Chapter 4 #2
She closed her eyes, forced it all down. How she’d been in this situation before. Been the one sitting in the hard, vinyl chair, waiting for someone in scrubs to crush her heart. Take away what she valued most.
That like her brother, Troy, Rhett wasn’t going to make it.
She scrubbed a hand down her face, rerunning the sequence of events.
The call, the attack… Had it all been a coincidence?
Or a ruse to cover up some shadow ops agent tying up loose ends?
Something Rhett had been involved in before that mission had left him in a coma.
That the mere thought of Rhett regaining consciousness had started a chain of events designed to throw her off the scent.
Have her chasing red herrings when Rhett’s death had been the end goal.
Or was it the start of something bigger? Darker.
Forty-two.
It could mean anything. Just like the flare and the staging — how the tubing had been wrapped around him, holding him up. Elements that sent shivers down her spine.
She’d spent too many years getting into the heads of monsters. Learning how to conjure their dark thoughts. Planning for every contingency.
Now, she couldn’t crush the voice in her head whispering that Rhett’s survival had never been up for debate. Had been sealed before she and Chase had gotten out of her Bronco, and that nothing Chase tried — the heroic measures he’d executed in and out of the chopper — could have stopped it.
That they’d been given just enough hope to lure them in — make them believe they could alter reality.
She snagged one of the nurses standing on the periphery. “I need all of Mr. Oliver’s clothes. Anything on him you removed, no matter how insignificant it seems. Bagged and ready once…”
She didn’t finish, the nurse simply nodding in reply. Greer retreated into an empty room, grabbed her radio. “Bodie. Jordan. I need an update.”
The radio crackled, the static blast scratching at her last nerve before Bodie sounded over the speaker.
“Scene’s secure. Jordan’s with Kash. They’re scouting the area.
Nyx caught a scent, but they’re keeping the search contained.
Jordan’s checking in every fifteen minutes, so any chatter doesn’t give away their position.
I did as you asked and called Eli in early. ”
Bodie paused, voices sounded in the background.
“The guy didn’t hesitate. He’s already here.
Crime techs should arrive within the hour.
We’ll stay until they’re done, though, with the entire building to scour, it’ll likely take some time.
I’ve got my buddies on standby to help spell peripheral security if needed. ”
Greer ran through the checklists in her head.
Acutely aware neither of them had dared voice the word murder, yet.
“I called Lieutenant Morgan up in Warrenton. He’s got another CSI crew gearing up.
They can process Raven’s Lodge. See how our perp grabbed Rhett out of his damn bed without anyone noticing.
Morgan knows to send you all the video evidence along with copies of the forensics.
But we’ll need the state police’s help if we want to contain this quickly. ”
“Roger, that.”
She pushed out a rough breath. “Just remember, nothing heroic until daybreak. This guy…”
“I saw the damage inside — what’s easily several dozen casings. Kash knows the score.” Bodie paused, the unspoken question hanging heavy in the air. “How’s…”
Greer swallowed, closing her eyes against the strain. “Doesn’t look good.”
“Shit.”
Silence stretched along the airways, the pressure of it stealing her breath.
Bodie sighed. “This doesn’t feel isolated.”
“The beginning rarely does.”
“You’re thinking there’s more to come.” He hadn’t asked, and she simply blew out a rough breath.
“I really hope that’s not the case, but…” She wasn’t convinced, and they both knew it. “I want regular check-ins. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Screw that.”
“Excuse me?”
Bodie grunted. “Greer. You’ve been up for twenty-four hours straight. We’ve got this covered. Besides, you’re needed there. Stay with Chase. Get a few hours of sleep if you can. I’ll keep you updated, but you need to be focused, and you can’t do that if you can’t see straight.”
“Have you always been this bossy?”
“Only when you’re being incredibly stubborn. I know this is personal… For all of us. I won’t let you down.”
“Never thought you would. I’ll check-in once we’re out of here. Just, watch your damn six.”
Greer signed off, giving herself one moment to suck in a breath — tamp everything down. Puzzle out how to be the sheriff and a friend at the same time.
How to pretend this wasn’t another epic failure on her watch.
The fluorescent lights seemed overly bright as she slipped back into the hallway, blinking a few times until her vision adjusted.
She turned, inhaled at the scene — a doctor standing with Chase and his teammates.
Head bowed. Motioning with his hands. She didn’t need to hear the conversation to know how it had ended.
The tight lips. The furrowed brows. The slashes of red across their cheeks a harsh contrast to the ashen hue of their skin. How Zain palmed the wall as if he wanted to punch his fist through it. It all spelled out the same conclusion…
Rhett Oliver hadn’t made it.