Chapter Twenty-Three
FUMING AND INDIFFERENT to whether he was with the Queen of England, Julie stormed up to Carlos’s door and flung it open without knocking. “Carlos—”
She couldn’t take in anything more. The sight before her stole the breath from her lungs. She quickly shut the door to keep anyone from seeing Laura in her partner’s married arms.
“Laura?” She couldn’t fully comprehend what she was witnessing. She knew Carlos had been unfaithful to Renee, which made her feel nauseous, but she never expected Laura to become involved with a married man. And Carlos, of all people.
“Julie,” Carlos said as he moved closer to her.
“Stop right there,” she said, doubting her decision to close the door.
Just as she was about to reach back and open it, Laura breezed by and locked it with a quick click. “No, we don’t need your guard dog to settle this.”
“Settle what? If you two want to fool around, that’s fine with me. I’d rather not have known, though.” The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken tension. As she turned to leave, she felt a sharp tug—Laura had caught her arm in a fierce grip.
“Not until we have a little chat.”
Julie's heart raced as she yanked her arm free and narrowed her eyes. The room was filled with a pulsing silence. “Yes, I need to talk to Carlos—not you.” The finality in her voice hung in the air, thick with the promise of confrontation.
Laura walked back to Carlos and took his hand. “You can say whatever you want in front of me. Isn’t that right, darling?”
Julie’s stomach twisted in knots at the endearment, her unease growing with Laura’s unsettling demeanor. Something felt off, urging her to leave. “It involves HIPAA, so no, I can’t talk in front of you,” she said, her voice barely a whisper as she turned toward the door.
“Do you mean that little billing issue?” Laura’s voice dripped with venom. “I should’ve seen that brat outside would dig it up. She’s getting too nosy for her own good.”
Julie felt her heart drop, disbelief washing over her. Was Laura really confessing to her role in Carlos’s Medicare fraud?
With a heavy sense of dread, she slowly turned to face them again. “What did you say?”
Carlos cleared his throat nervously. “Now, Laura—”
But Laura interrupted him with a sharp laugh, giving Julie goosebumps. “No, we knew she’d discover it, eventually. We prepared for this. We talked about what needed to be done.”
What needed to be done? The implications hung in the air, dark and foreboding, as a cold shiver ran down Julie’s spine. As in….
“Were—” Julie cleared her throat, the words nearly choking her. “Were you two responsible for trying to kill me?” Panic surged through her veins as she remembered Rodney’s warnings about Carlos. Where was he? Moments stretched like an eternity as she waited for him to burst in and rescue her. Surely, he must have noticed her absence. Mary would have told him where she was. Right?
Laura pulled her hand away from Carlos’s, her expression changing ominously. She walked over to her purse, and in an instant, she pulled out a gun.
Julie’s heart raced, the pulse echoing in her ears. She had never seen this ruthless side of Laura, and it chilled her to the core. How had she been so blind? Would her friend actually pull the trigger?
A chilling reality enveloped her—Laura had already demonstrated her readiness to inflict pain. Why wouldn’t she take it further now?
With trembling hands, Julie slowly raised them, patient records spilling to the floor like the remnants of her shattered trust. “Laura—”
“I don’t really want to harm you, but I will if I must. Scream, and I shoot you. Attempt to leave before we’ve settled this, and I’ll shoot you.”
“Laura, sweetheart,” Carlos urged. “Honestly, there has to be another way.”
“No!” Laura snapped. “There isn’t any.”
“But the men are outside. They’ll hear us and come in here,” Carlos whispered urgently, the tension in the air palpable. “You’ll never get away with this.”
“We will,” Laura asserted, her voice oozing with confidence. “Because Julie knows how to survive. She’s smart enough to stay silent in court today and ignore the billings.”
“Why?” Julie's voice trembled, filled with fear. “Why go through all this?” Her heart raced as she contemplated the drastic measures she might take to buy herself a little more time for Rodney to realize she was missing.
Laura glided back to Carlos, an unsettling smirk tugging at her lips. “Carlos is abandoning his wife, and we’re running away to Bora Bora.”
Suddenly, Julie noticed Carlos’s shoulders tense. The flicker of panic in his eyes revealed more than he intended. A bubble of laughter escaped her, trapped in the moment’s absurdity. How could it be so darkly humorous?
