Page 20 of Final Approach (Lake City Heroes #4)
Andrew rolled his eyes. “You do realize insurance might not pay if you do that.”
“I’ll get permission.”
“Right. Come on then. Let’s get you officially released. I’ll take you back to my place and get you comfortable. Stay put.”
Andrew worked out the release with the doctor, then returned to collect his friend. Hank rose from the bed, stopped, then lowered himself back onto it, his face a shade paler than when Andrew walked in. “Just give me a minute.”
“Dude. Stay here.”
“I can’t.” His friend met his gaze. “Every minute I’m here puts everyone in this hospital in danger. They’ll send someone. It’s just a matter of time.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“All right, let’s—”
A knock on the door stopped him. Hank froze, then relaxed a fraction. “You wanna get that?”
“Sure.”
Andrew opened the door to find a pale-looking Lainie on the other side. She’d been crying. “Hey.” He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
She ran her fingers under her eyes, cleaning up the smudged mascara. “I saw you come in. Did Kristine call or text you?”
“No, why?”
“She’s here, down in the surgery waiting room. Her sister was in an accident yesterday and is critical.”
A punch to his gut wouldn’t have hurt more. “Oh no. Second floor, right?”
“Yeah. Her father is with her and her brother is on the way from New York. I think her aunt Wendy is coming as soon as she can get here from Virginia.”
“Thanks, Lainie. The others know?”
“James does. He’s passing the word along. I didn’t want to send out a text, you know?”
“Of course.” He turned back to Hank. “Tim Jackson is the agent outside your room. He can take you to the Airbnb and stay with you while I hang here with Kristine. That okay with you?”
“Sure, man. Give Kristine my best.”
Andrew nodded, then followed Lainie to the surgery waiting room, where Kristine sat in an uncomfortable chair with her head tilted back against the wall.
A man who must have been her father sat next to her, eyes on the television hanging from the ceiling in the corner and playing silently with captions.
Andrew stood for a moment, hating to wake her. She obviously hadn’t been to bed yet. Before he could decide whether to walk away or sit or what, Kristine stirred and opened her eyes. Her father had yet to turn his attention away from the screen.
Kristine blinked and sat up straight. “Andrew? Lainie?” She stood. “Hey.”
“Hey, I was visiting Hank, and Lainie told me you were here. I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“She shouldn’t have been with them, that’s what,” her father said. “I warned her, but she didn’t listen. Now look what’s happened. I need some air.” He rose to his feet and stomped out of the waiting room.
Kristine blew out a low breath and rubbed her face. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. He’s hurting.”
“He’s ... something all right,” Kristine said. “Emily was heading to the airport for a red-eye flight with her friends, Dana and Tia, when they wrecked. The driver, Dana, ran a red light, lost control, and drove into a convenience store. I didn’t know until several hours later.”
Andrew blinked. “How awful.”
“It’s bad,” she whispered. “Dana’s in a medically induced coma, Emily’s been out of surgery for about an hour and we’re waiting for a room in ICU, and...” She pulled in a deep breath, then cleared her throat. “Tia died a few minutes ago.”
Lainie gasped. “No.”
“Dana’s parents are here somewhere and Tia’s haven’t been located yet.”
“I’m so sorry,” Andrew murmured. “Have you gotten any sleep at all?”
She laughed. A sound without humor. “No. But as soon as Emily gets into a room, I’ll try to grab a few hours in the sleeper chair next to her.”
“Okay, well, just let me know if you need anything.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
“I’m going to finish the rest of my shift,” Lainie said, “but I’ll check in on you before I leave.”
Kristine gave her friend a hug and Lainie disappeared out the door.
She motioned for Andrew to have a seat. He did, taking in her appearance.
Even after the night she had, being shot at and on the run didn’t take away from her attractiveness.
With her hair in a messy ponytail, face pale, and worry lines around her eyes, she still exuded a strength he envied.
His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. A text from Hank.
Where are you? I need to talk to you. I just remembered something.
In the surgery waiting room. Will meet you at the side exit near the cafeteria? Don’t think you should go out the main door.
See you there in 5.
