Chapter 12 #2
They passed each other, and Luca waited for Roger to step out of sight before he took off after the other man. Racing toward the exit door before it could swing closed. He caught it a second before it clicked, and eased out of the door into the night air, behind the building.
His shoes crunched on the gravel, and he looked around for the other man, finally spotting him heading toward the west corner of the building, a phone to his ear. Luca headed to the grass so he could pursue the man with quieter steps.
As he raced after him, he heard the man speak.
“That’s what he said. At the hospital.” The cartel guy paused. “We’re going to take him out tonight.”
Luca forgot all about the need to be quiet and remain undiscovered and raced over to the man, tackling him around the midsection.
They both hit the ground, and he punched the guy in the side of the head just hard enough to knock him out.
He scrambled for the cartel guy’s phone so he could make sure it didn’t lock.
Then he pulled out his phone and called Mike Martinelli to warn him that someone was coming to the hospital with plans for assassination.
Mike didn’t answer.
Luca hung up. “Let’s go.”
Kira hung on to the handle, gripping tight while Luca parked his truck in front of the side entrance to the hospital.
As soon as he came to a stop, she jumped out—a little tricky, considering she still had heels on.
She wobbled but got her balance and slammed the door shut.
Kira raced around the front of the truck and met him at the entrance right as he pulled it open.
Just inside the door, Kira stopped to remove her shoes, continuing on bare feet toward the elevator. It felt like it took far too long.
Luca hurried ahead of her just as the doors opened, drawing his weapon as they approached the corner. He peered around first and visibly relaxed. “Martinelli!”
She got there in time to see the police detective turn to them.
“What’s going on?” Mike’s hand drifted to the butt of his weapon, but he didn’t pull it from the holster on his belt.
Luca raced to him. Kira stopped beside him, breathing hard. She put her hands on her hips, trying to steady her heart rate. After Luca had rushed into the gala and told her what happened outside, they’d both run to the valet station, where the staff had already pulled his truck around.
He hadn’t asked her to go with him, necessarily. Rather, she had chosen to climb into the truck—more difficult than it looked in this outfit—and make sure her patient was all right. Technically, he was under the care of Dr. Torres, but that didn’t mean Kira felt no responsibility for him.
If there was a threat to his life, anything could happen.
Driving over here, worrying about the same thing and having the same aim, had felt a whole lot like she and Luca were a team.
She liked it more than the idea of gathering information together.
Even though that seemed exciting, the push to save a life, which had them both running out of the gala, was far more important.
As if being together with him healed a little bit of what was inside her.
She could do good things and save lives in more than just the work she did as a doctor. Her whole life could be about making the world a better place. Something she hadn’t acknowledged before, thinking that had only been part of her life when she was overseas.
Maybe she could do it here as well. In some fashion.
Luca said, “I overheard one of those cartel guys Homeland sent us after, talking about a hit at the hospital.” He pushed out a breath. “I called you, but you didn’t pick up.”
“I just got off a call with one of my sisters. I was about to call you back.”
“I’m glad you’re all right.” Kira nodded to Mike and squeezed Luca’s triceps. She went to the door and knocked quietly before she eased it open.
Francisco lay in the hospital bed, his face pale. Eyes closed. Torres sat in the chair beside his bed, quietly reading a worn paperback novel. Her brows rose. Luca had told her that he’d disappeared earlier, and yet, here he was.
She eased the door closed again without going in. “Everything looks okay in there.”
Luca bent forward, breathing hard. “Okay, so it either hasn’t happened yet, or Francisco wasn’t the target.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” she asked them both.
Luca holstered his gun. “I’d rather have caught someone in the act. But yes, finding nothing happening is better than bloodshed.” He glanced at Mike. “I’m glad everything is okay here.”
“Why don’t you run down for me what happened?” the detective said.
Luca told him about seeing Roger Rousseau talking to one of the men who’d been after Dr. Torres earlier, and how he’d followed the man outside to overhear his phone conversation. “He’s in police custody now, so hopefully we can get some information from him.”
“We?”
Luca said, “You know what I mean. We need to find out who these guys are taking orders from and why the one just now was talking to Roger. We still have too many random pieces to this puzzle and no idea what any of it is supposed to look like.”
“You guys were over at Wiltmore House, right?”
Kira nodded. “That’s where the gala was.”
“That’s in the jurisdiction. The station I work out of. I’ll call over there and find out what’s happening with the guy that was just brought in.”
Luca said, “And the one from earlier. Butler said he isn’t giving up anything, and they can’t get into his phone. Maybe if we pit them against each other, they’ll talk.”
“Anything is worth a try at this point.” Martinelli pulled out his phone.
“What about the doctor?” Kira glanced between them. “He’s the one who was talking to these guys. Maybe he has something to say.”
Luca turned to her. “Good idea. We should ask him why he ran off after he saw me tackle that guy.”
Kira put her hands on her hips. “That’s twice today you’ve tussled with a gunman. Should I be worried that you’re the kind of person who is itching to get in a fight?”
Mike grinned at her.
“Seems to me like I might not be the one itching for a fight right now.” Luca lifted his chin, humor in his gaze.
