Run, Hide - By Carol Ericson Page 0,59
a gulp of water. “Thanks... Cade?”
“He’s inside picking up some supplies.” Jenna sucked in her lower lip. “He didn’t think it was a good idea to bring you to the emergency room, but we would have if things had gone south for you.”
“No hospitals. No police. We know the drill. Even the Prospero techs and support people know the drill.”
With each passing minute, Beth’s voice got stronger and her gaze more focused. She turned toward Gavin and put her hand on the car seat. “Cade’s son.”
“Yes, that’s Gavin. Thank God he slept through the chaos at the warehouse.”
Beth wrinkled her brow and ran her fingertips along the edge of the makeshift bandage. “Chaos. Jeff?”
“I’m sorry. Jeff’s dead.”
Beth pressed her hand against her mouth, smothering a cry. “Gunfire. They shot him.”
“Who, Beth? What did they want?”
The tap on the window made both women jump. Cade’s
hand rested against the glass, a plastic bag dangling from his wrist.
Jenna unlocked the door for him and stated the obvious. “Beth regained consciousness.”
He wedged the bag onto the console. “Thank God. Is it just your head? Are you injured anywhere else?”
“I—I don’t think so. It’s good to see you alive and well, Cade. We’ve...some of us have been worried about you.”
“And we’ve been worried about you.” He reached into the bag. “Jeff didn’t make it.”
“I know. Your—Jenna told me.”
He plucked a bottle out of the bag and shook it. “Ibuprofen?”
“I already got some. How’s the injury on my head?”
“Not sure. Jenna wrapped it to stop the bleeding. Lots of blood, but then that’s heads for you. Your vitals never wavered, so I took that as a good sign. Or we would’ve taken you to the emergency room.”
She held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Agent Stark. I know how it works.”
Jenna started the car. “I’m going to get Beth back to our hotel room so we can take a look at that injury.”
As she pulled out of the parking lot, Cade took a deep breath and started in with the questioning. He couldn’t wait until they cleaned the blood out of her hair?
“What happened back there, Beth? Who ambushed you two and why? If it was Zendaris’s men, why didn’t they stick around for us?” He circled his finger in the air to encompass himself, her and Gavin. “And what happened to our documents?”
Beth closed her eyes and pressed two fingers against her forehead. “Can you give me a minute or two? I’m feeling dizzy all of a sudden.”
“Must’ve been all those questions.” Jenna gave Cade the evil eye and drew a finger across her throat. “We’re not far from the hotel. Let Beth rest, and let’s properly dress her wound. Then you can ask all the questions you want.”
“We need to know if Jeff’s killers are still in the area, what they plan to do.”
“They didn’t follow us from the warehouse, and there’s no way they know where we’re staying. Let’s give it a rest for tonight.”
Cade glanced from her to Beth, her eyes still closed, and shrugged. “I guess it can wait.”
Twenty minutes later, Jenna drove the car into the parking structure, the tires squealing on the cement floor of the garage. She found a spot near the elevator.
“Can you walk, Beth?”
“I’m sure I can.” She touched Gavin’s nose. “Your little guy has been out like a light the entire time. Must be nice to sleep like that—the sleep of innocence.”
Jenna took the plastic bags from Cade while he gathered Gavin into his arms. Jenna slung her purse over her shoulder, hooking the bags around her arms. She then dipped into the backseat to help Beth out of the car.
Beth winced as she struggled to stand.
Jenna took her arm to steady her. “Are you sure you can do this? Cade could carry you inside.”
Beth snorted. “Hardly keeping a low profile. I can manage. Just hang on to my arm like we’re old friends.”
“Any friend of Cade’s is a friend of mine, so we are old friends.” She pulled Beth’s arm through the crook of her own, offering a shoulder for Beth to lean on. “We’ll take it slowly.”
Beth’s trauma hadn’t affected her balance, and while she kept a tight hold of Jenna’s arm, she managed to walk beside her back up to the room.
Jenna settled Beth at the small table by the window. “Unless you want to lie down on the bed.”
“This is fine. I don’t want to get blood on those nice white pillows.” Beth turned her head