Garcia stares at him for a few moments before recognition dawns on her face. “Well, fuck me,” she says. “Thebrother. So you’re still alive, huh, Frank? We had a pool running at the office. I really thought D’Amato here had taken you out. Guess I’m gonna be out fifty bucks when I get back to the precinct.”
“What do youwant?” Finch demands. He moves around the bed to stand at the foot, like he’s going to physically protect me from the law if he has to.
Garcia gives him a sweet smile. “I’m here to place your husband under arrest, Howie, after dispersing the rag-tag gang of criminals that have been loitering throughout the hospital these last few days, intimidating people.”
“No one’s been intimidating anyone,” Finch snarls.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she says, still smiling. “You’re sure trying your best right now.”
She reminds me of a cat toying with her prey. I give a cough, just to make Finch hurry back to my side, and then I push away the water he offers. “Get on with it,” I say to the detective.
She drops the amused act and begins to recite my rights. I motion Finch closer, and he leans in. “Call Bianchi,” I murmur into his ear, “then Fontana, if they’re not together. And tell Vitali to get Frank to a safe house.” I don’t like the cops knowing my brother is here. They’ll follow him out of the country when he goes, unless we shake them early, and then our enemies will follow the cops.
“Got it,” Finch whispers.
Garcia has finished and is motioning one of the uniforms forward to cuff one of my wrists to the bed. Finch makes a jerky movement, as though he’s about to fling himself over the bed when the cop touches me, but I put up my other hand to hold my husband back. “It’s just a misunderstanding,” I tell him. “Bianchi will get it cleared up in no time.”
Garcia snorts, opens her mouth to say something as the uniform rattles the cuffs to make sure they’re secure, but the door opens behind her again and a nurse rushes in, eyes so wide I can see the whites around her irises.
“Darla?” Finch asks. “What—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she says—to Finch, I notice, not to me or Garcia “—but there’s been a threat called in.”
Chapter Seventeen
LUCA
All three cops drop their hands to their guns. It would be funny in other circumstances. Synchronized suspicion.
“What’s the threat?” Garcia and I ask together. Darla looks between us, nervous, and then addresses Finch again.
“Well, it was a warning to clear out the long-term care ward because—”
At that moment, an alarm starts going off, deafening and urgent. Darla shouts something over it, but I can’t hear her.
Garcia narrows her eyes at me and I know what she’s thinking: that this is my doing, to distract her from her mission today. But I shake my head at her and shrug, even though it sends another whine of pain through my torso.
My ears have adjusted to the longwhoop-whoop-whoopof the alarm and I can hear her faintly when she shouts at her men. “Give me the key and go check it out. I’ll stay here with the perp.”
Perp?It’s almost offensive. The guy who handcuffed me hands her the keys, and then the two uniforms disappear out the door. Darla and Finch are still in deep conversation, and Frank has gone out to check the hallway. He’s reliable in a bad situation, as long as he doesn’t take it into his head to act on his own.
Garcia comes closer to me.
“You’re really telling me this isn’t your doing, D’Amato?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to chance shouting. It still hurts, and it might make me start coughing again. The last thing I want with Garcia in the room is to have my husband mopping the spit off my chin again, especially if we need to make a fast exit.
“Then who?” She leans in close, ignoring my snarl as she does. “Come on, D’Amato, give mesomeidea. I can’t protect you if I don’t know who’s coming for you.”
“You can’t protect me, period.”
“You’re just gonna lie there and let them take you out?” she challenges.
“Not much choice with this on my wrist.” I shake the cuff.
She looks at it, glances over her shoulder, then back to me. “You’re in no condition to run, I guess.” She unlocks the cuff then stands back, watching me with critical eyes. “I’ll move you until the threat is cleared.”
“I’ll move myself.”
