Authors: Kimberley Woodhouse
He sat down and grabbed my hand, face stern, eyes worried.
"We . . . well, when I got my stitches done this odd man in scrubs, without a name badge or anything, kinda appeared and—"
"He didn't have a badge?"
Before I could answer Mom, Cole jumped in. "What did he say? What did he do to you?" Cole looked
mean.
I'd never seen him so angry.
"He just asked if I was Andie."
"What did he do?"
"Nothing. That's it. He just asked twice if I was Andie. I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you." Why had I forgotten? My gaze shifted to the blankets on my lap.
Did my not telling them put us in more danger?
"What happened to him?" Cole put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.
"Dr. Baker walked in and he just . . . vanished."
JENNA
12:30 p.m.
"What do you mean he just vanished? How does someone vanish?" Jenna pushed herself up in the bed. Bile rose in her throat. She looked to Cole. Someone had been close to her daughter. Close enough to do harm. And she hadn't been there to protect her. "What do we do?"
Cole glanced to the doctor, his jaw twitching. "I thought you said someone would be with the girls the whole time."
Regret weighed heavy on Dr. Baker's features. "There
was
someone with them. A nurse. But when I returned, she was gone."
"Can we question the nurse?" Cole looked ready to pounce.
"Let me see if she's here today. If not, I'll contact her. I'm sure she would do anything she could to help." The doctor left the room in a rush.
Jenna forced herself to breathe normally. The weight of what could have happened settled on her chest. A hospital was supposed to be a safe place. Were they in danger even here? How could that be? She shifted in the bed. They had to leave. But where would they go? Fear gripped her heart and threatened to choke her. She gasped for air.
"Jenna!" Cole was by her side in an instant. "Jenna, don't panic."
She gritted her teeth. "I'm not panicking." Another deep breath. "Not yet."
Hold it together. For Andie.
A tentative smile for her daughter. "It just overwhelmed me there for a minute. The danger. It's so real. So . . . close." She shuddered.
"Mom, we're okay. Dr. Baker came in at just the right time. I know God was watching out for us."
Cole laid a hand on Jenna's shoulder. "Andie, do you think you and Zoya would recognize the man if you saw him again?"
The girls exchanged glances and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure we could."
"Good. And from now on, you won't be left alone. Period." Cole squeezed Jenna's shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed. His words comforted her—almost as much as his presence.
"I can't believe we're not safe here."
"Jenna, I called in some help yesterday, but it took a while to arrange it. I requested men with top clearance, but they were difficult to find on short notice. They should be here soon."
"Not soon enough," she muttered. From Cole's expression, she could see he agreed.
He shifted his gaze to the girls. "I shouldn't have left the room yesterday and I'm sorry for that. Andie, thanks for coming to find me, but that was dangerous. From now on, I don't want anyone leaving this room without me. A guard will always be stationed outside. We need to leave the hospital. And soon."
Andie shook her head at Cole. "I know you need to keep us safe and all, and it's because you care, but Cole, you really needed to go to the chapel yesterday. I'm glad you did."
"That's beside the point, Andie. Something could've happened to you or your mom. I shouldn't have left."
Andie huffed in a way only tween girls could master. "You're ridiculous, you know that? I know this is heavy-duty, but your heart and soul are on the line here." She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Just admit that you need help."
"Andie, this is not the time for a God-talk—"
"It most certainly
is
time for it! If
ever
there was a time, it's now."
Jenna felt like she was at a tennis match. Back and forth. Back and forth, she watched the words volley between Andie and Cole. Why couldn't she share her faith as easily and with the same genuine love that Andie did anymore? Had Marc's death robbed her of that as well?
Dr. Baker burst into the room. "Jenna, we have a problem." He took a deep breath and glanced at Cole. "The nurse with the girls yesterday in the ER disappeared. The staff didn't realize she was missing until about an hour later. Assuming she left, the last person that saw her said she was white as a sheet racing down the hallway. After a crazy night in the ER, the charge nurse thought she had gone home sick. Then, she didn't show up today for her shift. No one has seen or heard from her since she was with the girls." The doctor's pager went off. He swiped a hand down his jaw. "Please excuse me, I'll be back later."
