Page 77 of Rules of Engagement

Chapter Seventeen

I descended the stairs at a full run, following the white coat as it tore around the corners, two flights ahead of me. Footsteps thundered behind me. I took a second to grab hold of the rail, steadying myself and looking up. Fletcher, Flaherty and Maddox were right behind me. "Solomon?" I nearly heaved his name.

"Delgado's got him," said Fletcher. "Don’t worry. He's okay."

I reached the next landing before he could finish talking, then raced forwards and down again, gliding my hand on the railing to stop from stumbling. On the next landing, I jumped over the discarded white jacket and skidded onto the next flight. Below us, a door banged open, then crashed back against its frame. "We need to split up," yelled Fletcher, stumbling when we all reached the bottom within seconds of each other. He grimaced and grabbed his leg, hopping forwards.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Fine," huffed Fletcher, his eyes wincing with pain. "Was that guy doing what I think he was doing?"

I nodded. "He tried to inject something into Solomon's drip line. He wasn't a doctor."

"Figured that out already," grunted Fletcher.

“Where was the police officer on guard?” I asked. “He was supposed to check everyone!”

“I don’t know,” said Flaherty.

"It doesn’t matter right now. Take the left side, we'll take the right," said Maddox. "Is this guy armed?"

"I only saw a syringe," I said as Maddox eased the door open.

"What happened? I heard a commotion then I saw the three of you taking off and it occurred to me that I was the only one armed. Am I the only one armed?" He checked. We nodded. "Damn," said Maddox. "I was hoping one of you managed to sneak in a weapon somehow."

Now probably wasn't the time to tell him he was right and I had accidentally smuggled a gun into the hospital, but right now, it was in Delgado's hand who was guarding the room and had raised the alarm.

"What did he look like?" asked Maddox.

"Six foot-ish, maybe a little shorter. Short dark hair. Caucasian. He wore scrubs and dress shoes. The shoes were the identifying factor – they stuck out."

"The fighting confirmed it," said Fletcher.

"Let's go," I said. "He must have headed for the parking lot. We need to find out who he is and more importantly, who sent him." I didn't need to say what everyone else must have been thinking: this was not a slapdash, Mikey Gibbs assassination attempt. It was a dangerously audacious move for him to dress as a doctor, strolling past everyone on the ward before he so boldly attempted to inject something into Solomon's drip. Whatever the warning was, the second attempt could only mean it hadn't gotten through to the intended target. This warning could have been the final one. And it could have ended in Solomon's death if I hadn't noticed the man's damn dress shoes!

Fletcher and Flaherty peeled off, jogging beyond the pillars. Maddox and I moved to the right. "This looks like the east wing exit," he said. "It makes sense that he'd leave this way rather than from the front. It's easier to get lost and he avoids any cameras."

"Do you think there's a vehicle parked somewhere near?"

"My guess is he parked up in the east lot, just like the regular... Lexi! Get down!"

A shot cracked off the pillar behind my head just as Maddox knocked me to the floor, landing on top of me in a tangle of limbs. "Did it hit you?" he asked, his voice low.

"I don't think so." I patted my head, then my shoulders and sides.

"First time for everything," said Maddox. He pulled himself upright and we edged around the pillar. With his gun upfront, he peeked around, then pulled back.

"I didn't even hear the gunshot," I whispered.

"He's using a silencer. I saw the gun but not the shooter. We need to stay down. We're practically sitting ducks."

"If we didn't hear it, Fletcher and Flaherty definitely didn't!"

"They went the other direction. They should be out of harm's way for now. I don't see anyone and I'm not sure I heard any footsteps. We need to move! We can't stay here. He might circle around and try again."

"I'm with you," I said, shuffling onto my knees. I turned, resting my back against the pillar and looked around for an escape route. Less than twenty feet away was the door from where we just exited. It was slightly ajar. If we went that way, we'd probably have been safe but we might also get shot at — and even hit — in the process. I wasn't a huge fan of that option. Tried it. Didn't like it. Plus, if we got inside, Fletcher and Flaherty were still outside, unarmed, and hunting the wannabe assassin they thought was only armed with a syringe. Maddox and I could split up and try and surround the shooter, but I was unarmed, which put me at a huge disadvantage. That reminded me, "Where did the gun come from?" I asked.

"Huh?"

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