The doctor finally came in and told him his lip wasn’t too bad, but he needed to close up the wound. Two stitches and a butterfly bandage later, he was finished and ready to be released. Before he’d had a chance, Ronald entered the small exam room.
“How’s that cut?”
“I’ll live,” Nick said after stepping down from the exam table. “How’s Kelsey?”
Ronald either wasn’t paying attention or intentionally ignored his question. “For the record, Jensen, I need to ask you if you would like to press assault charges against Detective Kapman.”
Nick knew that Ronald was completely by the book, but this was a shock, even to him. “Assault? What?”
“Detective Kapman struck you without provocation. It is your option to file a complaint against him. Do you want an officer to take your statement?”
“Are you kidding me, Ronald? No. I don’t want to file any damn charges. I guess some things don’t change. You always did sleep with that rule book.”
“And you do everything you can to get around the rules,” Ronald said sternly. “You were like that in the academy, too. Unfortunately, you were also a damned good recruit.”
“Are you gonna tell me how your sister is or do I have to cause a scene?”
“They’re still working on her. They’re flushing the drugs out of her system and examining her for any other injuries. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
“Where is she?”
“You answer my question first. How do you know Kelsey?”
Nick sighed and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was Ronald’s disapproving attitude, along with having no idea how to explain his involvement in her terrifying abduction.
“It’s a long story, man. I’ll fill you in another time. I just want to go see her.”
Just as Nick walked past Ronald in an attempt to leave the room, Ronald grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Not so fast, partner.”
“Look, dude, I don’t want to get into this right now.”
“You know I’ll get the story from Bart.”
“I know.” Nick jerked his arm from Ronald’s grasp and walked out of the door.
* * * *
Bart had been impatiently pacing outside Kelsey’s room since the doctors had arrived to examine her. Between checking the clock every five minutes and stopping the occasional hospital staffer to check on her condition, his patience had worn dangerously thin. He was mere seconds from barging into the room and demanding answers.
Thankfully, Mike appeared from her room a minute later and approached him with a satisfied expression on his face, calming Bart’s nerves. “Relax, man. She’s okay.”
Bart released a worried sigh. “Is she really?”
Mike nodded. “She only has a couple superficial bruises and the effects of the drugs seem to be wearing off. We’re going to keep her here overnight just for observation, but, at this point, we have no reason to believe there will be any lasting physical injuries.”
“Mike, did they…? Was she…?”
“No. There’s no sign of sexual assault.”
“Oh, thank God.” Bart closed his eyes and breathed another sigh of relief. “Can I go in now?”
“Sure. She’s not awake yet, but I don’t anticipate she’ll be out much longer.”
“Okay, Mike. Thanks.”
Bart walked towards Kelsey’s room. “Hey, Bart,” Mike said, “has anyone called your parents? They may see a report about the emergency clinic on the news.”
Bart looked at his watch with a gasp. Mike was right. The local news would be on within the hour. The discovery of a dead body and an unconscious woman in a gang-infested part of town was sure to be the lead story on every channel. “I never thought of that. Thanks, I’ll call them now.”
“You may have to go outside. The cell reception here sucks.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
Nick stood out of sight, but close enough to hear the update on her condition. After saying a prayer of thanks, a sense of relief washed over him, and he couldn’t wait to get into her room to see for himself how she was doing. When Bart walked down the hall in the opposite direction, he slunk behind the desk and slipped through her door, shutting it softly behind him.
The room was deathly quiet. At first glance, the room appeared to be a carbon copy of every other hospital room Nick had ever seen, yet this room was different. This time the woman he loved was recovering in the bed only steps away. When the trepidation diminished, he allowed himself to focus on her motionless body. The tears he’d been holding back began to leak from his eyes and he could no longer suppress the horror he’d felt when she’d been missing.
He approached her bed slowly and sat in the nearby chair. She’d yet to regain consciousness, and, although he was terrified of what her reaction would be once she awoke, he had to be here. He had to be by her side. Damn the consequences.