The doctor's news hung in the air as he left. "Oh my goodness." Would they find her? What if they did something terrible to her? Because of them? Jenna's thoughts ran away with her. "Cole, what do we do?"
Cole hesitated.
Andie responded instead. "We pray. God knows exactly where we are and what's going on."
Cole's jaw clenched. And twitched. He turned to look out the window. No response.
Andie's words pierced Jenna's heart. Her daughter was right. She closed her eyes.
God, forgive me for not trusting wholly in You. Give me that childlike faith again.
Resolve flooded her veins. No more hiding behind her fears. In the flutter of a breath, her foundation shifted from sinking sand to solid ground. No matter what happened, God was God, and He was faithful.
"Mom?"
Jenna opened her eyes. "You're right, Andie. We need to pray."
ANDIE
12:39 p.m.
"Dear Lord"—with my hands folded on my lap, I started the prayer—"we need Your help. Please make the bad guys get caught and"—I peeked at Cole—"please let this stubborn mule named Cole let Your love take over."
His head shot around from looking out the window. I closed my eyes again and continued before he could deny anything. "Please keep us safe. Amen."
I looked up. Something different shone in Mom's eyes. A new . . . sparkle. Her smile was brighter and bigger. Bigger than it had been since . . . well, since before my dad died.
"Thanks, Andie."
What was going on inside that soft heart of hers? "Not a problem. Any time." I snuggled down under my thin blanket. Chills raced up my spine.
Kinda cold in here.
The door opened and Auntie walked in with a plastic bag. "I got the cells. Each one is programmed with the others' numbers." She looked at Mom, then stopped. "What did I miss?"
"Well, let me see"—I counted it all off on my fingers—"a great discussion with God that apparently made Mom feel great and made Cole even more stubborn." He grunted. "And a stomach that has been in
desperate
need of M&Ms."
Mom and Auntie laughed.
"What? Don't you know that my tummy could be in grave danger? Without M&Ms, it would . . . would . . ." I frowned.
Ummmm . . .
Mom crossed her arms. "Would do what? Cease to exist?"
"Don't you know it!"
A knock sounded on the door. A
loud
knock.
Cole stood and walked to the door.
As it opened, my jaw dropped.
Two giants stood in the doorway, their faces cold and stiff as stone. The room seemed to shrink as they accepted Cole's invitation to come in.
They're as big as elephants!
I just stared. A shiver raced up and down my spine. And it wasn't from the cold.
I hope they're on our side.
CHAPTER THIRTY
COLE
April 13
Providence Hospital
Anchorage, Alaska
1:00 p.m.
Finally.
It was about time these guys arrived. And they were huge. Perfect.
Cole turned to the others in the room. The tension in the air was so thick, it felt like a giant curtain closing in on them. He needed to diffuse it. "Jenna, I'd like you to meet Bill and Charles. They're your protection while we get to the bottom of all this."
Jenna leaned back against the pillows, the tense lines in her forehead relaxing. "Thank you." Her voice cracked. "Thank you so much for coming."
"You're welcome, ma'am. Marc was a good friend many years ago." Bill was an imposing figure, thanks to shoulders the size of Texas, but he was as loyal as the day was long. "I'm Bill, by the way." He moved forward, reaching a hand to shake in greeting.
Charles was taller and leaner, but equally formidable. He stepped forward. "Charles, ma'am. Marc and I served together at Richardson."
Jenna smiled. "It's nice to meet you both. Have you known Cole very long?"
Both men looked at him, and he answered. "No. But they can be trusted." And they could definitely intimidate. They towered over his six-foot-three-inch frame.
"Ma'am, if I could interject here." Bill stepped back, hands clasped behind him. "Your husband invited us to an OCF Bible Study when we first met. That's how we got to know one another. We attended until Chuck and I were stationed elsewhere. Marc was a good man." The big man looked down at the floor for a moment, then lifted his eyes to Cole. "We've known of Major Maddox for a long time, but hadn't had the privilege to meet until now."