“You’ve ruined my evening.” And the fact nobody had been hurt was a huge relief. “You’re going to have to make it up to me.”
Mike wandered away a couple of steps, waving his hand and focusing on his phone. “I’m staying out of this. Whatever it is.”
Luca pinned her with a stare. “You want me to make it up to you?”
Kira stood her ground. “That depends on whether you plan to run out and tackle someone in the middle of it.”
He touched her waist, his fingers easing back and forth over the curve of her hip. “If you don’t want that to happen, I think it can be arranged.”
“Good.” She stepped toward the door. “I’m going to interrogate the doctor for you. You’re welcome.”
She heard Mike let out a bark of laughter and slipped into the room.
Luca had plenty to keep him busy, with the men they had in custody and everything else that was going on now. If anyone could disarm the doctor and find out why he was being targeted specifically, it was her.
Either those men Luca had seen earlier intended to force the doctor to tell them where Francisco was, or they wanted him to mess up the treatment protocol.
Whichever one it was, the patient’s life was in danger from men associated with the very cartel that had been stolen from him.
Nothing but a bunch of infighting between bad guys, one of whom was protecting his own behind by making a deal with the US government.
Not a situation she ever would want to be in. But criminals like Francisco might feel they had no choice but to take whatever deal they could be offered, in order to save their own skin.
The doctor looked up from his novel, and Kira gave him a little wave.
“That’s a very fancy dress.”
“I was at an event tonight, but we heard that there might be an attack on the patient here, so we rushed back over to make sure everything was all right.”
The doctor set aside his book, using a piece of paper as a bookmark, and kept his voice low when he said, “And is it?”
“As far as I know.” She brought the second chair over and set it down beside him as quietly as she could, then settled into it. “How is the patient doing?”
“Everything looks good right now. We should be able to begin the procedure first thing tomorrow morning.”
She nodded, even though that completely upended her usual sleep schedule. She’d explained it to him, but he must’ve forgotten. Still, Kira wasn’t going to delay Francisco’s treatment just because she normally worked nights and slept during the day.
“That’s great news.” She gave it a second, smoothing her dress over her knees. “And how was your day? Did you do anything interesting while I was here?”
She had no idea if he was aware that she knew what’d happened with Luca and the two men earlier. He might be completely unaware that Luca had filled her in on nearly everything about the investigation and this assignment.
“I had lunch with a friend of mine at this tapas place not far from here.”
She tried to keep her facial expression neutral. “I know you’re a local, but did you know the patient before he made this agreement with the Marshals?”
“Francisco and I have been friends for a long time.”
That sounded like a serious security threat to her. It might not take much for someone from the cartel to look up Francisco’s old friend and discover he was capable of treating the former boss. “Isn’t it risky to do the procedure on him here in Renegade?”
“We didn’t have another choice. The judge refused to authorize the Marshals taking Francisco and me out of town for the time being.” He shifted in the seat, as if nervous.
“Is anyone harassing you about what’s going on? Maybe asking you to tell them where he is?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time the cartel has approached me about giving them information, or even working for them.” The doctor shrugged. “I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t Francisco. I owe him a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that if I do this, then not only do I repay an outstanding debt from a long time ago, but Francisco is going to work it into his deal that I also get protection.” Torres didn’t seem fearful.
“We all have enemies, and it’s up to us to take steps to protect ourselves.
After all, no one else is going to do it.
” He nodded to the door. “At least, not beyond the short term.”
“I’m sure the Marshals will be able to keep both of you safe.” She tried to figure out how to word it. “If you pass what you know to the police, or the man who is in charge of your security here, they can work to eliminate the threat against you. Then you’d be free to live your life.”
“Francisco might be prepared to hand over what he knows to the US government, but I haven’t reached the point where I’m willing to do the same. There’s far too much water under that bridge for me to trust any deal the government is going to give me.”
Kira said, “But you trust what they are giving Francisco?”
He shrugged. “That’s different.”
She wasn’t sure how that could be true, but he seemed to believe what he was saying.
This wasn’t a man who was trying to do an end run around her concerns.
“I’m sure the procedure tomorrow will go well.
Then there will be one less thing to worry about, and the two of you can move on with your lives. ”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He didn’t smile. It seemed more like he felt nothing, which was odd for a man who was working to get a different life or some kind of fresh start.
“You’ve built a good life here with all that real estate I see your name on the side of.” She thought back to the first time he had rolled up in that car and the marshal had told her that Dr. Torres wanted to speak to her. “You have a lot to leave behind.”
“Sometimes, cutting ties is the only way to get what you want.”
The door swung open. Kira turned to it as Luca stuck his head in. He didn’t have to say anything for her to get up and step outside with him.
She hadn’t been getting much information from the doctor. It would take a longer conversation for her to dig enough to let him know that she knew he wasn’t telling her everything. Then she would ask him to give her what those men had said to him in that alley, before the altercation with Luca.
But at that point, he might not trust her as his assistant, and this whole plan would be thrown for a loop.
She closed the door behind her. “What is it?”
“Mike went upstairs to check on Ralph Rousseau.” Luca winced. “He’s dead.”