Laura's gaze sharpened, cutting through the silence. “What’s so damn funny?”
Julie lowered her arms, her laughter fading but a sly smile remaining. “Is he now?” She turned toward Carlos, her voice a whisper yet filled with intent. “I suppose she’s the reason for those large cash withdrawals from your account so Renee wouldn’t catch on.”
Carlos nodded grimly, his eyes narrowing as tension lingered in the air.
“And,” Julie said, her voice steady yet tinged with anticipation, “let me guess. The Medicare fraud was Laura’s idea.” This notion had a twisted sort of logic. Laura’s position in medical billing provided her with the ideal inside track for such deception.
“Honestly?” Julie continued, her expression steely. “I don’t care what shady schemes you two come up with. My focus is solely on saving this clinic.”
“Right,” Laura spat, venom lacing her words. “Miss Goody Two-Shoes.”
Julie chuckled darkly. “If you were truly going to shoot me, you would have done it by now. But here we are, and as I see it, you don’t have an escape plan.” She could sense the gravity of the moment shift, aware that Rodney was lurking outside with more men at both the front and rear entrances.
Laura’s expression contorted into a grimace. “I told you she was smart, darling,” she said, her voice tinged with unease.
Carlos fixed his gaze on Laura, an unspoken decision hanging in the balance. “Let’s just let her go. We have more than enough money. We could skip the court appearance and vanish on a private jet.” A crackling silence enveloped them.
Julie tilted her head to the side. “Why are you lying to her, Carlos? You’ve told every woman you cheated on Renee with that you’d leave her and go to Bora Bora?”
Laura’s bravado wavered. “It’s different for me. He truly means it. Don’t you, darling?”
Carlos nodded. “Of course. Definitely.”
As Laura shifted her focus to Carlos, Julie dashed for the door. It swung open just before she could unlock it, almost hitting her in the face. She stepped back as an enraged Rodney stormed in, weapon drawn.
****
“Put it down, Laura.” Doc’s commanding voice sliced through the tense atmosphere, freezing everyone in their tracks. Every muscle in his body was tensed, anticipating the next move.
Laura quickly pivoted, aiming the gun back at Julie, then dashed behind Carlos, using his sturdy frame as a shield. “I promise I won’t hurt your precious Julie if you let us walk away unharmed.” Her voice dripped with menace.
Doc’s expression grew serious. “Julie, stand behind me.”
Incredibly, she obeyed, and he felt her grip the back of his shirt. Then, he sensed her peering over his shoulder. He wanted to shake either his head or hers.
Laura tightened her finger on the trigger, shifting her focus to him. The gravity of the situation clawed at his insides—one wrong move and someone could get hurt. Desperation surged as Doc confronted a cornered animal, with fear slipping away and being primed for violence.
“Julie,” Laura hissed, her eyes narrowing with a menacing glint, “come here, or your lover pays the price.”
The word “lover” pierced the atmosphere like a match struck in darkness, igniting a flame of dread deep within his chest. Had she revealed their secret that quickly? He didn’t care who uncovered the truth, but the mere thought of this woman knowing sent a shiver down his spine, leaving him feeling exposed and almost filthy.
“No, Julie,” Doc warned, narrowing his eyes as he instinctively pulled Julie closer. He then shot a wary glance at Laura, whose presence felt like a brewing storm.
“Don’t underestimate me. I mean every word,” Laura declared, her tone infused with a chilling certainty.
Tension crackled in the air, thick and suffocating, as he sensed Julie’s body shift, a sign of the storm brewing between them.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling, a fragile thread of fear as she slipped from his protective embrace. “She won’t hurt me. But you…I fear for you.”
“Julie, no! Have you forgotten what she’s done? This isn’t a game. She didn’t just threaten you—she plotted your death!” His voice broke with urgency, the weight of impending doom looming over them both.
“Now,” Laura hissed, her voice low and filled with chilling menace as Julie approached, “you’ll let us leave with her. I’ll release Julie once we’re at the airport, free and clear.”
Doc’s heart pounded. Every instinct screamed at him not to trust Laura and Carlos, especially with Laura wielding that gun like a deadly extension of her will. He had drilled into Julie the importance of staying out of a kidnapper’s car—he could only hope she remembered that lesson now.
“I’ll go with you,” Julie stated firmly.
