Page 60 of Shadow Boxed (Shadow Warriors #2)

Chapter forty-eight

Halfway between Berkeley Square and Bart’s medical center, Embray directed his driver to make a detour, where they rendezvoused with Tomas Beck.

Beck was one of Shadow Mountain’s intelligence agents, and second only to Capland when it came to gadgets and computers.

Seconds later, Beck had the external hard drive that carried all of Clark Nantz’s computer files.

“You sure this side trip isn’t gonna bite us in the ass?” Cosky asked, casting a sharp look at Embray. “If the cops find out we didn’t head straight to the clinic, they’ll have questions.”

Embray shrugged. “My people are loyal. Hutchins won’t tell anyone about this meetup. Will you Hutch?”

“No sir.” The chauffeur’s voice was quietly sincere.

“I’ll scrub the detour from the Lamborghini’s GPS system,” Capland promised. “Besides, getting caught with the hard drive would be difficult to explain.”

O’Neill scoffed. The dude hadn’t said impossible. Nope, just difficult. The nerd was a little too confident in his abilities. Although in truth, most of that self-assurance was warranted.

The black Escalade sat abandoned along the curb in front of the clinic.

Cosky hopped out of the limo at the same time as their chauffeur.

O’Neill and Cap were seconds behind. The three of them assumed their bodyguard roles again as they converged on Embray’s door.

They waited for the billionaire to step out of the vehicle and walk toward the clinic doors, then fell into step behind him.

The gritty sound of the Lamborghini’s tires rolling over concrete as it drove away faded behind them.

Embray scanned the empty concrete ramp leading up to the glass doors and then the area surrounding them, before asking in a low voice, “Any word from Wolf?”

“On his way back to the bird,” O’Neill said just as quietly. “They all are.”

Too bad he wouldn’t be joining them. No doubt Capland was just as frustrated by their exclusion from the bugout. He must be dying to get started on Nantz’s hard drive. But they, as Embray’s bodyguards, needed to appear long enough to alleviate suspicion.

They walked into the emergency room—or the A&E as the Brits called them—at the exact moment Nantz’s bodyguards were charging out. Embray stopped in the middle of the self-opening door.

“Hold up.” Embray raised his voice and waited for the lead bodyguard to acknowledge him. “You’re with Clark’s security detail, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “How is he?”

“Not here.” The bodyguard snarled as he brushed past.

“Where is he?” Embray turned as the lead bodyguard kept walking.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. We’re headed to Berkeley Medical, see if they took him there.”

“The paramedic said they were taking him here. When you mentioned Berkeley Medical, they said they weren’t taking him there.”

“Right. That’s what the block said.” The bodyguard’s voice was one long snarl.

“But the boss isn’t here, and according to the 999 dispatcher who took my call, the ambulance she dispatched never treated the boss.

We were gone by the time her ambulance arrived.

She’s trying to track down the crew who treated him.

In the meantime, we’ll check out surrounding A&Es in case he was taken there.

” His pace picked up as he followed his team out the glass doors.

Embray wavered, took a few small steps into the lobby, and hesitated before turning around and staring at the departing guards. The ER had to be rigged with cameras. No doubt Embray was playing to the lens. The cops would pull the camera footage once they realized Nantz was missing.

“Perhaps they misunderstood the clinic staff,” he finally mumbled. With that, he headed for the line of Plexiglass-shielded cubicles across the room.

Like the professionals they were, O’Neill, Simcosky, and Capland followed him.

Cosky was the first to notice the blonde woman in the rose-colored skirt and jacket sitting against the wall to their right.

He nudged Embray’s shoulder and nodded toward the woman.

O’Neill followed his gaze. He recognized the woman instantly.

Nantz’s secretary. She was sitting with her shoulders back and hands neatly folded in her lap.

Embray, with Cosky and O’Neill in tow, headed toward her.

“Ms.…ah...” Embray stumbled to a halt before saying uncomfortably, “I’m terribly sorry. But I’ve forgotten your name.”

“Please, just call me Bernice,” the woman said, her voice thick and phlegmy, like she’d been crying. Her eyes were a bit red too. “Mr. Nantz will appreciate you checking up on him.”

“It’s my pleasure, but I ran into his security detail, and they claim he isn’t here.” Embray’s face and eyes screamed confusion. He really was a terrific actor. “Isn’t this where the paramedics said they were taking him?”

“Yes, they said they were bringing him here. But the staff can’t find him.

The ambulance attendants must have taken him elsewhere.

” Her lips trembled. “It’s so strange though.

I got hold of the original dispatcher to find out where he was taken.

She claims that when the ambulance she dispatched showed up at Clark’s office, nobody was there.

She didn’t know which ambulance crew picked him up, or where they took him.

” She took a deep breath, then let it out in a rush.

When she continued, her voice sounded shaky.

“Clark’s security team left to check the other emergency rooms. I’m waiting here in case he arrives, or additional information emerges. ”

The worry in the woman’s voice was clear. She seemed to care about the bastard. O’Neill grimaced. Apparently, even monsters had people who cared about them.

Embray shook his head, managing to look shocked. “I’m certain it’s all a misunderstanding.” He leaned over to pat her folded hands. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. I’ll check with the nurses. Perhaps he arrived since the last time you checked.”

When Embray made a beeline for the first Plexiglass-wrapped cubicle, he, Cosky, and Cap followed. The receptionist behind the shield looked up with a polite smile.

