Chapter 3
Penny wanted to return to her office, but Warrick was having nothing to do with it.
“At least let’s go for a coffee first,” he urged.
She stared at him, troubled. “I can’t just miss the afternoon. I’ve work to do. You remember all those forms that have to be filled out? It’s not just you. Lots of people need these forms done.”
“I know that,” he said, “but you’ve just been through an ordeal. Nobody will expect you to go back after that.”
She was of two minds. She pulled out her phone and called her boss. “Crisis averted,” she said in a low tone, hating to hear the weakness in her own voice. “I went into the hospital. Warrick came with me and disarmed the gunman.”
Her boss shrieked. “What? Who’s Warrick?”
She gave him a brief explanation. “I was coming back to the office, but Warrick doesn’t want me to. And I have to admit, I’m feeling a little shaky.”
Swiftly her boss said, “Don’t. Don’t come back. Take the rest of the afternoon off. You’ll probably have to make a statement anyway. So that’ll take time.”
She winced. “Yeah, I know. I’m not thinking clearly. I probably should do that first. Warrick suggested we go for coffee, and then see how I felt.”
“Do your statement, go for coffee. Or just go home, put on a pot and relax.”
She put her phone away and turned to Warrick. “He reminded me that we’ll have to give statements.”
Warrick nodded. “Stay here. I’ll talk to the police.” He walked over and had a short conversation with one of the men in charge. He nodded a couple times, then came back. “We can do the statements right now.” He hooked his arm through hers and nudged her toward where the officers stood.
They asked her a few questions, wanting to know exactly what had happened, what she knew about the relationship between Nina and the gunman. Penny was as honest and open as she could be, but every question exhausted her, feeling more worn down by the minute. By the time she was done, she couldn’t control the trembling in her legs.
Warrick, as if sensing how close to the end she was, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, “If you’re done, I need to take her home.”
The officer bent a little closer, took a look at her, likely saw the pale skin and the wide pupils. “Do you need medical attention?”
She managed a wide smile and shook her head. “No. I didn’t get hurt. I may be a little in shock.”
He nodded understandingly. “After adrenaline comes the low. Go home and rest up. If you think of anything else important, you can always contact us. He pulled a card from his pocket and gave it to her. Then he nodded at Warrick. “You guys can leave.”
Warrick squeezed his arm around her shoulders and nudged her toward the vehicle. “I’ll drive,” he said.
She shot him a look. “I’m not an invalid, you know.”
“Of course you aren’t an invalid,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’m staying with you at home to make sure you’re okay. Do you want to pick up coffee on our way or put on a pot there?”
She thought for a moment and said, “I’d like to put on a pot and sit on my little balcony and recuperate.”
He nodded. “Perfect.”
It was a short drive to her home, but it still felt like it took forever. At least fifteen or twenty minutes. By the time they pulled up in front, she was more than a little exhausted. They walked together to the front door.
She was amazed at how heavy her legs felt, how much effort was required for every step. She managed to get to the front of the apartment building where she fished for her keys in her purse. They walked toward the elevator, got in, and, when they got off on her floor, she handed him her keys without a word.
He took them, read the number stamped on the key, walked toward her apartment and unlocked the door. “How long have you lived here?”
“Four years,” she answered. “It’s not a bad place to be.”
“Second floor is not the safest, but it’s way better than the first floor.”
That surprised her. “I get why the first floor is bad news, but why is the second one also bad?”
“Because a lot of men are quite capable of climbing up to the first balcony.” He stepped out on her balcony, motioning for her to come beside him. They looked down to the ground below. “See that grassy ridge? It would take nothing for somebody to reach the balcony from there.”
“That’s if they were already in here,” she said. “But if they’re trying to access my apartment by the balcony, surely that’s not so easy.”
He glanced at her and smiled. “I could be inside this apartment in less than five minutes.”
She frowned at him, obviously not believing him.
“You want me to prove it?” She hesitated, and he smiled. “You stand right here.”
Only after he’d gone did she remember his foot. He shouldn’t be doing any of this shit. She went to call for him, but, of course, he was long gone. As she stood here, waiting, he came around the side of her building.
The patio below her had very large planters. He hopped up on one of those. He had some small tool in his hand. The tire iron from her car? He hooked onto the bottom of her balcony and effortlessly gripped one of the railing bars. Pulling himself up, and using his legs, he kicked up and over.
