by Tee O'Fallon
“I want to go in the ambulance with him.” Ginny’s voice was choked, as if she could barely speak.
“Sorry, ma’am,” one of the paramedics said, “only family in the ambulance with the victim.”
“I’m sure you can make an exception this one time.” Mike had come to stand behind them, his deep, authoritative tone brooking no argument.
The paramedic paused, then nodded. “Right, Chief. And we’ll look at your chest wound,” he added as he and the other medics lifted Leo onto a gurney.
Cassie turned to see Mike’s chest smeared with blood.
“Forget it.” Mike helped Ginny to stand. “Take care of Leo and Ginny,” he ordered the paramedic.
The man shook his head and yelled to his partner, “Look at the chief’s injury.”
Only now Cassie realized the severity of Mike’s wound warranted closer examination. An inch to the left and that shrapnel would have been buried in his heart. The sick feeling in her gut quadrupled.
A paramedic tried to stop Mike, but Mike shook him off. “It’s just a scratch,” he growled as he followed the gurney. “I’ll go to the hospital later.”
Paramedics loaded Leo into the ambulance and settled Ginny beside him on a bench. Mike shut the ambulance doors and pounded twice on the outside, signaling the driver to take off.
Cassie wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders, watching the ambulance roll through the parking lot, lights flashing as it turned onto the main road and picked up speed. The image of Leo and Ginny together only hours ago, so happy and in love, made her heart tighten. Again, she fought the urge to throw up.
The crowd surged forward around them, and it occurred to her one of them could be the hit man. He could stick her with a knife and she’d never see it coming. Or he might be watching from the ridge, aiming a high-powered infrared scope at her at this very moment.
She didn’t care. She deserved it.
“What happened, Chief?” a man asked.
He turned to Cassie, accusation shooting from his darkened blue eyes. “I don’t know. But I will find out.”
The guilt was overwhelming. She should run, but there were questions to be answered. A full-scale investigation would be initiated.
Radios squawked all around her. Firemen and police were everywhere, yet Cassie had never felt more alone in her life. Or more miserable.
As much as she wanted to go to the hospital with Ginny and Leo, her priority was the safety of everyone else around her. The park brimmed with people. She’d catch hell for it later, but getting out of town was the best course of action. For everyone. But the acrid smell of burned fuel and oil reminded her she had no vehicle.
I’ll hitchhike if it’s the only way to put space between me and the people I love.
She started across the lot, when a strong hand spun her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Mike’s steely voice demanded. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his bare chest. The injury near his heart continued oozing blood.
“I have to leave.” Cassie tried backing out of his grip, but he held fast. “Let me go,” she cried.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on.” He held her firmly by both arms. “This explosion was meant for you, wasn’t it?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “I–I think so.”
Mike narrowed his eyes. “Who did this, your ex-boyfriend? Husband?”
“No, I’m not married, and I don’t have a boyfriend.” Cassie was shocked by the fury in his stare. It seared her like a blow torch.
“Then who, dammit? Tell me who I’m looking for!”
“I don’t know who it is,” she shouted.
“Bullshit.” Mike dragged her to where Jimmy stood beside a police cruiser. He grabbed the radio from Jimmy’s belt. “Give me a name, a description.”
“I swear to you I don’t know his name.” She shook her head at the angry disbelief on Mike’s face as she rattled off a description. “Five-eleven, one-eighty, dark complexion, short dark hair, hook-shaped nose, and a goatee. He’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt with writing on the front.”
Mike held the radio to his mouth and repeated her description to all units with a warning to approach with extreme caution. “And clear everyone out of here. The fireworks are canceled, and the park is closed until further notice. Call in all units and set up a two-man security checkpoint at every exit.” To Jimmy, he ordered, “Get on the phone. We need State Police backup and call in the county bomb squad.”
Cassie knew the routine. Soon the entire park would be crawling with bomb squad cops, bomb dogs, and federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
A crack of thunder rent the air, much like another explosion. She tilted her head upward and a drop of rain splashed onto her cheek. In the distance, the sky lit up with flash after flash of lightning.
