The Doctor's Defender (Protection Specialists Book 3) (14 page)

They arrived at the courthouse on time. Kyle walked beside Brenda while Trevor and Jackie broke off to blend in with the scenery.

“What are they doing?” Brenda asked.

“Keeping a watchful eye for anyone or anything questionable or threatening,” Kyle replied in hushed tones. “They have our backs.”

“That’s good to know,” she said, praying that nothing would happen. She just wanted this over with.

They found Mason waiting in an alcove on the second floor. He wore a brown tailored suit, white dress shirt and a paisley tie. His dark cropped hair was gelled back, making him look more like mafia than a lawyer.

“First, he can’t come with you,” Mason said as soon as she’d made the introductions.

“What?” She wanted Kyle to be in the room. She needed his strength, his calm.

“Not allowed.”

Kyle took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right outside the door.”

“Okay,” Mason said sharply while pacing a short path in the alcove. His hand chopped the air. “So when we get in there, just tell a clear and believable account of Mr. Hanson’s prep and surgery. Do not say anything that isn’t a direct answer to a question. And under no circumstance are you to talk to the plaintiffs or their lawyer without me present.”

As Mason continued his points on what to expect and how to act, Brenda nodded and strove for outward calm. But inside she was a mess. Nerves hit her stomach. Her palms felt sweaty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous.

Panicked? Afraid? Terrified? Sure, too numerous to count over the past few days.

But this was different. Her career was at stake. Her reputation.

She tried to tell herself both were paltry issues compared with staying alive. Didn’t help.

A uniformed officer stepped out of a room. “Hanson case.”

Mason checked his watch. “Showtime.”

Brenda sought Kyle’s gaze. He gave her the thumbs-up sign. Knowing he’d be close gave her the courage to face the proceedings.

The deposition didn’t take as long as she’d anticipated, nor was it as painful as she’d expected. She left the small, windowless room with her lawyer in tow. Kyle stood beside the door and fell into step beside her.

Halfway down the hall, Brenda came face-to-face with Mr. Hanson’s family. His widow, an elegantly dressed woman in her late sixties, stared at Brenda with glacial eyes full of hurt and sorrow.

Knowing the pain of her father’s illness and how devastating it would be if he were to die without having an opportunity to say goodbye made Brenda’s heart twist with empathy.

Sometimes people just need to know others understand.
Kyle’s words rang clearly inside her head. She’d come to understand what Kyle was trying to say that day. Brenda knew what she had to do. “Mrs. Hanson, may I speak with you?”

Behind her Mason sputtered, “Brenda, I advise against this.”

One of the Hanson adult sons stepped in front of his mother. “We’ve been told not to speak to you.”

Mrs. Hanson put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “It’s all right, dear. Let her have her say.”

Brenda glanced at Kyle, saw his slight nod and knew she was doing the right thing. Ignoring Mason’s protest, Brenda spoke with heartfelt honesty. “I did everything I could for your husband. I have gone over every detail of your husband’s case, and I don’t understand why he died.”

Tears welled in Mrs. Hanson’s eyes. Brenda felt them in her own eyes, as well.

“I’m heartsick over it and I apologize for whatever role I played in his death. I really did do everything in my power to save him.”

One of the sons scoffed.

Mrs. Hanson held out her hand. Brenda took it.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Hanson said. Then she turned and led her family into the deposition room.

As soon as they were alone, Mason threw up his hands. “You just lost the case.”

Kyle slipped his arm around her waist. “I’m proud of you.”

Basking in the glow of his words, she leaned into him, not caring whether it was a wise decision or not. She needed him, needed his strength, his calm, his support. “Thank—”

A piercing scream stopped her cold. Kyle’s arm tightened around her, pulling her behind him as people ran for the exits.

* * *

Kyle’s heart hammered in his chest. He touched his earpiece with his free hand. “Trevor, what’s happening?”

Static crackled in his ear. The coms had gone out.

Uniformed officers urged everyone out of the building.

Keeping Brenda close, Kyle led her down the stairs. On the first-floor landing, he spotted Trevor. He jostled his way to their side.

“Hey, there’s been some sort of bomb threat,” Trevor explained. “Chicago P.D.’s got a bomb squad coming.”

“The coms are being jammed,” Kyle said, taking out the useless earpiece and putting it into his pocket.