The confidence in her voice twisted like a dagger in his gut. Every nerve in his body screamed for action as Doc felt the weight of the moment—his gun arm dropped helplessly when Julie stepped in front, blocking his shot at Laura.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, but the clarity of her words felt fragile, resonating with uncertainty in the dense air.
“Julie, no,” his voice pierced through the urgent tension laced with rising panic.
“Julie, yes,” Laura retorted, her tone cold and conclusive, allowing no room for defiance. “Now, step aside and let us through.”
Every second felt stretched, and all Doc could think was that rescue would come swiftly if Laura’s finger didn’t slip on the trigger. When he finished his call with Devon—where he’d identified Laura as Carlos’s lover and the recipient of the cash withdrawals—and confirmed that Laura was in the office—he set the men in motion and sent Nemo to the rooftop across the street.
After what seemed like an eternity, his fingers hesitantly loosened their grip on the gun as he holstered it with quiet determination. He needed to allow the men time to get into position.
“Carlos,” Laura said, her voice low and sharp like a knife. “You take the back.”
As they passed him, Julie forced a smile and a nod. She was trying to convey that she trusted him and the team. He hoped her delaying—if that were indeed her intention—wouldn’t lead to harm before they could rescue her from this nightmare.
He shifted, his brow furrowed, as he subtly moved toward them, uncertainty flickering in Julie’s eyes.
Laura swiftly yanked the gun from Julie’s back, the cold barrel now pressing against her temple. “Stop! I mean it. I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
Doc raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Let me go first. I’ll clear the way of the men.”
Laura nodded. “Go on. Just remember, I’m keeping an eye on you. No funny business.”
Doc moved in front of Julie, hovering just out of her reach.
As they passed through the looming shadows of the open door, darkness enveloped them as they turned right toward the entrance. His voice projected, cutting through the tension. “Stand down!” he commanded to the men they met.
Every man froze, hands poised over their weapons, eyes fixed on Laura. The threat was palpable in the air. Each second felt like an eternity, and every breath was heavy with uncertainty. The air crackled with tension, and every heartbeat was a countdown.
As they inched closer to Carlos’s vehicle, a chilling wave of doubt washed over Doc. Where was Nemo? No one spoke over the communication system. He needed to hear that Nemo was in position.
“Stop,” Laura commanded, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “You can join your men.”
Doc hesitated, nodded slowly, and stepped aside, his heart continuing to hammer in his chest.
The parked vehicle filled him with dread. How could Julie possibly avoid getting into it?
Regardless of the situation, he couldn’t trust that they would leave Julie alone. The stakes were too high—her very freedom was at risk.
With Julie standing firm in front and Carlos looming ominously behind, Laura radiated an aura of invincibility.
“Don’t do it, Julie. Don’t get in the car,” Doc pleaded, hoping she was stalling and not utterly terrified.
To his delight, she remained frozen.
“Get in,” Laura commanded, her low, menacing voice echoing ominously and sending shivers down his spine.
“No.”
Laura pressed the gun against Julie’s temple. “I said, get in.”
Doc tensed, eager to jump into the fray but aware it could get Julie killed. Where the hell was Nemo?
“And I said no.” She remained defiant.
“This isn’t just a game, Julie,” Laura said, her voice low and menacing. “I will kill you—and your lover.”
Something had happened to Nemo. Had he run into an issue bringing a sniper rifle into the building? They’d checked this possibility with the owners, but had an employee panicked?
Doc needed to act. He couldn’t let Julie get into that vehicle.
Then, he heard the blessed shot a moment after blood spattered on the vehicle, Julie and Carlos. Laura crumpled forward onto Julie’s body, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Julie!” he shouted. Instantly, he was at her side, kneeling and assisting her from under Laura’s body. He heard a flurry of footsteps and realized Carlos was being restrained. Julie was safe.
“Nemo?” she inquired.
Doc nodded. “Yes, sweetheart.” He pulled her into his arms, tighter than ever, and never let her go. “Don’t ever do that again. You took nine lives off me.”
As she embraced him, his fear dissolved. This woman meant the world to him.
She glanced at him and softly said, “Aren’t you going to ask?”
With a trembling hand, he wiped her cheek, a splash of blood on his palm, then chuckled. “Of course I am. I was going to wait, but Julie Banks, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She kissed him with an intensity she had never shown before.
At last, she was his.