Jimmy grabbed his cell phone, pausing as he noticed the gash on Mike’s chest. “You should get that looked at.”
“Later.” He hauled Cassie to the passenger door of the cruiser and opened it. “Get in.”
“Mike, please.”
“Please what?” He shoved her roughly inside the car and got into her face. “For someone who doesn’t know the name of the guy trying to kill her, you gave a pretty detailed description.”
“I know you have questions, and I’ll answer them all later,” she said. “Right now I have to get out of here. Can’t you understand that?”
“What I understand,” Mike said, his words coming out in a menacing growl, “is that you’ve been hiding things from me since the day you got here, and now those things got somebody in my town critically injured. You’re not going anywhere without me. Before the night is over you will answer my questions. All of them.”
Mike gripped the edge of the car door and shut his eyes. In the dim light, his face paled. Cassie got her first close-up look at the wound on his chest. It was worse than she’d realized, deep into his flesh and still bleeding.
“Stay here.” He slammed the door shut and stalked off to where Jimmy guarded the twisted metal that used to be her Trail Blazer. He kept her in his line of sight, his body language saying far more than words ever could.
He blamed her, but no more than she blamed herself. She was as responsible as the lowlife criminal who’d planted the bomb.
Over the cruiser’s engine, Cassie heard the announcement on the P.A. system that the fireworks had been canceled and the park was closed. People hustled to their cars, and within minutes the roads leading out of the park were jammed bumper to bumper.
Bolt after bolt of lightning split the horizon, followed by cracks of thunder. Even inside the car, the reverberations rocked through Cassie’s head and chest. A massive electrical storm was moving in fast. Even deadlier was the storm that had followed her to Hopewell Springs.
“I know you’re here,” she whispered, peering through the cruiser’s windows. She didn’t think the hit man would try anything with all the police canvassing the park, but he would be watching from a distance.
To confirm his kill.
Bastard. You’ll pay for what you’ve done. Along with whoever is footing the bill for your services.
Cassie fished inside her bag for her cell phone. She waited for the screen to light up. It didn’t. She’d forgotten to charge it and now it was out of juice. She flung the phone back into her bag, stifling the urge to scream.
The trunk of the cruiser popped open, and a moment later Mike opened the driver’s side door and sat heavily onto the seat. When he pulled the door shut, he grunted in pain. He’d put on a clean white polo shirt with a police badge embroidered on the front, identical to the one he’d used to soak up Leo’s blood. Mike wiped the sweat from his brow. In seconds, fresh blood spotted the white shirt where it covered his wound.
A tear trickled down Cassie’s cheek. She’d done this to him.
Mike flicked on the cruiser’s strobe lights. The cruiser lurched w
hen he jumped the curb and took a shortcut on the grass to get around the long line of cars.
Cassie glanced at his hardened profile. “Where are we going?”
“To the hospital before I damn well pass out. I need to interview Leo if he’s conscious, then Ginny. Maybe they can tell me more about what happened. After that, I’m taking you to the police station for your own safety.” He shot her a sideways look. “And official interrogation.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mike jammed his hands into his pockets and hitched his shoulder against the pristine white hospital wall. The air smelled sterile, antiseptic, and of that other indefinable odor all hospitals reeked of. He hated it, could practically taste it on his tongue. It reminded him of the time he’d spent in the hospital recuperating from his head wound.
Aside from the cracks of thunder outside and a doctor being paged over the hospital intercom, the only sound in the deserted waiting room came from Ginny, where she sat on a yellow vinyl sofa, weeping in Cassie’s arms. The girl’s face was pale and streaked with tears. His gut clenched every time he looked at her. For that matter, his gut clenched every time he looked at Cassie.
