Chapter Twenty-One
Jake opened his eyes, surprised to find himself in the hospital. Really? Again? How did I get here this time?
He searched his limited memory and—bam! All the recent memories came flooding back. The momentary relief he felt at being able to retrieve his memories darkened as he remembered what happened to him.
The walk to the Cosmos Café. Seeing Jett Ashcraft.
The strange car screeching to a stop beside him.
The kidnapper dressed in some weird black getup shooting him with something that made him woozy and stuffing him in a trunk.
Jake’s final disturbing memory was the realization that his kidnapper had no eyes, no face.
Had the unknown drugs coursing through his system conjured some sort of terrible nightmare before he dropped off into oblivion? Hard to say. He shook his head to dispel the terrible memory.
Perhaps he should keep that foolish thought to himself. He didn’t want to end up in a different kind of hospital because of his unhinged nightmares.
Jake’s next thought was, of course, Beryl. Where was she? Did she know what had happened to him?
The door to the room opened and Wyatt Campbell popped his head in. When he saw that Jake was awake, he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“Wyatt,” Jake said. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Indeed. How are you feeling?”
Jake shrugged. “Not too bad. A few bumps and bruises. I’ll live.”
Wyatt nodded. “What do you remember?”
He shook his head. “Not too much. I was just walking to the Cosmos Café for dinner when some strange dude in a weird costume shot me with something that made me dizzy and next thing you know, I’m stuffed in a trunk. After that, it was lights out.”
“Scary. What happened next?”
Jake shrugged. “Don’t know. I woke up here.”
For a moment, Wyatt looked relieved, then his expression shifted to concern. “So, you don’t remember where you were taken?”
Jake shook his head again. “Nope. Not a thing. Did you find me?”
Wyatt nodded. “I was there when you were recovered. Jett and Beryl saw you taken off the street and called 911. I was contacted because of the open cases I have involving you.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty much a full-time job for you, aren’t I?” Jake said with a smile.
“No worries, Jake. I just wish I knew who was doing this to you.”
“So do I, but the best description I have is a tall, robed and hooded figure in a nondescript sedan with a very small and uncomfortable trunk.”
“Yeah. That nondescript sedan was reported stolen off a nearby residential street about an hour before you were taken. Of course, no one saw who took it.”
“That seems about right for my general luck in these situations.”
Wyatt smiled for the first time since he’d come into Jake’s room.
Darkfall walked into the hospital intending to pretend he was there to see someone else and “accidentally” see Jake and find out how he was doing.
He’d set up equipment in his motel room to monitor the police radio bands as a precaution.
It had rocked him when he heard all about the kidnapping of Jake Jones, his recovery at an abandoned property and that he’d been transported to hospital unconscious. Who could be after him? And why?
He was more worried about his friend than ever.
He wondered if the kidnapping scheme had anything to do with his memory loss.
It had to. It was too much of a coincidence.
The truth was, Darkfall needed more information.
And he wasn’t going to get it by just sitting in this motel room reading Luca’s mission notes.
Darkfall dressed carefully, got his story straight in his head as to why he was at the hospital and left the motel.
Beryl left Ivy in the waiting room when Wyatt told her that Jake was awake and she could go see him for a few minutes. She walked slowly into Jake’s hospital room, so relieved to see him awake that fresh tears rushed to her eyes as she approached his bedside.
Maybe her scared, frustrated tears over not being able to stay with him when he’d arrived at the hospital had transformed into crybaby tears at her relief to find out he was okay.
“Don’t cry. I’m fine. I promise,” Jake told her.
She nodded, but foolish girly emotion won out and she slipped her arms around his neck and cried into his hospital gown-covered shoulder. “I was so scared when I saw you snatched off the street.”
“I know. Trust me, if I had been awake, I also might’ve cried.”
This made Beryl laugh. She hugged him tighter, so relieved that he had survived this attack. Jake wrapped his arms carefully around her and patted her back.
After several long moments of just holding each other, Beryl pulled herself together, wiped the useless tears from beneath her eyes and asked Jake what he remembered.
He’d explained what she’d seen from his point view.
She hadn’t realized the kidnapper had zapped him or shot him up with something, but that explained why he hadn’t put up a fight.
She wasn’t disappointed that he had no memories of anything that happened after that until waking up in the hospital. Again.
Beryl thought that was good. Better that Jake not clearly remember anything from that creepy barn in the woods.
“The doctor told me than when I was admitted, they couldn’t figure out why I was unconscious. Once they removed this weird wire attached to my head, I woke up. He told me they gave it to Wyatt for analysis regarding my case.”
“Well, I’m sure if anyone can figure it out, it’ll be Wyatt.” Beryl pretended that the wire attached behind Jake’s ear was new information to her, because she’d promised Wyatt not to discuss anything they had seen at that rickety barn in the woods.
And a promise was a promise.
Besides, none of them knew whether it had any significance to anything that had happened. Beryl had her suspicions, of course. That invisible being was certainly about to do something with the light cube and that strange wire attached to Jake’s head.
