“Because you owe it to us, you bastard.”
He was silent a moment. “Good point. Okay, you have my promise. Just be aware if we’re caught at the museum, they could shoot me or take me off to jail. Either way, it will be bad for everyone.”
“It would almost be worth it.”
He shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”
He was right. She didn’t mean it. There was no way she would sacrifice Cassie and Melissa just to punish Travis. She gazed at him in despair. “This is so crazy. Change your mind. You can’t get away from here.”
“Yes, I can. But you’re not going to like the way I do it.”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“If I tell you, you’ll argue and then worry about it until it happens.”
“Are you going to kill someone?”
“Not if they don’t try to kill me. I’ll give you the game plan right before we start moving.” He left the room.
Dear God, what was she getting into? If they didn’t get shot, they’d be hunted like criminals. They would be criminals, and she couldn’t see Jonathan Andreas being lenient where his daughter was concerned.
And if the escape didn’t work, it would all be for nothing. She’d end up in prison and Cassie and Melissa might be lost.
The escape had to be successful. The stakes were too high. Would Travis keep his promise to help cure Cassie? She’d have to worry about that later. As she’d have to worry about his plan to escape from Juniper.
Jesus, she hoped no one got hurt.
10
The phone at the gatehouse rang at 12:17 A.M. two nights later.
“Get up here right away. She’s having an episode,” Jessica said when Travis picked up the phone. “And no games tonight, Travis.”
“All the games are over. I’ll be right there.”
Larry Fike was frowning with concern as he watched Travis come down the hall a couple of minutes later. “It sounds like a bad one again. Good luck.”
Travis nodded grimly. “We’ll need it.”
Cassie’s scream tore through the room as he opened the door.
“How long?” Travis asked as he crossed to the child’s bed.
“Ten minutes,” Jessica said. “Thank God, you came right away.”
He took Cassie’s hands. “Come here, Jessica.”
Jessica stepped closer. “What?”
He didn’t look at her as he said in an undertone, “Find an excuse to send Teresa away.”
She stared at him in bewilderment.
“Do it.”
She turned to Teresa, who was standing by the door. “Go get me a hypodermic from the medicine chest downstairs.”
“You think you’ll need—”
“I hope not. I want to be prepared. Just get it.”
Teresa hurried out of the room.
“How long will it take her?” Travis asked.
“I don’t know. Last time I looked, there weren’t any hypodermics in that chest. She’ll look around and then go to the one on the third floor.”
Cassie screamed.
“Do something. Talk to her.”
Travis dropped Cassie’s hands and stood up.
“What are you doing? Talk to her.”
“We’re leaving, Jessica.”
She froze. “Not before you take care of her.”
He opened his jacket, took out his laptop computer, and dropped it into Jessica’s medical bag.
Cassie screamed.
“Talk to her. Can’t you see she’s hurting? She’s screaming, dammit.”
He turned to her and said quietly, “She has to scream, Jessica.”
“What?”
“I can’t help her. She has to scream.”
“Is this some kind of power play? I told you that you’d won.”
He closed the medical bag. “It’s no power play.”
“She’s hurting. Mellie’s hurting.”
“Run out in the hall and tell Fike that you’re having an emergency. Cassie’s having a seizure and you need an ambulance to get her to the hospital. Give him this.” He handed her a piece of paper. “It’s the number of the emergency room at Shenandoah General, the closest hospital.”
“Don’t do this to Cassie.”
“And tell Fike to notify the President.”
“Talk to her.”
“Not yet. The sooner you put her in the ambulance, the sooner I can help her.” He gave her a push. “Go to Fike.”
“Damn you.” She was sobbing as she ran into the hall.
Cassie screamed. The cry held all the agony and fear a child could feel.
He could stop it. God, how he wanted to stop it.
He walked to the window and stared blindly at the iron gate through which the ambulance would come.