“That was my thought, too. Police aren’t doing it,” Trevor said. “Jackie’s bringing the vehicle around front.”

If the circumstances weren’t so tense, Kyle might have found the thought of Jackie driving the big yellow beast comical. But there was nothing funny about this situation. A random bomb threat wasn’t a coincidence. Their adversary set this up. Kyle glanced at the courthouse door. Was a sniper waiting for Brenda to step outside?

Kyle looked for another way out. His gaze landed on a window facing the side street. “Tell Jackie to meet us on the south side of the building.” Taking Brenda’s hand, he tugged her forward as Trevor ran out the front door.

The window slid open wide enough for them to slip through. Even though they were technically on the first floor, there was a three-foot drop to the flower bed below the window. “I’ll go first. As soon as I’m on the ground, I want you climbing out.”

Brenda nodded.

Kyle climbed through and dropped easily to the ground. Brenda shimmied out the window. He placed his hands on her hips to help her to the ground.

The yellow SUV pulled to the curb. An expanse of lawn separated them from the safety of the vehicle.

“Keep low,” Kyle cautioned. “We’re going to run to the vehicle.”

Brenda placed a hand on his shoulder to balance herself as she took off her shoes. Holding the shoes in one hand, she grasped his hand and said, “I’m ready.”

In a low crouch they ran across the grass. The loud crack of a rifle jolted through Kyle. A bullet hit the ground inches from their feet as they hustled to the waiting vehicle. Brenda let out a terrified yelp. They dived inside the back passenger bay. Another bullet pinged off the vehicle’s bumper.

* * *

Jackie gunned the engine and they shot away from the curb. She drove evasively for thirty minutes, taking side streets, random turns, double-backing and parking for a moment only to pull away from the curb after a couple of seconds. By the time they arrived at the safe house, Brenda was feeling not only frightened but also nauseous.

Once they were safely inside, she headed straight for her room at the far end of the second story. The whole ordeal had been exhausting. She took a face-plant on the bed and just lay there. Meeting with the lawyers, facing Mrs. Hanson and apologizing to running for her life, again, had taken a toll.

She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. She felt like a mouse caught in a maze. Every move was blocked, every exit cut off, and the cat was getting closer each passing second.

There had to be a way to control this, to bring some kind of closure to this whole situation.

She flipped over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She wanted her life back. Without fear.

“Okay, God, if You’re real and You care like Kyle says, then show me how to end this. Give me or Kyle or someone a plan or something. And while I’m talking to You...” She shook her head, feeling ridiculous for talking aloud to someone she couldn’t see. “Please heal my father.”

She lay there for a moment waiting for something to happen, lightning to strike, inspiration to hit. Nothing.

Disappointed, she rose and changed into slacks and a lightweight sweater that Jackie had also brought from Brenda’s apartment.

She went downstairs to the living room. Trevor paced in front of the windows like a caged tiger. Jackie sat on the floor with a disassembled gun laid out before her.

“Where’s Kyle?” she asked.

“Doing a perimeter sweep,” Jackie answered.

Feeling useless and helpless, Brenda decided to go through her files again. She fired up her Heritage Hospital computer and logged in to her account. She downloaded her email and saw the Evite reminder of the hospital’s annual fundraiser.

She was listed as one of the speakers. Kyle had already nixed going, saying it would be too much of a security risk. Her finger hovered over the delete button.

But that was before he’d brought Trevor and Jackie on board.

Besides, these things always had a high number of security personnel because the donor base was some of the city’s most prominent and wealthy citizens.

She sighed. But it would be foolish to attend. Why put herself and everyone else at risk?

“That was a heavy sigh,” Kyle said, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

His thigh brushed hers, sending awareness of his closeness shooting through her system. His scent, a mixture of musk and man and fresh autumn air, swirled around her head, igniting all her senses and making her frustration even more pronounced because she wanted nothing more than to lean into him and pretend the world didn’t exist. But that wasn’t possible. And giving in to her yearnings wouldn’t accomplish anything. At this point she wasn’t sure anything would ever change.

“Yeah, well. This guy is winning,” she said, fighting back the burn of tears. “I’m living in fear, trapped inside this place, afraid to go to work, to live my life. How do people live with this kind of constant threat hanging over their life?”

