Chapter 20
Sean
Lillian in my arms, I ignore my complaining leg wound. With Grams and Becks at my side, Mace nearby, I exit Talon’s wire-wound, vine-covered gate.
Slipping her hands around my neck, Lillian stirs. “Sean?”
“I’m here, honey.” I knew that slimeball Pearson would make a move. Never figured he’d be so bold. Thank God we were close by.
At the curb, a black SUV with tinted windows screeches to a stop.
As the front passenger window lowers, Dante leans over the cupholders. “Everyone in.”
Lil on my lap, I slide into the back. The ladies squish in beside us. Mace jumps next to the driver, his hand hovering near the holster under his jacket. Five minutes later, we all pile out at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
“She was drugged.” I trot behind the orderly as he rushes Lil’s gurney inside.
A male RN—his nametag reads Johnson—calls me to the check-in desk. “Do you have any idea what she took?”
“Not for sure.” My eyes shift to the closing curtain. “If I had to guess… midazolam.”
Everyone within earshot has me tried and convicted. I get it. How the hell would I know unless I was the one who roofied her?
“No, no. You got it all wrong.” The words rush out so fast, I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up behind bars. Again.
“The cops found it in a woman’s drink a couple of days ago. Same establishment.” No point mentioning I was the one accused of putting it there. Everything is connected. Just wish I knew how.
Scowling, Nurse Johnson points to the waiting area’s uncomfortable plastic orange chairs. “Wait there. Police will have to be notified.”
Fucking awesome. This won’t appear suspicious. Nope, not at all.
Barred from Lillian’s bay, I stride back to the rest of the gang.
“Is she okay? Can I see her?” When Becks pops up from her seat, I cup her hands.
“She’s going to be fine.” Praying it’s true, my palm rasps across my face. “We knew something like this might happen. She knew the risks.”
Mason stands next, sliding a possessive arm around Lil’s younger sister’s waist. “If it’s the same drug used to frame you, they can flush it from her system.”
Huh. Wow. Mason and Rebecca? That was not on my emergency room Bingo card.
As I’m about to peel them apart, my grandmother grabs my bicep. “Leave them be. Sex is natural. Why, in my day we—”
“Hold that thought.” Raising an index finger, I point to my ear before taking two steps toward the sliding glass doors. Alone, I tilt my mouth to my chest mic. “Speak to me, Daed.”
“Talon’s cameras caught nada. Zip. Wi-Fi failure. No proof of anything.” His emotionless tone catches me off guard.
Once I realize it’s not what I wanted to hear, I curse, wishing to howl at the moon. The motherfucking sneak’s going to get away with drugging her?
As I picture tearing out his throat, Lillian cries out from behind her ER bay curtain.
Dammit! Now what?
Gun in hand, I sprint past the nurses’ station, reaching her bedside out of breath. “What’s wrong?”
She points to a gray-haired woman in blue scrubs carrying a sealed, flat cardboard box. “Sh-she w-wants to test me for s-sexual assault.”
Gripping the bedrail, her panicked gaze almost breaks my heart. “D-did he…? Was I…?”
The nurse purses her lips. “Sir, you need to go before I call security.”
“He stays.” Lil scowls. There she is. My bossy babe. “Sean? Answer the question.”
“Nothing happened.” But if I hadn’t insisted on being there, God knows what the asshole might’ve done, precisely why I didn’t want her anywhere near him.
“Jesus…” She closes her eyes, wincing as her head rolls on the pillow. “Why can’t I remember?”
“Pearson had a needle full of some chemical.” Pulling a chair closer, I sit, reach through the metal bars, and squeeze her hand. “But we had eyes on you the whole time.”
When the waiting nurse clicks her tongue, I scowl at her. “You can go.”
“Not your decision, son. It’s hers.” She has a difficult job, which I appreciate, but in this case, it’s not needed.
“He’s right.” Lil waves her away. “I don’t need… that.”
