by VK Powell
“You couldn’t be selfish if you tried.”
“Neela!” Liz yelled again. “Rose needs to talk to you on the phone. It’s important.”
“So is this,” Neela said almost inaudibly, then called out the window to Liz, “Tell her I’ll call her back.”
Neela slowly moved out of Jordan’s arms. “Guess I better take care of this new crisis. I hope you enjoy the breakfast.”
As she reached for the door handle, Jordan hugged her again and whispered, “Can we talk later, please?”
“What? Twice in two days. That’s got to be a record.” She kissed Jordan’s cheek. “I’d like that, but you need to know what I’m intending to do tonight.” She gave Jordan a rundown of the governor’s ultimatum, their all-night strategy session, and her plan for the evening.
“I don’t like it. You’ll be in the spotlight, and this crazy person might come after you.”
“Then we’ll be done with this mess and life can return to normal, whatever that is.”
“Will you at least let us put some extra security in the area around the community center?” Jordan had an unsettling feeling that rallying the protesters was a very bad idea.
“I’d rather you didn’t. I don’t want the governor to hear about this from some politically motivated police officer. Besides, with all the volunteers here and the other folks joining tonight, he’d be crazy to try anything. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I trust you.” She quickly kissed Jordan again and opened the door. “See you tonight.”
Neela and Bina both thought she was brave. What did they see that she couldn’t? She’d always considered herself a risk taker, but only for the thrill, not necessarily brave, and certainly not noble. Maybe it was time she earned the designation. After the rally tonight, she’d have a long and, she hoped, intimate talk with Neela—tell her everything—and see where it led. Anywhere was better than the gaping void of her life and the exhaustion of being constantly angry and on guard. She wanted more, but the concept was so foreign that she had no idea where or how to start toward a meaningful relationship.
Jordan and Bex spent the remainder of the day watching over Neela and wading through the ton of controversial initiatives before the legislature while Neela and Rose worked the phones, contacting as many people as possible for the rally. Jordan rubbed her eyes and glanced at the tablet that monitored Neela’s office.
“She hasn’t moved since the last time you checked five seconds ago. Do I have to finish reading all this crap by myself?”
Jordan ignored her. They’d hardly spoken on the drive to Raleigh as Jordan consumed the amazing breakfast Neela had brought her, but Bex wasn’t the strong, silent type. Something was on her mind.
“Well?” Bex finally said.
“I’m trying to read.”
“Let’s just get it over with.”
She gave Bex a casual glance and returned her attention to the pages spread across her lap. “Get what over with?”
“Elizabeth Blackmon, Liz, that’s what, or should I say, who.”
“What about her?” After Neela said she had no interest in Liz, Jordan could care less about anything else. “You like her.”
“For somebody who doesn’t do intimacy, you sure as hell notice every little thing.”
“Observation is a skill best performed at a distance, or weren’t you paying attention during that part of the surveillance class?” She was playing with Bex and it felt good. She hadn’t been in a joking mood for months, and it had affected their work and personal relationship.
“Very funny, but yes, I like her, probably more than a little if I’m honest. The minute I saw her close up I was…just…”
“Completely and totally screwed.” Jordan laughed and Bex rolled her eyes.
“Is that all you ever think about? And no, it’s not even about that, though I imagine she’d be something else. Sorry. You probably don’t need that visual.”
“As long as it’s the two of you, I’m fine.”
“So…you’d be okay with me dating her?”
Bex was serious, but Jordan couldn’t resist one final poke. “I’d be grateful if it keeps her out of Neela’s bed.”
“I hope to keep her out of anyone else’s bed except mine, at least for a while.”
“Seriously? You just met.” Bex nodded. “You’re a goner.” She bumped fists with Bex. “I’d really like to see you happy. Maybe it’s time for both of us to change our evil ways.”