Andrew told Kristine and she nodded. “I’m going to stay here until I can see Emily.”
“Of course. Text me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, Andrew.” She studied him a moment longer, then gave him a small smile. “I hope when all of this is over, we can have our vacation at the beach. I have a feeling we’re all going to need it.”
“I’m counting on it.” More than she knew.
Maybe by then he’d be ready for romance and everything that came with caring for someone.
He wasn’t ready to use the L-word yet. All he knew was that every time he thought about the future, Kristine was in it.
He just didn’t know how that was going to work.
Or if it was going to. But he thought he wanted it to.
Just as Andrew was turning to leave, her father walked back into the waiting room holding two cups of coffee. He passed one to Kristine, then looked at Andrew. “Oh, sorry. I should have asked if you wanted something.”
“That’s all right, sir.” He held his hand out for a shake. “I’m Andrew Ross. Nice to meet you. Sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
“Greg Duncan. Likewise.” He nodded to Kristine. “Any word?”
“No.”
The man sighed and tears came to his eyes. He blinked them away and lowered himself into the same seat he’d been in earlier.
Andrew reached for Kristine’s hand almost without thinking and gave it a quick squeeze before he let go. “I’ll be praying for Emily and Dana.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He left before he was tempted to keep Hank waiting longer and made his way to the door.
Footsteps followed him and he turned to get a look at a man in a black hoodie, head ducked, hands in the front pockets of his baggy jeans.
Andrew stopped and the guy passed him, but he sure did look like the dude who’d been watching him outside his parents’ bookstore.
He started to ask him if he was following him, but the guy knocked on a patient room, then slipped inside.
Andrew shook off the paranoia and hurried to find Hank. The man was just inside the door talking to Tim Jackson and Sherry Hyatt, the agents assigned to protect him.
Hank looked up and walked toward him. Carefully. He never raised a hand to his broken rib, though, and Andrew almost shook his head. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The other two agents stayed back to give them some privacy but were close enough if needed.
“What’d you forget?” Andrew asked.
“I started thinking about it. You remember I said the television was on and the news report came on about the hijacking?”
“Yeah.”
“I wasn’t really paying attention then, but after I talked to you, I started asking questions.
One of the guys, Hopper is the only name I know him by, asked me why I was so interested in the hijacking.
I just shrugged and said it was weird. He said I should focus on what was important and leave stuff that’s none of my business alone. ”
“You think he knew Marcus Brown?”
“He didn’t come out and say that and I didn’t want to push too hard, but he didn’t like me asking questions.”
“But he could know something about the hijacking?”
Hank sighed. “I suppose it’s possible. Or I’m reaching and seeing things that aren’t there. But it wasn’t too long after that I felt like I needed to get out of Dodge.”
“Good job listening to your gut.”
“Then again, he’s never liked me, so it could have just been his way of showing how tough he was. Who knows?”
“All right. We’ll get an agent in that area to pick him up and do some questioning.”
Hank nodded. “Thanks for letting me crash at your place.”
“Meet you there.”
“Okay.” He and the agents walked toward the exit with Andrew right behind them.
“Andrew! Wait!”
He turned to see James, Cole, Jesslyn, and Kenzie heading toward them. “Hank, hold up a second, would you? I want to introduce you to a few people if you feel like it.”
“Sure.”
He made the introductions, then Kenzie said, “We came to be with Kristine. Have you heard anything about Emily?”
“It’s not good.” He told them what he knew.
Kenzie frowned and nodded. “We won’t keep you.”
“Where’s Nathan?” Andrew asked. “I haven’t talked to him in the last hour or so.”
“Investigating the hijacking,” Jesslyn said. “He said to call him when you got a moment.”
“I’ll do that as soon as I’m in the car.”
The others said their goodbyes and headed for the elevator. Andrew said a quick prayer for Kristine, her sister, and Dana as he, Hank, and the agents headed toward the exit once more.
Hank’s phone rang and he looked at the screen. “I need to take this. You mind?”
One of the agents nodded.
Hank swiped the screen and listened. Once again, his face went pale. “All right. Explain. In detail, please.”