Chapter Thirteen
A n hour later, Anna and Evan walked through the lobby entrance of the hotel. Within seconds, the on-duty Customer Service manager had abandoned her office to enquire about Anna’s health and if she needed anything.
She didn’t, but Evan did.
“Evan, would a steak dinner satisfy your appetite?” Anna glanced at him and caught her breath.
The grin he was giving her, secret and seductive, made her want to tear his clothes off. But they couldn’t, not yet. There was still too much to do.
His smile turned rueful. “I’d love a steak, later.” He glanced at the Customer Service manager. “Could the restaurant make me a protein smoothie to go?”
“Of course,” she replied, and dashed off toward the restaurant.
“I need to change again,” Anna said, looking down at the military uniform she was wearing. “Will you wait here for Mason and Magnus?”
“They’re not going to be happy to see just me waiting for them,” Evan said. “Those two have a healthy level of suspicion.”
“Ask one of the housekeeping staff to ensure they take a few hours to rest when they return.” She thought about the mood the twins would be in when they arrived. “Make sure it’s Darlene you ask for. They have a soft spot for her.”
“Got it,” he said.
She hesitated, not wanting to leave him even for ten minutes.
His smile deepened. “Go, so you can come back.”
She went.
It took less than ten minutes to change and come back down to the lobby. When she walked into the large space, it was to see Mason and Magnus standing side by side in front of Evan. The twins had their arms crossed over their chests. Evan was drinking his smoothie.
Before Anna could say anything, Darlene arrived from the direction of the service elevator. She crashed to a halt between Evan and the twins, but her attention was focused completely on Mason and Magnus.
She gave them a once over, her eyes wide with distress. “What happened? Were you mugged?”
Her gaze sharpened on something at chest height on Mason. “Were you shot?” She lunged at him, her hands reaching for his chest. She put one finger through a hole in his suit jacket, then patted him gently, tears in her eyes. “Oh my God, you need to go to a hospital.”
“I was wearing a vest,” Mason’s voice rumbled, but it held no threat, no anger or aggression. “I’m fine.” He put his hand over hers on his chest, put his other hand around her waist, and pulled her closer until she came into contact with his body.
Anna stopped a few feet away, not wanting to interfere with what was happening between the three of them. It would be good if the twins found someone they could love, who loved them. They’d gotten increasingly ruthless and cold in the last few decades. She didn’t want to lose them to the insanity so many of them had succumbed to.
Magnus eased over so he was right behind Darlene. Another step and she’d be pressed between them.
She sensed his arrival and turned. She caught sight of a tear in his jacket. A gasp came out of her throat. “Did you get shot too?”
“Fist fight with an ass...a guy who didn’t fight fair.”
He had blood splattered all over his white shirt collar and some smeared on his neck.
Darlene sniffed and started to cry.
The brothers wrapped her up in their arms, and it was causing them to become something interesting to watch by everyone in the lobby.
Anna took another step closer to them, and Magnus lifted his head to meet her gaze.
Anna angled her head toward the service elevator, telling him silently to take this tête-à-tête to somewhere more private.
Magnus picked Darlene up like she was a bride. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded, then he and Mason left the lobby with her.
Evan watched them go until they disappeared from sight, then looked at her. “Are those three a...thing?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure she knows that yet.”
He grunted. “I don’t think it’s going to be long until she finds out.”
Anna turned to face Evan. “I tried to reach Bazyli while I was upstairs. He’s not answering and that’s not a good thing.”
The Customer Service manager came out of a blank doorway near the check-in desk. She hurried toward them with a stiff smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Excuse me,” she said politely. “I’ve just gotten a call from an NYPD detective Williams. He asked me to pass along a request to you, ma’am.”
Anna didn’t bother trying to hide her surprise. “What request?”
“He was hoping you’d pay a visit to Detective Nika Johansen’s hospital room. He said that there are some people bothering Baz, and he needs...the voice of reason right now.” Her voice rose at the end of her sentence, making it more of a question.
“Ah,” Anna said, with a nod. “Thank you for letting me know.”
The manager nodded and retreated back to her office.
Anna turned to Evan. “Feel like a short drive?”
Evan took another sip of his drink. “Sounds fun.”
***
E van walked with Anna through the hospital. Anna had called Williams directly and gotten the room number from the man, along with a plea to be quick. The situation was devolving rapidly. The detective was certain Baz was going to take a few people quote apart by the seams unquote .
As they got off the elevator and strode down the hall toward the room, the sound of several people shouting got louder. Unfortunately, the words were running into each other, making none of it comprehensible.
“Oh dear,” Anna muttered.
“What?” Evan asked. Maybe she could discern what was going on better than he could.
“Baz is very angry.”
“How can you tell? We can’t see him yet.”
“He’s swearing at someone in our mother tongue. He doesn’t like to speak it. He says it brings back bad memories.”
Someone shouted, “Stop.” Very loudly. Then a shot rang out.
A sudden silence muffled all the noise that the previous second seemed to fill up the hallway.
