Targeted (Firebrand Book 1) Read online

  Then there were more voices, all talking at once, and she was being lifted onto a flat table. With all the strength she could muster, she forced her eyelids to open and blinked at the bright light above. Her eyes wouldn’t focus, but she could make out the fuzzy outline of people moving all around her. One seemed to be barking out orders to the others, but she could only catch a word now and then of what was being said.

  “Temperature 103 degrees. . .antivenom serum. . .IV started.”

  Her head hurt, and someone kept poking and prodding her body. She wanted to tell them to leave her alone, let her rest. But try as she might the words wouldn’t come. She shivered with cold and tried to raise her arms to cover her body, but they wouldn’t move.

  Who were these people? Why didn’t she feel safe anymore? Ash had promised to protect her and Max. Where was he?

  “Ash!” His name exploded from her dry mouth.

  A hand caressed her head, and a warm breath fanned her ear. “I’m right here, Lainey. I won’t leave you.”

  She tried to respond, but her tongue suddenly felt so large it seemed to fill her whole mouth. Her chest tightened, and she felt as she was suffocating.

  From far off she heard a strange voice shouting. “Shock. . .hurry!”

  She wheezed, but she still couldn’t breathe. There was nothing to do but let the darkness overtake her.

  <><><>

  Someone shoved Ash away from Lainey’s bed, and a team of doctors and nurses circled her. From where he now stood he didn’t have a clear view of her face, but he knew something critical had happened.

  “What is it?” he yelled. “What’s the matter with her?”

  The doctor who appeared to be in charge didn’t answer but barked out another order. “Oxygen!” he said, and a nurse inserted a cannula into her nostrils.

  He’d seen that on the battlefield before. His stomach roiled at the memory of a combat-trained medic doing that to a wounded soldier gasping for breath. He’d stood helplessly by as that young soldier died, and he’d lost a part of himself that day, too. But this was Lainey, and he didn’t think he could survive watching her take her last breath.

  As the team pressed closer to her bed, Ash tried to take in the barked orders and the responses. Each person was totally absorbed in the drama playing out in front of them, each performing their duties with the precision of a well-oiled machine. It was as if he was an invisible spectator in the room.

  “Increase IV flow,” the doctor said. He glanced up at the nurse. “How long since the last injection?”

  “Two minutes, doctor.”

  “Increase dosage to 10 mcgs.”

  Ash could stand it no longer. “Tell me what’s happening!” he yelled.

  The doctor glanced over his shoulder. “She’s gone into anaphylactic shock. We’re trying to bring her out of it.”

  “Is she going to die?”

  “Not if we can help it,” the doctor muttered. He jerked his head toward the door. “Maybe it would be better if you waited in the hall.”

  The doctor turned back to his task, and Ash staggered from the room and into the hallway. He leaned against the wall and then slid downward until he sat on the floor, his elbows resting on his bent knees and his face buried in his hands. How could this be happening? An hour ago he was getting ready to tell Lainey she had nothing to fear from him. That he would work with her to give Max a good life. Now she was about to die, and all he could think about was her plea for him to take care of Max.

  “Are you okay?”

  Ash pulled his hands away from his face and looked up at Reese who towered above him. He held two cups of coffee. Ash pushed to his feet, grateful to see his friend. At a time like this he didn’t think he could stand to be alone. He needed the strength of the man who’d been beside him on missions where death had stalked them at every turn. Now it hovered near them again in the room where the emergency room personnel worked feverishly to keep Lainey alive.

  He reached for one of the cups, and his hand shook so badly he had to wrap both of them around the Styrofoam cup. “Lainey has gone into shock. They’re trying to get her stabilized.”

  Reese darted a glance toward the curtained-off room where the doctors and nurses were working. The muscle in his jaw flexed. “They know what they’re doing, Ash. We need to let them do their jobs.” Reese took a deep breath. “I just talked to Casey.”

