to imagine him as a future brother-in-law, but her brain refused. Too much to wrap her head around in one day, especially since her newfound sister might not live through the night. She reached over and grabbed Lee’s hand, squeezing to keep her fingers from shaking. She bowed her head before either of them could object. “Lord, please help.”
It was probably the lamest prayer in the history of prayers, but it was all she could vocalize. An unbidden thought surfaced. If her sister died, would a target suddenly be on her back instead?
* * *
Lee didn’t let go of Audrey’s hand, but instead helped her to standing and walked back out of the chapel. He’d just made her an FBI asset—he didn’t even want to think about the paperwork that awaited him in the future—but after what he’d just told her, he needed to make sure she wasn’t a flight risk. They still had so much to talk about.
They strode together to the open doorway of the surgery waiting area. He continued to hold her hand because it seemed to help her remain calm. Besides, she was the one who’d reached for his hand in the chapel, and if it kept her from breaking down like she did at the hospital entrance, it would be rude to let go before she was ready. Rows of chairs faced monitors displaying lines of patient numbers and surgery status updates.
“Look at your bracelet.” Audrey pulled her hand from his and reached for his wrist.
He’d forgotten the registration attendant had placed the plastic-coated identification on him. He looked down at the number and found its match on the screen. “Surgery in progress.”
A man in scrubs approached, holding a blue bag. “Can I see your wrist?”
Lee held it up and the man handed him the bag. “Thanks for answering the page. Here are her things. The doctor will be out shortly, after surgery, to update you.”
Lee opened the bag enough to see Kendra’s clothes, folded, and the white gold wedding band she wore. He took the nearest chair, far enough away from listening ears.
“I think it’s time you have this.” Audrey pressed a flash drive into his hand.
Lee looked between the silver object and Audrey. His blood burned hot. “Is this from—”
“Yes. Don’t be mad. I had no idea if I should trust you or not. I’m still not sure exactly what mess I’ve landed in. And to be fair, I didn’t realize Adam had put something in my purse until a few minutes ago. I thought he was trying to steal from me.”
Lee took a deep breath in through the nose. His partner was in surgery and her lookalike had no inkling of what was at stake on the mission. Anger wouldn’t benefit anyone.
He rolled the drive in between his fingers. Two caps bookended either end of the drive. He flipped off one side to find the standard USB adapter but the other cap was designed for iPhones. He inserted the adapter into the charging port. The screen flashed an encryption notice.
“I’m going to need you to look away.”
She rolled her eyes and twisted her torso in the opposite direction. Lee keyed in his credentials and opened the FBI software to read the contents. An image of Lee and Kendra popped up on the screen with the covers they’d started developing three years ago. Lately, he’d started to wonder if he would ever get to be himself again.
The notice listed an address Lee recognized and tomorrow’s date. Adam had made the referral happen.
From what Lee and Kendra had gathered before the meet, a referral meant the CEO of the Masked Network was planning to meet them and had their photos to boot. Their covers would’ve been investigated and held up to scrutiny.
Except, Lee and Kendra’s covers were a package deal. Kendra would in no way be recovered in time, but if she didn’t go, the network would want to confirm where she was and why she didn’t show.
Any unnecessary attention could lead them to discover Audrey and, worse, the discovery of Adam’s death, which would prompt the network to go farther underground than ever. If Lee lost the chance to take the network down, more senseless assassination orders like the murder of Diego, the teenage boy he’d mentored in Seattle, would continue to happen without law enforcement being able to find evidence. If clients of the Masked Network were ever arrested, they only had to say three little words and their phones would automatically erase all data. Lee had seen it happen with his own eyes.
A man in scrubs, complete with cap and a surgical mask hanging from his neck, exited the double doors at the end of the room. He approached the nursing station, and an attendant pointed at Audrey. Lee unplugged the drive from the phone and pocketed it. He placed a hand on Audrey’s back as they were led to a consultation room the size of an office cubicle.
The doctor’s dark brown eyes and kind smile focused on Audrey. “We think your sister is going to make it.” He finally looked at Lee. “We removed the bullet from your wife. It missed the brachial artery by a fraction of a centimeter. We’ll need to keep a careful eye on—”
“What about her head? She hit the ground hard.”
Lee inhaled deeply at Audrey’s interruption. He wanted to hear everything the doctor had to say.
“There was a small fracture of the skull.”
It was as if cold liquid ran through Lee’s bones. Audrey placed her hand over her mouth.
The doctor shook his head. “Believe it or not, it’s actually a good thing in this situation. The skull works as a helmet of sorts, and the crack will hopefully work to prevent swelling. We don’t see any signs of brain damage at this point, but we will need to watch for any symptoms of nerve injuries or bleeding.” He leaned back, seemingly pleased. “Everything went well today. She’s just going to need a lot of rest to heal up.”
The doctor leaned forward and asked if they had any other questions. Lee remained silent and let Audrey question him on other possible things that could go wrong. Lee preferred to worry when there was actually a problem to address. And right now the biggest problem was the upcoming mission.
If Audrey went for his idea, she would be in danger, but if she refused, she’d likely be in even more danger. He owed it to Kendra to make the right decision.
“My understanding is the police are on the way, and they’ll want to talk to you. And my nurse will be in shortly to ask you some more routine questions.”
Audrey fell silent and the doctor finally exited, leaving them alone on the padded bench. Her light green eyes met his again. He had the oddest sensation that each time she did that she could figure out his thoughts, something he never worried about with his partner.
She tilted her head. “Is this sort of thing old hat for you? Getting shot at and waiting to see if a colleague survives?” She threw a thumb over her shoulder before he could answer. “And did you notice? The doctor didn’t even ask why someone was shooting at her.”
“They have their training. Someone is required to report a gunshot to the police—we should be gone before the questions start—but you’re right. These guys are focused on saving lives. There’s no time or place to stop and judge.”
“It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Their job, your job, so many people trained to do the right thing automatically without question.” She blushed, a rosy spread across her cheeks.
