“Who the fuck is this?” Alex slurred, still drowsy from sleep as he rolled onto his back in the San Francisco Guardian apartment. “And why are you calling me at five in the morning?”
“Jack Ashworth. As if you didn’t know.” The fucker’s shouting didn’t help Alex wake up.
“What the hell do you want?” Why the hell would Katlin’s boss call him at this hour of the morning?
“Where did you take her?” Ashworth seethed.
“Who? Where is who?” Alex asked as he took deep breaths to bring his brain up to the awakened state of his body.
“Katlin, she’s gone.”
A cold shot of adrenaline hit Alex’s brain. Fully awake now, he said, “Jack, slow down, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“As if you don’t know. Katlin is missing from the hospital. She is gone. Disappeared.” Each word was punctuated with a hiss.
“Jack, I’m in San Francisco. I’ve been here for two days. You just woke me up from a sound sleep and are accusing me of exactly what?” Alex had no idea what the hell Ashworth was rambling on about. He did get the point, though, that Katlin was somehow involved.
“Did you, or did you not, remove Katlin from Walter Reed Hospital?” The strain was evident in Ashworth’s voice. The man was truly worried.
“I haven’t a clue what you are talking about. Are you telling me Kat is gone?” Alex’s brain kicked into gear. “Have you searched the whole hospital? She was having a lot of tests these past two days and they had to take her out to other departments. Have you checked there?”
“Lobo, I’m an expert at finding people, especially those in hiding. Agents have checked every room in this hospital. She’s gone. Where did you take her?” Ashworth’s accusations were beyond annoying.
While the man continued to rant, Alex flipped to check Katlin’s tracker. She was in her ICU room. When he flipped to his video app, her room was empty.
Now, more worried than pissed at Jack, Alex insisted, “I don’t have her. Who would have kidnapped her?” Alex was out of bed and grabbing clothes and throwing them into his go-bag. If he couldn’t find a flight with the executive service they used, he’d charter a plane to get him back to D.C. He had to find Katlin, and Ashworth already had hours of searching on him.
“I don’t know. We haven’t seen any activity that would indicate a threat to Katlin or her team. The Ladies flew out last night and Katlin was sleeping in her room at that time. I checked on her myself before going to bed.”
That was information Alex didn’t have before. Obviously, the Agency had also tapped into the hospital’s video feed and Jack was watching her, too. Alex briefly wondered if Jack had watched as he held Kat’s hand and listened as he talked to her several times a day. Had Jack watched as Alex kissed Kat goodbye every time he left the room? Nothing he could do about that now. “Jack, who would want her captive? Who could handle a comatose woman? Who could get her out of the hospital without being seen?”
“I don’t know, but damn it, I intend to find out.” Jack hissed out a breath. “If I find out you have her, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Alex interrupted. There was absolutely nothing that Jack Ashworth could do to him. On the other hand, Alex had already proven that he could kill Jack anytime he wanted.
The line went dead.
Alex shook his head and began to piece the puzzle together. He knew who could pull this off—the Ladies. But they were in the air before the kidnap. His men could do it too, especially with Brett’s skills. He punched his speed dial.
“I’m glad you called,” Top said to Alex. “You need to get back to D.C. immediately. Katlin has been kidnapped.”
“Do we have a ransom notice?” Alex asked logically.
“No, sir, and I don’t believe we will.” Top Cooper sounded cocky. Did his D.C. manager know where she was? The cranky old Marine loved Katlin like a daughter. If he knew she was missing, he’d already have called in every resource to help find her.
“Do you know where she is, Top?” Alex didn’t have time to play games.
“You need to get back here so we can figure this whole thing out, Mr. Wolf.”
Alex noted the avoidance of his question but realized that Top wanted him back in D.C. immediately. The Mr. Wolf was another indication.
“Can you book me on the next flight? I need a shower. Call Griffin and send him to the San Francisco Center to handle things here.”
“Want to talk to him? He’s standing right beside me.” Top said nonchalantly.
Why the hell was Griffin still there? After saying goodbye to Grace, he usually caught the redeye to Miami so he could be there when his office opened in the morning.
“Why are you in D.C.?” Alex asked his Miami manager.
“Because this is where Grace was last night, and today is my day off. Turned out to be a good thing I was here. I was heading back to Miami in a few hours, though. You should get here as soon as you can.” Griffin had thrown another clue at him.
