Shaking Off the Dust Read online

  “Oh shit,” I cried.

  “What is it, Hannah? What’s happened?” Bill asked, worry evident in his voice.

  I repeated what Brodie told me and I got dead silence from Bill. It was several minutes before he clicked back.

  “Hannah, I’ve told Mateo and he’s passed on the information to his government. Jack is notifying our people. I expect they will divert some of the agents here to the airport. Enrique arrived on scene and he’ll be taking over. Have Tom tell Takeshi what’s going on. We need all those men alive to debrief. We need details and soon. If we just burst in, there will be too many dead people. That was my favorite option before the bomb threat. That just changed.”

  “Hannah?” Enrique’s cultured voice was in my ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Bill and Mateo have filled me in on everything they know. To help us you must watch the monitors and tell me if anyone moves position.”

  “Okay, no big.” I stayed calm.

  Brodie came back, ready to burst. “They are talking about taking turns with you, one at a time as soon as Vincent comes down. The biggest one”—he pointed to the screen—“says maybe Vincent is not done. They were impressed on how long he lasted. This one”—he pointed to the smallest of the men on the screen—“says Sanchez will be here in a very short time, so they’d better hurry if they all want a turn.” He gave me a sheepish look before saying, “They all want a turn.”

  “Go tell Tom and let him tell Takeshi as gently as possible. I’ll let Enrique know.” I watched him blink away.

  “Tell me what, Hannah?”

  “Enrique, we have new information on our current group of bad guys. Is Bill there?”

  “No, he’s busy elsewhere.”

  “Did he mention that Vincent attempted to rape and pillage?”

  “In passing. He told me that Takeshi stopped him, and you pretended it was occurring. Were you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine. Brodie has been staying in the kitchen listening in on the men. They were so impressed with our show they are discussing taking turns upstairs with…well you understand. One of them said they only have a short while before Sanchez gets here.”

  One of the monitors caught my attention as a figure appeared. “Enrique someone else just came into the bedroom window.”

  “It’s Bill. Jack is right behind him. Let Vincent’s friends come up and Bill and Jack will deal with them. I’ll update them now.”

  Brodie came back. “Three of the men from the kitchen are on their way up.”

  “Tell Takeshi that Bill and Jack are upstairs in the bedroom.”

  “Three are on their way,” I informed Enrique.

  I saw the three come out of the kitchen. The last of them paused at the door talking to the remaining two in the kitchen. The other two were on the stairs. As the door closed to the kitchen, the armed man walked forward and Takeshi came behind him like a shadow, jumped, kicked out his foot, and hit him on the side of the head. The man fell forward and Takeshi caught him and his weapon before he hit the ground.

  “Takeshi took out the third one in the living room.” I was in awe.

  “I hope it was on camera.” Enrique chuckled. “I’d like to see it. His files show sixteen years of martial arts training. I don’t know if you ever lose that training. I’m letting Bill know there’re two now.”

  Takeshi dragged the man out of sight, using the cord from a lamp to tie him. He stuffed paper in his mouth and secured it with a curtain rope.

  The two would-be rapists were knocking on the bedroom door a couple of times then kicked it in. The bathroom door opened and I could even see water running in the sink and hands being washed. The bed was tousled, like someone lay under the covers. The two men went straight to the bed and pulled off the blankets to find pillows.

  Bill and Jack stepped out of the bathroom and fired on them. I was horrified until I saw the darts sticking out of their necks. They pulled handcuffs out of their pockets and duct taped their mouths and legs together.

  “Tell Takeshi they’re on their way down. I don’t want him hurting them,” Enrique added.

  “Tom?”

  “Yes.” He stood next to me.

  “Bill and Jack are on their way down.”

  “Got it.”

  Takeshi moved to the bottom of the stairs, inclining his head at Bill and Jack. They spoke, then Bill and Jack headed into the dining room, outside the kitchen door.

  Takeshi went up the stairs, stopped at the landing and picked up a large vase, throwing it down the stairs. The two goons in the kitchen came running out, guns pointed. Bill and Jack had them down in seconds.

  “Yes, yes,” I yelled. “That’s all of them. I’m going to check on Hector.”

  “No, Hannah, do not leave that room until someone comes for you. We need to secure that whole house,” Enrique insisted.

  “Hector is hurt Enrique. I’m a nurse.”

  “Takeshi is a doctor and we brought in Dr. Santiago in case you or Takeshi needed him. He’s waiting right outside with an ambulance. Hector will get immediate treatment, so will the housekeeper. Don’t leave that room, Hannah.”