Duty dictated he be at the park coordinating things, but he’d nearly passed out right there on the grass. The throbbing from the stitched-up gash on his chest had worsened steadily over the last hour. He’d refused pain medication, wanting to stay sharp, and now it felt like a knife blade twisting into his chest. It was nothing compared to the ache in his heart.
He had to keep Cassie safe until he could get her to the police station and interrogate her about what the hell was going on. He’d keep her there all night if he had to, which was where she ought to be anyway—in protective custody—if some asshole was really trying to kill her. He was only waiting for Rose to get to the hospital so Ginny wouldn’t be alone.
Mike forced himself to look away from Cassie or lose what little was left of his composure. He had a job to do, and the only way he could get it done was to disconnect from her, physically and mentally. If he touched her again, he wouldn’t be able to think straight.
Another wave of dizziness hit, but he shook it off and unclipped his cell phone. No messages. He noted the time and snapped the phone back onto his belt. Eleven p.m. Leo had been in surgery for nearly two hours, having pieces of metal removed from his skull and abdomen. It remained to be seen what kind of internal damage there was to his vital organs. Ginny had gotten off with superficial cuts and scrapes, so Leo must have shielded her with his body when the truck blew.
Someone in blue scrubs pushed through the double doors leading to the surgical ward and they all turned. Not Leo’s surgeon. A nurse.
Mike tipped his chin in Cassie’s direction, indicating he wanted to talk to her away from Ginny. She patted Ginny’s arm and came to where he leaned against the wall. The look on her face was one of resignation.
He dragged his hand down his face. Fury and frustration boiled inside him. “When I realized it was your SUV that exploded, I went crazy thinking you were inside.” He’d wanted to kill someone—the estranged husband or lover, or whoever had done this. “Something spooked you today. Was that what you wanted to talk about?”
“Yes.” She didn’t look at him. “And no.”
“Conflicting answers don’t help. Dammit, Cassie, who is he? I need to get a more specific A.P.B. out on this guy.”
“I told you already, I don’t know his name.” A look of panic came over her.
Mike grabbed her by the arms. “Stop lying.” What he wanted was to drag her soft body against him and tell her how relieved he’d been to see her alive and safe. “You know damn well who he is.”
“I don’t.” Her eyes were pained, as was her tone. “I’d tell you if I knew. Honestly, I would.”
“Honestly?” Mike laughed bitterly. “I don’t think you know the meaning of the word. Since the day you swept into town, you’ve kept your mysterious past a secret. I would have waited for you to tell me on your own terms and in your own time, but the time for that is long gone. People are getting hurt.”
“You’re right,” Cassie whispered.
Watery emerald green eyes tugged on places of Mike’s heart and soul he never knew existed. “Then tell me what you’re involved in.”
She nodded.
Soft cries came from the sofa where Ginny sat alone. Her shoulders shook violently and her sobs got louder. The girl looked on the verge of hysteria.
Mike’s cell phone vibrated. “Shit.” He grabbed his phone and, before answering it, said to Cassie, “We’re not done, so don’t even think of going anywhere.”
With a regretful look, Cassie hurried back to the sofa and sat at Ginny’s side. The girl’s sobs diminished visibly as Cassie comforted her, but no way was Ginny in any shape to be interviewed.
Mike answered the call on his phone and walked down the hall. “Flannery.”
“Chief, it’s John Fukes.” The county explosives expert. “We found a device under the hood wired to the ignition. Small but professional. Whoever this was intended for is supposed to be dead. No doubt about it. The only thing that saved those kids was that they were far enough away when they hit the remote start on the key fob.”
Mike pressed his fingers to his forehead. He’d known this was coming, but hearing the words from Fukes made it official.
“I won’t have the report for a couple of days,” Fukes continued, “but Jimmy said you wanted to know ASAP.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Mike blew out a breath. “Send me the report when it’s final.”
“Sure thing, Chief.”
He ended the call and punched in the speed dial code for Jimmy’s cell number. “Mike,” Jimmy answered. “Fukes give you the news?”