She was dumbstruck. “Are you kidding me?”
He was breathing slightly heavy, but he smiled. “Now, if I’d been prepared and had the right tools, I could’ve made it up here soundlessly. And, of course, if I didn’t have a bum leg like I have, I wouldn’t have landed quite so heavily.”
She glanced at the railing, then back at him. “You realize now you’ve destroyed any possibility of a good night’s sleep in my apartment forevermore, right?”
He shook his head. “No, because hopefully it’ll never happen.”
“Now my mind is filled with possibilities of how it could happen,” she murmured. She stared at the place where he came over the rail. “I can’t believe it.”
“It’s not that hard. And, in a heartbeat, I’d be out on this balcony and gone again.”
“Now that I can believe. But now that I have seen what you did, I’ll never be able to unsee it,” she complained.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Time to move?”
“I like this place.” Her voice was grumpy, tired.
He nudged her toward the couch. “Sit down. Get your feet up and relax. You can direct me to where the coffee stuff is so I can put on a pot.”
She summoned up the energy to tell him where the coffee was kept in the cupboard. He fixed everything and had the coffee dripping. He pulled cups from the cupboard and turned back to her. “Do you want any cream or anything?”
“You can fill mine with Bailey’s,” she said in a dry tone.
He turned to look at her. “Do you have any?”
She laughed. “No. It’s not that bad. I’m just exhausted now.”
“A normal reaction,” he said, trying to comfort her with his words. “It’ll all be good.”
“How can it all be good? Did you see how fast you did that?”
“Did what?” he asked absentmindedly as he searched in her fridge for something.
“What are you looking for?”
“I was looking for something for you to eat. It’s been hours since lunch, and you’ve been through quite a shock. A little bit of sustenance wouldn’t hurt. Especially if it happened to have a bit of sugar in it.”
“Cookies are in the cupboard beside the one that you got the coffee from,” she said.
He found the airtight container, pulled it down and opened it. “Are these homemade?” he asked hopefully.
“Yeah, two days ago.”
“Good to know.” He brought the container to the coffee table.
“I used to always bake, but it’s hard to cut down a recipe enough for just one.”
“I’ve heard that from several other people. It’s much more fun to cook or bake for someone. But, if it’s just yourself, although it’s nice to have good home-cooked food, it’s a little hard to get motivated.”
As soon as the coffee was done, he poured two cups and set them on the coffee table beside her. He sat to the left of her and clasped her hand in his.
She sagged a little deeper into the couch, just happy to be home. “You didn’t answer me about how fast you acted.”
“Well, of course I can’t answer that. I do it automatically. It’s not like I have to put much thought into it or check a timer. Don’t forget how much training I have gone through.”
She nodded and pushed gently against him. “Well, I’m very glad you were there.”
“You’re the one who insisted on going in to see a gunman who had a hate on for you.”
“I couldn’t let him kill her though, could I?” Her voice was faint. She could feel her eyes closing.
He gave her a gentle nudge. “Do you want a nap?”
She checked her watch and found it was four-thirty. “If I do, I’ll never sleep tonight,” she murmured. She straightened and gave her head a solid shake. “I’ll try to get this coffee down. That should wake me up.”
“Okay, that would help. Also get some sugar into you.” He pushed the cookie tub toward her.
She reached in and pulled out a big fat one. She held it up and looked at it. “They are really good.” She motioned at him. “Have some.”
He snagged two. When he finally could speak, he said, “They are good. I’m all about home cooking.”
“You can always cook or bake for yourself,” she said.
“I could, but, like you said, it’s kind of a waste. Besides, if I bake an entire batch of cookies, it leads me to eating an entire batch.”
She understood. She had a hard time with that too.
After a few minutes he asked, “Do you feel any better?”
She took another sip of coffee, loving the way the warmth filled her stomach, giving her a little bit of comfort inside. “Yeah. I’m starting to…”
“He’s behind bars now.”
“They won’t let him go, right?”
He shook his head. “I doubt it.”
“It’s not like he didn’t do this in front of a lot of people,” she joked. “I feel like I should contact Nina though.”
“I don’t know that we can contact her through the hospital. But I can always find out, see if I can get an update on her condition.”
