Chapter Ten
Grinning like a loon, I hurried toward my car. It had taken almost four hours to get rid of the FBI and their tactical team. Now, I finally got to see for myself how Dante was doing. Butterflies danced in my stomach at the thought of kissing him. That man had a magic tongue.
Dad stepped out of the shadows.
My nerves more than a little frayed, I instinctively drew down on him. “Dammit Dad, I could have shot you.” I holstered my Glock.
“Grimes has agents patrolling the hospital and the chances of you visiting with Dante aren’t good.” Dad eyed my weapons belt. “And no guns are allowed in the hospital.”
“Not a problem.” I pulled out my cellphone and called Hank, my favorite security guard. “Hank, it’s Gemma Stone and I have a favor to ask.” I smiled. “Yes, I want to see Dante and Dad says the hospital is locked down. Uh, huh. Really? That bad? Wow, that sucks. Can you get me in? You can? Great. I owe you. Okay, I’ll meet you in the west parking lot in an hour.”
“If you get arrested, I’m not bailing you out,” Dad warned.
I rolled my eyes. “I love you too, Dad.”
“Lose the weapons belt.” He vanished into the darkness.
Mom ran up and handed me an insulated bag. “This is for Dante. It’s steak fajitas.”
“His favorite. Thanks.”
Mom hugged me. “Don’t worry, I’ll bail you out.”
“You, I love.”
“Be careful. Eric Roberts is a sociopath,” Mom cautioned.
I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. “Kinda like Grandpa, huh?”
“I heard that,” Grandpa growled.
Laughing, I got in my car and headed for the hospital. Just before I got on the freeway, I noticed headlights coming up fast behind me. Hmm. I bet they wanted to play bumper cars. Not tonight. Dante had tinkered with my engine and this baby could move. I hit the gas and swerved in and out of traffic.
My cellphone rang. I glanced at my dashboard. I had an incoming Bluetooth call from the Sheriff’s Office. I bet the officer working in this district had clocked me. I hit the answer button. “Hey, Frank.”
“Do you realize you’re doing 122mph?”
“Yep. I’m losing a tail.”
“Got a description?”
“A newer model Ford panel van. Possibly white or silver.”
“I’ll look for it and for God’s sake, slow the fuck down,” Frank snapped.
“Yes, sir.” I slowed down. “Better?”
“Somewhat. Heading for the hospital?”
“I am.”
“Be careful. The hospital is crawling with Feds,” Frank said.
“I’m always careful.”
Frank snorted. “I’ll hang in the area.”
“Thanks.” I disconnected and glanced at the rearview mirror. My tail was gone.
Twenty acres of orange groves surrounded the hospital. The powers that be had bought the groves with an eye to future growth. My headlights flashed over the lifeless trees. The wind whipped the skeletal branches into gruesome caricatures that seemed to emerge from some shadowy hell. I shuddered. Ever since I found a mutilated body hanging from an orange tree, the place had creeped me out. Tonight was a full moon and lucky me, I got to walk through the groves. Ugh.
I parked on the backside of the orange groves and got out. The wind blowing through the trees created a mournful melody. “Aw, c’mon. Give me a break. It’s not even Halloween.” If Julie could see me now, she would be laughing her ass off.
Grabbing my flashlight, and the insulated bag, I locked the car. I took a cautious look around. Huh? No sign of the Feds. You’d think they would have some guards posted out here. If I was a bad guy, I’d start the trees on fire and use the distraction to get into the hospital.
With a shrug, I walked into the groves. The next thing I knew, I was face down in the dirt. Crap. I had tripped over an exposed root.
Meow! Miss Kitty rubbed against my face.
“What the hell?” I picked her up. “Did you stow away in my car?”
Meow.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
My cellphone rang. “Hello? Calm down Mom, Miss Kitty is with me.” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m not bringing the kitten home until I see Dante.” I winced. “I know Doctor Halliday banned her. I’ll figure something out.”
Glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.
Shit! “Gotta go, Mom.” Sticking my phone in my front pocket, I got to my feet cradling Miss Kitty against my chest. Just what I needed a hungry coyote. “Shoo! Go away.”
The coyote stared at us and wagged his tail.