After staring at her silently for several minutes, he leant forward and grabbed her hand. “Bright Eyes? Can you hear me, baby?”
She remained deathly still as he stroked his fingers atop hers. “Come on, Kelsey. Open those beautiful baby blues for me. Tell me you’re okay.”
Needing to feel closer to her, he stood and quietly slipped off his boots. With little effort, he nudged her body to the side of the bed and climbed in. Being careful not to handle her too roughly, he spooned his body behind hers and held her close.
“I was so scared, baby. I had no idea what those bastards were going to do to you. If anything had happened to you…” He fought the rush of emotions. “I’m sorry, Kelsey. I’m so sorry. I love you.”
Her soft moan made him lift his head from hers to look at her serene expression. “Kelsey?”
“Nick?” she quietly whispered, not opening her eyes or moving a muscle.
“It’s me, baby. I’m right here with you.” He tightened his hold. “Talk to me. Please tell me you’re okay.”
“Oh, Nick,” she said weakly, “I had the worst dream.”
Nick dipped his head, resting his face in her flaxen hair while feeling the comfort of her voice. Reality would set in soon enough, but he wanted this moment of happiness to last just as long as possible. She was where she belonged, safe in his arms.
“I dreamt I was kidnapped. I was held in a small cell by these men. They all hid their faces with masks, except one who…”
He knew then that she’d remembered the truth. Her words stopped and her body stiffened. His hold of her, however, remained true. Until she said otherwise, he would keep her right where he wanted her.
“You,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “He said that you…”
He closed his eyes and feared the words she was about to speak. A sense of dread engulfed him.
“Let go of me!” she said firmly and wriggled out of his embrace. “Don’t touch me!”
He released her and slowly backed off, not wanting to believe what was happening.
“Oh, my God. It was real. All of it was real. And you… How could you? You… You’re one of them!”
He slid off the side of the bed. Holding his hands up in surrender, he tried to quiet her. “Baby, no. Please, you don’t understand.”
She cowered away as her breathing increased. “I understand perfectly well. He… He told me everything. You work for those people. You were after… You’re after Bart!”
“Kelsey, if you just let me explain. Please, it’s not what it seems.”
“You knew. You had to know.” Her look of confusion was breaking him up. To watch her agony was heartbreaking. “There’s no way this was a coincidence.”
“I know it seems hard to believe. Impossible, even, but, Kelsey, I swear to you, I did
not
know you were Bart’s sister when we met. I promise you.”
“And why should I believe you? You lied to me. You… You used me.”
“No! I never used you, Kelsey. I never lied to you.” He paused with a heavy sigh, wishing he’d told her everything when he’d had a chance. “Yes, I work for Gianelli, and yes I was supposed to recruit Bart, but it had nothing to do with you. I never planned on meeting you and I didn’t know who you were.”
“Nothing to do with me? Bart is my brother! He has everything to do with me!” She laid her head against the pillow and laughed with an ironic sneer. “What was I thinking? How did I think an impulsive one-night stand could possibly turn into anything but a disaster?”
“Don’t say that, please.”
“Just get out,” she said angrily. “I don’t want to hear it.”
He wanted to fight. He wanted to force her to see he was telling the truth, but now wasn’t the time. She was weak and had been through what he was sure had been a terrifying ordeal—an ordeal that, no matter how he looked at it or tried to justify it, was entirely his fault. He nodded his head and closed his eyes as he backed away from her bed.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go,” he said with calm acceptance as he slipped on his boots. “I just had to make sure you were okay, Kelsey.”
She scoffed and turned her head.
Nick looked up to see Bart peek through the window. As soon as they made eye contact, Bart slammed the door open.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” he barked to Nick.
“Leave it alone, dude, I’m leaving.”
“Yeah, I’d say you are.” He stepped beside Kelsey, as if shielding her from an apparent threat.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Nick focused solely on the seemingly devastated woman who’d stolen his heart.
Bart took a step closer. “Get out before I throw you out, you son of a bitch!”
Nick was beaten, for now. He stole one last glance at his love wiping a tear from her eye, then left the room quietly.
