Eighty-nine

Easing her jacket over the gauze padding on her shoulder, Sabrina winced a bit as she zipped it up over the ballistics tank. Her shirt lay in a tattered mess on the floor.

Tucked into the tank was the chain Michael gave her. The key hanging from it would get her home. She cast a final look at the television. The story about Ben’s pending senatorial appointment had been replaced by an image of Detective Santos standing in front of the hospital. Mark Alvarez stood next to him, hands dug into the front pockets of his Dockers, face tilted toward the sidewalk. Both of them looked uncomfortable, but Alvarez wore an expression of dazed panic that said he knew his life was about to change. When news broke about Manny Robles and his delusion of being the “lost” Vega child, someone would ferret out what really happened to Father Francisco Vega’s illegitimate sons. Shine a spotlight on Paul Vega’s life and the troubled childhood of Mark Alvarez, aka Nulo.

She understood exactly how poor Alvarez felt.

The phone in her pocket let out a buzz. A text from Church: Hospital surveillance is down for the next fifteen.

She looked inside the bag Church left behind. A baseball cap and two medication bottles. Tramadol and 800mg Ibuprofen—one for pain, the other for swelling—and what looked like a turkey sandwich with a note taped to it.

Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.
C

Under the sandwich was a pair of worn journals. She lifted them out, reading the names written in neat, heavy block letters across their fronts. Melissa. Frankie.

Her phone buzzed again: Shake a leg, Kitten.

Returning the journals to the bag, she tucked her phone away before slipping the hat over her head. Tugging the bill of it low over her brow, she left the curtained room. Formulating an escape route on the fly, she headed for the elevator. The emergency room entrance was a zoo, clogged with reporters and even more uniforms. Better to go up and over. She’d use the sky bridge, cross to a different tower and ride back down before exiting the hospital through the back. She’d catch a bus to the bank and the safety deposit box Michael—

The elevator dinged a split second before the doors slid open and she slipped in, keeping her face tipped down as she pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors began to close but bounced back when someone stuck their hand into the car. She didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“The doctors are cautiously optimistic about Ellie’s recovery,” Val said quietly. “They told me the FBI agent who brought her in saved her life, so … thank you.”

“Ellie’s a fighter.” She nodded, eyes stuck on the button panel in front of her, remembering what Church said earlier. “Like her sister.”

Val was quiet for a moment. “You’re leaving,” she said, her voice broken and sharp.

Sabrina nodded her head, the movement of it drawing a small sound from the back of Val’s throat.

“Riley dropped out of college.” Val looked at her, pleading. “She’s getting ready to take the SFPD entrance exam. She feels like she’s supposed to follow in your footsteps,” she said, her tone laced with panic, trying to find a way to make her stay. “Like it’s her job to finish what you started now that you’re … gone. Maybe if she knew that you—”

“No.” She shook her head, even though the thought of Riley as a cop filled her with a dizzying mix of anxiety and pride. “She can’t know. No one can know,” she said, finally raising her gaze to meet her friend’s. “You have to forget about me. Move on. All of you.”

Val nodded and looked away, rubbing a gentle hand over her belly while she let out a slow breath. “I know.” When she looked back at her, there were tears in her eyes. “Are you happy?”

She thought of the house she shared with Michael. Of the kids running through the woods. Grilled cheese and pancakes. Her dog sunning herself on the front porch. “Yes,” she whispered and she was.

The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival to the fourth floor.

She reached down, finding her friend’s hand dangling between them. “Thank you, for saving me. For fighting for me, even when I didn’t want you to,” she said, giving Val’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Val smiled through her tears. “Anytime.”

When the elevator doors slid open, Sabrina exited alone.