Miss Kitty hissed a warning.
“You are not eating Miss Kitty. Go find a nice rabbit.”
The coyote whined and eyed the insulated bag.
“No, you can’t have the fajitas either.” Keeping an eye out for the Feds, I crept through the spooky orchard with the coyote trotting behind me.
Miss Kitty climbed up on my shoulder and hissed at the coyote.
I heaved a sigh. All I wanted to do was spend some time with Dante. I needed to know he was okay. I needed to touch him and the last thing I wanted was another clusterfuck.
The coyote kept following me.
I paused at the tree line and spotted Hank in his cart. I signaled him with my flashlight.
He zoomed over and tossed the coyote a dog bone. “There you go, Edgar.”
Edgar grabbed the bone and ran off.
“You named the coyote?”
Hank shrugged. “It gets pretty boring at night and the bones I give him, keep him from eating people’s pets.”
“True. I really appreciate your help, Hank.”
“I owe you for all the times you’ve saved my ass, but you are aware the kitten has been banned?”
I nodded. “I am. I didn’t realize the little stinker had stowed away.”
“Let’s take the stow away back to your car and you can change.” Hank handed me a bag. “It has a hazmat suit, a stethoscope and a fake ID card.”
Putting the insulated bag on the floorboard, I climbed into the golf cart and tightened my grip on Miss Kitty. “Wow, you got everything I need.”
“The thought of tricking those smug bastards, gives me a hard-on.”
I plastered a smile on my face. “Uh, huh.”
Hank hit the gas, and we flew across the parking lot.
Miss Kitty tunneled under my shirt.
I petted her. “How fast can the cart go?”
“I’ve had it up to 50mph.” He came to an abrupt halt by my car.
“Oh, that’s impressive.” I got out of the cart, unlocked my car door and peeled Miss Kitty off my chest. “You’ve got sharp little claws, sweetie.”
Meow!
I quickly put her in the car and locked the door. “Do not claw up my seats.”
Miss Kitty hissed.
“Right back at ya.” I pulled on the hazmat suit and looked at myself in the side mirror. The hood covered most of my face and with a mask, I doubted anyone would recognize me. “Can you see my gun?” I spun in a circle.
“No, I can’t.”
I attached the ID card to my suit and climbed into the golf cart. “Let’s do this.” Off we went, but this time it was considerably slower.
“Dante’s room is still under quarantine and there are two Feds guarding the door,” Hank advised.
“They really think Roberts is going to come after Dante?”
Hank shrugged. “They seem to think so.”
“I can handle them. Anything else?”
Hank shook his head and stopped the cart by a maintenance door. “Once you are inside, hang a right and take the elevator to the third floor. He’s in room 305.”
“Thanks.”
His radio crackled to life. A deep male voice asked, “Security One what is your location?”
“On patrol in the west parking lot,” Hank replied, looking around uneasily.
I frowned. Were the Feds onto us?
“We need you to respond to the security office. Some of the cameras are down.”
“Copy that.”
“You disabled the cameras,” I gasped in horror. “That could cost you your job.”
Hank jumped out of the cart and unlocked the door. “Nah, the system has been on the fritz for two weeks now.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. This time maybe it’ll get fixed.” Hank opened the door and motioned me inside. “Be careful.”
“I’m always careful.” I entered the maintenance room.
Hank laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.
“It’s not that funny.”
Hank kept laughing and shut the door.
He was as bad as my family. Making my way around an assortment of cleaning equipment, I cracked open the maintenance door and peeked out. The coast was clear. I turned right and headed for the elevators.
An older nurse with silver hair parked a metal cart filled with IV bags and needles by the nurse’s station and disappeared into the ladies’ room.
I casually walked over to it. Yay, the nurse’s station was empty. I put Dante’s dinner on the bottom shelf, fastened a mask over my mouth and wheeled the cart over to the elevators. I tapped my foot nervously. The way my luck had been running, she only had to wash her hands.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Whew! It was empty. As the doors closed, I caught a glimpse of the nurse leaving the restroom. She was going to be pissed when she discovered her cart was gone.
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out. Sure enough, there were two Feds sitting outside Dante’s room. Both men were chowing down on sandwiches.