“A good friend was supposed to be brought here by ambulance,” Embray lifted his arm and consulted his watch. “Thirty minutes or so ago.” He dropped his arm and leaned into the Plexiglass. “His name is Nantz. Clark Nantz. Would you be kind enough to see if he’s arrived.”

“Clark Nantz…” the receptionist repeated before swiveling her chair until it faced the brown-haired guy in the next cubicle. “Hey, Robbie, wasn’t Clark Nantz the name of the patient those men at your desk were looking for?”

Robbie cast her a quick look before turning back to his computer. “Yeah. Why?”

“Cause this guy is looking for him too.” The brunette motioned toward Embray.

Robbie shrugged and continued typing. “He’s not here. Nobody seems to know who picked him up, or where they took him.”

Embray abandoned the nurse in front of him and walked to the next cubicle.

“You seem familiar with the situation,” Embray said quietly. “Could you check the ER again?”

“It will be a few minutes. I’m in the middle of something.” A hint of annoyance sharpened Robbie’s voice.

“I’ll wait.” Embray’s tone hardened.

From the annoyed expression that flitted across the dude’s face, he didn’t want them to wait. He wanted them to go away. But at least he didn’t run them off.

A minute later, Robbie slammed his hands down on his keyboard and pushed himself to his feet. “Fine. I’ll see if his ambulance ever showed up.”

“Thank you.” Now that Embray had gotten his way, his tone softened.

The annoyed receptionist was back quickly. So swiftly, O’Neill doubted he’d made any real effort to find Nantz.

“No sign of a Clark Nantz,” he said flatly.

“Or the ambulance drivers your friends from earlier described.” He glanced across the lobby and nodded toward Bernice.

“Looks like the bobbies are involved. Maybe they have more information on your friend.” He sat back down at his desk and motioned a young woman with a limp forward.

Embray turned and weaved his way through the people in the lobby toward Nantz’s secretary. Two hard-faced men had joined her. Both wore black uniforms, with the red and white checkered bands on their cuffs and caps that represented the city of London police.

“Have you found Clark?” Embray asked, breaking into their questioning of Bernice. His voice, while quiet, carried a tone of authority.

The officer to the right turned to study Embray with cool eyes, then scanned Embray’s entourage. “You are?”

O’Neill was certain of two things: the cop had been aware of their approach, and he knew who Embray was.

“Leonard Embray. I was with Clark when he collapsed. The paramedics said they were bringing him here, but the receptionists just told me he still hasn’t arrived.”

The officer flipped open a small notebook and looked at O’Neill. “And who are you?”

“O’Neill. I’m with Embray’s security.”

The cop stared back. “First name?”

“Don’t have one. Just O’Neill, like Maddona.”

The officer’s eyes narrowed, like he didn’t believe him, or thought he was hiding something. O’Neill grimaced. Sometimes his lack of a first name was a pain in the ass. “My mother didn’t bother to give me a first name. Just my father’s last name.”

The cop went through the whole name thing again with Simcosky and Capland, jotting each name in his notebook before turning his attention back to Embray. “Why were you visiting the victim?”

Victim?

O’Neill kept his face impassive, despite his surprise. The police were categorizing Nantz as a victim? Were they already considering the billionaire’s disappearance a kidnapping?

Embray’s eyebrows rose. “I was discussing a business proposition with him.”

“Mr. Embray was with Clark when he collapsed,” the secretary explained.

That appeared to catch the cop’s attention, even though Embray had already told him as much. He jotted something down in his notebook.

“You say he collapsed. What exactly happened?” the officer asked, his alert gaze steady on Embray’s face. He took more notes as Embray fed him the same line of bullshit he’d told Nantz’s bodyguards.

“He didn’t say anything? Just collapsed?”

“That’s right. O’Neill caught him before he hit the ground. We thought he was having a heart attack. O’Neill’s trained in CPR, so he ripped his shirt open. But we could see Clark’s heart was beating.”

The cop nodded like he’d heard the rundown before. Had he already talked to Nantz’s security team? Or had Nantz’s secretary filled him in on the details?

“Who called the ambulance?” the cop asked, those cool, assessing eyes back on Embray’s face.

“One of Clark’s bodyguards,” Embray said.

“These paramedics. The ones who took Nantz away, describe them for me.”

Embray described both Winters and Rawlings in detail.

“Anything that stood out?” This time the question was directed at O’Neill, who glanced at Embray, as though asking for permission. After Embray’s small nod, he turned back to the cop. “One of them, the brown haired one, was from the states. Had an American accent.”

“And you didn’t find that suspicious?” The officer’s voice remained flat, but his gaze narrowed.

O’Neill shrugged and held the cop’s eyes. “Why would I? The states have all kinds of nationalities working in the emergency service sector. I figured London was the same.”

The cop studied him, his sharp gaze scanning O’Neill’s face and body. O’Neill kept his expression easy, and his body relaxed.

“You called Clark a victim earlier.” Embray finally broke the building silence. “Why?”

The cop flipped his notebook closed. “We’ve checked with the local ambulance depots. Nobody has a team resembling the two men who took Nantz. Whoever they are, they are not paramedics.”

There was definite suspicion in his eyes as he scanned Embray. “You and your security team will need to come down to the station to give your statements.”

Embray simply nodded. They’d expected suspicion to fall on them. The fact that a fake ambulance crew swept in before the real paramedics had arrived screamed inside job. O’Neill just hadn’t expected the police to find out Rawlings and Winters were fake quite so soon.

And he’d expected it to take longer for Nantz’s disappearance to be recognized as a kidnapping.

Long enough for Wolf’s warriors to get Nantz out of London and onboard the Citation.