Again, noting what wasn’t said, Alex saw puzzle pieces begin to connect. “Trade places with me,” Alex said. “You come to San Francisco and deal with the IRS here. I’m headed to D.C. to find Katlin.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Griffin said, but Alex wasn’t sure which statement Griffin was responding to, or both. “Have you ever thought about putting a scrambling system on our phones? In this day and age, it might be a good idea.”
“Of course, I’ve thought about it. Do you think we need it?” Alex asked, following the subtext.
“Definitely, sir.” Griffin had given him all the confirmation needed.
So, the lines are probably bugged, and the Agency is listening to this conversation. That could explain a lot, Alex thought.
“Griffin, head to San Francisco immediately unless we have a situation in Miami that we need to discuss in person. If so, wait for me in D.C. and take a later flight,” Alex suggested.
“I’ll pick you up at the airport with Top. A multi-center managers’ meeting might be needed,” Griffin said. “See you in a few hours.”
The next voice he heard was Top’s. “I think that’s a great idea. We’ll pick you up at Regan National. Shower fast, you have a flight to catch.” Alex headed for the shower as the text with his flight information beeped on his phone.
Six excruciating hours later, Alex strode out the glass doors of the small terminal for private planes. Go-bag in hand, he trotted to the pickup island where he jumped into the front seat of the black Guardian SUV.
“Do you know where she is?” Alex asked as soon as the door was shut. He had waited too long for any information on his fiancée. Being thousands of miles away from her was bad enough, especially since she wasn’t conscious to speak to him the way they always would if they were in the same country. He missed her in ways he couldn’t describe. The ten-minute intervals with her non-responding body weren’t enough. He needed her to wake up. Talk to him. Tell him that she still loved him.
Top pulled out, headed toward the GW Parkway, checking his side mirrors. Griffin used an electronic device in his right hand and placed his left index finger over his lips. He began pointing it all over Alex’s body.
Alex gave his best friend a side glance. Did Griffin really believe that Alex was bugged? And by whom?
Loud beeping filled the vehicle as the device pointed at Alex’s jacket. What the fuck? The beeps increased in speed as Griffin carefully unfolded the black windbreaker. On the sleeve was a small black dot that blended into the material. Who had tagged him with a micro transmitter? And when?
Griffin carefully removed the sticky dot and stuck it to a piece of paper before throwing it out the window. After sweeping Alex one more time, he announced, “We’re good.”
Alex silently vowed to carry the small bug detector everywhere he went. If he had to guess which alphabet agency was spying on him, his money would be on Homeland Security. Specifically, Jack.
“Yes, we know where she is, but we can’t go there right now. We’re being followed.” Top looked in his rear-view mirror. “Yep. Dark blue Nissan two cars back.”
Alex was more concerned about Kat than the tail they’d picked up. “Is she okay? What the hell happened? Who kidnapped her?” Alex wanted answers. Now.
Top took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She’s the same as when you left four days ago. You’re really going to hate this part, but we had to get her out of the hospital before six this morning.” Top changed lanes and checked his rearview mirror again. “Jack had her scheduled for an IVF implantation…with his babies.”
Alex sat there, stunned. He couldn’t say anything. It was too much to process all at once.
The thought of Kat pregnant warmed his heart. She would love that. She wanted children. But, she couldn’t get pregnant. Her body didn’t produce eggs. Or so she’d been told.
In vitro fertilization. She could get pregnant. They could have a baby.
Jack was trying to make her pregnant, with his baby.
Anger swelled from the deepest part of Alex. He was so furious with Jack.
But his men didn’t let that happen.
Thankfulness overwhelmed Alex. He had the best men in the world. His wonderful men had risked imprisonment to kidnap Kat. They had saved her from a lifetime of being tied to a madman, because Jack Ashworth was most certainly insane to have tried this.
“I’ll kill that fucking bastard.” Alex chuckled. “If Katlin doesn’t kill him first.” But she’d have to wake up and be the Katlin she’d been before the explosion. No one knew when, and if, that could happen.
The other men nervously chuckled in agreement.
“How the fuck did Ashworth think he was going to get away with…” Alex couldn’t even say the words.
“Did you know that Katlin had her eggs stolen several years ago and they were supposedly lost?” Top changed lanes without signaling and slid off the exit with mere feet to spare.
“Yes.” The single word was all Alex could squeeze out through his tight throat. She had told him about it soon after they had reconnected.
“Obviously, Jack knew right where they were because he had them fertilized with his sperm.” Top Cooper wound his way through busy traffic.