“Do you have to spend the night in the hospital?” Beryl asked.
“No. They can’t find anything wrong with me since I woke up. I’m just waiting for a final visit from the doctor to sign off on my release and then I’ll be allowed to go. Can’t wait.”
“Cool. I can take you back home.”
“Thank you, that would be great. I can’t tell you how tired I am of waking up in hospitals. Fingers crossed this is the last time.”
“Oh, no. You probably just jinxed yourself.”
“Then I take it back.” They laughed. She was glad he didn’t have to stay in the hospital overnight.
Beryl looked up in time to see a man stroll past Jake’s open door and glance into the room. He seemed to do a double-take and stopped mid-stride. He stepped into the doorway.
“Jake,” the man said, brow furrowed in concern.
In an instant, Beryl recognized him as the customer who’d been with Jake when he caught her snooping in his workshop.
He asked, “What are you doing here?”
Jake smiled. “Long story. What about you, Ian? Why are you here? You aren’t here to see me, are you?” He said it in a teasing way that told Beryl he didn’t think that was the case.
“Oh. No.” Ian pointed a thumb over one shoulder.
“An acquaintance of mine, Joe, hurt his ankle and turns out he’s going to need surgery.
I was the first person on his call list to answer one of the many calls he made for help.
I just came to bring him some things, since he’s going to be here longer than he planned. ”
“Nice of you,” Beryl said, not even meaning to speak out loud.
Ian shrugged like it was no big deal. “What about you, Jake? Got some surprise surgery in your future?”
“Nope. I was dizzy earlier and wanted to get checked out. Turns out I was probably dehydrated. Noting to worry about.”
Ian hadn’t moved from the doorway, but Beryl got the odd feeling he truly wanted to come in and get a closer look at Jake to ensure he was okay. It was clear to her that the man was worried about Jake, which she thought was odd behavior for basically a stranger.
After what sure felt to Beryl like an awkward pause, Ian said, “Well, I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thanks. Hope to see you at my store. And hope your friend has a quick recovery.”
Ian nodded. With one last long look, he continued on his way.
Beryl said, “He seemed really concerned about you.”
“Yeah. Strange, since I hardly know him. But he seems like a nice enough guy.”
She made a sound of agreement, though something about the man roused her suspicions. She squeezed Jake’s hand. “Why don’t I go check with the nurses’ station to see when you might get sprung from here?”
“Awesome. Thank you.”
Beryl stepped into the hall and headed in the same direction as Ian, toward the nurses’ station. Through the wall of windows there, she could see Ivy seated in the ER’s waiting room.
To her surprise, Ian was out there. He walked past the chairs where her friend was seated—and then the funniest thing happened.
Ivy looked up, saw Ian and her mouth fell open.
Ivy put a hand over her mouth. She must have made some sort of noise, because Ian immediately looked at her.
He hesitated, then walked over to where she sat.
The way he glanced around, as if checking to ensure no one was observing them, struck Beryl as sketchy.
Apparently, he didn’t see her…observing.
Ivy stood up as he approached. They didn’t touch as they had what looked like an intense conversation. To Beryl, it was obvious they knew each other. Ivy stared into Ian’s face as if he was the answer to all her prayers. As if he was the one she pined for. Interesting.
They didn’t speak for very long, but Ian did reach down and hold Ivy’s hand for a moment before turning to walk out of the hospital. Ivy sat back down. Like Ian, she glanced around as if to ensure no one had seen them. More interesting.
Beryl tucked that scene away to ask Ivy about later, then rethought it. Perhaps she’d mind her own business. It seemed like Ian and Ivy didn’t want anyone to know about their acquaintance. Again, it wasn’t her business.
She only hoped that if this man was the one who Ivy pined for, eventually, they’d be able to work it out and be together. Based on her glimpse at their likely problematic relationship, Beryl thought it didn’t look good.
The entity hid out in the woods after he’d yet again failed to perform the procedure on his prey.
He was uncertain how those three Alphas had been able to find him and his supposedly secret location.
However, that was no longer his problem.
The current dilemma was that he’d been forced to leave behind the transfer coaxial cable needed for the procedure.
When last he’d seen it, the cable was attached to Jake Jones.
The entity was certain it was in the hands of local law enforcement. Luckily, it was the entity’s policy to embed micro tracking devices in all his equipment. He’d locate the coaxial cable, retrieve it and come up with a better plan to grab Jake Jones.
If it came down to it, he could use an older cable, one he’d saved after upgrading, but the procedure would take longer with the older model.
The only good news was that this latest mishap in the woods had given him some valuable information regarding Jake’s genetics.
He was not a human, as previously believed.
Neither was he fully Alpha. The entity understood that was likely why the initial procedure had not worked correctly on Jake Jones.
The entity would now be able to adjust his equipment to perform the procedure and take care of Jake Jones once and for all.
Then the entity could leave this disagreeable planet forevermore.