“You stupid son of a bitch.” The words broke the silence and they were spoken in Baz’s voice. “I’m still wearing a ballistic vest.”
“Ledger,” Anna whispered.
Evan put a hand on her shoulder. “I would take it as a personal favor if you let me take a stab at arresting him.”
“I didn’t realize the military had the power to arrest someone in the United States.”
“Oh, we don’t. I’m going to make a citizen’s arrest.”
Several people came up the hallway behind them. FBI agents according to their jackets and body armor. They stopped when they reached Anna and Evan.
“Anna Breznik and Evan Gunn?” the one in the lead asked.
“Yes,” Anna said, taking a half step toward the man.
“We were told Homeland Security’s Agent Ledger was likely to be here. Can you confirm that?”
“We haven’t—” Anna began.
She was interrupted by a crash of something large hitting the floor and shouting.
“Get your hands off her, you moron. You try touching her again and I’ll rip your arms off and shove them up your ass.”
“I’d say the likelihood of Ledger being here just went up,” Evan said. “Because Baz sounds pissed.”
“We were told that one of our agents might be with Bazyli Breznik.”
“Brian?” Anna asked.
The FBI agent nodded. “Brian Stettler, yes.”
Anna looked at Evan, who shrugged. The Chinese ladies had said they put him somewhere safe. Sticking him in the same room as Nika and Baz might very well qualify.
Anna smiled at the FBI agent. “Let’s find out.” She turned and headed down the hall.
He followed her along with one, two, three...six FBI agents. Not bad. That should be enough for what was going on in the hospital room where all the noise was coming from.
The doorway to that room was blocked by a couple of people wearing Homeland Security jackets. Not everyone had gotten the memo about Ledger being persona non grata.
Anna didn’t wait for introductions or to even give the door guards any warning. She grabbed the one on the left by her shoulder and arm and yanked her out of the doorway and into the arms of the FBI agents.
Then she repeated the move with the other agent in the doorway, a man, who looked shocked that a woman as small as Anna could move him around with ease. As she thrust him into the FBI agents, she said to the entire group, “I always knew that black belt in Judo would come in handy.”
Nice cover.
Evan stepped into the room and found Ledger with his gun out and pointed at Baz.
Baz stood in front of a typical hospital bed with one of the NYPD detectives standing next to him. The detective had his gun out and pointed at Ledger.
So, that’s why Ledger hadn’t fired yet. He knew that if he took another shot at Baz, the detective would shoot him, and he had no handy healing ability.
Gunn pulled his own weapon out and pointed it at Ledger as well. “Mr. Ledger,” he said, in a flat tone. “There are some people from the FBI who want to talk to you.”
“What?” Ledger asked. He glanced around and his eyes got rounder as he realized he couldn’t see his people. “Where are my agents?”
“In the hallway,” Evan said. “Put your weapon down and join them please.”
Ledger’s upper lip curled up in a sneer. “You’re a traitor.”
“No, Mr. Ledger, I’m not.” Evan sighed. “Put your weapon away and discuss this rather complicated situation with the FBI agents.”
For a moment, Ledger’s face was blank, but a second later that expression was wiped off his face. “You’re trying to manage me. Trying to get me to do what you want.” He was so angry his voice vibrated with it. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Counterterrorism Coordinator for Homeland Security.” His voice rose in volume until he was shouting as loud as he could. “I give people orders, not you .”
“For the love of God,” a sleep-slurred male voice said, from behind Baz and Williams. “Will you please shut that asshole up .”
It was such a surprise to hear, everyone was distracted for a long moment.
Then, from behind Evan, Anna spoke up. “I think I know where Brian is.”
Ledger’s face turned the pasty color of a corpse. “You brought that creature here? To a hospital? What if she goes on a rampage?”
“Unlike yourself, Mr. Ledger, I don’t go around randomly assaulting people.” She paused, then continued with, “I don’t plan to assault people very often either. It’s more work than I care to take on.”
“I don’t believe you,” Ledger said, his voice and hands shaking. “And I’m going to prove it.” He swung his gun over to point it at her.
“Put the gun down,” Evan ordered, rapidly running out of patience with the idiot. He tried to get in front of Anna, but she moved first.
“No, you—”
She slammed into Ledger, shoving his hands, and the gun, down so the bullet Ledger fired went into the floor rather than any of the people in the room. Then she tore the gun out of Ledger’s hands and set it on the floor, all without letting the Homeland Security agent go.
“Williams, have you got any handcuffs?” Baz asked walking up to restrain Ledger from behind.
“Yup,” the other man said, holstering his weapon and coming closer with the cuffs. He efficiently handcuffed the man, then Baz dragged Ledger to the doorway. “Okay, who wants this stupid fucker? I’m sick and tired of getting shot.”
“You got shot?” Anna asked, alarm making her voice sound much too tight. “Again?”
“In the back,” Baz said, giving Ledger a shake. “Like the cock-sucking bastard that he is.”