“If you could do that, I would be very appreciative.” She looked up at him gratefully. “If there’s any way I could visit her that would be even better.”
He nodded. “Do you think you’re up for it?”
“I want to be,” she said. “It’s way too early to go to bed, and, if I just stay here and relax, I’m likely to fall asleep.”
He nodded. “That might not be a bad thing.”
She sat back, sipping her coffee as he contacted the hospital for an update. Every once in a while he’d glance at her and nod.
“Okay. If there’s any chance we can come tonight, I know Penny would love to make sure her friend is all right.” He smiled. “Good. That’s perfect. Thanks. We’ll be there at seven.”
He ended his call, placed his phone on the coffee table and picked up his coffee. He twisted slightly on the couch so he could look at her. “She’s doing okay. They’re treating her for shock on top of her injuries, so they’re keeping her in the hospital overnight at least.”
“We can go see her?”
He nodded. “Seven o’clock.”
“So just over two hours from now.”
“Can you wait that long?”
She smiled. “Yes. Besides, by the time I have a couple more cups of coffee, I’ll need food for all the slushing going on in my stomach.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Warrick said. “But first we’ll stay here and relax, and we’ll let all that stress calm down.”
“Are you used to dealing with people after a shock?”
“Not used to it,” he said. “But I have certainly seen a lot of people in very difficult circumstances. And the resilience of the human spirit always surprises me. We can go through so much shit and come out totally fine on the other side.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I’m really worried about Nina.”
“She will be fine. If she actually left him, and he caught her again, then of course she’ll be terrified. But as long as he stays locked up, then she should do fine. I don’t know how she’ll handle a trial, if there is one. Because George is a naval officer and was shooting on the base, NCIS will work with the local police. The MPs on base did a full-on search for him there, but, after he escaped, the local police stepped in. Now that George is in jail, I can’t say who gets jurisdiction.”
Relieved, she sank back. “As long as he is in jail, that is good to know.”
“Nina’ll need some support though.”
She smiled. “Of course. That’s no problem.”
“There is also a good chance she may want to leave the area, depending on the circumstances of how he found her again.”
“After watching you jumping on my balcony, I’m considering a move.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing either.” His voice was cheerful. His phone rang just then. He picked it up and took a look at the screen. “It’s Mason.” With the phone at his ear, he said, “Mason, what’s up?”
She listened in on Warrick’s part of the Mason conversation.
“It’s already hit the news here or at least a local grapevine. Yeah, she’s a friend of Penny’s. Her boyfriend was very abusive. Nina broke up with him, but he talked her into going to her house so they could talk and things turned ugly. Beat the crap out of her. She managed to escape, got to the hospital, and he tracked her down there. But then he turned his ire on Penny, thinking she’s the reason his girlfriend was leaving him.” He glanced at Penny.
She just smiled, put her empty coffee cup on the coffee table and curled up in the corner of the couch, listening to Warrick’s soft voice. And drifted off to sleep.
*
“She’s asleep now. We’re at her place. She did really well in there. She had insisted that she go in and try to calm him down. Way too many people were in the hospital for him to start losing it.”
“Good thing you were there,” Mason said. “I’m surprised they let you in though.”
“Back to Penny again. She didn’t want to go in alone. And honestly, I didn’t want to let her go in alone.”
“Interesting. I’m hearing your and Penny’s name a lot in this deal.”
Warrick winced. “It’s not what you think.”
“Well, part of the gossip is the kiss at the end of the hostage situation.”
A groan escaped Warrick’s lips. “What would we do without gossip?”
Mason chuckled. “Well, I can tell you that Tesla’s thrilled. She’s known Penny for quite a while from their shared exercise classes at the Y. And Penny just never seemed to find a decent man. As far as Tesla is concerned, you’re a decent man.”
“I am a decent … What do you mean, as far as she’s concerned? You sure as hell should be on the same wavelength in that regard.”
Mason’s laugh broke out free and easily through the phone. “Hey, that’s not my deal. I don’t assess my buddies as to whether they’d make great partners or not.”
Warrick rolled his eyes. “Right, that’s such a female thing to do.”
“Anyway, what’s the plan now? Is the crisis over?”
“It is,” he said. “But Penny wants to visit Nina in a bit. They’re keeping her in the hospital overnight. She was in pretty rough shape. I believe she’s got a couple broken ribs. I’m not sure what else.”
