She and Joey were on their own.
SEVENTEEN
Nick dozed during the long ride back to Chicago. Even with Sean McCarthy using flashing red lights and sirens, the trip took longer than he wanted. The doctor back in Madison had been really angry about him leaving, but he couldn't worry about his arm.
Rachel and Joey were far more important.
They swung by Rachel's house, which thankfully wasn't that far from her office building, but the place was locked up tight with no sign of anyone having been there. He told Sean to head over to the office building next, figuring that Rachel probably needed her keys.
When they reached the office complex, Sean parked behind a taxi with the "in service" light on. Nick managed to get out of the passenger seat under his own power, holding his left arm protectively against his body to minimize the pain as much as possible. Now that the numbing agent had worn off, he could feel his arm, but mostly all he felt was pain.
When they walked into the building there was a foreign taxi driver yelling at the security guard behind the desk. Nick couldn't understand half of what the guy was saying, but it became apparent that the taxi driver had brought Rachel and Joey here and wanted his money.
"Pay the man," he told Sean, before turning his attention back to the security guard who wore a name tag with the name George. He didn't know if that was a first name or a last name. "Are Rachel and Joey Simon upstairs in her office?" he asked.
"Yes, they went up about five minutes ago," the security guard said.
"Did anyone else go up either before or after her?" Sean asked, after paying the taxi driver.
"I've only been here about twenty minutes, but no one else went up while I was here." George cast a curious glance between Sean and Nick. "Is something wrong?"
"We don't know for sure," Nick said. "But we're heading up right now to make sure she's all right. If we don't come back down within ten minutes, call the police."
"Maybe I should go with you?" George offered.
"No, you need to stay here," Nick told him. "Make sure no one else goes up, do you understand?"
George nodded. "Got it."
Sean had already made his way over to the one of the six banks of elevators, and he was holding the door, waiting for Nick. He fought a wave of dizziness as he hurried in.
The ride to the tenth floor was quick and when the doors opened, the ding of the elevator seemed exceptionally loud. He hoped no one had overheard it.
"Stay back," Sean warned in a whisper, as he made his way into Rachel's office suite.
Nick had his weapon tucked into the waistband of his jeans but was hampered by the need to hold his left arm still, so he nodded, knowing that he would only be a liability if he didn't give Sean the room he needed.
The moment they opened the glass doors to the office area, Nick heard talking. And from the way Rachel was pleading with someone, he suspected Karl was there.
He couldn't see much with Sean in front of him, but the hint of desperation in her tone wrenched his heart. It was his fault she was here with Joey. If he'd responded differently in the hospital she probably would have stayed.
Especially if he'd had asked her to stay.
Please, Lord, keep Rachel and Joey safe!
* * *
Rachel saw something move behind Karl's right shoulder, but she did her best to keep her gaze trained on his so that he wouldn't figure it out.
"Karl, please. Give me the gun. I can tell you're not a cold-blooded killer," she said, stalling for time. She couldn't tell who was creeping up behind Karl, but just knowing she and Joey weren't alone was enough to give her hope and strength.
Besides, she was getting mighty tired of people pointing guns at her.
"Stay back or I'll shoot," Karl threatened, although the gun in his hand wavered just a bit.
"You want money, Karl?" she asked. "Because if that's the case then I'll double their fee if you'll put the gun down. I'll give you enough to change your name and leave town. Think about it-you'll get a fresh start."
Surprisingly, he seemed to consider her offer. But just as he was about to speak, an arm came around from behind and snatched the gun from his grasp.
"What the-" Karl's sentence was cut off when he was slammed up against the wall, Sean McCarthy's arm planted firmly across his neck.
Rachel sagged against the edge of her desk in relief. She'd never been so happy to see a cop in her life. She didn't know how Sean had gotten here from Madison so fast, but she was thankful just the same.
"Karl Errol, you're under arrest for attempted murder and corporate espionage, and anything else that you've done that I haven't figured out yet," Sean McCarthy said, pulling out his handcuffs and clasping them firmly over Errol's wrists. The way the research scientist sagged against the door convinced her that he'd finally given up.
Thank You, Lord.
"Rachel? Are you and Joey all right?"
She straightened and looked past Sean into the hallway, tempted to pinch herself in the arm to make sure that she wasn't imagining Nick standing there. "Nick? Is that really you?"
After making sure Joey was okay, she found herself staring at Nick, unable to look away. He was propped against the wall, holding his left arm against him, his mouth bracketed with pain.
"Yeah. I had to make sure you and Joey were all right," he said.
She was so glad to see him, even though it was obvious he shouldn't be here. "What were you thinking?" she scolded as she rushed forward to meet him. "You should have stayed in the hospital. What if you lose the circulation in your arm?"
"It's nothing compared to the thought of losing you," he murmured, holding her gaze with his. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Rachel. I didn't mean to. I never should have allowed my faith to waver."
Her heart melted at his words, and she would have engulfed him in a huge hug if not for the fact that Nick looked as if he was hanging on by a thread. His brow was damp with sweat and his face was pale, two indications that he absolutely should not have left the hospital.
"Nick!" Joey cried as he ran forward, putting his arms around Nick's waist and hugging him hard. She caught the wince on Nick's features, but he didn't protest. "You're here!"
"Yeah, I'm here, buddy."
"Are you all better now?" Joey asked, tipping his head back to look up at Nick.
"Not exactly..." Nick said drily.
"Not at all," Rachel interjected with a deep frown. "You need to get back to Madison, Nick. The surgeon told me that the first twenty-four hours are critical. It's barely been twelve hours since surgery and a good portion of that had to be traveling here."
"Maybe you're right," he said, and the fact that he didn't try to argue with her was worrisome.
Before she could say anything more, he let go of Joey and slid down the wall to the floor.
"I told him to stay behind, but did he listen? No, he didn't." Sean's tone held disgust. "I guess we'd better call 911, the only way he's getting out of here is in an ambulance."
"I've already called 911," George said, coming down the hall toward them. "You made me nervous, and when you didn't come down right away, I decided to make the call. Good thing I did. The cops should be here any minute."
"Make sure there's an ambulance, too, would you, George?" she asked. She'd sat down on the floor beside Nick, holding his head in her lap, unwilling to let him go, even for a minute.
"That surgeon is going to say 'I told you so,'" Sean joked, as he stared down at Nick's prone figure.
"Was worth it," Nick murmured in a voice so soft Rachel was sure she was the only one who could hear him.
"Rest now, Nick," she said, smoothing her fingers down his rough, bristly cheek. "We're safe now...."
There was a lot of commotion when the police arrived and soon after an ambulance crew showed up carrying a gurney.
She thought Nick was out cold, but suddenly his eyes opened and he reached for her hand. "Come with me to the hospital," he said hoarsely.
"I'll meet you there," she promised. "Just do what the doctor says this time, okay?"
Grimacing, he nodded his head. Then she slid out of the way, allowing the paramedics to lift Nick onto the gurney.
And for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, she stood with her arm around Joey, watching as the paramedics wheeled away the man she loved.
* * *
After Sean had handed Karl over to the Chicago authorities and she'd once again given her statement to the police, she convinced Sean to take her and Joey home.
Once there, she gave him the money she owed him, even though he kept trying to wave it away.
"Please take the money," she begged. "You've already done so much for me and my son. Please?"
Sean reluctantly took the cash. "Do you want me to drive you to the hospital before I head home?" he asked gruffly.
She hesitated but then shook her head. "No, we can take a cab or the subway. Getting around Chicago is much easier than trying to get around in Madison," she teased.