrace. “You are one kick-ass lady, you know that? Giving Beau the attack command was quick thinking. You kept your head together and helped save not only your own life, but Murray and Colleen’s as well.”
Her eyes widened when she realized she’d forgotten about them. “Oh my God! How are they? Murray was shot. Is Colleen okay?”
Releasing her back into Benny’s arms, Jake nodded. “Murray’s as tough as leather—he’ll be back to work in no time. The bullet went straight through and didn’t hit anything vital. It’s also not the first time he’s taken one, although it’s the first time with us. Colleen only has a few scrapes, but she’s fine, and Ian told her to take a few days off. Reggie is with them at the hospital. Once we’re done here, I’ll go check on them. Then I’m getting Beau the biggest fucking steak I can find. Thanks to him we were able to figure out what direction they took you in and catch up pretty quick.”
“In that case, I owe him a steak, too. And you, too. All of you.” Jake just grinned and waved her off. Facing Benny again, she saw the worry still in his eyes. “Are your parents okay?”
He paled and her heart clenched. “Mom will be okay, but Pop was shot in the stomach.” She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. “He’s in surgery and we have to get back down there. I want the paramedics to look at you real quick while I see if we can hitch a ride back down on the chopper.”
Kat shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s just go. We have to be there for your mom.”
Ian stepped aside to let a female medic into their little group. “I’ll get us clearance, but I’m sure we have a few minutes before we can take off anyway, so let this nice lady check you over.”
Although she was just as anxious as Benny to get going, she knew it would be pointless to argue with a group of Doms. She was quickly learning that when it came to someone under their care they were extremely protective. A few minutes later, she was medically cleared. Aside from a hematoma on her forehead, where she’d hit the headrest, and bruising on her arm from Denisovich’s grip, the only other thing which hurt was her scalp from having her hair pulled.
After thanking the medic for the quick examination, Kat turned toward where Benny was talking to Ian, Carter, and Marco. The rest of the team had split up with Devon and Brody heading to the hospital to check on Murray and Colleen. Jake was on his way back to the compound with Tanner and Beau, followed by several federal agents. There was still a dead body there which needed to be hauled to the morgue, and a crime scene to be processed. She walked over to the group of four men and straight up to Carter, throwing her arms around him. “Thank you for not missing.”
The black-op spy barked out a little laugh and hugged her back. “You’re welcome, Kitty-Kat. And there was no way I was missing. I’ve grown quite fond of you. Besides, Boom-Boom would’ve never forgiven me if I let anything happen to you.”
He kissed the top of her head then released her. Kat stepped back and Benny extended his hand toward Carter. “Thanks again, man. My list of IOUs keeps growing. I h
ope someday I’ll be able to repay you.”
Taking the younger man’s hand, Carter pulled him in for a man-hug and slapped him on the back. “No offense, but I hope I never need you to repay me. I’m going to catch a ride back to the compound, and then I have to head out. Duty calls. But I’ll be in touch to check on Rick. Give your mom a kiss for me.”
“Will do.”
As their friend walked off to hitch a ride with one of the many officers and agents still on the scene, Benny took Kat’s elbow and steered her toward the helicopter behind Ian and Marco. It was time for her to start praying for one more miracle.
Chapter 24
Kat held her breath as the helicopter began to descend to land at a heliport near Sarasota Memorial Hospital were Rick had been transported to. Benny had contacted his mom before they lifted off from the Tampa highway and had been told his father was still in surgery. Ian and Marco planned on waiting with Kat, Benny, and Eileen until Rick was out of surgery. The two teammates would then retrieve the other two vehicles still parked near the Michaelson house, driving the com-van back to Tampa and leaving the SUV for them. The rest of the team would take care of the clean-up at the compound, the reports which needed to be filed with both the FBI and local law enforcement, and anything else that needed to be done.
From information Ian received from the FBI, it seemed as though Denisovich had not shared the knowledge that he’d found Kat to the rest of the Russian mob. They had no idea she was the only living link to the money, so the feds and Trident didn’t think anyone else would come looking for her. She planned on giving the money to charity, so hopefully soon it wouldn’t matter if anyone else made the connection. But it would have to wait for now.
A Florida State Police car was waiting for them at the heliport to drive them to the hospital. As soon as they landed, and it was safe to do so, they disembarked and piled into the vehicle with Ian taking the front passenger seat. Kat was sandwiched between the other two men in the backseat and Benny hadn’t said a word to her since he told her to let the medic examine her. She understood he was worried about his dad, so she remained quiet as well and took his hand in hers in silent reassurance that she was there for him. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and an even quicker smile, which didn’t quite reach his eyes, before turning back to stare out the window.
When they reached the hospital, the four of them stopped at the reception desk to find out what floor the surgery waiting room was on, then took the elevators up to the third floor. Dusty and Burke were standing guard in the hallway and Ian told them the threat was over, allowing the contract agents to head back to Tampa. Eileen and Rick’s sister, Margaret, were sitting in the warmly decorated room with other patients’ family members as they waited for word on their loved ones. Eileen stood as soon as she spotted Benny and he went right to her, hugging her tight. When he let her go and greeted his aunt, Eileen embraced Kat. “Thank God, you’re okay. I was so worried until Ben called me to say you were safe.”
The stress of the day finally hit Kat as a huge sob escaped her. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Hush, now.” Benny’s mom pulled away just enough so they could see each other’s face. The worry was evident in both women’s eyes, but sympathy also showed in the Eileen’s gaze. “This is not your fault, Kat. And Rick will be fine, I know it. He’s a fighter, and I know he’ll come through this. We just have to pray until it happens.”
