Chapter Four #2
“Yes, We’ve got this. But I very much appreciate the care you’ve given her, Doctor.” He couldn’t stop from gazing at her, some of the worry leaving him.
Bets came to his side and handed him her phone. “Harrison.”
“Thanks, Bets. Thanks to all of you.” He stepped away. “Harry. Talk to me,” Quaid growled. “I want this bastard found and taken care of.”
Bets pulled at his sleeve. “Mackey is at the entrance. He’ll be here in a moment. I’ll send him your way.”
“Thank you.” Quaid stepped into the room with Alanna. With two of the three men he trusted most arriving, he could let his anger flow. And because he could, he didn’t.
The nurse adjusted Alanna’s IV, glanced at his face, and exited the room at a fast clip.
Alanna’s bland stare gave him hope. “Scaring the nurses now?”
“Hold, Harry.” Quaid grabbed a pad they’d given Alanna and wrote “Stitches, ENT Doc, then we’re out.”
“They told me,” she answered. “What’s next?”
“We get to QM where you can sleep.” He made the sign for sleep.
The twist of her mouth noted her displeasure. He turned away before she could say anything or he touched her, a ragged need to hold her close overtaking him. Which was stupid. He didn’t even like her.
“Update, Harry. Mac is here.”
“The only thing holding Frank Walker off is that this happened in LA County. The good news is we have more pictures from the kitchen and the hallway to compare with the parking lot. Height and weight comparisons say the same man. He left the hotel in a white suburban. No plates. Sloppy. He either didn’t plan enough C-4 or he didn’t plan to kill.
He missed in the parking lot, now he’s missed at the hotel.
How he found you? Undetermined. Unless one of you has a GPS tracker on you. ”
“How’d he get to the cart?”
“Kitchen. Barker is chewing on anyone who gets in his way. It won’t happen again.
The cart was delivered by Landers, your regular guy, the same routine as always.
There was a new bus boy in the kitchen. The usual chaos.
Our assassin/bomber slipped in. Planted the C-4 on the cart.
Took out the men in the hallway so they couldn’t do their usual search which implies he’d studied the hotel routine.
How in this timeframe, I don’t know. Both men are going to be fine.
Landers hadn’t been briefed on the security arrangement. ”
“I shouldn’t have been in the pool. I would have checked the cart.”
“Should haves are unproductive. Stuff happens. Leave it alone.”
Quaid snorted. “GPS is a hard no. Neither of us had phones until we grabbed the burners at Hunter’s. I’ve only activated one. So, somebody must have talked. I can’t imagine the man checking every Patton hotel, but it’s possible. I don’t have a phone, by the way. Niles has them.”
“He’ll be there shortly. He checked in with me when he left the hotel. Are we dodging the cops for a reason?”
“I don’t have answers. Christ, we can’t even figure out who he is, let alone why.”
“I’ve surveyed as many of your CIA files as I can. Some I don’t have clearance for. You’re the only one who can review those. I’d suggest you tag Frank and talk it through. Get him on our side. We could use legal access to traffic cams.”
Quaid initial instinct was no. He could handle this himself. He looked at Alanna. She’d dropped off to sleep, her face strained. The cut on her arm was covered with blood-stained gauze. She cradled her arm as if it hurt.
“I’ll talk it through with Mac and take care of it.”
“Where to next? Your grandfather has already called twice. He’s not happy about the damage to his favorite suite.”
Quaid sighed. “He prefers the one in Tokyo, not here. Don’t believe him. It’s his way of staying in emotional control.”
“That may be, but Elizabeth is distraught. I’m going to transfer your call. Reassure her, would you? Then come back to homebase so we can help. He got in the parking lot not the building. There’s protection here.”
“I’m worried about collateral damage.”
“Better professionals like us than hotel employees with families. We’re clear of all the wedding extras.”
“All right. We’ll see you soon. Thanks, Harry.”
The phone clicked, then rang. “About damn time, mister.”
Elizabeth didn’t sound distraught. She sounded…pissed. “We’re both okay, and Niles handed off the money. Thanks, Liz.”
“Come back here. It makes no sense to avoid the one place that has the expertise, fire power, and resources to help you. Come home.”
Quaid recognized the fear in her voice, the loss of her son coming back to bite her, and acknowledged that’s what he meant to her, too. “We’ll be there soon. Alanna needs a hearing assessment and stitches. It’ll take a couple more hours.”
“Do we notify her family?”
“No, I don’t think she has any.”
“Well, she does here.”
Out of the blue, Quaid called himself every name in the book.
She’d only been with them two weeks, but they had a deal with their crew.
They stayed tight, stayed present, stayed family.
And they hadn’t pulled Alanna in because she belonged to the FBI.
She deserved the same backup they provided for everyone else.
He spoke more reassuring words to his aunt, then slid the cellphone into his pocket to return to Bets.
One of these days, he was going to learn not to be such an ass.
&&&&&&&&&&
QM International Situation Brief: 09:30:00 PST 12/15 – San Diego HQ. Active threat targets Daniels. Security Level 3 remains in effect. All units maintain elevated vigilance. ?
Mackey measured his steps from drop off at the UCSD Medical Center emergency room door through the crowded reception area to Alanna’s treatment room. Thanks to Bets, it was an uneventful walk.
One thing about being a lethal warrior, you couldn’t rush anywhere. His body was a weapon and his experience had a vibe – one he tried to keep contained, but his presence tended to scare people – a tactic better left to dangerous situations, not day-to-day movement. The persona was important.
He’d changed to dark jeans, a butter-yellow shirt, and a lightweight sport coat that concealed his weapon.
Thankfully, the medical center’s security knew him because of the connection with Cait.
But everyone else would see a well-dressed man carrying himself with confidence, calmness, and control.
That inspired trust – from strangers, from hospital personnel, and any cops in the building.
Was this his favorite way to dress?
No. But Elizabeth always prevailed. She paid attention to every detail of how the two owners presented themselves in public, and he chose to honor her experience, not fight her.
Because this business meant a great deal to him, and the people he had around him helped change who he’d been into who he wanted to be.
He caught sight of Quaid and stress bled out of his system.
Quaid could take care of himself, but they still lived in a shit-happened world.
He rounded the care station and took a moment to study his partner.
Black slacks, white shirt, expensive loafers, and hair disarrayed.
Not the Quaid he usually saw. And he was pacing from one side of the drawn curtain to the other.
He moved in quietly, and waited.
“ENT in with Alanna. We’ll have word about her hearing in a few, hopefully.”
Mackey stayed silent. Quaid needed to talk. It was in the set of his shoulders, the tight tone in his voice.
“Grandfather is pissed.”
It wasn’t a question. “Yes, but I told him to stuff it. You’re alive.”
Quaid eyed him. “You didn’t really tell him that, did you?”
Mackey sighed. “I was a bit more diplomatic. Elizabeth talked to him after I did, though, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t.”
Quaid grinned, then shook his head. His eyes went back to the curtain, worry there and not disguised very well. “She’s his goddaughter, and she used to be his right-hand. She can say all kinds of things to him that we can’t and shouldn’t.”
Cutting through the tension, Mac steered off the personal and to the professional. “Are you coming back with us to QM or are we making other arrangements?”
“Coming back. This isn’t about me. I think it’s about Alanna.”
Mackey opened his mouth and had no reply. Finally, he found the right question. “Why?”