Hmmm. Kinda late for dinner, and boy, were they messy eaters. Their crumb-covered N95 masks were on the floor, instead of covering their faces.
Wheeling the cart over to them, I held out my ID card, and announced, “I need to change the patient’s IV.”
They barely glanced at my ID and waved me on.
If I hadn’t wanted to see Dante so badly, I would have chewed them out. Anyone could get to him. I rolled the cart into the room and closed the door.
Dante bolted upright. “Gemma!”
“How did you know it was me?”
“I would know you anywhere, querida . Did you bring me something to eat?”
I studied Dante’s face. He was still a little pale. “Of course, steak fajitas.”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
Grinning, I picked up the insulated bag, pulled out Dante’s dinner and placed it on his tray. “It’s from Bitsie’s food truck.”
“Where’s the hot sauce?”
I looked in the bag. Sure enough, Mom had included hot sauce and a fork. I placed them on his tray and refilled his water glass. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, but I still stink,” Dante groused, practically inhaling his food.
I tapped my mask. “I can’t smell a thing.”
Amusement flashed across Dante’s face. “Bring me up to date.”
“Okey-dokey. Let me start with Miss Kitty.” I was halfway through my story when Dante interrupted me.
“Wait! All that commotion was caused by a kitten?”
I nodded. “It was.”
“Unbelievable. Continue.” Dante shoved more food in his mouth.
“The CIA breached our computers.”
Dante held up his hand. “ The CIA?”
“Yep. Eric Roberts is at the top of their most-wanted list.”
“Go on,” Dante instructed.
“Then some wannabe cowboys attacked.”
Dante’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Wannabe cowboys?”
“Uh, huh.”
The door was thrown open and the FBI agents entered with the guns drawn. “What’s going on in here?”
I raised my hands and glanced at the IV bag. Thank God, it was almost full. “I’m doing my job.”
“Where did the food come from?” The taller agent demanded.
Dante bristled. “My girlfriend ordered it, and the nurse was kind enough to bring it to me.”
The other agent grabbed my ID card and yanked it off my suit. “How do I know this is you?”
My temper flared. “Where are your masks? This room is still in quarantine! Do you want to catch meningitis, streptococcus or pseudomonas? The patient is still radioactive too. Do you want your man parts to rot and fall off?” I glared at the agents. “Well, do you?”
Lowering their guns, the agents backed away from the bed. “No, ma’am.”
I tossed the taller agent a bottle of antimicrobial soap. “Go to the nearest men’s room and scrub every inch of your skin. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The agents bolted down the hallway.
Dante laughed. “If you ever turn to the dark side, we’d be in big trouble.” He took my plastic-covered hand and kissed my knuckles. “ Querida , you are an amazing woman.”
“Thank you, sir.” I curtsied.
Grandpa ambled into the room. “Have you ever thought about becoming a CIA agent?”
“Hell no!” Dante and I shouted in unison.
Grandpa sighed. “Too bad. You have your mother’s devious nature.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” I retorted sarcastically.
His cellphone beeped twice. “Time to leave.”
“But… I just got here.”
Grandpa grabbed my arm and pushed the cart into the hallway. “So did Agent Grimes. Let’s go.”
“Love you,” I called over my shoulder as Grandpa dragged me down the hallway.
Dante called, “Be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
The love of my life burst out laughing.
“Lose the hazmat suit,” Grandpa ordered and stuffed me inside a janitor’s closet.
Well, that was just rude. Getting out of the suit was a lot harder than putting it on. The plastic clung to me like cellophane. Spotting scissors on a shelf, I quickly cut the suit off and stuffed everything but the mask in the trash can.
Gramps knocked on the door. “You about done?”
“Yes.” I opened the door and grinned. Grandpa was sitting in a wheelchair, with an oxygen mask covering his face. His demeanor had changed to that of a feeble old man.
“Let’s go. Grimes is on his way up.”
“He knows what I look like.”
Grandpa took a black wig out of the bag on his lap. “Put it on.”
“You can’t disguise my height,” I reminded him as I put the wig on.
“Don’t have to.” Grandpa pulled the fire alarm.
I threw my hands up. “Are you crazy?”
“Shut up and push.”
