Page 87 of Valor

Heather watched him, but she couldn’t calm her racing thoughts. Allen was just down the hall, preparing to face the men who’d held her father for days and who’d captured both of them. They had manipulated the legal system to get what they wanted, and people were dead. At least five, that they knew about.

Heather tucked the call button close to her side and committed to being silent until this was over. If the whole point of moving her to the furthest room possible was for her safety, then she’d make sure no nurses were seen going into her room.

Silence grated on her ears, but she couldn’t turn on the television or use her phone since they hadn’t given it back to her. She had nothing to occupy her time except worry about Allen and pray her father was safe. Everyone seemed to assume he would be fine at the safe house. She mentally kicked herself for not asking if someone was there with him, though if only one other person knew he was there, she doubted it.

With nothing to do, her mind focused on her IV and the itchy tape securing it to her hand. She peeled part of it back as an alarm went off somewhere down the hall. A mechanical voice came over the speaker system. “Emergency Room 3, code blue. Emergency Room 3, code blue. All available staff, please assist.”

Shuffling feet ran past her room and toward the nurse’s station. Who had been down at her end of the hall besides the officer? She couldn’t see around the curtain and couldn’t get out of bed to move it.

“Hello?” she called quietly.

No answer came. Had her officer run to help the code blue? “Hello?” She couldn’t help the worry that slithered up her spine. “Is anyone there?”

With no one standing by her door, the bed felt like a trap. She was as bound here as she’d been in the cavern. She forced herself to sit up and her tether yanked on her hand. Drat, there wasn’t enough cord to see further.

Heather moved the blankets off her legs and gripped the mobile IV tree to steady herself. She took a deep breath and focused on keeping her head clear. With a shove of her free hand, she stood and gripped the tree, glad it had caught on her foot and couldn’t move.

Inch after inch, she shuffled her way to the edge of the curtain. Allen wouldn’t have left her without protection, so the officer had chosen to leave. No one stood at her door. There was nothing between her and anyone who wanted to come in. With the emergency, they would be short-staffed until the code blue ended.

Her throat tightened as she heard slow, deliberate footsteps clicking down the hall. Steps that sounded like expensive shoes, not boots or the soft-soled shoes that medical staff wore.

“Hello?” Her officer wouldn’t wear loud shoes, would he?

A man in a doctor’s coat appeared at her door. He wore a mask, but she immediately recognized Micha.

“Scream, and you die.”

* * *

Allen tappedhis foot on the floor. The bathroom was like a prison. He heard Jackie through his earpiece, but she was talking with Rod, and nothing seemed to be happening. He’d been sure they would hear from Micha or Eric quickly.

Glancing at his watch, he resisted the language that wanted to spew from his mouth. Instead, he prayed for a calm spirit. He wanted to be at the other end of the hall with Heather. He wanted to watch over her and protect her. That should be his job.

He wanted that job for longer than this case and the knowledge hit him hard. All his stress over Ed and his future drained from him. He’d been sure he wasn’t good enough, but her father had made peace with Allen. Whether that meant he would approve of his daughter dating Allen remained to be seen, but there was hope where there had been none.

They cancelled the code blue, and Allen took a relaxing breath. He couldn’t sit there any longer. Something had to happen. He ducked out of the bathroom where he’d been waiting for some indication they were under attack.

Jackie waved him over. “I’m confused. I thought someone would’ve come by now. We posted the cancellation of the vote early this morning. If anyone saw it, they should be furious. Couple that with the activity out at the Goddard place and they should be feverishly trying to get this settled before the whole thing falls through.”

“I agree.” Something wasn’t right. “I’m going to check on Heather. Are you both fine here for a minute?”

“You’ve got your earpiece. You’ll hear if anything happens,” she said.

True, he wouldn’t be far away. Allen jogged out into the hall as two nurses settled in behind their desk once more. Neither of them looked rattled, but it was rare that he ever saw a nurse who did. They were made of strong stuff.

The officer stood by the door, but he looked slightly sheepish. “I’m a paramedic, so I responded to the code. I wasn’t needed though.”

“You left?” Allen swallowed, choking back the worry that crept over him.

“I did. Code blue is life threatening.”

Allen dashed into the room and yanked back the curtain. The bed was empty. “Get a team here, now. Put out an APB, missing person.”

“I’m on it.” The officer reached for his shoulder and spoke into his communication device.

Allen ran back to Jackie and Rod. “She’s gone. Someone got to her. I don’t know if the code blue was staged or if they just saw an opportunity and went with it. I’m going to find building security and see if they have cameras. We need to know who took her and where they went when they left.”

Rod jumped to his feet. “I’ll help you.”

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