“Yeah.” Radios squawked in the background from all the squad cars securing the park. “Stay there and coordinate with the State Police. This just turned into an attempted murder investigation.”
“Cassie’s a chef, for chrissake. Why would anyone want to kill her?”
“Damned if I know.” Mike massaged the back of his neck, which had begun to ache along with nearly every other square inch of his chest. “But I sure as hell intend to find out.”
“Any news on Leo?”
“Still in surgery.”
“Rose and Sue are on their way to the hospital,” Jimmy said. “Everyone else is asking how Leo’s doing. Call me when you know anything, would ya?”
“Will do.” Mike caught sight of Cassie watching him. Then it hit him. Jesus, he couldn’t believe what he was about to order Jimmy to do. But he had to. “Jimmy, are you near your squad car?”
“About ten feet away. Why?”
He lowered his voice as a nurse walked by pushing a cartload of supplies. “I need you to run a criminal history on Cassie. And if you can still make it out, run the tag on her Trail Blazer.”
“Are you kidding?” Jimmy’s incredulous tone came through loud and clear.
“Do it and get back to me.” Mike hung up and re-clipped the phone to his belt. He closed his eyes and pressed his hand to his forehead. His skin felt hot. More than likely, a low-grade fever had kicked in.
He couldn’t believe it had come to this. Never in a million years would he have imagined he’d be running Cassie’s record. It would have been illegal to run a name through NCIC for personal reasons. But this wasn’t personal anymore.
I’m the fucking chief of police and I have a duty. Cassie might be—no, was—my lover, the woman I thought I might spend the rest of my—
Christ, don’t go there.
Mike opened his eyes and took in the stark pain on Cassie’s face. He curled his hands into fists, relishing the sharp jabbing sensation it created in his upper chest and shoulder. A grim reminder of what happened tonight. He had a lousy feeling the worst was yet to come.
Leo’s surgeon, a short, gray-haired man of about fifty, pushed through the double doors from the surgical wing. Mike reached Dr. Morrison the same time Cassie and Ginny did. Sweat drenc
hed the neckline of the man’s scrubs. The look on the surgeon’s face was hardly optimistic.
Ginny twisted a tissue in her hands. “He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?”
“Why don’t we all have a seat?” Dr. Morrison said in a soothing baritone as he led Ginny back to the yellow sofa.
Mike followed, allowing the doctor and Cassie to sit on either side of Ginny. He stood nearby, listening.
Doc Morrison’s bushy gray brows nearly met as he frowned. “We removed several small shards of metal from Leo’s skull. Those injuries were relatively minor, but his spleen was deeply lacerated by a larger piece of metal. We sewed up the spleen, hoping we wouldn’t have to remove it, but in the end we had to take it out. There was too much organ damage.”
“So now that it’s out, he’s going to be okay, right?” Ginny’s sweet face was hopeful, but Mike didn’t doubt from the surgeon’s somber expression that Leo was anything but all right. He’d seen that look on Doc Morrison’s face too many times right before he delivered bad news.
“The problem is Leo lost a lot of blood and he’s gone into shock.” The surgeon gently rested his hand on Ginny’s arm. “His condition is extremely critical. His kidneys are showing signs of shutting down. He’s on life support. It’s going to be touch and go tonight, and we need to take things hour by hour.”
“Is–is Leo going to die?” Ginny’s voice was so low Mike almost didn’t hear her.
Dr. Morrison didn’t hesitate. “It’s a possibility.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. Cassie’s face turned ghostly white.
“No, I don’t believe you.” Ginny shook her head back and forth. “He can’t die.”
“I’m sorry. Shock can be as devastating to the body as the actual injury that caused it.” The surgeon looked up at Mike. “Has Leo’s family been notified?”
“I called them.” Mike had to clear his throat. “They’re on their way up from Saratoga Springs.” He wasn’t looking forward to having the inevitable conversation with Leo’s parents. They’d never understand how this could happen to their son in a quiet place like Hopewell Springs.