  Ash had heard that ragged tone of voice many times before when they were about to embark on a mission that might prove fatal for some of their men. His level of concern shot to a new high at the thought that Casey had some other bad news. His heart thudded to the pit of his stomach at the thought there was only one thing that could be worse right now. He swallowed hard before asking the question lodged in his throat. “What is it, Reese? Has something happened to Max?”

  Reese shook his head. “No, nothing’s happened to him. She said he went ballistic on her after we left. He blames himself for not being with his mother when it happened. He feels guilty that he asked her to let him stay with you. Now he’s blaming himself because he thinks he didn’t do enough to protect his mother.”

  Ash raked his hand through his hair and uttered a muffled groan. “But Max is a kid. It’s not his job to be the man of the family. That’s what I was supposed to do, and I didn’t do it.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known there would be a snake in that closet.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Ash swallowed and almost gagged at the lump in his throat. “Lainey was pregnant with Max. My child, not Richard’s. I should have been there for her ten years ago, but I wasn’t.”

  “Ash, please, don’t beat yourself up over the past.”

  “But I let her down that day, Reese, just like I’ve been doing to the people I love all my life. If I had listened to her back then, things would be different now. And she wouldn’t be about to die because of a mistake I made down in Mexico.” He turned and struck his fist against the wall. Coffee exploded from the cup at the sudden movement, and Ash’s gaze followed the brown trail as it trickled down the wall.

  Reese reached around him and mopped at the stain with some napkins he pulled from his pocket. “You’ve got to get hold of yourself or you’re not going to be any help to Max. Think about him right now. Lainey is a strong woman. She’s going to come through this okay.”

  Ash turned around to face Reese. “I knew something bad was about to happen when I received that text.”

  “What text?”

  “Back at the training center. It was from Eve. She said she was sorry she missed me at the school but she’d be seeing me soon, maybe at the training center. She implied something was going to happen, but I didn’t take it seriously. That snake didn’t just happen to crawl into Lainey’s room. I think it was put in her closet by someone.”

  Reese’s forehead wrinkled. “I think you’re probably right..”

  “You do?” Ash asked.

  “Yeah. You know Casey did a lot of research about the poisonous snakes we might have to deal with in the area where we’re building the center. There are only two venomous snakes in western North Carolina, the Northern Copperhead and the Timber Rattlesnake.”

  Ash’s skin prickled. When Reese began an explanation with ‘you know’, there was some information coming that would prove troubling. “And?” he prompted.

  Reese took a deep breath. “And Casey discovered something when she was cleaning up the room where Lainey was bitten. The snake that bit Lainey was neither of those two. It was an Eastern Diamondback Rattler.”

  Ash’s heart thudded, and he squeezed the coffee cup he held. “Is she sure?”

  “Yeah. The Timber Rattlesnake has a pinkish background on a solid color with an orange or brown streak running down its back. The one that bit Lainey was gray and had a series of dark diamonds outlined in black on its back and two lines running down each side of its head.”

  “But it was a rattlesnake? Right?

  Reese nodded.
“It was. The only problem is that it was an Eastern Diamondback Rattler. Those rattlers live in the flat, sandy coastal plain of eastern North Carolina. Not in the mountains in the western part of the state.”

  “So I was right. There’s no way a rattlesnake whose habitat is 400 miles away could end up in a closet at Firebrand without someone putting it there.”

  “Yeah, that’s the way I see it. What other explanation can there be?” Reese said.

  “But who could have gotten past us? Do you think it could be one of our own guys?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out. I promise you that.”

  Ash didn’t answer but stepped across the hall, tossed his half-empty coffee cup into a trash can. He shook his head and turned to face Reese. “I’ve done it again.”

  A puzzled expression lined Reese’s face. “What have you done?”

  Ash took a deep breath. “I’ve failed Lainey again. I promised her I would protect her, and I didn’t. I let myself get too distracted when I found out Max is my son.” He paused. closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I forgot what I was supposed to be doing, and somebody got to her.”