Anesia stood by her daughter, her brow furrowed. She took a slight step forward. "And you're sure they can be trusted?"
The question was aimed at Cole, but her eyes didn't leave the bodyguards. He understood her protectiveness. Jenna and Andie were family.
Before he could answer Anesia, Charles stepped forward. "Ma'am, you can know this. We will lay down our lives for these ladies, and for you, if necessary."
Anesia studied Charles for a moment, then nodded and cocked her head. "And you're both believers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good."
Jenna's soft smile swept over him before she looked to the men again. "Thank you for sacrificing your time for us." She looked back at Cole, capturing him with those dark brown eyes. "So. What's the plan?"
"Either Bill or Charles will be outside your door at all times. You need to make sure you don't talk to anyone other than the people in this room, Dr. Baker, or the nurses we've already cleared." He walked to Jenna's side. "Now, let's learn how to use the phones and keep them charged."
"Any word yet from the FBI?" Charles punched numbers into his phone.
"Not yet. I wish I knew who Marc had talked to, but I put in a call to a contact there first thing this morning." Cole sighed. "Here's hoping they get involved sooner rather than later."
Bill crossed his arms over his expansive chest. "And the local authorities?"
"They're involved, but only on a surface level. They don't know the true situation. We can't risk word getting out about AMI. Last thing we need is black-market dealers after us on top of everything else."
"Agreed." Charles glanced at Jenna and Andie. "We need to get them someplace secure anyway."
Andie raised her hand. "Cole?"
"Yeah, Squirt?"
"Aren't the police the good guys? Don't we
want
their help?"
Cole gauged his response. He wanted to be honest without causing Andie even more alarm. "They are. And if we need their help, we'll call them. But we'll be heading back to North Pole soon, which will be out of their jurisdiction. I've already contacted the authorities there, and the MPs."
Now it was Zoya's turn to raise her hand. "Do you know who that creepy guy was? And do you think he'll come back?"
Cole cast a glance at Bill and Charles before responding. "I have an idea who it was." Understanding dawned on the other men's faces. Good. Message received. They knew Shadow's reputation. He turned back to Andie and her friend. "But don't worry about it. That's why we've got these two goons here to help."
Anesia walked over to Jenna. "I need to go check on the twins and make sure they're not tearing up the sled dog truck. Can I get anyone anything while I'm out?"
"An end to this nightmare?" Jenna shot a nervous smile at Cole.
"Wish I could, girl." Anesia hugged her tight.
Cole turned to the window. If only it
were
the end . . . but he was afraid the nightmare had only just begun.
LEAPER
4:32 p.m.
The wheels of his chair creaked as he rolled in slow motion toward the window. With a flick of his wrist, the blinds closed. He tugged on the drapes next.
Dark. He needed dark.
Twenty years he'd been following Viper's orders. Twenty. Years.
Enough to drive the sanest of men crazy.
It hadn't started out this way. No. He'd been loyal. Patriotic. Full of dreams and aspirations. His own grandmother had taken his hands the day he left to enlist and told him how proud she was of him. That he was serving his country. Keeping other people free.
She'd roll over in her grave if she knew what he'd become. Where lies and deceit, greed and power had taken him.
The force that drove him all those years faded. What a waste.
But none of that mattered now.
The Glock and silencer lay on the coffee table. One more assignment. One more spilling of blood.
And then it would be over.
COLE
5:12 p.m.
The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. Dr. Baker had expressed his worry to Cole about the stress taking a toll on Jenna, that it would hinder her body's ability to heal from the infection. But her strength and recovery shot through the roof, surprising them both. A new calm and serenity had passed over her. When they first met, she'd been strong and independent, protective and caring, but this . . . this was new.
Andie beamed as mother and daughter sat together on the bed.
Cole had to admit it annoyed him just a little. The attraction between him and Jenna was strong. He liked being her protector, being needed. But now, instead of looking to him for everything, she was relying on her God.
He shook his head. Focus. So much to cover. He needed to meet with the guards and brief them. He needed to grill Andie and Jenna about their home and property. They had to find AMI first.