“Let’s not use that word.” Managing her panic took a top slot to getting her out of there. If she went wild, Jonas would have to knock her out, and the idea of hitting her gave him a nasty taste in his mouth. “There’s an emergency exit at the opposite end of the hall.”
“The same side where you just saw Eckert?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But Eckert kept moving. He’s probably walking up and down the halls, which could give us the few seconds we need.”
“I don’t love this plan. How about doubling back into the emergency room, since we know he’s not in there?”
“We’re locked out on this side and I don’t want to take the time to stop and fumble with the code.” Jonas grabbed her hand, letting the warmth of his body soak into her icy fingers. “We walk down the hall. When you get to the door, run fast and don’t stop. No matter what, you leave the hospital.”
“Without you?”
“If you have to.” She looked a bit too happy at the thought for his liking. “Ready?”
She nodded. “Walk, sprint and keep going. Got it.”
He didn’t wait for her to think about it, turn it over in her head and obsess. “Now.”
They slipped out of the room and walked double time to the end of the hall. They’d almost gotten to the spot where the hallways intersected when Eckert stepped out next to a cart stacked with supplies. He stood right in front of the door, his back to it, blocking it.
“I had a feeling you were in this hallway,” he said.
Jonas squeezed her hand. “Go.”
She took off.
When Eckert pivoted to catch her in midrun, Jonas dived. The shot hit Eckert right in the stomach, pushing him sideways and sending his full weight slamming into the wall behind him with a grunt. Jonas’s shoulder screamed in protest. The second their bodies clashed, his arm caught on fire. His fingers tingled and daggers of pain sliced through his arm.
A cart crashed to the ground and metal pinged as pans fell to the tile floor. Jonas could hear the rush of footsteps around them and hear the shouts for them to stop. All that mattered was Courtney’s successful flight to freedom. He blocked out the crowd noise and the scratching of hands against his arms and shoulders as a few bystanders tried to pull them apart.
Jonas refused to back away. He threw his weight into the man’s stomach a second time.
Eckert’s lean frame bent over, but he didn’t go down. Grabbing Jonas’s shirt, Eckert pulled and punched. His fists landed with hard slams against Jonas’s bruised ribs. It was as if the guy knew where to hit to inflict the most damage. He was no novice.
Jonas dropped to his knees as new shots of pain raced through him. The guy turned, trying to drag Jonas behind him to the door and flick him off like unwanted gum on his shoe. Jonas tightened his hold. His fist aimed for the back of Eckert’s knee then his thigh. With a roar, the other man stumbled, sending them both flying back into the wall again.
Jonas scrambled from his knees and hit Eckert in the chest this time. The air coughed out of the man’s lungs as he doubled over. Hunched over and wheezing, they circled each other. Every inch of Jonas’s body ached and cried out for rest. He pushed it all out to focus on the snarling man across from him.
Ready to go again, Jonas shifted his weight to aim another hit. A flash of green streaked over Eckert’s shoulder. The unexpected color took him off his game, shook his concentration. Eckert landed a solid punch to the jaw that sent Jonas’s head bouncing back.
He blinked out the darkness. When his vision returned he saw Courtney’s arms shake as she held a box the size of a toaster oven with dials on it and cords hanging down from the back, a piece of equipment of some type.
Eckert’s eyes grew wide as if he sensed danger behind him. He turned just in time for her to lift the dark square over her head and crash it down on the side of Eckert’s skull. He went boneless. His body slumped to the floor as blood trickled from his temple.
People crowded in from every direction. Many were shouting. Two men held on to Jonas’s arms. He fought through it all, the chaos and the disbelief. Someone shouted something about calling the police.
Courtney muscled her way into the crowd and shoved everyone else aside. “He
is
the police.”
In the stunned mumbling and rapid-fire questions that followed, she maneuvered him to the stairs. He called out over his shoulder to a nurse hovering over Eckert. “Page the sheriff. Walt Roberts. He’s in the building.”
Then they were out the door and the cool air hit Jonas’s face, reviving his tired muscles. He’d taken ten steps before his brain jump-started again. “I told you to run and not look back.”