  Reese opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the doctor stepped out of Lainey’s room. “Mr. DeHan,” he said.

  Ash lunged across the hall to where the doctor stood. “How is she?”

  “She’s stable at the moment but still unconscious. She’s responding to the medication, and we’ve inserted a breathing tube to help her breathe easier. Do you know if she has a history of anaphylaxis?”

  Uncomprehending the question, Ash shook his head. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a severe reaction someone has to certain allergies, like bee or insect bites.”

  Ash glanced at Reese. “I’ve been away for a while, so I don’t know if she’s ever had a reaction or not.”

  The doctor held a clipboard in one hand and he tapped it against his leg. “We don’t usually see a rattlesnake bite victim go into shock like she did unless they’re predisposed to anaphylaxis. What kind of symptoms did you see on the way here?”

  “Well, she became dizzy soon after being bitten. She had a weak pulse, trouble breathing, and passed out.”

  The doctor nodded. “All signs of anaphylaxis. And she never said anything about carrying an auto-injector?”

  Ash shook his head. “She never said anything to me.”

  “Um-m,” the doctor said as he stroked his chin with his free hand. “It sounds like she may not have known the danger.” He inhaled. “Well, she’ll bear watching for the next 24 hours to make sure the danger has passed. I’m going to put her in the Intensive Care Unit for the rest of the night.”

  For the first time Ash felt a flicker of hope. “So she’s okay. She’s not going to die?”

  The doctor pursed his mouth and frowned. “Let’s not talk about that right now. We’ll see how the night goes. Now why don’t you go on home and get some rest? We’ll call you if anything changes.”

  Ash shook his head. “Go home? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m not leaving her.”

  “But Mr. DeHan your sister-in-law is going to be in the Intensive Care Unit, and our rules don’t allow family members to stay there. The nurses can take care of her.”

  Ash took a menacing step closer to the doctor and glared at him. He was shaking all over from anger, from guilt, and from frustration at not having protected Lainey. “A few nights ago three people were murdered in this hospital, and there were nurses and employees everywhere. I don’t care what your rules are, I’m staying with her, and nobody is going to stop me.”

  The doctor started to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. He sighed and shrugged. “Very well. I’ll take care of it.”

  Ash knew he should thank the man, but he only nodded. Reese spoke up. “Thank you doctor. We appreciate it.”

  The doctor cast one last glance at Ash before turning away. “We’ll let you know when we’re ready to move her.”

  After he had gone back into the room, Reese turned to Ash. “Do you need me to stay at the hospital tonight? I can sleep in the waiting room.”

  Ash took a deep breath and rubbed his fingers across his eyes. “No. Go on back to the center and make sure Max is safe. I’ll guard Lainey.”

  Reese nodded. “Okay, if you think you’ll be okay by yourself.”

  “I will.” He stared at his friend and remembered all the times they’d watched each other’s backs. Reese had done that for him again tonight. Ash touched the spot on his arm where the Firebrand symbol had been tattooed and smiled. “Thanks.”

  Reese smiled in understanding and touched his arm. There was no need for words between the two of them. The gesture said it all. Reese turned and walked down the hall, leaving Ash to wait for Lainey’s transfer to Intensive Care.

  Thirty minutes later she was settled in an ICU bed, and the machines they’d hooked to her body hummed. Two nurses had gotten her settled, all the while giving Ash long looks and communicating their displeasure at his presence with glances at each other. He ignored them and concentrated on Lainey.

  When they finally stepped back to the nurses’ station across the hall from her room, Ash pulled a chair close to the left side of her bed and sat studying her. Her temperature was still high and her blood pressure hadn’t returned to normal. With the help of oxygen she appeared to be breathing better, but her chest still rose and fell more rapidly than he thought was normal.