After the woman departs in a huff, Lil’s silent for a bit.
Then, she sighs. “The last thing I recall was getting dressed to go on a date. Was it with you?”
“No. You met with Jeff Pearson at Talon. Told him we broke up.” Even though it was all a ruse, the words get stuck in my throat.
Lips pursed, her face skews. “Right. You and I fought. You didn’t want me to go.”
“And you won.” Won’t happen again.
“Did it work?” Some of the dullness leaves her hazel eyes. “Did Jeff say something incriminating?”
“Not sure… yet. The wifi cut out.” No point in mentioning my backup plan. We don’t even know if it worked.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Her fists pound the cot. “I want to go home. Now.”
Leaning over the rail, my lips brush across hers. “The doctor should be here soon. We’ll ask.”
“No. Let’s go.” Her obstinacy warms my heart because she must be feeling better.
I kiss the tip of her nose, then her forehead. “Get some sleep.”
“Okay, but only for a second.” Moments later, her lashes drop to her cheeks.
Once her breath steadies, I leave her alone so I can speak to everyone in the waiting area.
“How is she?” her sister asks first. “They wouldn’t let me see her.”
“She’s sleeping. When the tox screen comes back, the doc will release her, but he’s not sure how long it’ll take. You might as well head back to the safe house.”
After some convincing, Dante herds them toward the exit.
At the automatic doors, he lags behind the rest. “Glad you opted for Plan B.”
Nodding, eyes on the rest of the team, I lower my voice. “Do we have the recorder?”
“Yeah. Pierre brought it to my office.” My boss shakes his head. “Don’t get your hopes up, though.”
“I won’t. I’ll see you soon. Stay frosty.” When I hold out my fist, he bumps it.
“You know it, brother.”
Alone now, I return to the chair beside my sleeping woman. By the time the doctor signs off on the paperwork, the sun has come up. Thankfully, Dante had team members willing to drop me off an SUV, so I can drive her back to the warehouse. There, I tuck her into bed and jog to the elevator.
I’m only halfway down the hall when my grandmother pops out of her room. “I need to discuss your fath—”
My kiss on her cheek cuts her off. “I will. I promise. Right now, I want to catch the rat bastard who drugged Lil.”
“Okay, but don’t sit on it long. It’s important.” Her weapon of choice remains in her apron, so I’m guessing it can wait.
I have enough on my plate. “Get some rest. Remind me in the morning. By the way, I appreciate how you were there for us last night, especially your spoon.”
Her ancient, wise eyes study me. “Someday, Sean James, you’ll explain how an accountant manages to stir up so much trouble. Good night, dear.”
“Night, Grams.” No doubt she knows a lot more than she lets on. If I weren’t in such a hurry, I’d ask.
Turning, I trot downstairs to the conference room where Dante and Mace glance up from the table. An old reel-to-reel tape recorder, the one we asked Pierre to stash beneath the bar, sits between them.
Mace flips the selector to rewind. As the mechanics click, the brown metallic strip lifts off the magnetic head. The plastic reels spin in reverse. With most of the tape wrapped on the left, he stops the machine, switches to play, and leans back into his chair.
A second later, Lillian’s voice crackles through the speaker. “…this crazy bitch tried to run us off the road. When it didn’t work, she blew herself up and almost took us out with her. Sean said he didn’t know her, but I know he did.”
That’s my girl.
On the recording, Pearson catches his breath. “How so?”
You’ve hooked him, Babe. Give him a little slack….
“She mentioned demonical holiday balls.” Lillian pauses so long I wonder if something jammed. “Mine and Sean’s stupid little joke. Our moment. Not hers.”
From there, the audio dissolves into garbled static.
“You got to be fucking kidding. That’s it? That’s all we got?” No matter what I do, I can’t catch a break.
Dante scratches his beard, scowling at the vintage player. “I’m sending it out. May take a few hours, but my guy knows his stuff. If something was said, he will separate it from the noise.”