Martin hissed, "Tell me, what stopped you from shooting Austin in the head?" Trip didn't reply. "Hailey, I'll ask again, how'd you get caught up in this? You’re a smart physician."
"Last year, I made almost sixty thousand dollars as a third-year resident, and I have two hundred fifty thousand in loans. I made three million from the operation. By the time I finished my residency, I would be made for life. No more working in a hospital in East Cupcake. No more working, period."
"Your oath never meant anything to you?" Martin asked.
Hailey squirmed more.
"And Elizabeth? Didn't you think someone else would figure it out too?"
"To be honest, no. I mean Keys did, but he needed the money. Most people like money or have secrets. Elizabeth, we intended for her to die painlessly. But Clay wants to ruin you in front of her. He plans to do to you what he did to Mills. That was such a waste. I dressed up for one of the movies—you could feel his conflict. Damn, he was good." Hailey's smile disgusted Martin.
Martin rattled his restraints. "Jenner was wasting talent; why are you so loyal to him?"
Martin was unaware of Clay’s approach. He pulled him against his body, squeezed Martin's crotch, and twisted his hand. "I require it. Loyalty Elizabeth never gave me, because of you. Mmm, I can't wait for you to beg, Marty." Clay bit his ear until it bled, but Martin refused to react.
The room was small and hot. Kieran sat across from Alden McAllister, his gaze icy. "Within hours, I predict there will be a struggle among parties to gain favor from arresting authorities by sharing information. Alden, any possible deal leaves this table when I walk out of the room in five minutes.”
“Bring me a lawyer.”
“If that’s what you want?”
Zach walked in. After handing him a file, Zach whispered into Kieran's ear.
“Alden, I think you may want to read the charges against you before you make that call. First one to talk gets the deal,” Kieran warned.
Grabbing the file, Alden fell for the ruse. Zach’s sad message was that Troy was going back to the operating room. Kieran's expression stayed unreadable.
"All right, what do you want?"
Based on McAllister's information, the unmarked car pulled up in front of the airport hotel at eight o'clock. "This is Tango Three; target's vehicle is parked at the curb in front of Silver Crest Hotel. A male and female fitting Logan's and Hahn's descriptions registered for room 511."
"All Echo, Bravo, and Tango squad units on scene, breach on three. One, two, three," Mike ordered.
The suite was small. The bedroom door opened with a swift kick from Mike's right foot. "Homeland Security. Hands in the air." Pietra Hahn sat perched naked atop Danny Logan. "Well, look at this. Both of you are under arrest. Dr. Hahn, we're going to wrap a blanket around you. Logan, don't move."
Logan snarled, "What the hell is going on here? I demand an explanation."
Archie Stevenson aimed his gun at the naked Detective Logan's head and laughed. "Nature Boy, you aren't in any position to demand anything. Jesus, man, you left your damn socks on?"
"Don't touch me, you pig," Pietra Hahn spat at Mike.
Kelly Ramirez wrangled a struggling, spitting Pietra with a comforter. Two members of Echo team helped subdue her. "Watch yourself, or you’ll be wearing a pillowcase."
Archie pulled Logan to a sitting position and tossed a pair of pants at him. "You’re going away for a long time. The only thing you can do is start talking. Get dressed."
Logan played dumb. "What you are talking about?”
“You may want to be careful, man. These women are dangerous. Dr. Ullman was screwing Randall Knox to help hide prisoner abuse or join her in the kill.” Mike saw the flash in Logan’s eyes. Jealousy was a potent tool. “Then she seduces a female resident and the good Dr. Hahn to try to do away with Elizabeth Reed. You don’t think they always waited for you?”
Kevin “Boomer” Harper walked into the hotel room. “We found Hahn’s car. The GPS leads to a Silverton address. Registration comes back to a rental belonging to the mother of an inmate in Silverton Jail.”
Mike tapped his com. “Tango squad Alpha, secure and search the room. Take apart Hahn’s car and match every car in the lot with their owner. Boomer is in charge. Bravo team, head to 4284 Summit Street.”
Fifteen minutes later, Mike and Virgil stood in a room in the basement. One shelf was lined with bricks of C-4 along with shock tube and detonators. Mike ordered an evacuation of the area due to a gas leak. “Shit.”
The area flooded with law enforcement from every possible responding agency. Josh “Hoist” Stone walked into the home and down the basement steps. “Mike, get back to base. They have a location on Martin. I’ll do my best to lock everything here down tight. This is going to hit the 10:00 news and the internet any minute. Bring him home.”
Elizabeth peered over the drape at Troy’s face. She was told Patrick and the hospital’s two other remaining general surgeons were working on other cases. Patrick was part of the tactical unit to rescue Martin. Pete Walter stood across from her beside Dr. Caine. Dr. Keller stood next to her. Prepped, Troy lay, torso exposed, on the operating table.