“Speak for yourself. I plan to be all kinds of evil with this woman and then—”
“La-la-la.” Jordan put her hands over her ears. “TMI. Get back to work. We’ve got less than two hours before the rally, and I’d like to have some answers before then. I tried to get Milton to approve more security on the QT, but he wouldn’t go for it.”
“It’ll be fine. We can stay late and double up with the guys until it’s over, if you want.”
“I was counting on it, partner, but I have a feeling your motives aren’t entirely unselfish.”
“If you must know, I’m having a drink with a certain redhead after the event.”
Jordan had to smile. She hadn’t seen Bex so excited about a woman in a while. “I can tell you’ll be absolutely insufferable if you fall for Liz.”
“I certainly hope so. It’s the best feeling ever. Trust me.”
Jordan thought about her feelings since she’d met Neela. They’d been all over the place, tainted by anger, frustration, and her uncontrollable impulses, but she’d also felt really alive for the first time in recent memory. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and motioned to the tablet. “They’re getting ready to leave. Have you told the guys where to meet us?”
“Relax. I’ve taken care of everything.”
“I won’t relax until this rally is over and Neela is home safely.”
The line of cars following Jordan down the interstate was longer than a funeral procession. So much for covert surveillance. If the suspect was watching, Neela was painted as clearly as a sniper’s target. Once they arrived at the community center, Jordan wouldn’t have a chance of spotting him in the sea of diverse individuals. He’d be hidden in plain sight, and Neela would be vulnerable.
The Windsor Community Center’s location on the corner of East Lee Street and Benbow Road made Jordan feel a bit more comfortable. The two busy streets guaranteed a steady flow of traffic and less chance anyone could approach unseen, since there was only one entrance and one exit. Harry and Phil were waiting at the back in the parking lot.
She tossed a bag through the open driver’s window. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”
Phil ripped the bag and practically salivated over the four Yum Yum hot dogs. “What did you bring Harry?” His partner grabbed for the bag and the ruckus was on.
“Can you boys fight over the food after we’re in position?” Bex detailed the coverage plan she and Jordan had discussed. The guys would cover the south side of the interior, and she and Bex would cover the north. After the event, the guys would shift coverage to the exit onto Lee Street, and they’d watch the entrance off Gorrell Street into the parking lot. They agreed on the plan and moved into position.
Jordan stepped into the back of the gym and stood against the wall. Her heart rate kicked up and her palms felt damp. Three hundred people packed the gymnasium chanting and cheering like they were watching a sporting event. She wasn’t surprised to see Neela onstage with several other people, apparently the organizers of the event. But when Neela moved to the microphone, Jordan suppressed an urge to shield her. She didn’t like Neela being so exposed, so visible. She scanned the room for high perches a shooter might favor and, seeing none, tried to profile the roomful of attendees. Shifting positions constantly, she checked every corner. Hopeless. If the suspect was here, she’d never see him until it was too late. She was annoyed yet relieved that she hadn’t spotted anything unusual all evening.
“Thank you all for being here, and we’ll see you tomorrow evening
when we meet with the governor’s staff.” One of the organizers motioned for Neela to rejoin him at the podium. “And to close our gathering tonight, I’d like to thank Doctor Neela Sahjani, the North Carolina State Health Director, for organizing this event. I understand she’d like to make a few remarks. Doctor Sahjani.”
“Good evening.” Neela’s voice was like hot chocolate on a cold night, warming and soothing. She wore a muted red suit and white blouse that fit her snugly and made Jordan want to shred it with her teeth.
“I really appreciate all of you taking part in this event. This is an important, I’d even say critical, time for state government. Our leaders have lost their way. They’re no longer in touch with the majority and seek to serve only the wealthy. I’ve tried to work within the system to improve our lives as citizens, but I’m finding that increasingly difficult. So, if I may, I’d like to read something that will be delivered to the governor tonight and appear in tomorrow’s paper.”
