“That’s a ballsy move. He knows protocol; knows I should have called this in. He should have expected a squad guarding his truck.”
“He probably knows there’s no service out here or he risked it on the off chance you hadn’t. Either way, he left us a trail to follow so he could double-back while our dicks blew in the wind. He’s a smart fuck, determined.”
“We need to get to the hospital. He’s got to know that’s where we’d send the girls to get checked out after the crash.”
Both men looked at Jenn’s Jeep.
“Think it will run if we tip it back?” Shane asked.
“Only one way to find out.”
***
Pacing. That’s all we could do at this point. Shane and Jack were still out in the woods with Heller and Maxine was in surgery. So Jenn and I paced while my head pounded with a headache to end all headaches from the laceration on my face. But considering the speed we had been traveling, the fact Jenn was able to slow down enough so we only rolled once, limiting our injuries, was a miracle. Jack had trained her after what she went through five years ago; had put her through the ringer teaching her how to protect herself.
Now Jenn and I paced, worried about Maxine and our men while Max and Mia prayed in the sanctuary.
“I don’t understand how he found us,” I mumbled. “We used fake names. They were watching for him at the airlines. How could he find us so quickly without anyone seeing him?”
“The one thing I learned when I had two killers after me was they will do whatever it takes to win.”
I paused and looked at her.
“Explain to me how we ended up with killers after us? It’s like a movie. Maxine’s been shot. Shane and Jack are hunting him while we pace in a waiting room. How did this become my life, our life?”
“Don’t try and figure it out. I did for years and came up empty.”
She was right, of course, but the counselor in me knew I’d have to work through it on my own until I could wrap my head around it all.
“At least I know my mother’s safe if he’s here in Colorado.”
“And the twins are safe with their grandmother. Now I just need my husband to walk through that door.”
We both turned and looked at the waiting room doors, willing them to open and for Shane and Jack to walk in.
Our prayers weren’t answered.
Sighing, I began to pace again.
At least we had the waiting room to ourselves. Being a small county hospital, it didn’t have a ton of emergency surgeries at night.
“I need coffee. Do you want some coffee?” Jenn asked, heading to the complimentary coffee station.
“I need something stronger,” I mumbled.
“That goes without saying,” she agreed.
“How long do you think a surgery like this will take?”
Shane was right. Maxine had a collapsed lung, but they wouldn’t know the extent of her injuries until they opened her up.
Reaching for a Styrofoam cup, Jenn poured her coffee then looked over her shoulder at me.
“When my friend Ben had a heart attack, his surgery took five hours.”
I scanned my memory for the people we’d met since arriving and couldn’t place the name.
“I don’t think I’ve met Ben.”
She shook her head. “You haven’t. He and his girlfriend Lorraine moved to Florida a few years ago. They bought a place just down the street from my parents.”
“So it could be a while before we hear anything,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, trying to work out the kinks as I continued to pace back and forth.
“They’ll keep us up-to-date as the surgery progresses.”
“We’re lucky you had a surgeon on staff with this being a smaller county hospital.”
“This hospital may be small, but they have everything a larger city hospital has.”
“Good thing, too. I don’t think Maxine would have made it if she’d been life-flighted to Denver.”
“Agreed,” Jenn said. “It’s been a while since they took her back. I think I’ll go check with the receptionist and see if there is an update.”
She moved to the waiting room doors as my cell began to vibrate in my pocket, so I pulled it out. It said Shane calling.
“It’s Shane,” I cried out and swept answer. “Shane? Are you all right?”
Jenn gasped and I turned with a smile on my face. Then it faded. Heller was standing behind her with a gun to her head. He looked the worse for wear. His dark hair had turned gray since I’d last seen him and his complexion was pale as crimson blood oozed from a wound in his side. I’d been free of his brand of evil for four years, growing stronger with each passing year, but seeing his face again brought back the years of fear and punishment. I began to shake in my shoes.