Alex didn’t want to think about that fucking asshole jacking off and then it being used on Katlin’s future babies. Children that he and the woman he loved should be having. Suddenly, he wondered if there were more. If they could find her eggs, hopefully still unfertilized, then he and Katlin would have a chance to have children of their own. The thought of her belly rounded with his baby, a child suckling on her breasts, gave him hope.
“Then fucking Jack had Katlin pumped full of progesterone in preparation for the procedure that was scheduled for seven this morning,” Top’s words brought him out of his dreams for a future he’d never thought possible. “Alex, we had to get her out of there.” HIs barely restrained fury filled the vehicle.
“I can’t thank you enough. I will always be indebted to you.” Alex managed to say. “Who figured this out? I looked at her chart every day and never saw this coming.”
“Nita found it last night,” Griffin explained. “We helped the Ladies sneak into the hospital before their flight. She read the chart and saw the procedure order then checked Katlin’s meds.”
Alex sent a small prayer heavenward thanking God for Nita.
“How did you get her out?” Alex wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. On the other hand, he might need to know how many laws they broke to figure out how much bail money he needed to come up with to keep his men out of jail.
Top and Griffin took turns telling the story of their early morning kidnapping. Or was it a rescue?
“Brett created a computer program to fool the satellite feed on their trackers.” Top shook his head. “That man is a genius. He had already taken control of the hospital cameras for you, so it was easy to cover their movements this morning. While Rafe stole an ambulance—”
“Borrowed,” Alex interjected. “Terminology here is the difference between weeks and months in prison.”
Both men chuckled and agreed with the grunts.
“Two of our men dressed as operating room orderlies.” Griffin quickly added, “In borrowed scrubs, and wheeled her from her room in ICU as though they were taking her for the operating room. They loaded her into the ambulance at the morgue dock and Rafe and one of the guys took off. The whole operation went fast and easy. Our other man ran back in and stole the tray that they were supposed to use on Katlin, and Daniel picked him up out back.”
Top picked up the story from there. “Gina, you’ve met my wife, used to work in ICU but now does home health care, so she ordered a bed and all the equipment we needed through the company she works for. We created a fictitious patient so if Jack starts looking, he’ll find a really sick old lady in Lorton. Gina is taking care of Katlin in our Tysons Corner safe house.”
Alex let out his breath. Katlin was safe and in good hands.
“I called Dr. Tobias and told him that Katlin’s life had been threatened and we thought the leak was at the Agency, so we moved her. He agreed not to reveal her location to anyone. He came over this afternoon to check on her. She’s doing as well as can be expected.” Top gave him a sympathetic glance.
“Thank you!” Alex said, slowly regaining his composure. “That sonofabitch! He’s so desperate to have her that he’d make her pregnant with his baby while she was in a coma. I could kill him.”
“You won’t have to,” Griffin said. “Katlin will. As soon as she wakes up, he’s a dead man walking.”
“By the way, while you were in the air, Jack had the D.C. Center searched. Every room.” Top slowly shook his head side to side. “The Metro Police and his suits showed up with a search warrant about three hours ago. They weren’t allowed to touch or take anything, just search rooms, looking for Katlin.”
“I think they were surprised at how many apartments we have.” Griffin grinned. “Jack walked around personally checking every inch of the penthouse.”
“Good,” Alex said, “That keeps my story legitimate.” Thinking about that, Alex opened his phone and hit redial on Jack’s number.
“Have you found my fiancée yet?” Alex pressed. “I just got in and I’m headed to our D.C. Center. What have you done to find her?”
“Lobo, Wolf, whatever the fuck you’re calling yourself these days,” Jack said, probably identifying the caller to the others in the room. “I searched your offices.”
“That was a waste of time and manpower that you should have used elsewhere. I told you I didn’t take Kat. What are you doing to find her?” Alex was hoping Jack would reveal something. Anything.
“I don’t report to you, Lobo. We’ll find her. She’s a valuable agent of Homeland Security. Whoever took her will face federal charges for kidnapping.” With that intended warning, Jack disconnected.
To the men in the car, Alex said with a grin, “That went well. I hope I was convincing that I didn’t know where she was.”
Griffin suggested, “We should probably do our own search to keep up the facade that we’re hunting for her, too. That might keep Jack from looking at us too closely. I’m sure he put that tail on you, so getting you over to see Katlin may be tricky.”
Alex smiled as he said, “We can do tricky.” He was already planning disguises and ways of getting to see Kat within the next few hours.