Chapter Thirty-Four
Cece drove the van toward the address on the top of the hard drive, I turned on my phone and hit redial on the message that Commander Donnelly had left on my phone.
"Dammit," I muttered when the call went to his voicemail. "He's not answering. Why isn't he picking up?"
"Perhaps he's on another call?" Cece suggested. "Or maybe he doesn't know it's you?"
"Of course he knows it's me!" I said. "He's called me telling me it's important that I get back to him!"
"Oh, I see," Cece said. "I did not know this bit of information. Why didn't you tell me, chica?"
"I forgot," I admitted sheepishly.
"You forgot that a Commander from the United States Navy was calling you asking you to call him back?" she asked in a tone that told me what she was really thinking.
"I got caught up in the drama over the files Dr. Powell was sending me," I said.
"And perhaps his handsome son?" she added.
"Cece!" I protested. "I was trying to do the right thing!"
"Uh huh, sure," she nodded as she made a turn onto 24th Avenue and pulled up next to the Navy Recruiting Headquarters. "Chica, that boy has it bad for you. Really bad."
"No, he doesn't!" I retorted. "He doesn't even know I'm alive. To him I'm just a computer programmer who worked for his dad and has the information he needs. He doesn't see me as a woman at all!"
"Girl, you are an idiot," Cece said shaking her head. "That boy is head over heels for you and you keep ignoring him. Of course he's going to act like he's not interested! It's self preservation!"
"Cece, he's had every opportunity to make a move for the past week," I said building my case. "And he's done nothing. Nada. Zero. Zip. Not even the slightest move in my direction. He's stayed totally professional and not given me so much as a hint that he's interested."
"Then why don't you give him a signal that you're interested?" she asked.
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," I sighed as I got out of the van and headed for the front door of the recruiting station. I turned and yelled, "Be right back!"
The station was just opening, and I realized that it was only seven in the morning. It was unlikely that Commander Donnelly was in his office already, but I decided it was worth a try. At the very least, I could get someone to tell me when he was expected in the office.
I raced up the stairs and found a pretty little brunette sitting behind the desk in the outer office.
"Commander Donnelly?" I shouted as I headed toward her.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" she asked. The look on her face was one of surprise and then horror.
"I'm fine! Where's the Commander?" I said more urgently.
"He's...he's...he's not in yet," she stammered as her eyes grew wider. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, why?" I said irritated that she'd ask such a ridiculous question when I was trying to find the Commander.
"Ma'am, you're covered in blood," she whispered. "Are you sure you're okay?"
I looked down and saw that my shirt and pants were soaked in Ryan and Butch's blood. I looked up at her and then reached up to touch my face wondering if it, too, was covered in the same blood. Then I started laughing.
"It's not mine!" I laughed as she reached for the phone. "No! Don't call anyone! I'm fine! I don't have time to explain, but I'm fine and I haven't done anything wrong. I need to find the Commander and deliver something to him personally."
"Ma'am, why don't you leave whatever it is here with me and I'll give it to the Commander when he comes in?" she said with wary helpfulness.
"No! I have to give it directly to the Commander," I said shaking my head. "No one else."
"Um, okay," she said without taking her eyes off of me. It suddenly occurred to me that I looked like someone who was trying to harm the Commander and that she might have already alerted security.
"Look, I'm not crazy and I don't want to harm the Commander," I said seriously. "I have a package for him from Dr. Alan Powell and I was told that it has to be given directly to Commander Donnelly and no one else. Okay? Can you tell him that I have this package for him?"
"Yes," she nodded as I headed back out the front door of the office. As I entered the stairwell, I heard her yelling, "Who are you?"
I didn't have time to stop, so I trusted that if she told Commander Donnelly what I'd said, he'd know exactly who I was.
#
" not in," I said as I got back into the van. "But I gave his secretary a message."
"And a heart attack?" Cece asked as she looked me over.
"Why didn't you tell me I looked like a stabbing victim?" I asked.
"You didn't exactly give me time to evaluate your fashion sense," she said dryly. "What now?"
"Back to my place and clean up?" I suggested. "Otherwise we're going to have a ton of problems over at the hospital."
"Yeah, they'd probably throw us on gurneys and haul us into the ER," she said as she shifted the van into drive and headed toward home.
"More like they'd immediately know who we are and toss us in a cop car," I said. "Cece, did it ever occur to you that they think we did it?"
"Why would they think that?" she replied.
"Reason number one, we left," I said. "They're going to be looking for us."
"Then we need to get the hard drive to the Commander and be done with it," she said. "But first, we clean up, and I need to get the van back to my guy before he puts a price on my head!"
Two hours later, after having cleaned up and returned the van, we were in a cab on our way to Bellevue.
"Why don't we stop by headquarters first and drop off the hard drive?" Cece asked as she looked out the window.
"Because we're going to get stopped and questioned," I said. "And I want to see Ryan before we do."
"Ah, yes, lover boy," she grinned as she turned and patted my head.