She looped her arm through his. “I had to save you first.”
He hated to admit it, but leaning against her was the only thing keeping him on his feet. “I should say thank-you.”
“You can do that if we somehow get through this.”
Chapter Seven
Kurt boarded the private plane late that afternoon. The crew had been on standby all day, with the manifest ready and his bags packed.
As the hours ticked by, dread washed over Kurt. He canceled meetings and put off phone calls. His private line rang three times, none with the news he wanted to hear.
Making the trip was the right thing to do. He invented a business problem and sent the wife to a spa. The kids had their own lives now and didn’t need him. He could devote all of his attention to handling this problem before it exploded into a full-blown disaster.
He slid into the soft leather seat and dumped his briefcase on the table. Sitting back, he helped himself to a glass of scotch and let his mind go blank. The smell of jet fuel burned through his nose and the roar of the engine blocked his ears. For a few seconds he enjoyed the peace that came from watching others work as the pilots conducted their last-minute checks.
He’d be busy from the second he touched down in Oregon.
And when he returned it would all be over. Finally.
* * *
I
NSTEAD OF GOING
to the hospital lobby and out into the fresh air, Jonas steered them down another flight to the basement. A few flashes of his badge later and they stood in a windowless office lined with television monitors.
Courtney wished she had the kind of power to send people scurrying to help her. That had never been her life. She’d begged and no one listened. Having the reputation of “the woman who refused to believe” didn’t open any doors for her.
“Here you go, sir.” The man in the brown uniform and a tag that read Security clicked a few keys, and the dark screen on the far right flickered to life. “Just use these buttons to rewind and fast-forward.”
Jonas’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. “I’ll need to confiscate the video.”
“Sheriff Roberts already called about getting the daily security disc.” The guard pointed to a red button. “Push this and it will eject. A backup disc is running and will take over.”
“Good, because we’ll need to keep taping for as long as this patient—” Jonas tapped another monitor showing Eckert being loaded onto a stretcher “—is here.”
“Do you want me to get the sheriff now so you guys can work out jurisdiction or whatever?”
She waited for Jonas to throw his weight around or start issuing orders. In her experience, the guy with the highest rank and biggest mouth took over, regardless of his competency for the task.
“No,” Jonas said, his voice filled with calm detachment. “Walt’s busy handling the problem upstairs.”
The guard finally looked at her. “Nice shot to that guy’s head with the equipment, by the way.”
She had no idea what to say, so she smiled back. She waited until the man left before studying the images on the screens. “I thought we were leaving.”
“Soon.”
She pulled up a chair and sat down next to Jonas. The urge to press her hand to his cheek nearly swamped her, but she fought it back. “Honestly, you don’t look too good.”
“Thanks.”
He’d been through an accident and a fight. From the messed-up hair, the blood soaking through his bandage and the new bruises around his jaw, he looked more as if he’d been thrown under a car than tossed around in one.
And every cut and ache traced back to her. The least she could do was make sure he stayed on his feet long enough to get some help. “I’m thinking you need medical attention.”
“We’re in the right place.”
“A small room in the basement?”
“At least it’s at the bottom of a hospital.”
The man needed a keeper. “Jonas, I’m serious here.”
“I want to take a quick look at this security tape.” He hit Rewind, and the scene with Eckert flew by.
“There.” She got a glimpse of her image on-screen and thought she didn’t look so hot, either.
“Let’s see what we have.”
The sight of them walking backward in double time mesmerized her. “Why is it important?”
“I want to see how Eckert got free and what he was doing while he roamed around the hospital.”
They could look later, but she knew she’d never convince Jonas of that. On a mission, he sat there, focused, while he winced with even small movements of his arm.
“Stop.” She pointed at the screen. “There he is.”
Eckert stood huddled in a hallway corner. After glancing around, he turned and took something out of his pocket.
Jonas tapped the button so they could watch the scene frame by frame. “He’s talking on a phone.”
“Does that mean something to you?”
“He’s in the middle of tracking you down and takes the time to make a call?” Jonas swore. “I’m thinking it means he’s reporting back to someone else.”