She pulled a sheet from a folder and put on her reading glasses. “This is addressed to Governor Matt Lloyd. ‘Governor, as you know I served under your predecessor for many years in various positions and considered the work we did to be some of the most progressive in our state’s history. Unfortunately, that trend has not extended to this administration. I have significant differences of opinion with many of the policies and administrative directions currently in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. These differences make it impossible for me to be effective in my current role. I hereby tender my resignation effective immediately.’” The room grew eerily quiet as Neela’s amplified voice faded but a few seconds later erupted in applause.
The moderator moved to Neela’s side and said, “I hope this means we can count on your continued support in our efforts to be heard in Raleigh.”
“Absolutely.” Neela’s response caused the hairs on the back of Jordan’s neck to prickle. She wasn’t sure if Neela’s resignation would exacerbate or alleviate the threats against her, but either way, she’d just put herself firmly in the headlines. Jordan hoped, in the process, it had taken her out of the crosshairs.
As she waited to escort Neela back to the vehicle, Jordan marveled at what an amazing woman she was. She’d just quit her job for the sake of her beliefs and vowed to help others without a voice. Jordan hadn’t been able to forego even her own pleasure or emotional comfort for Neela. How could she fit into a life of such depth and compassion with a woman who gave so much so freely?
“You all right?” Bex asked.
“Neela just quit her job. Either this assignment is over or she’s just painted a big bull’s-eye on her back.”
The parking lot cleared quickly until only half a dozen vehicles remained. When Neela emerged, people surrounded her as they walked toward their cars. One by one the others reached their vehicles, said their good-byes, and drove away.
Jordan rested against the side of her patrol car while Neela hugged Rosemary. As Neela and Liz started toward her, a black SUV careened into the lot and barreled toward them. The passenger’s window slid down, and the glint of metal barely registered before Jordan shouted. “Gun. Get down.”
Jordan pushed off the side of her car and threw herself in front of Neela, shoving her backward. A sharp pain ripped the air from her lungs. Neela. She didn’t have the breath to call out. She struggled to focus as she gathered her last ounce of strength and turned her head to where Neela should be. She was slumped against a car, blouse covered in blood. Oh God, no. She’d been too late.
Chapter Thirteen
Neela tried to open her eyes, but an insistent pounding zigzagged across her forehead. She squeezed them shut to block out the light seeping through her eyelids, but the pain surged again. The pungent smell of alcohol and antiseptic cleaners burned her nose, and her stomach churned.
“Neela, can you hear me, honey?”
Rosemary. Close and loud. “Shush. Headache. Have to vomit.” She felt Rosemary’s arms around her shoulders and the press of cold plastic against her neck.
“Go ahead. I’ve got you.”
She hated throwing up and tried to breathe through it, but the hammering in her head was too powerful. Bile rose in her throat and sprayed out her nose and mouth. She retched again, the foggy memories more nauseating than the pain. When her heaves produced nothing more, she leaned back against the pillows. As Rosemary wiped her mouth and forehead with a cool cloth, she pieced together what had happened. Jordan had shielded her from a bullet.
“Jordan?” Though she was whispering her voice rumbled in her head.
“Neela, you need to rest.”
“Rose, where’s Jordan?” She had to see Rose’s face. She squinted against the light and wished she hadn’t. Rose’s furrowed brow and the tight lines around her mouth foretold bad news. “Please tell me.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been here long. She was hurt, but I’m not sure how badly.”
Neela swung her legs over the side of the bed and screamed as her right one banged against the metal railing. “Jesus.” She held her hand to her mouth, breathing through the returning nausea. “What the hell?”
“You have a hairline fracture. I told them you’d behave if they used the soft cast.”
“You were wrong. I have to get up. Find Jordan. Now.”
“Neela, please. Relax. You also have a concussion.” Rose’s voice climbed a couple of octaves, a sign that she was reaching her stress max.
A burly nurse, all spit polish and authority, swung open the door and gave Neela a smile. “Are you the one making all the noise in here, Doctor Sahjani?”
