Chapter Ten
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A thick carpet of cedar needles covering the ground cushioned the soles of TJ’s boots as he crept through the wooded area, each step releasing their spicy fragrance into the warm night air. Up ahead through the tall trees, the lights surrounding the hospital parking lot came on right on cue.
He stopped just inside the screen of trees at the top of the bank and crouched down in the shadows, balancing his weight on one knee while he used his phone camera to survey this side of the hospital. Every night this past week after work, he’d taken the bus up here to do recon of the property. Watching the comings and goings. Figuring out the security and delivery routine, taking note of the timings, plus all the security camera positions and their approximate areas of coverage.
He checked the time on his phone. It was dusk, the sky above the tops of the tall evergreens shifting to darker blues and purples and the first stars winking to life. The night shift had started more than two hours ago, and by now most of the daytime workers would have gone home. But there was one person in particular who worked odd hours that he had come to see.
The rumble of a delivery truck broke the silence as it approached the service door closest to him. It stopped next to it, and two people hopped out to open the vehicle’s back doors. He zoomed in on his phone to watch, and several people emerged from the side exit of the hospital near the far corner of the parking lot.
Unfortunately, the angle the truck was parked at blocked his view of the group unloading it. He rose slowly and moved to the right, picking his way through the underbrush and over fallen logs until he found a hiding place to get a better viewpoint.
He crouched down again and zoomed in, getting a good look at the crew. One of the shorter men turned around, giving TJ a good view of his face.
Bingo. Mark G.
Mark was a big part of the reason TJ had decided to make the move to Crimson Point. He was connected to someone higher up the chain who TJ had been trying to make contact with for months. TJ needed to meet Mark face to face to begin that process but hadn’t been able to get close enough to him yet. He needed to do it soon. In the meantime, he would do more homework.
He started recording video, zooming in as close as the camera would allow.
Ten minutes later, the men finished unloading boxes of supplies and transporting them inside. Just as one of them closed and locked the truck’s rear doors, TJ saw Mark hand something to the passenger—while standing in a blind spot of the camera mounted on a wall nearby. A small bag or an envelope that the passenger slid into his pocket.
Cash for the product that had just been delivered.
The driver strode for the front of the truck as the passenger did a fist grab and shoulder bump with Mark. As they both climbed into the cab, the door to the hospital opened again and a familiar figure stepped out.
Bristol.
TJ mentally cursed. What was she doing here? She normally only worked until seven, should have gone home hours ago.
She paused to chat with Mark, her pale blue scrubs almost glowing in the lights of the parking lot.
Seeing her warm smile directed at Mark sent an unexpected streak of jealousy through him. He’d bet money she had zero clue that her coworker had just smuggled over a hundred grand worth of street drugs into the hospital along with the regular supplies.
TJ found himself drawn to her against his will, unable to take his eyes off her. Every night he’d come here, he’d made sure he was here in time to see her leave. And every night she took the time to stop and talk with people on her way out.
Her warmth was real. Sincere. People gravitated toward her naturally, unable to resist the natural pull she exerted. Even him, though he was doing his damnedest to ignore it.
What was the deal? Lately it seemed like everything in his life led back to Bristol in some way. This included.
He let out a slow breath, watching her. Life experience had hardened him and made him jaded. He was used to people either ignoring or trying to manipulate him. When she’d first approached him, he’d assumed she wanted something from him. Or that she was a do-gooder out to convert him to whatever religion she subscribed to in the hopes of saving his soul.
She was trying to save him in her own way, but watching her covertly this past week, he was starting to believe she was the real deal. An actual good person. And he could count on a couple of fingers how many of those he’d met in his lifetime.
Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him so much. Eric had always spoken highly of her. The more TJ watched her, the more the empty place inside him craved that genuine warmth and kindness she gave to others so naturally.
She and Mark talked for another minute or so, then both turned and headed off in opposite directions. He’d gotten what he’d come for, but TJ followed Bristol from the shadows as she crossed the parking lot, waited until she was safely in her car driving away before he backtracked up to the road to catch the bus.
It dropped him off several blocks from the house he was staying in. The little white bungalow sat perched between a little Victorian and a craftsman on a quiet street atop a hill on the north side of town. The front porch light was on, casting a warm, welcoming glow against the purple-edged darkness. And the scary part was, it was starting to feel like home.
Inside it was quiet, the hum of the brand-new refrigerator barely audible in the spotless, decked-out kitchen. It still felt surreal that he now lived in a place like this and had it all to himself. That he had a solid roof over his head for the first time in forever, a steady paycheck that paid a good wage, and benefits.
He’d been here a few weeks now and still felt out of place living in Crimson Point. He’d felt like an outsider for so long, he still didn’t feel like he fit in here, even though all the guys at work were fellow vets and treated him like one of their own. He hadn’t fully made the adjustment yet and wasn’t sure he ever would.
The queen-size bed in the corner of his bedroom was neatly made with fresh sheets he’d put on before leaving for work this morning. He knelt beside the headboard, reached up behind it and took the burner phone from its hiding spot to send a message.
Got an update. He sat on the bed and waited for the reply that came back moments later.
Made contact yet?
Not yet. But I saw the deal happen tonight.
When will you make contact?
Soon , he answered, then shut it off and put it back in its hiding spot.
In the en suite he stripped as he ran the shower, waited until the water was steaming hot before stepping under the spray. It was heaven, standing there with the strong water pressure pounding down on his head and shoulders. And so was knowing that he could stay in here until the hot water tank ran out if he felt like it.
He scrubbed himself with a fresh bar of soap that suffused the humid air with the scent of evergreen, busy formulating a plan. Running drugs through the hospital was common, but risky. To get what he wanted, he needed to approach Mark without raising suspicion. He needed an in.
Once again, the answer led him back to Bristol.
Instantly, he dismissed it out of hand. He wasn’t going to stoop to involving her.
But after thinking it through from every angle, he had to admit there was no other way.
He’d been standoffish and brusque with her to protect himself up to this point, but he needed to get closer to her now. It couldn’t be helped.
He ruthlessly squashed the shot of guilt about using her that way. He’d kept his end of the bargain. He didn’t owe her anything, as long as she didn’t get hurt. And this chance...was too important to let it pass him by.
If he had to exploit her to get what he needed, then that’s what he’d do.