"No, he's a good guy," I grumbled. "I just want to make sure he's okay after everything he did to get me out of there."
"Mmmm hmmm," she nodded still grinning. "You keep telling yourself that and maybe one day it'll be true, chica."
"Why are you pushing?" I said shifting away from her and feeling irritated.
"Because it's so obvious that the two of you have the hots for each other, it's painful to watch," she said. "I can't figure out why you both keep denying it."
"Because he's not interested in me!" I said more forcefully than I'd intended.
"Uh, okay, I wouldn't agree with that," she shrugged as she moved back. "But obviously you know best, chica."
"I'm sorry, Cece," I said looking out my window and sighing heavily. "I've tried."
"Try again, chica," she said softly as she reached out and squeezed my hand as we pulled up to the front door of the hospital.
Cece went to the information desk and asked where Ryan was, but the receptionist told her she wasn't allowed to give out patient information without permission. Cece tried working her magic on the woman, but she wouldn't budge.
"Give me a minute, I'll figure something out," Cece said as she stepped outside and made a call on her cellphone.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" the receptionist called from across the lobby. "Are you Echo Frost?"
"Yes," I replied before I realized that maybe answering this question wasn't the best idea.
"You can go up and see Lieutenant Powell, ma'am," she said. "The nurse said he's asking for you. Room twelve thirty."
I motioned to Cece to come back inside, but she waved me off. So I told the receptionist to tell here where I'd gone when she came back in and headed to the bank of elevators off of the lobby. As I stood waiting I felt a presence behind me. I started to turn around when I felt something hard and sharp being jabbed into my back.
"Don't turn around," the familiar voice hissed. "And don't scream or I will slide this knife in and twist."
I swallowed hard and nodded as I closed my eyes and hoped that Cece would show up before this ghost of a person got me alone in the elevator. I tried to keep my wits about me and think ahead, but the knife in my back made it extremely difficult to think. The doors to the elevator slid open and my captor shoved me forward.
"Don't turn around," the voice repeated. "You know what I want, so give it to me and this is over."
"I don't have it," I said trembling as I heard the ghost push a button and then pull the emergency stop lever. The elevator was immediately filled with the sound of the ringing alarm.
"I'm not kidding," the voice said as I felt a hand tightly wrapping around my neck and cutting off my air. "I want that hard drive and if I don't get it, there will be consequences."
"I don't have it," I repeated as I suddenly realized that if this was the same person that had held me hostage and attacked me in the lab, they had been weakened by the shot that Cece had fired. I couldn't remember which arm it had been in, but by the strength of the grip around my neck I was guessing it wasn't the right arm. I quickly formulated a plan and hoped I was right otherwise...I didn't want to think about otherwise.
"You stupid little bitch," the voice hissed as the owner pressed the knife into my back. The sharpness of the tip made me cry out as its holder squeezed tighter around my neck cutting off my air supply. I knew I had only one shot at this.
"Don't call me a bitch," I growled as I quickly pulled my right elbow forward and then slammed it backwards as hard as I could into the knife-holder's arm. My instincts had been right as the scream that came from the mouth of my captor rose above the sound of the alarm. What I hadn't counted on was the strength of the hold on my neck and the next thing I knew, everything went black.
#
I came to, I was staring up at the ceiling of the elevator car as the door opened and someone screamed. Soon I was surrounded by nurses and staff who lifted me up onto a gurney and raced me into the ER.
"Fine, I'm fine!" I croaked. "Cece, where's Cece?"
"What happened, honey?" a nurse asked as she took my vital signs and asked another nurse to find Cece. "Do you remember what happened, honey?"
"Kidnapper in the elevator," I said as she took my temperature and then started an I.V. "Oh God, Ryan! Ryan! Twelve thirty! Call the room!"
"Honey, calm down, slow down and tell me what's going on," she said as she slipped the needle into my arm and taped the line to my skin.
"Get Cece, she needs to know," I cried. "Get Cece!"
"Echo! Where are you?" Cece yelled followed by an angry, "Get your fuckin' hands off me! I'm not even kidding!"
"Cece! Cece! The kidnapper was in the elevator," I said as my words tumbled out. "Wants the hard drive. Tell them to check Ryan in room twelve thirty! Tell them!"
Cece turned and ran to the desk and quickly told the duty nurse what needed to be done before returning to me. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly not saying anything.
"Cece, tell them to check the ER for someone with a shoulder wound," I whispered. "You shot the kidnapper. I nailed him with my elbow in the elevator before he choked me unconscious. Tell them to check. He might still be here."
Again, Cece ran out to the desk and, in low whispers, told the duty nurse what I'd said before returning.
"They'll be on the lookout," she whispered. "Ryan's okay. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said taking a deep breath and wincing as I turned my head. "I need to get out of here and get the hard drive to Commander Donnelly. Can you get me out of here?"
"Can I get you out of here?" Cece grinned. "Chica, don't you know anything about me by now?"
I smiled up at her knowing that if anyone could figure out how to smuggle me out of an ER, it would definitely be Cece.