  “Enrique, Sanchez is coming. I don’t know who that is, but I know I don’t want to be here when he arrives. Why can’t I go out now?”

  “Soon, Hannah, I promise. My team is coming in the back now for a final sweep.”

  I sat back down watching as Bill and Jack carried Hector to the back door. A couple of men were waiting and took him out. Takeshi untied the housekeeper. She appeared frightened but untouched. Brodie popped in, disappointed that the excitement was over. “Hannah, do you think I could have been with the FBI?”

  “Brodie, I think you could have been anything you set your mind to. You helped catch those guys as much as Bill or Jack. I think the girls would have been chasing you around.”

  “You’re saying that to be nice,” he said, but he was smiling at me.

  “Hannah,” Enrique nearly shouted. “Three cars parked out in the front of the house. I pulled all of my people around back. Tell Takeshi to get hidden now.”

  “Brodie, tell Takeshi to hide. Now. There are bad people coming in the front door.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I watched Takeshi on the monitor. He glanced at the door where Bill was beckoning to him to follow, but he shook his head and ran through the kitchen door, straight to the closet. He slipped inside as the front door opened. The wall slid open and he stood in front of me.

  I threw myself on him, forgetting about the headset and nearly snapped my neck. I wanted to laugh and cry, but the monitor drew our attention.

  “Enrique, there’s got to be at least eight men coming through the front door.”

  “Is Takeshi with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I speak with him?”

  I took the headset off and handed it to him.

  “What’s the plan?” Takeshi spoke into the headset.

  I couldn’t hear Enrique’s side of the conversation, which was frustrating.

  “Eight, ex-military or mercenary. They don’t look like the others. They were more local muscle. These guys look like they’ve been brought in. Two of them could be Middle Eastern.”

  In silence, men came in the front door and swept through the downstairs efficiently. They found the man Takeshi had tied up and the two from the kitchen. Luckily they were out cold and these new intruders could not seem to rouse them. We could see them talking into their headsets before they started backing out of the house through the front door. They left the others where they’d found them.

  “They’re leaving,” Takeshi informed Enrique.

  Brodie showed up smiling. “They’ve got some guy in the car out front. They told him it’s not safe, to abort.”

  “Which car?” I asked.

  “The second one.”

  “Takeshi, the middle car has someone they’re protecting in it, probably Sanchez.”

  He passed it on to Enrique.

 
I stood watching the monitors when automatic weapon fire started ripping through the wall, splintering the wood. It must have been coming from the front of the house. I stood there paralyzed as Takeshi pulled me down to the floor. I landed hard, knocking the air out of me as the lights went out in our little room. After what seemed like minutes of gunfire, there was silence. I could feel my heartbeat thudding in my ear. It was so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. I held my breath until I could listen for Takeshi close to me.

  “Takeshi?” I whispered.

  “I’m here. Stay low until it’s over. They’ll let us know when it’s safe.”

  “I’m afraid now,” I said.

  “Don’t be afraid. Are you hurt?” he asked from my right side. I moved closer to him, my head touching his chest.

  “No, I’m not hurt.” I didn’t think I was. But I could feel Takeshi’s heart bounding faster and faster. It scared me. “You’re hurt. I can’t see a damn thing. Tell me where you’re injured this instant.”

  “Quiet, Hannah, I’ll be all right,” he said almost in a whisper.

  I got on my knees. I could hear shouting and sirens. “Brodie,” I yelled.

  “What is it, Hannah?” It was so dark I couldn’t see him either.

  “Go to the others. Tell them Takeshi is hurt. Damn it, tell me where you’re hurt, Shimodo, or I’ll put my hands on every inch of you to find it myself. Go, Brodie.”

  “Hannah, please,” he sighed.

  I put my hand on his chest. His heart rate was an irregular staccato that sent fear up my spine. Something dripped against my skin.

  “Damn it.” I reached out to him and started on his face, following down his body. His right shoulder was slick and he grunted. I kept going after I dried my hand off on my tee shirt. I found another pool of warm thick wetness on his right abdomen. Blood, so much blood.

  “Damn it, where else, Takeshi? Please tell me, where else?”

  “My leg, outer thigh.” His breathing had changed to a panting sound.

  “Tom,” I called out.

  “They’re coming, Hannah, I can hear them.” Takeshi reached out a hand to me.

