All This Time (35 page)

Chapter
Sixty-Seven

The
line of patrol officers swarming around the front steps of the Canton
Children’s General Hospital falls back and I glance at the glass double doors
before spinning around and facing the big guy who persuaded them to leave.

“Thanks
for that,” I gesture with my chin toward the grown ass men sulking as they walk
away like dogs with their tails tucked between their legs. “I’m Detective Samantha
Walker.” I can feel Blues watching me and something about his presence eases my
anxiety. I really fucking hate it too. Because of him my whole damn case is now
dumped into the shitter.
Don’t
fucking think
about it now
. Keeping my focus away from him I wait expectantly for the guy
to respond.

“Oh,
well uh…” His deep hazel eyes with tiny burning flecks of green shift
questioningly to the man behind me. With a touch of humor in his voice says to
me, “You’re welcome. Now care to tell me why you want inside a hostage scene so
badly?” He peeks back down at me and points at the ER before dropping his hand
to his side, propping it on his duty weapon in a nonthreatening way.

“The
fucker inside is a nasty rodent who I’ve been dealing with for a while now.” He
bobs his head understanding, but clearly doubting that my answer is the only
reason why I want inside. Sighing heavily, I dig my fingers into my neck at the
hairline and through clenched teeth I hiss, “My best friend is on staff here
and I believe she and her brother are his hostages.”

“Right,
well let’s do this. From what I heard over the SWAT channel Hatfield is holed
up in the C corner,” he shakes his head, reminding himself that not everyone
speaks SWAT, “He’s in the southeast corner with thirteen hostages.” Glancing up
at the entryway again he continues, “Seeing that you’re so determined to gain
access in that way, I’m going around that part of the building and entering
through the side door.” He finishes by pointing toward the east side of the
hospital.

“Sounds
good,” I try to smile, but can’t even fake it. My heart is barely working on a
regular beat because of the anxiety and pain due to the unknown lying beyond
the glass doors and I need to get in there.
Now.
He
begins to walk away and I shout. “Wait. Who are you?”

“Shit,
sorry.” He reaches out a hand, which I take and he grips mine back tightly,
“Tac,” is all he offers.

“Tac?”
I ask, curious if this is his real name or if he’s
telling me that he is on the tactical response team within the department.

“Attacus
Sloane,” he clarifies and the air stills in my lungs once again. I whip around
to look at Blues who has his eyes locked on me. Attacus is Blues’ brother and
he is a Stealth member!
Tac
jogs around the corner
leaving me standing in front of his brother who appears to be swaying a little.
Great, what the hell am I supposed to do with an inebriated drug lord?

“Detective?”
Blues asks stiffly glancing up and down my body
with some unfamiliar look in his eyes. What is that?
Loathing?
Regret? Anguish?

Utterly
frustrated with everything going on and his presence here, I snap, “Yes,
Detective,
and I don’t have time for your bullshit.”

Jogging
away from him I pull my service weapon and climb the four steps leading up to
the emergency room. I ease through the door listening for sounds coming from
the far back corner, where
Tac
said Mad Hatter is
holding the hostages, but I hear nothing. Tentatively, I take a step inside
holding my gun outstretched in front of me pointing down the long corridor
while checking my sides. It’s approaching ten o’clock at night and it appears
that the responding officers had the power cut inside the building. Continuing
to listen for voices, I slide to the left side of the hallway and press my
shoulder against the cold tile wall.

Placing
one soft footstep in front of the other I skulk down the completely blacked out
hall toward the furthest back room. The half wooden, half glass door on the
right is partially open and I notice backup lights are illuminating the
windowless room somewhat. I cross the hallway and edge closer after hearing
several soft sobs coming from inside. Freezing in place when I hear a familiar
snarl, I gather my thoughts and still my nerves so I can refocus and come up
with a plan quickly.

“
I
will kill you all. Shut up
!
Shut up
!” Mad Hatter screeches inside
the small exam room.

Reaching
the room he is holed up in I lower myself down onto my knees while pressing my
side against the wall. I glance up at the stairwell door leading out toward the
way
Tac
was heading and wonder if he’ll be able to get
in or if he’s locked out, leaving me as the lone rescuer. I sigh inwardly and
pray he gets inside. Having a Stealth member assisting me just might get
everyone out alive. At that moment a hand wraps over my shoulder pulling my
body away from the doorway and pushing my back against the wall.