He wasn’t ten feet away when he fully felt the impact of the loss. He vowed to himself that he wouldn’t rest until she was once again his. “I’ll leave for now, Bright Eyes, but I’ll be back. I swear to you, I’ll be back.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thankfully, Kelsey had spent an uneventful night in the hospital once her family had stopped fussing over her and had allowed her to sleep. When morning had come, she’d been released with a clean bill of health and specific instructions to take it easy. Ronald had asked her to stop by the station to answer some questions about her abduction, but Bart had suggested that questioning her at the loft would be better. They’d both felt she’d been through enough and it would be much easier on her to relive the experience in the safety of her own home.
Bart sat as Kelsey recounted the terror she’d endured in the days of her imprisonment. She described with more detail than he’d expected the drugs, the confinement, and the attacks. Bart’s anger towards Gianelli grew with every word. If it wasn’t already his highest priority, he was now determined to use all his power to take the gangster down.
She identified the man who was found dead beside her as one of her kidnappers, a man who had called himself Wally, but she wasn’t sure if that had been his real name. She told them his was the only face she’d seen, but she did give the details of the other man she’d interacted with. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was something.
They’d been talking for several hours when the officer, Andy, finally told Bart he had everything he needed. Wanting to be sure that the investigation was pushed through quickly, and knowing he wouldn’t be allowed to be the lead himself, Bart left his sister in the loving care of his wife Faith, as well as a uniformed officer standing watch outside her door. He accompanied Andy back to the station to ensure that only the best men were assigned to the case, preferably men who were already familiar with the Gianelli crime syndicate.
They’d just exited the elevator at the station when a large commotion caught their attention. Several officers rushed out of Ronald’s office amidst a barrage of yelling. Bart and Andy stared as the handful of enraged men left assembled around Ronald’s desk argued.
“Uh, Andy, why don’t you go and start typing up Kels’ statement. I’m gonna go check this out.”
“No problem, man,” Andy replied, and walked away. No one liked it when the boss was pissed off.
“I don’t want to hear that, Zimmer! Look again!” Ronald screamed into the phone as Bart approached the half-opened door. “Bart! Get in here!”
“What’s going on?”
Ronald sighed and slumped in his chair. “Sit down, Bart. You’re the lead on this case. You should be in on this.”
Bart sat in the chair. Beside him were the commissioner, the district attorney and the mayor, each with faces as stern as Ronald’s. As they all took seats around the office, Ronald sat up and addressed Bart.
“The evidence for Romano is missing.”
Bart’s heart sank.
So soon? It’s only Tuesday afternoon. How has the evidence’s disappearance been discovered so soon?
“How’s that possible?” His shock was genuine, but for a different reason.
Ronald shook his head. “We have no idea. Ms Langer needed clarification on something and when we went to retrieve the evidence, it couldn’t be found.”
Bart looked over to Leslie Langer, the ruthless DA elected only six months ago, and saw the coldest expression he could remember seeing on any individual. Langer had run on the promise of cleaning up the city’s drug trafficking problem and a conviction in the Romano case would have given her a much desired boost in her political career. The woman obviously had no intention of allowing this case to be dismissed over a clerical error.
“Have you spoken with each of the officers on duty in the evidence room over the last four days?” Langer asked Ronald as she pulled out a legal pad and pen.
“It’s being done as we speak. We’ll find out if anything unusual happened,” the commissioner, Al Carson, answered brusquely.
“Excuse me, Captain?” a young officer called from the doorway.
“Yes?”
“I have the officer who was on duty in the evidence room last night.”
“Thank you, Robbins.” The cop walked in the door, hesitating when he saw the high-powered people gathered around. “Come in, Wilson, and shut the door behind you, please.”
Bart’s head popped up the minute he heard the name. When he turned to see Bobby Wilson tentatively walk into the room, he knew this was bad. This was very bad.
Ms Langer stood as soon as Officer Wilson took the seat in the middle of the room. “You were one of the officers assigned to the evidence room?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When?”