Bad Karma (48 page)

Cassie thrust her hands deep in her pockets, her fingers making contact with the lighter. Drawing it out, she stared at the object in her palm as though it had been delivered from a distant planet.

She raised her gaze to the sprinkler system overhead.

Cassie rifled through the drawers of the admitting desk and gathered a sheaf of papers, rolling them into a tube. She took the chair from behind the desk and dragged it to the center of the corridor, situating it under one of the sprinkler heads. She climbed onto the seat, praying that Ted hadn’t discarded the lighter because it no longer worked. She flipped the lighter and a long flame spiraled upward.

Cassie felt like leaping for joy, but instead held the flame to the edge of the papers and watched the blaze quickly spread. Holding the smoking makeshift torch up to the sprinkler head, she was instantly rewarded with the scream of an alarm as the sprinkler doused her with cold water.

“
Yes!” She jumped off the chair and danced around in a circle, the flaming paper in her hand immediately extinguished by the deluge.

The sound of sirens in the distance was like music to her ears.

“
Come on Javi. Come save my sister.”

~*~

The high-pitched sound of an alarm came from inside the hospital, raising the hair on the back of Zach’s neck. Within seconds, the eerie alarm shriek was joined by a corresponding scream of sirens, coming on fast.

He ran toward the sheriff’s cars, waving his arms.

Rafael screeched to a stop and threw the door open, stepping out . “Where is Chloe? Is Lacy with her?”

The second Sheriff’s Department vehicle pulled in close behind, disgorging Adriano Esquivel and Zach’s sister, Darla. She wore body armor, an M14 slung over her shoulder and a bag of extra magazines dangling from her hand.

The sight of Darla, so matter-of-factly ready to blow someone away, made Zach’s flesh crawl. The deadly reality of the situation hit him like a fist.

He swallowed convulsively. “Yes, they’re inside. He’s jammed the doors. I can’t get in. He’s got Sky and Chloe. Cassie is in the hospital, but not with Sky.”

Rafael’s face was grim and set. He reached inside his cruiser and pulled the microphone out of its cradle. A high-pitched squeal emanated from the front of his vehicle.

Rafael’s deep voice boomed through the vehicles speaker system. “Luther Franks, this is Sheriff Solis. You cannot escape from the hospital. All exits to the building have been blocked. Release the hostages and come out with your hands in the air and you will not be harmed.”

There was no response from inside the building, except for the sound of the alarm droning on.

“
What’s going to happen, Rafael?” Zach tried to keep the desperation out of his voice.

Rafael shook his head. “Not good. We have a crazy with hostages.”

Adriano hailed Rafael from the other side of the loading dock. “Here’s another set of doors!”

“
Open them!” Rafael yelled.

Adriano took a sledgehammer from the trunk of his vehicle and hit the doorknob, knocking it completely off with one blow. He jerked the doors open and turned back to Rafael. “They don’t go anywhere.”

Zach followed close behind Rafael to look inside.

“
Mechanical closet. It houses the telephone system and electrical in case it needs to be worked on.”

Zach looked at the bank of circuitry and wires contained within the small space.

Rafael and Adriano turned away, but Zach remained, staring up at the ceiling. Ductwork led from somewhere within the hospital to spill cool air into this tiny space. A large air vent was set into the ductwork.

Zach slipped out of his shoes and stepped onto the small table. He hoisted himself up to examine the vent.

~*~

The wind coming off the water buffeted Javier’s truck. He gripped the wheel, driving slow enough to maintain control over the vehicle even though he wanted to be racing to the hospital. The island was deserted. Desolate. It was as if the island was holding its breath, waiting for whatever was to come.

Javier hadn’t been able to reach Cassie on her cell. He knew she couldn’t make or receive calls inside the hospital, but he couldn’t understand why she didn’t check her messages and step outside to return his calls. She had to know he would be worried.

He was on break, determined to drive to the hospital to see her. He heard sirens coming up behind him. Lights flashing, both fire trucks and an ambulance were visible in his rear view mirror.

He sighed. Cassie would have to wait. He pulled over to see which way they were going so he could follow and don his protective equipment on site. He fell in line behind the second unit.

A growing apprehension gripped him as he realized the trucks were headed for the hospital.

Javier gunned the motor of his truck and overtook the units, giving a wave as he passed them. His gut clenched when he saw the flashing lights of sheriff’s department cars already on site at the ambulance bay.

Please be safe, baby. Please be safe.

He made a hard right and braked between the two cruisers. Even from a distance, he could read the anguish written on Rafael’s face.

Javier ran to join the gathering.

Rafael’s expression painted a portrait of seething anger overlaid with worry. “They’re inside.”