“Ssh,”
Blues whispers too loudly placing his finger over his lips with his eyebrows
drawn in. He’s not just drunk, he is pissed off now.
What the fuck
?

“
You
better hope your life matters to those motherfucking cops outside
!” Mad
hisses inciting loud whimpering and pleading from several of the hostages.

“What
the fuck? You shouldn’t be here, especially drunk!” I growl under my breath. I
can still hear
Mad
ranting inside the room confirming
that he hasn’t heard our exchange. “What are you doing?”

“What
the fuck am I doing?” He hisses. “You can’t just go in there alone with that
crazy fucker!”

“Get
out of here, Blues.” I sigh. “I mean it. This isn’t any of your business.”

“
Get
up
!” Mad bellows each word punctuated with a sound of flesh striking flesh.
“
Now or I will shoot one of those disgusting kids
!”

“Hell
no,” Blues’ tone is barely below a growl as he glares savagely at the partially
open door. “I’m not leaving you, Doll.” I glance up at him and see
determination set in his burning sapphire eyes when they shift back at me. His
tender words combined with the sweet endearment causes a familiar zing to hum
through my body and I shudder. My body bows instinctively toward him while my
skin prickles with
desirous
goose bumps from his
blistering touch, feeling it even through my clothing. My heart screams out to
him, but my mind refuses to fall victim to his scams again.
Forbidden
,
the word resonates loudly in my head like an echo in a deep cavernous hole.
Get
your shit together
! Shaking my head, I shrug out from under his hold and
pierce him with a glare equivalent to his harsh tone.

“You
are the reason that son of a bitch is in there doing this shit,” I snarl
twisting my body away from him, assuming my position against the wall like I
was before he interrupted me. Spotting movement in the window on the door of
the partially lit stairwell, I glance up and see
Tac
narrowing his eyes on me while shaking his head and waving his hand in a way to
shoo me away.
Great another man telling me what I can’t do
!

“You’re
right,” Blues whispers remorsefully behind me, his voice weighted with guilt. I
nod in agreement while giving a one-finger hand signal to
Tac
,
letting him know exactly what I think about his idea of me backing away from
the door. His eyes grow wide just as I spot movement beside me. Before I have a
chance to react I hear and see enough to shock the hell out of me and I am left
momentarily stock-still with an array of emotions. First wrath floods my mind,
followed by fear soaring through my veins, next an unexplainable sadness
blindsides me and then finally disappointment sinks deep into my soul as I
watch Blues, hands raised high, palms facing outward, stroll into the emergency
room with the crazed gunman, becoming hostage number fourteen.
No
, my
heart cries out.

“Fuck,”
I breathe raggedly while my gut twists wildly and hot tears sting behind my
lowered eyelids after watching the man who stole my heart offer himself up as
the sacrificial lamb to one of Satan’s vilest minions.

“Mad
Hatter, I’m unarmed,” Blues announces abruptly entering the exam room following
up quickly with a jovially greeting typically reserved for great friends, “Hey
buddy, I’m here to get you out.” My nerves of steel fall into a heap of
discarded and worthless fragments leftover after a welding.
Why
?
How
could I ever trust this bastard
?
How did I let myself fall in love with
him
? I glance up again catching the fear flashing in
Tac’s
eyes before lowering my gun, dropping my head down somewhat, and praying that I
have the nerve to kill Blues if he gets in the way of us rescuing the hostages.

“Dude, what the fuck?”
Mad shouts
viciously at Blues.
I stay hidden behind the wall preparing myself for
his betrayal. “You know as well as I do that those fuckers ain’t gonna let me
walk up out of this damn place.”

“Have
a little faith my friend,” Blues says smugly continuing to saunter deeper into
the room. “I am the man to make all of your wishes come true. So rub the
fucking genie lamp and let’s get up out of this place, brother.”

Mad
cackles riotously like the demented freak he is before snorting, “You don’t
have that much power, Blues.”

“Don’t
I?” Blues counters chuckling at himself. “Tell me what you want, you have my guarantee
that it will happen.”

“You’re
shitfaced!” Mad exclaims. Blues scoffs offended by being calling out on his
drunkenness. “Okay, I’ll play along.” I hear a strangled grunt and my guts
twists fearfully wondering who he’s torturing. “They won’t let me walk out of
here alive so I’ll need a helicopter to escape.”

