Chapter 28
Forrest led a line of vehicles to the Bells’ estate, including the majority of the sheriff’s department, Reverend Winston, Savannah, Tinsley, Tamika, and Lacy, who had been given permission by her mother to skip school.
Lydia was dealing with school pick-up, but she was sending over her husband, Landry, a former Marine Raider, to do his best in her place.
Forrest didn’t laugh at that. He’d seen these women in action and he’d take any woman from Shadows Landing as a substitute for a Marine any day.
“How are you holding up?” Forrest asked Jordana as he drove toward the Bell Estate.
“I just want to get to my father. It helps that Kenzie texted that all was well there and they added to their guards. This all seems surreal. I’m a botanist. Why do I have a criminal gang after me?”
Forrest understood. He was an engineer. He wasn’t up to date on Brazilian criminal organizations. “I do have an idea though,” Forrest told her. “Your father’s medical chart has obviously been tampered with. Maybe there’s a signature on it? A doctor or nurse who signed off on it?”
Jordana sat up straight then. “You’re right! We finally have a lead.” Forrest looked over and smiled at her, but then noticed her eyes going wide. “Maggie’s gun is bigger than Hunter’s.”
Forrest turned back to the house and saw the verandah lined with the Bell family and his brother, Hunter.
Hunter held his military rifle. Maggie held her rifle next to him.
Jordana was right. It was bigger. Suze, Clark, and Gage also held an assortment of rifles and shotguns.
Maggie was an Olympic shooter who’d won multiple gold medals.
The best of the best. But Forrest forgot that Gage was also an Olympic shooter.
Together, Gage and Maggie were unbeatable.
“Hunter doesn’t care. He tells everyone about how great his wife is. He’s incredibly proud of her. Now, he’ll never let Gage know he’s good too,” Forrest joked. “And then Suze and Clark are big skeet shooters. Your father is very well protected.”
Jordana hopped out of the car before Forrest could open her door. She ran up the steps and, with a grateful smile to the Bells and Hunter, she ran by them and into the house. Forrest turned to watch the stream of cars and the lone motorcycle parading down the lane.
“Where’s Jordana?” Waverly asked as she leapt from Kane’s car.
“Inside with her dad.”
Waverly took off with Natalie, who had just gotten out of Stone’s car, hot on her heels.
“Well, I guess it’s time for everyone to meet Jordana’s father,” Forrest said, grimacing.
He led the group like the Pied Piper up the steps, into the house, down the hall, and passed the slack-jawed agent who couldn’t decide if he should try to stop everyone or not.
“You were attacked?” Pedro asked the second Forrest stepped into the room. His eyes went straight to the blood on his arm. “And you were injured protecting my daughter.”
Kenzie was instantly up and grabbed his arm, even as people began to fill the room. Pedro’s eyes got wider with every new person who was cramming into the room.
“I brought the soup,” Miss Winnie said, holding up the pot, and getting shuffled to the front.
“I brought a spare casserole I keep in a cooler in my car,” Miss Mitzi said, holding it up.
“I have a container of Charleston Red Rice with Smoked Sausage that just needs to be heated up,” Miss Ruby said, turning to look around the room. “Turtle, would you go out and grab those so we can eat while we talk? We can’t plan a criminal takedown without a full stomach.”
“Sure thing, Miss Ruby!”
“Forrest,” Pedro said, slowly, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but there are several women behind you with swords.”
Forrest turned and smiled at the women who had joined them. “Yes, sir. The church sent them to help protect you.”
Agent Spivey took his own life in his hands when he snickered. Then he found a blade a centimeter from his neck as Lacy smiled up at him. “Never underestimate a girl with a good manicure and a sharp blade.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he stuttered.
Lacy blew a bubble with her gum and lowered the sword. “So, you're Jordana’s dad? I’m Lacy Langston. Your daughter kicks butt at throwing knives. She made my little sister eat her words and she’s such a queen for that.”
“Pedro Alves. And where are your parents, Miss Langston?”
“Here!” a voice called from the back of the room.
The crowd moved and Lydia, armed with her own sword, and Landry, armed with a rifle, stepped forward.
“I’m Lydia and this is my husband, Landry.
It’s such a pleasure to meet you. I just love your daughter.
We had so much fun fencing at church the other night. I can’t wait to do it again.”
“I think I misheard, but you all keep mentioning knife play at church?” Pedro looked around as everyone nodded.
Reverend Winston cleared his throat and gave a condensed version of the history of Shadows Landing and the role the women and the church play in its protection.
“Savannah, Tinsley, Tamika, and Lacy have offered to help the agents with guard duty until Lacy’s eight p.m. curfew.
Then another group of women will come for the night. ”
Forrest felt the room beginning to get antsy so he took the lead.
“Church ladies with swords and men with weapons, except for the sheriff’s department, please step outside and develop a schedule with Agent Spivey.
People with food, please take it to the kitchen and work with Suze on a meal train schedule.
” Forrest looked around as the room began to empty.
Miss Ruby, Miss Winnie, and Miss Mitzi took the couch and pulled out their knitting.
They weren’t going anywhere. His family and the sheriff’s department were all that was left. “Okay, now we can get down to it.”