“
What’s going on with Cassie and Sky?”

“
The guy who’s been stalking Sky is holding them hostage. Chloe is in there too.”

A heavy weight settled upon Javier, rendering him incapable of speech; incapable of thought. He stood, like a statue, listening to Rafael, as though from a distance.

Rafael rubbed the back of his neck. “From what Zach tells me, several people have gone missing. Doctor Marcos, the other nurse and the orderlies seem to have vanished.”

Javier tried to swallow, his throat dry as parchment. “You mean the women are alone with this nut job?

“
Yeah, that about sums it up. He’s shut down the only entrance and barricaded himself in the examination area with Chloe and Sky.” Rafael’s face crumbled, but he quickly got hold of himself. “Lacy and Sybil are in there with them.” His voice broke.

“
Cassie? Where’s Cassie in all this?”

Rafael straightened his shoulders. “Cassie seems to be locked in the hospital, but locked out of the exam room. She’s roaming the halls and not in any immediate danger.”

Javier frowned. “I don’t understand. Is there a fire?”

One side of Rafael’s mouth turned up in a semblance of a smile. “No. Your girlfriend set off the sprinkler system to alert you that she was in trouble. So now, the nut job is wet as well as crazy.”

Javier considered what he’d just learned. Cassie had triggered the alarm to bring him here. She believed that he could save her. He straightened his shoulders.

Better get to it, then.

~*~

I can never catch a break.

Luther Franks gritted his teeth together as the overhead sprinklers doused him with cold water. He should have taken care of the other woman.
The baby sister set off the sprinklers.

A little water isn’t going to stop me. I have to carry out my mission. I have to avenge my family.

“
Mister Franks,” Sky said. The water had drenched her too. “The baby is coming, but there’s a problem.”

“
You’re the problem,” he snapped.

A flash of anger crossed her face.
That’s it! Show me some spirit.

“
No, you’re the problem. This woman needs a doctor. The baby has turned sideways and it’s presenting breech.”

He spoke quietly and deliberately. “You’re not going to live long enough to worry about her problems.”

She frowned again. The spark of anger. “I don’t understand. Your wife was speeding with your son in the car when she ran into me. How can you possibly blame me for their deaths?”

“
Because you were there.”

The pregnant woman let out a groan, pulling herself up using the side-rails. She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You should be blaming your wife. What kind of mother drives fast with her kid in the car?”

A cold rage settled in his stomach, like a pot simmering, ready to boil over given more heat. “You shut up! Don’t say a word about my Kira. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t understand.”

“
What didn’t she understand?” Sky asked.

The sprinklers suddenly turned off.

He turned around in a slow circle.

Several inches of water stood on the floor and more water dripped rhythmically from the sprinkler heads.

“
What didn’t your wife understand?” Sky repeated.

Luther focused his gaze on Sky. “Kira thought I was angry with her. She didn’t understand that I just wanted her to come home with me.”

A knowing expression crossed her face. “You had a fight with your wife the night of the accident? I can see why you would blame yourself, but why do you blame me?”

“
I saw you. When they pulled you out of the wreckage you were out of it. The cops were saying that you were under the influence.”

Sky sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. “You were there! You were chasing her! That’s why she was speeding. She was trying to get away from you.”

The rage in his gut spilled over. He slapped her with the back of his hand, sending her lurching into a cart and then onto the floor, splashing in the standing water.

The pregnant woman groaned again and the one on the floor glared up at him, accusation in her eyes.

“
Chloe is going to have her baby very soon and she needs help. If I don’t help her, she might die and the baby will surely die. You don’t want to be responsible for the loss of two more innocent lives, do you?”

Innocent?
He stared at the pregnant woman, writhing in pain. He didn’t want the innocents to die.
Only the guilty. Only her
.

He turned back to Sky. She had climbed to her feet, one side of her face reddened by his blow. “I want to help Chloe have this baby. After that, you can do whatever you want with me. Just let me help her now.”

He regarded her through narrowed eyes. “You do your thing and when you’re done, I’m going to slit your throat.”

The large blue eyes widened even more. She swallowed hard. “All right then, let me get to it.”

He followed Sky to the cubicle where the pregnant woman lay. If looks could kill he would have been a dead man.

The pregnant woman, the sheriff’s wife gave him a venomous glare. “Get away from me! You do not get to look at my private parts while I’m giving birth.”

Luther let out an exasperated snort. “Look, lady...”

She pointed the finger again. “My husband is the sheriff and he is going to shoot you in the head.”

Luther smirked at her. “He doesn’t have to. After you squirt out this kid I’m going to kill your friend and then I’m going to join my sweet wife in heaven,”