“That’s
your plan A?” Pause. “Done,” Blues says sharply. “But really man no one has
died yet so you have a great chance of getting out completely unscathed with us
walking right out the front door.” Mad’s only response is another snort. “Don’t
believe me? Okay, let’s buy us some insurance. I know you don’t want to harm
the rug-rats so let them scamper along while we sort out escape plan B.” He
laughs at himself and it sounds like he banged into something.

My
heart lodges in my throat.
Oh god
. Blues is actually trying to save the
hostages.

Chapter
Sixty-Eight

Tac
waves his hand in front of the small pane of glass in
the heavy metal door catching my attention again. He mouths, “
I can’t get in
,”
He points down and adds, “
It’s locked. You’ll have to let me in
.”
Ignoring him, my eyes stray toward the doorway where Blues stands only five
feet away from me.

Blues
clears his throat. “What do you say Mad? Are we cutting the kids loose or
what?”

“Whatever,”
Mad Hatter growls, “I need to think.”

“Sure.
Hey, want a smoke?” Blues offers. “I could use one.”

“No,
I don’t fucking smoke anything except weed.”

“A joint then?”
Blues asks with a happy clip in his tone.

“Yeah!”
Mad sounds giddy with this offer.

“Got
some good shit in my wallet,” Blues giggles. “I need to roll it up. Want to
send the kiddos out first?”

“I
don’t give a fuck,” Mad roars. “Just hurry the hell up. I need the shit now.”

“Alrighty
kids,” Blues announces with a clapping of his hands, “Uncle Mad is letting you
go. Come on.” I hear rustling deep within the room. “Run, do not walk down the
hallway and head straight out the front door. The Po-Po is waiting for you.” A
couple of kids rush passed me and I place my finger over my lips while pointing
another down the hall toward the front door. The other children move a little
slower, crying for their mothers that they are leaving behind. Blues follows
the last little ones out and my eyes lock with his as he shoos a precious
strawberry blonde girl wearing a hospital gown toward safety.

He
mouths to me, “Get out!”

“Please
don’t do this,” I beg with a whisper, “I can take him out.”

He
shakes his head and says to the girl, “Go on now,
Doll
. Get to safety.”
Using the nickname he calls me, he’s trying to encourage me to go too, but
there’s no way I’m leaving. I shake my head and he rolls his eyes. He gestures
toward his head and mouths, “He has a gun pointed at Rad’s head.”

My
heart flips, but my determination pole-vaults and I whisper, “Stand clear and
let me take the shot.” His eyebrows pinch in, but the resignation settles into
his deep blue eyes. He knows I must do this. He offers me a slight curt nod.

“Let’s
get high.”
Blues singsongs, turning around and walking back
inside the room toward Mad Hatter.
Fuck
! Blues really sucks at
hostage negotiations.

“Yeah!”
Mad heaves a sigh.

“Who’s
that you got there?”

“A
fucking pig, who’s going to die next,” Mad snarls before I hear a loud smack.

“A cop?”
I hear a deep intake of breath from Blues and his
voice lowers significantly when he asks, “Is he already dead? He doesn’t look
so good.” No response from Mad.

Unless
I expose myself I’m unable to see inside the room to check Russ’ status so I
focus on the pissed off face of Tac still glaring at me through the eight by
eight size square window in the metal emergency exit door. He has a phone
pressed against his ear and his mouth is set in a fine line as he listens to
the person on the other end. I shift my weight onto the balls of my feet and he
shakes his head at me, knowing that I’m preparing to charge the room.

“Do
you think we could use him as a shield when we leave here?” Blues asks coolly.

“I
don’t know! I don’t know!” Mad shouts, “Hurry the fuck up with that joint,
Blues!”

“Got
it,” he replies striking a lighter, “Here!” There’s a long pause and I can hear
the popping of the marijuana before I smell the foul scent wafting its way into
my nose. “So, want to tell me why we’re here?”

With
a mouthful of smoke, Mad chuckles and says, “I needed drugs.” Blues laughs with
him.

“There
are easier ways to get it than busting up into a kiddies emergency room,” Blues
retorts with humor laced in his voice too.

“Not
for me,” Mad’s tone is hostile again. “I’ve been cut off from all you motherfuckers!
Even Decks after everything I did for him! I hooked him up with the ghost who’s
going to change everything just by taking a risk.”
Mad pauses
to hit his joint again.

“Wait,”
Blues scoffs. “Are you talking about Dr. A? That fucker’s real?” Blues asks incredulously.