“You can get down to it as I clean and stitch your arm,” Kenzie said in full ER nurse mode. She was now a nurse practitioner, but when she brought out the ER nightshift nurse voice, you did what she said. Immediately.
Jordana took over explaining what had happened as Liv apparently sent word to Pen, since Forrest was getting ambushed by texts from Penelope.
“Then Forrest suggested looking at the medical notes to find out who hid your allergy and who was in the room during the surgery,” Jordana concluded.
“I can tell you about the notes,” Gavin said, having slipped in right as Forrest was grimacing as Kenzie cleaned his cut.
Gavin pulled up the papers that had been given to the military medic down in Brazil.
“Typical medical signature. Can’t read it.
What we really need are the surgical notes.
Those aren’t in here. Just referenced with a sentence. ”
“How do we get those?” Forrest asked.
“Well,” Gavin said, frowning, “Pedro could request them. But then we’d give away his location.
Plus, if someone in the hospital was in on trying to kill him, they’d have time to alter the records.
Most people only think of the chart—which is certainly the case here.
Most forget to change the actual surgery record. ”
“You need someone to slip in and steal them?” Granger stated more than he asked.
“Or someone powerful enough to demand them in person?” Liv suggested. “Maybe it’s time for another call to the president?”
“I’ll call Secretary Ramsey and fill her in and have her do it,” Hunter told them, stepping from the room to make the call.
“If she can’t get it done, then maybe one of Kane’s contacts can steal them?” Stone suggested.
Damon remained quiet, but Forrest noticed that his jaw was tight as he watched Kenzie start stitching the cut in his arm.
“Probably,” Kane said with a shrug.
Hunter walked back into the room with a plate of casserole. Pedro turned to Kenzie and frowned. “You’re not going to let me have that, are you?”
“Nope! But I can get you some yummy bone broth.”
Pedro grumbled and then glared at Hunter. “Sorry,” Hunter said between bites of food, not looking sorry at all. “Anyway, Sutton is calling the president herself to see if he can get those records. She’s aware of the destruction of evidence issue.”
“Thank you,” Jordana said, with a sad smile. She was overwhelmed. They all were. Forrest wished Kenzie would hurry up with the stitches so he could take care of Jordana.
“You know,” Miss Ruby said into the silence. “We could dress him up in a military outfit.”
“General Dick,” Miss Winnie said, nodding.
“He does sit very erect,” Miss Mitzie added as she was busy on a cross-stitch.
Damon let out a long sigh. Waverly snickered. Pedro stared as Miss Ruby held up one of her knitted dicks.
“Kenzie,” Pedro said slowly. “What kind of pain medicine did they give me? I think I’m hallucinating.”
“Nope,” Kenzie said with a smile. “You’re perfectly lucid. They’re knitting giant dicks. They sell them online.”
“It started will alien dicks,” Miss Ruby told him.
“Sir, I’m Stone. Townsend brother number two. As a fellow member of the Shadows Landing knitting club, I highly advise you to stop asking questions.”
“Geez,” Hunter said, looking down at his phone. “Your president works fast. I just got the file. However, it’s not a document, it appears to be a video of your surgery.”
Kenzie nodded. “I know some countries allow this. I’m not sure if we do though.
I know our hospital doesn’t. They use it for education purposes and also to cover their ass in case of a malpractice claim.
” Kenzie tied the last knot and snipped the suture right as Gavin joined them.
Hunter handed Forrest the phone and they joined Pedro and Jordana at the bed along with the doctors.
“Ready?” Forrest asked.
“Send it to my tablet. It’ll be easier to see,” Gavin told him as Pedro didn’t have his reading glasses. They’d been left behind in Brazil.
“Done.”
“Okay, let’s see if you recognize anyone.
” Gavin pressed play. The main doctor on call was young, and no one recognized him.
“He’s sloppy,” Gavin muttered as Kenzie nodded.
About ten minutes into the surgery, another doctor walked in.
He moved the intern out of the way and began to assist the surgeon, but all they could see was the back of his head.
“Have they said anything yet?” Gavin asked.
There was volume, but everyone was speaking Portuguese.
“I can’t see the man who walked in,” Jordana answered, not looking away from the tablet.
“But the surgeon was surprised to see him. He asked what he was doing there. The man replied that he couldn’t sit by and do nothing.
That he wanted to help. His voice it’s so muffled under the masks that I can’t be sure if I know it or not. ”
Pedro gave a quick nod that he too agreed with what his daughter said. “The surgeon just finished. The new guy offered to close so he could fill the government in on my condition,” Pedro told them, interpreting the video.
Gavin leaned forward as did Kenzie. “There!” Gavin said, pausing it.
“That’s where he punctured your intestines.
See him set that disposable needle down?
My bet is that’s a spinal anesthetic needle.
Thin and strong enough to easily puncture the intestines, and he can just toss it in the bin with the rest of the sharps. ”
“Come on, show us your face,” Forrest muttered as they watched the doctor’s back while he closed the surgery site.
The man set the sutures down. “He just thanked the nurse who’s cleaning up,” Jordana said.
Two transporters slid Pedro onto a hospital bed and then wheeled him away as the man tossed his bloody gloves into the trash bag the nurse was using to clean up the room.
His back was still to them as he reached up and removed his mask and then his head covering.
The man turned and both Pedro and Jordana gasped.