Despite everyone telling her it wasn’t her fault, Kat couldn’t convince herself it was true. Stepping back, she gave Ian and Marco a chance to give their words of comfort to the older woman. Kat had no idea how Eileen was able to stay so calm. Her face, arms, and legs still showed the redness where the duct tape had been removed by the emergency room staff. If their roles were reversed, Kat was certain she’d be hysterical by now. As it was, she was close to it. Not wanting to upset anyone, she took a deep breath and sat in one of the empty chairs, trying to get comfortable for what was most likely going to be a long wait.
* * *
Boomer paced the hallway outside the waiting room, needing to move instead of just sit. Three and a half hours had passed since his father had been wheeled into the surgery suite, and they still had no word on how he was. From what his mom knew from the ER doctors, Rick had needed a transfusion to replace the blood he’d lost, and he didn’t regain consciousness while they worked on him. What if his dad died? His mother was a strong woman, but losing her husband of almost thirty-five years would devastate her. And what about Kat? He knew she was blaming herself for everything that happened, no matter how many times they’d all told her it wasn’t her fault. If his dad didn’t make it, how would they convince her that sometimes bad shit happened to good people, and there was no use playing the ‘what if’ game?
At the end of the hall, a set of power doors swung open and a grey-haired man wearing blue scrubs appeared, walking toward the waiting room. Hoping this was the news they’d been waiting for, Boomer hurried back in time to hear the doctor ask for Rick Michaelson’s family. The group of six huddled around as Dr. Finklestein explained what happened. “The bullet nicked the large intestines, but we were able to repair it. The bullet also bounced around and damaged some blood vessels before ending up in the spleen, which we had to remove to stop the bleeding. He was very lucky to have gotten here when he did. Another half hour and he wouldn’t have had a chance which, as it stands now, is fifty-fifty. I wish I could say it was better odds, but you need to prepare yourselves for the possibility. He’s heading to the recovery room now, and we’re giving him another transfusion to get his blood volume back up. We also have him in a medically induced coma for now. Once his blood tests stabilize, we’ll see about easing him out of it.”
“When will we know if he’s going to make it?” Boomer couldn’t help the grief and worry in his raspy voice. Even though he’d thought about it earlier, it wasn’t until the doctor verbalized Rick could die, that Boomer truly believe his mother may become a widow.
“It’ll be at least ten to twelve hours before I expect to see any significant improvement to the point he’s out of danger.”
“Can my mom and I see him, please?”
Dr. Finklestein nodded his head. “Sure. I’ll have one of the nurses come out once they have him settled in Recovery. You’ll only be able to see him for a few minutes. He’s got a lot of tubes going in and out, plus he’s intubated and on a respirator while we have him in the coma, so just prepare yourself for that. I’ll be back in about an hour or so to check on him and send him up to the ICU.
Boomer shook the man’s hand. “Thanks, Doc.”
Five minutes later, a heavy-set female nurse, with a gentle smile, escorted his mother and him into the Recovery Room. The usual hospital antiseptic smell was even stronger in here as they approached the gurney where Rick was resting on his back. The doctor was right; there were tubes everywhere—an intubation tube in his mouth, IVs in both arms, transfusion tubing, and wires from a monitor hooked up to the middle finger of his left hand. A bloody drainage bag and a urine bag hung low on one side of the stretcher. The beep-beep-beep indicating his heartbeat did little to reassure Boomer his father was going to make it. In Afghanistan, he’d lost two friends who he’d been certain would survive their combat injuries, only to have their hearts stop beating due to excessive internal bleeding.
He touched his father’s arm as his mother kissed Rick’s brow, murmuring words of love and encouragement. The man was so pale, he almost blended in with the white bedsheets. Glancing at the monitor above the stretcher, Boomer noticed the blood pressure reading—82/40. It was way too low. Hopefully, the blood being forced into his veins would bring the numbers up soon.
Leaning down, he kissed his father’s cheek, then straightened and wiped the tears which began to spill from his watery eyes. “Love you, Pop. You keep fighting, you hear me? We still have a lot of fishing and shit to do. I plan on giving you some grandkids one day, and you better be here to spoil them rotten
.”
They stayed there in silence, willing Rick to heal and come back to them, until the nurse kindly told them they had to leave. She would let them know when he was transferred to the ICU. As they left Recovery, Boomer noticed his mother trembling. He took hold of her elbow in support while anger began to overtake his worry. Anger at himself and the team for not foreseeing the possibility of his parents being in danger. Anger at Kat’s father for starting this whole mess. Anger at the Russians who dared to hurt the people Boomer loved. And on top of it all was the frustration of not knowing if his father was going to live or die. His jaw clenched and he could feel the vein in his temple ticking away with every beat of his heart. His free hand was balled into a fist and he forced himself not to punch the nearby wall.
With a white hospital blanket wrapped around her upper body, Kat was standing with Ian in the hallway outside the family waiting room. Unable to control his emotions at the moment, he held up his hand to stop her from approaching him. He needed a few minutes to himself to settle down, otherwise he was going to start throwing things, and he didn’t think the hospital staff would appreciate it. Handing his mother off to Ian in silence, Boomer kept walking to the end of the hallway and slammed the down button for the elevator. A brisk walk around the outside of the huge hospital would help him clear his mind. There had to be a deli nearby where he could get everyone something to eat. He didn’t want to leave the hospital until his dad was awake, and he doubted his mother did either. Some sandwiches would hold them over for a few hours.
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