“I’m surprised Penny wants to return to the scene of the crime so fast.”
“I think she’d do anything for her friend,” Warrick said. “Not sure it has anything to do with the hospital or revisiting the spot where it happened as much as it’s about making sure Nina is okay.”
“Right. That makes total sense. Are you staying there overnight?” No humor was in Mason’s tone now.
“Who’s asking, you or Tesla?” Warrick asked in exasperation. “If I’m staying overnight, it would be to make sure she’s fine.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Mason said, his voice cheerful. “How’s the foot doing?”
Warrick didn’t know how to answer that.
“Warrick?” Mason asked, his voice stern. “Did you reinjure it today?”
“No, I didn’t reinjure it,” he said gently, “but I’m sure the activities this afternoon weren’t exactly helpful.”
“As in, not conducive to healing?”
“Exactly,” Warrick said. “But if I need an extra day then, at this point, it’s not a big deal.”
“Right, as long as you didn’t hurt it so badly that you will be off it for several more weeks.”
“No, Penny had the paperwork all filled out this afternoon, before we went out for lunch, so I’ll get back to the doctor in the next few days.”
“Oh, so you went out for lunch too?”
“Yes, it’s the least I could do. I made her pretty miserable over those forms.”
“Whatever reason works for you,” Mason said cheerfully. “Tesla is calling me for dinner. You guys have a good evening, and, as long as George is locked up, she’ll probably be okay. But you know what will happen if he gets loose.”
“Not going to happen,” Warrick said. “There were enough cops at that hospital this afternoon that I can’t imagine anybody getting loose.”
“Right. Take care of yourself. We’ll talk in a few days.” Mason hung up.
Warrick pocketed his phone, got up and poured himself another cup of coffee. If he was to babysit her while she slept, which was exactly what he wanted to do, then there was no reason not to have another cup of joe.
He sat back down again, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. If there was any news coverage from this afternoon, he wanted to see it. As it was, he couldn’t find anything on any channel.
He brought up the internet on his cell phone and took a look. The hostage situation was mentioned, but mostly the media was silent on this incidence. Maybe that was okay too. Never a good idea to give other criminals ideas or to toot the horn of the bad guys too loudly.
He put down his phone and snuggled in, shifting her so she wasn’t lying in such an awkward angle, but stretching her out so she lay straight on the couch with her head in his lap. Sleep really was the best thing for her now.
When his phone rang again, he hoped it wouldn’t wake her as he pulled it out to see Corey calling.
“What the hell?” was Corey’s initial greeting.
Warrick grinned. “I know, right? Here I am, trying to take it easy, staying off my foot, just being a good calm citizen, and all hell breaks loose.”
“That was pretty brave,” Corey said. “Although I don’t understand how they let you guys do it.”
“I’m not sure they had a whole lot of choice. They were still waiting for somebody to make a decision when Penny more or less decided for everyone, said she was going in. She walked forward, and, of course, I wouldn’t let her go alone.”
“Didn’t they call you back?”
“Sure. But when they understood who I was and with her insistence on helping to protect all those other people in the hospital, well, you know what that’s like.”
“He could’ve shot her as soon as she walked through the door.”
“I know. It did cross my mind as we went in.”
“So I gather he wasn’t really dangerous?”
“Everybody is dangerous in the right circumstances, as we know.”
“But he was looking for attention?”
“No. What he really wanted was for Penny to convince Nina, his ex-girlfriend, to go back to him.”
There was a hard silence, and then Corey said, “He really thought that would work?”
“Apparently. But, because he had a weapon, he held everybody hostage until Penny came.”
“And then it wasn’t hard to disarm him?”
“No. It really wasn’t.”
“You’re lucky.”
“I know.” He glanced down at Penny still sleeping in his lap.
“And you and Penny?” Corey asked, much less than delicately.
“Everybody seems to be asking me that question,” Warrick said.
“We’re all concerned about you, dude.”
“Let’s just say, progressing nicely.”
Corey chuckled. “Well, I can’t really argue any of this if it puts the two of you on the same path.” And he hung up.
Warrick had to agree. It wasn’t exactly a typical courtship, but then, from what he’d seen with all his friends, typical hadn’t worked out so well. Still this surviving-the-test-of-fire proved to be the best matchmaking system yet. And who was he to argue?