“You should buy stock in your body armor’s manufacturer,” Evan said, with a shake of his head.
“You’re wearing armor?” one of the FBI agents who came forward to take Ledger asked.
“Yeah, always do when I’m working. After today, I might wear it while I’m eating, sleeping, and shitting too,” Baz answered absently, as he looked over all the FBI agents. “What are you guys here for?”
“Two reasons,” the agent answered. “To make contact with Brian Stettler and arrest Ledger.”
Baz grunted. “Good timing then. Ledger arrived only minutes before you did.” He waved at the agent to follow him. The two approached the bed Williams was still guarding.
“Brian crashed on the bed with Nika.” Baz chuckled. “He’s so sleep deprived he probably won’t remember getting here.”
Evan wandered over while Ledger lost his shit in the hallway outside the room. The man was raving and shouting that he would murder every single one of the people responsible for his arrest.
Brian was passed out on the narrow bed, his back to Nika and facing the wall.
Nika was also unconscious, but lay on her back. She had a couple of IVs, one plugged into the back of each hand. One of those had a clear fluid dripping into her vein. The other was a unit of blood.
The FBI agent sighed.
“I honestly don’t think you’re going to be able to wake him up for a few hours,” Baz said. “He was out of it.”
“We don’t want to impose on you or the detective,” the FBI agent began.
Baz cut him off with a raised hand. “He’s no trouble. Nika has been mentoring him a little. Feel free to leave someone here if you’re worried about his safety.”
The agent smiled for the first time. “Something tells me his safety is in good hands. But I will leave one agent here to ensure no further imposition on you.”
“Fair enough,” Baz said, shaking the other man’s hand, and giving him a half grin. “Brian was a good choice, by the way. To plant in my cousin’s employment. He’s a terrible liar and he’s so conservative half the shit that comes out of his mouth makes him look like a fish out of water. Honest and entertaining are two qualities my family appreciates in our law enforcement partners.”
The smile on the FBI agent’s face turned wooden, but he refrained from reacting further. “Once he’s up, have him check in with his supervisor.” The man walked out, pulled one agent aside, and gave orders for him to stay with Brian.
Anna walked over to Baz. “Can she be moved?”
“Not yet,” Baz answered. “The doctor said that if she responds well, she might be allowed to go home in twenty-four hours.” He stared at Nika with his arms crossed over his chest. “You have no idea how hard it was to restrain myself from killing Ledger with my bare hands.”
“I have a pretty good idea,” Evan said. Every time he recalled watching the video of Ledger shooting Anna in the head, he wanted to wring the man’s neck until he was dead.
Baz flashed a grin. “That’s because you’re a bloodthirsty asshole like me.”
Anna frowned at Baz and moved closer to him. “There have been some developments,” she said, just above a whisper, her tone calm despite how stiffly she held herself. “We have a new cooperation agreement with the CIA and US Army Intelligence.”
Baz’s response to that was a dubious side-eye. “So, you’ve flipped us out of the frying pan and into the alphabet soup?”
“It was that or the fire, Bazyli. Which would you have chosen?”
He rubbed his face and sighed. “Yeah, yeah, okay. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass.”
“It may very well lead to other problems. In fact,” she said slowly. “A lot of things are going to need to change, and not just for our family. The Chinese, for example, would like to relocate here permanently.”
“The Italian brothers are out,” Evan added. “Also permanently.”
Baz stared at him. “Who’s taking care of the bodies?”
“Army Intelligence.”
“Oh, well, that’s fucking fantastic,” Baz said, throwing his hands up in the air. “I’m sure they’re going to bag and bury them without any of the usual things done to dead bodies involved in a law enforcement conflict.” He flashed his teeth. “Like autopsies and taking DNA samples.”
“They already knew,” Anna said, glaring at her son. “It seems my actions during World War II were remembered and passed along to more than one person.”
Baz stared at Anna blankly for several seconds, then shook his head and chuckled. “Well, how’s that for a thank you for saving the free world?”
Out in the hallway, a knot of people, including a continuing to yell and threaten everyone Ledger, moved away in the direction of the elevators. The noise level went down immediately.
The remaining FBI agent came into the room, introduced himself as Special Agent Jones, and told them he would sit outside the room on a chair one of the nurses found for him.
They waited until he was outside the room before Baz focused his gaze on Evan. “If you don’t mind my saying, you look like shit.”
“I’m tired as well. Though I did get some sleep, unlike Brian.”
Baz waved at him with one hand. “Go. Crash. Snore some siding off a barracks or something.”
“You do look fatigued,” Anna said, reaching up to cup his face with one hand.
“Ugh,” Baz said. “Please don’t get all lovey-dovey around me. It makes me want to barf.”
Anna rolled her eyes, then took Evan by the hand. “Come on, let’s go home and leave this grouchy boy-man alone.”
Evan followed her, one word echoing in his brain. Home. He had a home . It wasn’t a place. It was a who.
Anna Breznik had become his home and he never planned to leave.