Kyle rubbed her shoulder. “It’s natural to feel the way you’re feeling. It’s never easy. But he hasn’t won. I won’t let him.”

“So we just sit here, day after day, waiting for him to screw up so the police can arrest him. I can’t do this anymore.” She stared Kyle directly in the eye. “I want my life back.”

Kyle slowly nodded. “I want to give it back to you.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked at her computer. He leaned forward and pointed at the screen. “And this just might be the way to do it.”

A flutter of hope and excitement mixed with anxiety formed a ball in Brenda’s tummy. “What are you thinking?”

“If you want to trap a rabid animal, you have to lure it in with bait.”

THIRTEEN

O
n Friday evening, Brenda slipped her feet into a pair of black satin heels. She wasn’t used to wearing heels, but they were more comfortable than she remembered. A good thing, because tonight she would be so far out of her comfort zone with everything else going on, and she was glad she wouldn’t be complaining about her feet. She was almost ready for the hospital’s fall gala. She smoothed a hand down the front of the dress in a lame attempt to settle the nervous flutters in her tummy.

Rather than risk another trip to her apartment, Kyle had insisted she and Jackie pick up dresses at a nearby boutique. Brenda had chosen a basic black, floor-length gown with a boatneck collar and sheer long sleeves. The dress fit like a dream and made her feel svelte and beautiful. She wondered what Kyle would think of the dress.

The minute the thought formed, she realized how much she hoped he liked it—liked her in it.

With shaky hands, she twisted her hair up into a knot, leaving her neck exposed.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door.

Anticipation sent a fresh wave of flutters through her. Kyle? “Come in.”

“Almost ready?” Jackie asked as she entered and closed the door behind her.

Disappointment shot through Brenda. “Yes. Almost. That dress is stunning on you.”

Jackie twirled. “I feel so young in it.”

She’d purchased a stunning silk, pink, off-the-shoulder
dress that fell just below her knees. She wore sparkly silver, low-heeled sandals that would allow her to chase bad guys if the need arose. Her blond curls cascaded like a waterfall from a silver clip. Brenda admired the petite woman and was thankful she was here.

With quick steps Jackie crossed to the bed and sat on the edge. She slipped off her shoes and rubbed at her feet. “I’ve only had these on for five minutes and already my feet hurt,” she groused.

“The price for beauty,” Brenda commented. A price she usually didn’t care to pay. Sure, she had a few pieces of vanity. Her red rubber-soled pumps that she normally wore at work had little bows, but they were still practical. But since Kyle had come into her life, she wanted to look good, to feel pretty.

Jackie’s mouth quirked. “We do look great.”

Brenda wished she had Jackie’s confidence. “I’m nervous,” she admitted. Though she wasn’t sure if her nerves were more from the dangers ahead or because Kyle would be her escort.

This wasn’t a date, she reminded herself. But she wished it were. She wished they were just a normal couple headed to a fancy event where she’d give her speech then they’d leave and head somewhere quiet to have coffee and talk.

But that wasn’t the case tonight.

She’d agreed to be bait, to appear in public in hopes her would-be assassin would show himself.

“Kyle made arrangements with Detective Lebowitz for a visible police presence and for undercover cops to pose as part of the waitstaff,” Jackie said. “Trevor and I will mingle among the guests. If anyone tries anything, we’ll take ’em down.” She pumped her fist.

Brenda remembered that Kyle had referred to Jackie as a firecracker. The woman was definitely feisty and fierce. “I wish I was as brave as you.”

“I know this has been hard.” Jackie pinned her with a compassionate look. “You’re doing really well.”

Brenda wasn’t so sure. She was having a hard time keeping her guard up and not letting the fear overcome her. She could feel the fissures in her composure. “I’m close to cracking.”

“You won’t crack. You’re strong.” Jackie slipped her shoes back on. “Besides, Kyle won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know he won’t.” She’d seen him in action, knew what he was capable of. She trusted he’d do everything in his power to protect her.

But would he be able to protect himself, as well? She was afraid for him. She might be the bait, but he wouldn’t hesitate to step in front of her and take the hit. The thought of anything happening to him rocked her to her core.

All she could think about was him. So strong. So kind. So handsome. Her heart pounded, an odd mixture of fear and attraction. She was falling for him. Maybe she’d already fallen. That frightened her as much as what might happen tonight.

