She gasped. “I read that he was suspected of murdering people, but not twenty-five.”
Mack responded with a solemn nod. “He’s implicated in quite a few different killings and also turned a minigun on a rival gang. If your intel is right—and I have no reason to doubt it—he has something big planned.Whatis the big question. And he could be gunning for you. I can hardly breathe when I think someone this vicious has you in his sights.”
She’d just seen pictures of the horrific results from the use of these guns, and she didn’t know what to say. How to respond.Should she let Mack stay here? Even if he did, he was no match for such a weapon. None of them were.
Not that she could see Razo hauling a minigun into the hospital, but he could be lying in wait outside. So yeah, she needed Mack. Needed him to securely move her to the safe house tomorrow. And if he felt better about staying with her tonight, then so be it.
Staying alive trumped any of her uneasy feelings.
Chapter 10
MACK TOOK A SWIGof his energy drink and watched Addy where she sat on the edge of her hospital bed the next morning, waiting for the all-clear to leave. A bright beam of sunlight caught her body as she wrung her hands together where they rested on the dark blue uniform pants she’d paired with a matching jacket over a Kevlar vest. A blond wig covered her glossy red hair. If they were in any other situation, he might comment on how amazing she looked as a blonde, but now wasn’t the time for flirting. With their history, there might never be.
She’d been jumpy and jittery since she’d woken up. Maybe he was to blame. He hadn’t meant to scare her last night with his talk of Razo. He just wanted to make her more cautious. Or maybe his presence or the danger of leaving the hospital had darkened her mood. Either way, the area surveillance and drone flyover had been completed, and they would soon step out of the hospital, praying that Razo wasn’t waiting somewhere with a minigun.
Anxiety clawed at Mack, and he felt his control slipping. He closed his eyes and focused on the sunlight warming his back.
“For the SpiritGod gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
God gave Mack and the team the skills they needed to safely transport Addy. And God gave Mack the ability to hold off any flashbacks. He could do this. He really could.
He opened his eyes. Addy looked over her shoulder at himand bit her lip. She pressed her hands on her knees and scrubbed them over the fabric.
“It’s going to be fine,” he said, thinking it a good thing to acknowledge the stress in the room. “With my teammates’ help, I’ll get you to the safe house without any problems.”
“I know.” The corner of her mouth lifted a fraction, then dropped. “At least I know it in my brain. I sure don’t want to let this guy get to me. I want to be independent and strong and live my life, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive about walking out that door.”
“It’s only natural to feel that way.”
“Do you?”
“I shouldn’t admit it, but yeah. I know our plan is sound, and we’ve done everything within our power to be sure you’ll be fine, but...” He shrugged.
“Yeah, it’s thebutthat’s getting to me.”
Mack’s phone chimed, and he glanced at the text from Sean saying they were good to go. He responded with an affirmative, then texted the administrator to clear the loading dock area.
He waited for her confirmation before stowing his phone. “We’re a go.”
Addy slowly took a seat in the wheelchair. She placed her computer and a bright green bag with her belongings on her lap. Mack wanted his hands free for the trip down to the loading dock, but he had no choice. The administrator insisted that with Addy’s head injury, the patient should be wheeled out, and Mack didn’t want anyone else in on the move, so he would be pushing her chair.
She put on large sunglasses. No one would recognize her. Not even Razo.
Mack propped open the door and grabbed the wheelchair’s rubber-gripped handles. In the hallway, he nodded at the agent on duty.
Addy looked up at him. “Thanks for your help.”
He gave a tight smile back. “Glad to do it.”
Mack rolled the chair down the hallway, catching the smell of orange-scented cleaner, until he reached a service elevator that he’d been given a keycard to access. Inside, he let out a breath at making it through their first hurdle and watched the numbers count down above the door. The tension in the small space was so thick, it felt like fingers choking off his air, and he opened his mouth to take deeper breaths.
Dressed in a uniform that matched Addy’s, her hair up under a cap, Kiley met them at the door for the loading dock and held out a box. “Drop your things in here to disguise them, and I’ll load them in the truck for you.”
“Thanks.” Addy placed her belongings in the box.
“No worries.” Kiley closed the cardboard flaps and took off for the loading dock, her booted footfalls thudding in the silence.
Mack locked the wheels on the chair. “You’ll be hoofing it from here.”
