Page 74 of Philly
The hospital had refused to release any information about Joe, but when they’d picked up their weapons, the police had given them an update: he’d survived the surgery but was in critical condition.
“Yes, or Rian will be,” he replied.
“Not Aiden?”
He shrugged. “If he knows we’re here and survived the hit he put out on us last night, he’s not likely to show his face. I don’t think he’s running to ground, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a ‘business trip’ suddenly crop up. To somewhere far away.”
“We need to talk to Sabina. We can’t let him leave the country.”
“He’s far too arrogant to make a real run for it, but I agree, we need to talk to Sabina and Leo.” He’d texted Sabina about theshooting as soon as the EMTs took over care for Joe. He’d bet the HICC team—the nonpregnant ones—had been on it all night.
She took a sip of her coffee, then exhaled, her gaze fixed on the road in front of them. “I could do with a major breakthrough right about now.”
He laughed. “That only happens on TV.”
Her only reaction was a huff of agreement.
39
Rian Nolan greeted them as they stepped off the elevator onto the ICU floor. He embraced Gabriel in one of those man hugs that included backslapping—albeit very subdued—then turned to her. His gaze skimmed the minor injuries on her cheek, then drifted down to her rebandaged hands, something Gabriel had insisted on before leaving the resort.
“Agent Parks,” he said.
“Not an agent anymore,” she replied. “Just Callie.”
Rian flickered his gaze to Gabriel, who nodded. “Callie then.”
“How’s Joe?” she asked. The two brothers had similar athletic builds, but that’s where the familial resemblance stopped. While Joe had dark hair, dark eyes, and a slightly round face, Rian was blond and blue-eyed with classically handsome features.
“The doctors are optimistic. The shot missed his heart by two inches, but it shattered his shoulder blade, and the fragments did additional damage,” Rian answered. “He’s still in ICU.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Callie asked.
Rian blinked, then turned a wry gaze on her. “I think you’re already doing it. I have a private waiting room. Why don’t we wait there?” he said before turning and heading toward two swinging doors.
Gabriel gestured her forward, falling in step behind her. After checking in at the nurses’ station, Rian led them down another hallway and into a room. Stepping inside, she quickly swept her eyes over the space. A comfortable-looking chair sat in one corner, a loveseat against a wall with a blanket folded at the end and pillow sitting on top, a table big enough to seat four in the middle, and a single large window looking out over therealLas Vegas. Not the Strip, but a part of town where residents lived.
“Coffee?” Rian asked, moving to a single-cup maker sitting on a small counter opposite the loveseat. When both she and Gabriel shook their heads, his gaze fell, and he took two audible breaths before looking up. The pain and fear in his expression was so real that any lingering doubts about his character—not that there had been many—vanished.
“Time to talk about the elephant in the room?” he asked, a sad smile tugging up the right side of his mouth.
“Only if you’re ready,” Gabriel answered.
His eyes darted to her and held. She counted to six before he spoke. “Yes,” he said on an exhale. “I’m ready. My dad needs to be stopped. I want this all stopped. I want my life—mywife—back.”
She held his gaze, then nodded. “Let’s get started.”
They each took seats at the table, and she pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call Sabina Warwick, at HICC, to listen in. Leo Gallardo will likely join as well.” Rian nodded, and she dialed the number. Sabina picked up immediately, and after a little shuffling, she and Leo settled in for the conversation.
“First,” Sabina started, “how’s your brother, Mr. Nolan?”
“Call me Rian, please. He’s out of surgery but still critical.”
“We’re sending an operative down to watch over him. I hope you don’t mind,” Sabina said, surprising Callie.
Judging by the way Rian blinked and took a few seconds to process what she said, Sabina had surprised him, too. “Thank you,” he replied, his voice cracking. “I’d planned to do it myself, but since my father manages security for the company, I don’t trust any of them anymore.”
“Do you know where your father is?” Callie asked.