She wanted the killer found and arrested. But she didn’t want Kyle to go away. But that’s what would happen once the case was solved and she was no longer in danger.

“If this doesn’t end tonight, how much longer can this go on?”

Jackie made a face. “Hard to say. Long enough for you and Kyle to get cozier.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.” A flush started to spread from Brenda’s neckline upward while an excited thrill danced down her spine.

“No, it’s not.” Jackie gave her a knowing look. “You both have it bad. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. The way you each anticipate the other’s moves and practically finish each other’s sentences.”

Hoping her rising blush wasn’t noticeable, Brenda shook her head and busied her hands by putting on a pair of earrings. Her first line of defense was denial, both to herself and Jackie. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Jackie’s chuckle grated on Brenda’s nerves as she fumbled with the earrings.

“There’s nothing cozy about being targeted for murder,” Brenda said.

“You’re right there,” Jackie said. “However, I’m not talking about being lax or even relaxed. I’m talking about L-O-V-E.”

Brenda stilled. Love?

Her heart pounding in sporadic beats, Brenda turned to face Jackie. She tried to squelch the rising hope. “Look, I know you mean well, but you’re way off base. Kyle and I... He’s doing a job. I have to trust him. Anything else would be disastrous.”

Jackie gave her a searching look. “Why?”

Words tumbled out of Brenda and anxiety swelled in her chest. She locked her fingers together to steady herself. “We have very different lives. We both have demanding careers. He’s leaving when this is over. I’m not his type. He likes to play the field. It wouldn’t work.”
I won’t risk my heart again.

Jackie rose with a shrug. “Sounds like excuses to me.” She opened the bedroom door. Then paused to say, “I’ve known him for several years, and I’ve never seen him this way with anyone else. He’s smitten, even if he doesn’t realize it. And I think you are, too, and even if you won’t admit it to me, you need to acknowledge it to yourself.” Her delicate brows lowered. “And just to set the record straight, Kyle is not a player. He’s as solid as they come. Sure he’s dated, but he’s not a womanizer.”

With that Jackie departed, leaving Brenda reeling. She slowly sank onto the bed as she absorbed Jackie’s words. Kyle was smitten with her? He wasn’t a womanizer?

She was smitten with him?

A laugh escaped. Yes. She was smitten. More than smitten.

She loved Kyle.

The admission welled up from a deep place within that went beyond logic and reason. She loved him.

Joy bubbled, but she tempered it down with reality.

What she’d said to Jackie may have sounded like excuses, but the underlying truth of the reasons remained. And she didn’t know how they could change the facts, even if they both wanted to. They lived in different cities. He had a dangerous job that required him to put his life on the line. She was a workaholic with no taste for danger. She couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life constantly worrying that something would happen to him.

Excuses.
Jackie’s voice rang in Brenda’s head.

Maybe. But she was a realist. And a coward. She couldn’t put her heart at risk.

She needed to get through this nightmare in one piece.

Anything more was beyond her. When this was over, she’d say goodbye and get on with her life. Without him.

Her heart ached at the thought, but she was determined to stay resolved.

She realized keeping her resolution through the night would be difficult the moment she and Jackie joined Kyle and Trevor, both dressed to impress in traditional black tuxedos and stunningly handsome.

Her gaze was drawn straight to Kyle’s. His blue eyes widened, and an appreciative grin lit up his face. Her insides clenched.

“You’re beautiful,” he said with something like awe in his tone.

“So are you,” she said, liking the way his tux fit across his broad shoulders. He’d combed his hair into submission away from his face, emphasizing the strong line of his jaw and chiseled cheekbones. She wanted to kiss every angle and plane of his face. She tightened her hold on her evening bag.

“Come on, folks.” Trevor, looking like a James Bond candidate, picked up the duffel bag with their weapons. “Time to get this show going.”

They arrived at the Grand Hotel ten minutes later. They were escorted to the Grand Ballroom. The vast space was set up with white linen-covered tables, a stage and podium at one end and fresh-cut flowers everywhere. Even the balconies were decorated with ivy intertwined through the railings. Huge gilded baskets filled to the brim with exotic blooms hung from the ceiling on clear string, making them appear as if they were floating in the air.