I wheeled him to the elevators. “Agent Grimes isn’t stupid. He’ll know it’s a false alarm.”
The elevator dinged. I tensed as Grimes and two agents got off. They ran toward Dante’s room.
“Move it.” Grandpa commanded.
I shoved him in the elevator.
“We just evacuate with all the other people,” Grandpa said.
Giving him the stink eye, I jabbed the down button.
The elevator’s doors opened to sheer chaos. Where in the hell did all these people come from? It was past visiting hours. Was the emergency room that busy? Two children ran by us, shrieking like little banshees. Their mothers ran after them.
Hank motioned at me. “Ma’am, I need you to evacuate to the west parking lot.”
“Yes, sir.”
Grandpa whispered, “Get us out of here. More agents just arrived.”
I glanced at the doorway. Holy crap! Six FBI agents poured out of a black Explorer. I quickly shoved the wheelchair through the crowd and out the sliding glass doors.
Dad pulled up in his truck and yelled, “Get in.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Retrieving the damn cat,” Dad snapped.
“But…”
Hank appeared at my side and whispered. “You’re drawing unwanted attention, and they’ll have the cameras back online any minute now.” He raised his voice, “Let me help you get your grandfather in the truck.”
“Who are you?” Grandpa cried in a frail voice. “Where are we? Why are you driving my truck?”
I wanted to laugh. Grandpa was an amazing actor when he wanted to be. His portrayal of a dementia patient was dead on.
Dad watched us struggling to get him in the truck. With an evil grin, he yanked Grandpa into the front seat, smashing his head against the dash.
Grandpa balled his fists.
“No fighting,” I growled.
Hank moved the wheelchair out of the way.
“Are you going to be, okay? I don’t want you to lose your job.”
Hank grinned. “They won’t fire me, and I haven’t had this much fun in years.”
“Good to know.” I climbed in the truck and Dad drove off.
“Where’s your car?” Dad asked.
“North side of the groves.”
The expression on Grandpa’s face gave me the willies. “What does Tess see in you other than your big dick?”
“I know love is a four-letter word to you, but Mom loves him.” I smacked Grandpa in the chest when he snorted. “And Dad will never, ever leave her behind, like you did.”
Grandpa dropped his gaze. “I had my reasons.”
“I don’t care. Family comes first.”
Dad parked next to my car. “Let me have the damn kitten. Your mother is threatening to sleep on the couch.”
“There’s a horrifying thought.” I carefully surveyed the area. No sign of the FBI or the CIA.” I opened the car door and jumped down. “If you want to be a part of our family Grandpa, act like it.”
Grandpa gave me his psycho stare.
“Knock it off. I’m not afraid of you.”
He grinned. “No, you’re not.”
“And no fighting.” I unlocked my car. Miss Kitty made a dash for freedom. I caught her before she could escape. “Bad kitty.”
Bad kitty hissed at me.
I handed her to Dad. “Good luck.”
Dad handed her to Grandpa and drove off.
If anything happened to Miss Kitty, Mom would kill them.
Edgar jumped in the back seat, carrying a battered pink toy.
“No! Out! Shoo.”
The coyote whined and wagged his tail.
“Hungry, huh? You are kinda of skinny and where did you get that play pretty from?”
Edgar stared at me with his big, sad eyes.
“You were someone’s pet, weren’t you? Did they dump you when they realized you were a coyote?” I studied him. “Hmmm. Was your momma a German Shepherd?”
Edgar yipped.
Dad was going to have a meltdown when I came home with Edgar. But I couldn’t leave him here. If he didn’t get hit by a car, someone would poison or shoot him.
Edgar whined pathetically.
“Let’s see what I have to eat.” I popped the trunk. Hmmm. All I had was protein bars. Grabbing a couple, I closed the trunk, tore the wrappers off and tossed them to him.
The coyote wolfed them down.
I shut the back door. Damn. I knew without a doubt; Edgar had been someone’s pet. I got into the driver’s seat. Mom was always complaining about the rabbits eating her garden and flowers. Edgar would take care of that problem. With the proper training, he could be taught to leave the cattle alone. Not eating Miss Kitty might take a bit longer.
I started the car. How did I keep Dad from shooting him?