  As he stared at her, his eyes filled with tears. He’d faced death many times before, but he’d never been as scared as he was tonight when they were on their way to the hospital. Then when she’d asked him to take care of Max, he’d thought his heart would break.

  For the past ten years, he’d told himself how much he hated her, and for the few days he’d been home, he’d tried to reinforce that by being as uncaring and unfeeling toward her as he could. But it had all been an act. The truth had hit him in the face the moment she opened the front door of his family’s home the day he arrived. He didn’t hate her. He’d never quit loving her.

  He reached out and wrapped her hand in both of his. She felt so hot to the touch, and his heart thudded at the thought that she still could die. A helpless feeling engulfed him.

  He suddenly remembered looking out the window of Reese’s office to the meditation garden below and thinking that God could never love someone like him. But could He? What about Lainey? Surely He loved her. She was good and kind and a great mother.

  He lowered his head until it rested on their clasped hands. “Please, God,” he prayed. “Don’t take her. Max needs his mother. Take me instead. Just leave her and take me.”

  She didn’t move, and he pressed his lips to her hand and kissed it. “I love you, Lainey,” he whispered. “Don’t leave Max and me.”

  The chime of an incoming text message on his cell phone echoed in the room, and he sat up straight. He pulled the phone from his pocket and stared at the words. I told you I’d see you at the Firebrand Center, but I missed you. I hope Lainey got the present I left for her. See you again soon. Eve

  Ash drew back his hand to throw the phone across the room, but then he thought better of it. He hadn’t responded to Eve’s previous message, but maybe he should to this one. He glanced at Lainey’s pale face once more before he began to type.

  The score of our game may be in your favor right now. But this is only halftime, and you should start to worry. The momentum is about to shift in my direction. So keep looking over your shoulder. Tell Diaz I’m coming for him and everybody working with him. Ash

  Ash reread the message once, then hit Send. He had no idea where the message was going, but he knew who would get it. And he meant every word he said.

  Chapter 12

  Lainey opened her eyes and blinked to focus her vision. A pain throbbed in her temples, and she lay still, staring upward. Her gaze moved from right to left as she struggled to identify the trail of white blocks that swirled above her h
ead.

  A ceiling. She was staring at a ceiling of flat, white tiles. Squares end to end that stretched as far as she could see.

  A buzz like that of an electric saw vibrated in her head, and she narrowed her eyes as she zeroed in on one of the squares. The small holes that covered it reminded her of a honeycomb. Maybe the droning sound in her head was caused by tiny bees trying to escape the tiles that held them captive. Ridiculous thought. She wanted to laugh but didn’t have the strength.

  Panic welled up inside of her, and she moaned. Where was she?

  A rustling sound next to her caught her attention and warm fingers grasped her hand. “Lainey, are you awake?”

  Ash! Her heart jumped into her throat, and she forced herself to turn her head in the direction of his voice. He leaned over her and stared into her face. She swallowed and flinched at the raw burning in her throat.

  “Ash?” she whispered. “Where am I?”

  “You’re in the hospital. We brought you here last night.”

  Hospital? She frowned and searched her mind for a memory, but a memory of what? Running up the stairs to her room. Grabbing her sweater from the closet. Reaching for the shoes. And then pain. “The snake,” she gasped.

  “Yes. You were bitten, and you’ve had a rough time of it. But you’re going to be okay.”

  With a sudden flash of fear she tried to push up. “Max? Where’s Max?”

  Ash’s hands pushed her gently back down to the pillow. “Max is fine. He’s with Casey. I talked to them a little while ago. Max is eager to talk to you, and I told him we’d call when you felt up to it.”

  Relieved, she relaxed. “Good.” Her dry tongue slid across the roof of her mouth that felt as if it were lined with cotton, and she licked at her lips. “Thirsty.”

  Another sound drew her attention, and she turned her head to see a nurse standing beside her. “I’m glad you’re awake, Mrs. DeHan. You’d like some water?”