These events always were torture for Brenda. But tonight, her anxiety level went through the roof. Making small talk was difficult for her. Add in a potential murderer, and she was a bundle of nerves. However, she soon discovered that Kyle was a master at carrying the conversation as he moved her through the crowd, stopping to say hello and introduce themselves to complete strangers. Brenda caught sight of Trevor near the main entrance. He seemed to be scrutinizing those entering the ballroom. Jackie floated about the room, mingling sporadically like a pink pixie. Brenda doubted anyone realized the diminutive operative was scoping out possible bad guys.

By the time Kyle led Brenda to a table near the front of the room, Brenda’s shoulder muscles screamed with tension. With every brush of Kyle’s arm against hers, every time he placed his hand to the small of her back, all her nerve endings tingled, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than him.

Brenda and Kyle were seated with some very wealthy patrons of the hospital. The woman on Brenda’s left wanted to talk health-care reform, a subject Brenda had plenty to say on. She was thankfully able to shift her focus away from her troubles for a few moments.

The emcee approached the microphone on the podium. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us at our tenth annual fall fundraising gala. We have several guests here tonight, including two of Heritage Hospital’s finest physicians. They will speak later this evening. But first we have a special treat for you tonight. Please give a big welcome to country-music star R. C. Spinoza.”

Kyle leaned over to whisper in her ear, “You doing okay?”

His breath tickled her neck and sent delicious shivers sliding over her. She leaned closer to whisper back, “With you here I am.”

He drew back to hold her gaze. “Good to know.”

Pulse skittering, Brenda was glad they weren’t alone, because the longing to explore just what the look in his eyes meant squeezed her in a tight grip. A waiter stepped between them to refill her water glass. The buzz and chatter of a full banquet room rose. She took a cooling sip of water and focused on making polite conversation with the others at the table.

An hour later, a prickling of unease made Brenda stiffen. The waiter hovered near her elbow. She drew back slightly to look at him. He met her gaze. Cold gray eyes bore into her. His face looked familiar. Bold features, a broad forehead and close-cropped hair. Brenda knew she’d seen the man before. His image bounced through her memories but never settled.

“Coffee?” he asked.

With the beat of her heart sounding in her head in time to the country tune being sung at the front of the room, she shook her head. He moved on to the next table.

Spooked, she tried to remember where she’d seen the guy.

Kyle laid a hand on her arm. “Everything okay?”

“I thought I recognized one of the waitstaff,” she whispered.

“Which one?”

Her gaze sought the waiter with the cold gray eyes, but she didn’t see him. “Close-cropped dark hair. Gray eyes. Not as tall as you.” She shook her head, frustrated. “There’s too many of them. I can’t pick him out.”

Kyle stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be right back. You stay put.”

A flutter of panic hit her tummy. “Where are you going?”

“To talk to Lebowitz. Have him find the guy you saw. Half of the waiters are Chicago P.D., but the others...”

...could be the one who wanted her dead. Did she recognize the man because he was a police officer?

Watching Kyle weave his way through the crush of tables, she tested that thought, but it didn’t jell in her mind. She tuned out the room and searched her brain. Where had she seen that man? The hospital? The clinic?

He’d been dressed differently, though. Not in the white shirt and black slacks of the waitstaff. No, she could almost picture him in work boots and a plaid shirt.

Something clicked, and suddenly she knew why he looked familiar.

She’d seen him only once. Two years ago at the downtown clinic. He was a construction worker, if she remembered correctly.

He and his wife had brought in their son, who had presented with a splenic rupture. From a fall off his bike, the mother, a small, wispy woman with a soft voice, had said.

The spleen was the most frequent organ to be damaged in blunt-trauma injury involving the abdomen. A fall off a bike, catching a handlebar in the stomach region, could have explained the injury. However, during the surgery to remove the damaged organ, Brenda had noticed other bruises not consistent with a fall.

While the boy recovered, Brenda had followed protocol and informed child protective services. Then she’d moved on to another patient.

She’d never seen the family again. Never knew what happened to the boy or his parents. She’d done her job and left CPS to do theirs.

Could he be the man who wanted her dead?

“Brenda?”

Kyle’s touch on her arm jolted her out of her thoughts. She turned and looked into his concerned blue eyes. He slipped back into his seat. “Did you find the waiter?”

“No,” he said. “And no one remembers seeing anyone like you described. But Lebowitz has his men searching. I’m not going to let anyone get near you.”