When Jonas put it like that, she got it. The call meant a coordinated effort to track her. The guy in the forest, this one at the hospital. This had gone past checking up on her activities. Someone wanted to take her out and was employing a group of people to make it happen.
The chill inside her turned to a frantic shake. She had to concentrate to keep her teeth from rattling. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s working.”
Jonas gave her a sideways glance. “I would have thought getting run down, threatened and chased would have done it.”
“Maybe the adrenaline is running out.”
“Then it’s time to leave.” He popped the disc out and stood up.
“I guess you’re still insisting I stay with you.”
“Would you honestly prefer to go it alone?” He held out a hand.
She took it and let him help her to her feet. After all, he wasn’t the only one who had been banged up and needed a break from the attacks. “No.”
“Happy we’ve heard the last of that argument.”
“I know I didn’t say that.”
Walt stuck his head in the room. “Jonas?”
“Hey.” Jonas dropped her hand. “How’s Eckert?”
“Out cold.”
The need to defend her actions rose up and oozed through every part of her. “I didn’t have much of a choice. He went after Jonas.”
Walt raised an eyebrow. “So you hit the guy with an EKG machine.”
“It was handy.” Her skin tingled when Jonas spread a hand over her lower back with each finger pressing into her.
“She’s resourceful,” he said.
Walt’s gaze scanned the monitors and counters. “What are you doing in here?”
“Grabbing the tape.” Jonas held up the disc between two fingers.
“I would have gotten it.”
Jonas palmed the disc and slipped it in his back pocket. “Sure, but I wanted to check it out.”
Courtney listened to the staccato conversation. Walt acted the role of father and Jonas fought the interference with every step. With his stubbornness, she’d put money on Jonas winning the battle. It wasn’t a matter of youth. It had to do with determination. The man was all grit.
“Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Let me check everything and report back.” Walt leaned against the door frame. “You guys have been through it, especially Jonas. Did the doctor clear you on the concussion?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Never thought you couldn’t handle the job. That’s not my point here.” Walt smiled at her. “Can I take you somewhere, Ms. Allen?”
No way was she stepping into the middle of this testosterone contest. She’d already picked a side. “I’m going with Jonas.”
“Fine by me.” Jonas gave a gentle push to lead them to the door. “We’ll be at my office. Perfectly safe.”
“I’ll have my guy drive you.” Walt reached for his radio.
“Much appreciated.” Jonas nodded. “Before we head out, can you give me the rundown on the rest?”
“I have it under control. Eckert will be here overnight and I’ll have a man on his door. Rich is doing some background research.” Walt cleared his throat. “I asked him to do an extensive search on all angles then fill us both in.”
“Thanks,” Jonas said.
Walt hesitated, his gaze jumping between Jonas and Courtney. “I’ll let my guy know you’re ready to go.”
She watched the older man leave and smiled at Jonas’s cluelessness. Once they were alone she elbowed him. “He meant Rich is checking up on me.”
“Yeah, I got that from the angles part.” Jonas’s sudden stop made her miss a step.
“What are you—”
He put a hand across the door and blocked the exit before she could step out. “Tell me something. What exactly will Rich find out about you? During all that digging?”
She knew Jonas expected the discovery of reams of paper that would explain every little detail of her life. He probably figured he’d get the pieces and work them until they fit together and made sense.
But life didn’t work that way. Not hers, anyway. Nothing came easy, and words in a report couldn’t begin to capture the reality.
“If I tell you, you’ll spend the rest of the day interrogating me instead of resting.” As soon as the words left her mouth the last of her energy expired and exhaustion hit. The double attack threatened to drop her to her knees. “And, honestly, I have to lie down because my brain is jumbled.”
“You can’t leave the conversation there.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Give me one hint and I promise not to ask you anything more today. I’ll let it drop.”
The silence stretched for almost a minute. She counted out the dragging seconds, weighing the pros and cons of taking the step she’d avoided for years. Once she did, running wouldn’t be an option. No way would Jonas hesitate long enough for her to escape.