Neela tried to recall the woman’s name but her mind was fuzzy. “I need to find my friend, Jordan Bishop. She’s a patient? How badly is she hurt?”
“Doctor, you know I can’t tell you anything about another patient.”
With Rose and the nurse’s help, Neela eased back on the bed, resigned to being stonewalled at least until she could move without throwing up. Then another thought made her sick again. “Bina. Has anyone told her?”
“The police said they would notify her,” Rose said.
Rose stroked her arm, the warmth comforting but unable to curb her rising panic. Jordan was injured, and she had no idea how badly. Bina would be frightened and unable to get to the hospital. “Oh my God, she’ll be traumatized. She can’t manage on her own.”
“She won’t have to.”
Jordan’s low-pitched tone echoed inside her, and some of the tension immediately eased. When she looked up, Bina stood in the doorway pale and shaky, leaning heavily against Jordan. The left side of Jordan’s shirt was bloody, and a huge bandage was visible under her collar. She reached out, unsure which one of them to grab first.
Bina moved toward the bed. “You are so pale, Beta.” Another step and she started to fall.
Jordan rushed to her side and eased her into the chair next to Neela. Jordan’s face distorted into an agonized mask as fresh blood seeped through the bandage and soaked her shirt again. Neela fumbled for the call button, and the hefty nurse from earlier appeared.
She took one look at Jordan and started guiding her toward the door. “Your dressing has come loose. I told you leaving was not a good idea.”
Jordan looked from Neela to Bina. “But I need to—”
“You need to come with me, now.” The nurse wasn’t letting up.
“Thank you, Jordan. Thank you so much.” Neela tried to relay her appreciation with a final, lingering glance, but Jordan deserved so much more after what she’d done for her and Bina over the last twelve hours.
Bina pointed a misshapen finger as the door closed behind Jordan. “Our hero.”
Neela smiled at her mother, took her hand, and collapsed into exhausted sleep.
*
Jordan gritted her teeth as the nurse stabbed a needle into the gunshot wound on her shoulder. She wouldn’t complain. She deserved to hurt a little. If she’d moved just a second faster, Neela wouldn’t be in the hospi
tal with a concussion and fractured leg, and Bina wouldn’t be upset and worried. Some hero she was. She looked at the flickering light above her bed, worrying about Neela, while the doctor probed and cleansed her injury.
When she’d come to on the pavement, Neela was unconscious beside her with a huge patch of blood on her chest. She’d panicked, certain Neela had been shot. All she remembered from that point was struggling to get free and help Neela. She didn’t find out she was the one who’d been shot until she woke up in the hospital groggy from drugs. The bullet had missed anything vital, passing cleanly through the flesh above her collarbone. The doctor said she’d been lucky. She didn’t think so. Lucky would’ve avoided the whole incident and caught the suspect before shots were fired.
As the doctor finished his examination and left, Sergeant Milton’s raspy voice sounded at the end of the hall, coughing and hacking, getting louder as he approached. Now the real pain would begin—second-guessing and analyzing the actions she’d already begun to dissect.
“Where are you, Bishop?” Milton jerked the curtain around the exam table back and blatantly stared at her partially covered breasts. When his eyes finally wandered to her injury, he said, “Just a flesh wound.” He rolled a stool to the foot of the bed and took out a notepad. “I need details.”
“You need to get the hell out of my exam area,” the nurse said. “This woman has been shot and needs rest. She has a head injury that requires overnight observation. As a medical professional, I can’t in good conscience allow her to be interrogated until I’m sure she’s in control of all her faculties.”
Jordan almost grinned. So Ms. Grumpy Britches has some redeeming qualities after all. When she looked up, the nurse winked.
Milton snapped the notepad shut and huffed out of the room.
“Thanks for that.”
“Don’t thank me. I don’t like pencil pushers or perverts who leer at women’s breasts. And besides, you saved Doctor Sahjani’s life and that’s good enough for me. You deserve a medal, not a grilling.”