Mad
roars with a putrid laughter, “Oh yeah, and he’ll be our escape plan C on
catching a ray if you can get us out of here alive.” Long pause and then Mad’s
voice is low and demonic. “But first I have a debt to repay. That bastard Decks
cut me off because of the slut he has been fucking. His bitch is the next one
on my list to die when we get out of here, Blues.”

“Angel?”
Blues’ question is a muffled groan.

“She
really fucked me over letting my whore run away.” It isn’t his threat about me that
make my stomach drop. The sound of a bullet racking into the chamber of a gun
tells me that he is getting ready to kill Russ. Time’s up! I have to move now.
A thick choking sound followed by a gurgle comes from inside the room.

“Mad,”
Blues calls panicky. “Is one of the hostages injured?”

“Fuck
her!”
Mad growls then grunts
deeply.
Is he still
referring to me or is someone in the room with them injured?
“Here you take
this bastard’s left arm and I’ll take his right.”

“We’re
going out the front door?” Blues asks loudly, ensuring I hear the plan. I
swallow hard, rise up to my full height and lift my gun so that the barrel is
an inch away from the door frame, anticipating their exit. Glancing at the door
in front of me again I watch
Tac
watching me. Respectfully
resigning his pleas for me to leave, he nods his head once and joins me in
waiting for them. The sound of two sets of feet shuffling and a body being
dragged my direction charges my adrenaline through the roof. I step away from
the wall and angle my body so that I am pointing at the exact spot I expect Mad
to appear.

A
loud groan fills the silence, “Blues?” It’s Russ’ voice calling out for help.
Motherfucker
!
Russ has just divulged to psycho Mad that Blues already knows the cop they are
dragging out. I can’t wait another moment. Stepping out into the open space
across the hall from the doorway, I set my sights on Mad’s right temple. I
glance down at Russ whose blood-soaked head is drooping forward.

“What
the fuck?” Mad snarls turning to face Blues, “You know this piece of shit?” He
flails his gun between Blues and Russ haphazardly. My heart stops completely.

“What?”
Blues stalls seeing me frozen in the shadows in the middle of the dark hallway.

Russ’
head lobs up and he pins me with ice-cold determination. Swallowing hard he
shouts with every bit of remaining strength he has left, “Kill the fucker,
Sam!”

His
unexpected demand begins a chain reaction that sets things off, but it’s like I
am standing outside of my body watching it all unravel in extra slow motion. A
loud boom levels the emergency exit door beside me, where
Tac
was only moments ago which causes the men in front of me to jump. Blues tugs
Russ his direction, but instead of moving toward safety Russ’ weak body is all
dead weight so they fall face first into the open doorway toward me. Mad jerks
his head in my direction recognizing me instantly. In a nanosecond his eyes
fill with utter joy before flashing back just as fast to evil. As the dust
begins to fly through the air from the mangled door clamoring to the floor I
see
Tac
and another guy approaching in my peripheral.
Their arms are outstretched with large black handguns pointing in my direction
and they aren’t taking their sweet time coming toward us.

Mad
Hatter draws his weapon up and I scream, “Police, drop your weapon!” But he
doesn’t stop, he doesn’t even hesitate. With no other options remaining, I
squeeze the trigger on my .45. Two loud simultaneous bangs distort my hearing
while a hard kick slams me back against the wall behind me. I watch Mark
Hatfield disgusting face smirking at me for the last time before he falls to
the floor dead from the bullet I put through his skull.

After
glaring at me
Tac
charges into the room finding one
dead body slumped down in the entryway and two very freaked out grown men lying
on the floor staring back up at him. I exhale while trying to keep my body from
sliding down the wall and crumpling to the floor. Bile burns my throat as I
look between
Tac
, Blues and Russ. Suddenly, I jolt up
onto my feet and in a speed damn near that of the bullet I just killed a man
with, I leap over all three men landing inside the emergency room. My head
jerks around erratically scanning the remaining faces for one in particular,
but I don’t see Kris anywhere.

“Sam?”
Russ groans. Swiftly I turn around and rush over to him.

Bending
down and grabbing his arm, I stifle my tears and scream, “Where is she?” He
shakes his head wildly before raising a hand and pointing a finger toward the
back wall. All I can see is an empty gurney.

“Behind
the hospital bed,” Russ’ voice cracks with emotion, “He stabbed her.”