Page 99 of Fatal Intent

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

RAYNE RELEASED THEdoor and dove to the tile floor as medical personnel hurried toward her. “No, go back.” She motioned for them to move further away. “It’s not safe.”

“Was that a gunshot?” demanded the charge nurse.

She nodded. “Stay back.”

“I’m calling security.”

“Good idea.” She doubted they could do anything about the shooter. By the time they arrived, he’d be gone unless Rayne caught up with him.

She crouched beside the door and pushed it open. This time, no gunfire greeted her. Still in a crouch, she hurried to the landing and peered through the railing into the darkened stairwell.

No movement.

Frowning, she made her way to the ground floor. If this nurse was fake, like Rayne suspected, he wouldn’t want to be caught inside the hospital. This stairwell led to the ground floor and the ER entrance. After running a few feet from the stairwell to the entrance, the shooter would be home free.

She raced through the sparsely populated lobby and dashed outside to the sidewalk, where an ambulance idled, waiting for a patient. Rayne scanned the parking lot for movement. When she’d almost given up, movement in the shadowed corner of the lot caught her attention. She headed in that direction.

Seconds later, an engine cranked, headlights gleamed, and the vehicle’s tires squealed as the driver sped toward the street in front of the hospital.

Rayne cut through the aisles of vehicles, hoping to see the license plate of the vehicle speeding away and the driver. She increased her pace, but the black SUV moved too fast for her to see a license plate. With tinted windows, she couldn’t see the driver either. She stopped, glaring at the vehicle as it sped away.

In the distance, sirens sounded closer. Great. Now she’d have another encounter with the police. The first one had taken too long. She didn’t want to be away from Grant again.

Minutes later, she tapped on the door to Grant’s room and slipped inside. Elias stood between the door and a sleeping Grant.

“Catch him?”

She shook her head. “The guy’s a rabbit. I couldn’t get a look at him or the license plate of his SUV as he raced away.” She inclined her head toward the sleeping operative. “How is he?”

“Hasn’t stirred. Whatever the doc gave him must be potent.”

“That’s why he refused to take any more after the last dose.” She walked to the window and looked out. “Cops are here.”

“We’ll have to talk to them. No choice.”

“I know. Since we didn’t see him without the mask, we can’t describe the guy.”

Elias grunted. “The cops won’t be happy. We’re not excellent witnesses.”

“Tell me about it,” she muttered.

“Rayne?”

She spun and hurried toward the bed. “Hey. How do you feel?”

“Wiped out,” Grant murmured. “Everything okay?”

“We had some excitement while you were napping.”

“What happened?”

She told him about the fake nurse and her failed attempt to catch up to him.

Grant’s eyelids drooped. “Riley. Security cams.”

Rayne smiled. Grant might be drugged to the gills, but his brain still worked.