  A low red light came on in the little room, like a generator had suddenly kicked in, and I could see Takeshi. I tore off my tee shirt, deciding where to apply pressure. His abdominal wound wasn’t bleeding as badly as his leg and shoulder. I pressed my shirt into his thigh and held pressure. Tom kneeled next to me.

  “They’re almost here.” Tom bent over and put his hand over Takeshi’s right shoulder.

  Takeshi’s face was white as a ghost, his lips turning blue. “Don’t you leave me, Shimodo. Don’t you dare leave me.”

  He opened his eyes and gazed at me, then turned his head a little. “I love you.”

  “Don’t leave me,” I whispered. “Please God, not now. Don’t bring him into my life just to take him away.”

  A door slid open and Dr. Santiago, Bill and Jack came through. A cot rolled in and they put Takeshi on it. They were rushing him out of the tight space to the ambulance out front. I ran to catch up to them.

  “Are you hurt?” Bill tried to stop me.

  “Let go of me. I’m going into the ambulance too.”

  “There’s blood all over you. Are you hurt?” Bill checked me for injuries.

  “It’s his blood. Let me go,” I cried.

  “There’s no room, Hannah. The paramedics and Dr. Santiago are in there. They’re working on him. The sooner he can get to the hospital the better.” Someone handed him a blanket and he placed it around my shoulders.

  I twisted back to the ambulance. The light was on inside and I could see them starting IVs and getting fluids going. Dr. Santiago was bent over Takeshi’s head, then the ambulance took off, lights flashing and sirens screaming in the night as they pulled away.

  “Take me to that hospital. Please, Bill, take me,” I pleaded, throwing myself against him sobbing.

  “We’re going this minute, Hannah.” He picked me up in his arms and carried me to the car. Jack drove, and Bill and I sat in the backseat in silence punctuated by my sobs.

  They stayed by my side in the waiting room until Dr. Santiago came out to talk, which was so quickly I was afraid he was going to tell me Takeshi had died on the way.

  “He’s going into surgery, Hannah. It may be many hours before he’s out. In the meantime you need to get checked,” Dr. Santiago said.

  I grabbed him by his shirt. “Tell me, how he is right this minute.”

  “He’s critical. He’s lost a lot of blood. We are giving him four units very quickly. The surgeon has seen him. He’s concerned he’s bleeding into his abdomen and chest. There’ll be two of us working on him.”

  “Can I see him on the way to OR?” I begged.

  “He’s unconscious. I put him out to intubate. He fought us.”

  Dr. Santiago walked me to a large room. It reminded me of the trauma rooms in my own emergency department. Takeshi lay on the bed, even paler than I remembered, attached to a respirator. Two units of blood were going in, as well as other fluids and antibiotics. They’d done a lot in a short period of time. I felt better now that I’d seen him, because they were doing everything I would have done.

  The nurses ignored me as they prepped him for surgery. I leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. “Stay with me, but if God calls for you today, you go into that light. You take Tom and Brodie with you. Do you hear me, Shimodo?” I whispered in his ear, “I love you, Takeshi, forever.”

  The surgeon came in with Dr. Santiago. “We’re ready, Hannah. We’ll do our best.”

  I nodded and stepped back into Tom, who stood in the far corner of the room.

  “I did this.” He choked on his words. “I made both of you put your lives in danger to help me and now he is paying the consequence. The price I am too afraid to pay.”

  “Tom, it’s no time for a pity party. I’m too busy blaming myself to listen to you.”

  There was blood everywhere. I went to the sink to wash and realized I’d taken my tee shirt off to bind his wounds. I wasn’t wearing anything but my bra under the gaping blanket. How could I have missed that and why hadn’t anyone said anything?

  “Tom, I need to find a shirt or gown to wear.”

  “Yes, I noticed, but you have blood all over you, so I figured you didn’t need to be bothered about it until Takeshi was in surgery.” He gave a sad little smile. “Any other time I would have enjoyed the spectacle. For someone who claims to be overweight, you look good.”

  A nurse came into the room. “Dr. Santiago has asked us to make sure you are looked after. He suggests you be seen by one of the other physicians.”

  “You speak English, thank God. I’m fine. My boyfriend was the one injured, but I did take off my tee shirt for a bandage and I am covered in blood. Is there somewhere I could shower, and perhaps borrow a scrub top or shirt?”

  “Yes, I take you to the dressing room.” She cocked her head for me to follow.

  “Tom, tell Bill and Jack what I’m doing. I’ll be a few minutes,” I said quietly.

  The nurse stared at me.

  Tapping my ear, I said, “I am radio linked to the others.”

  She looked skeptical, but led me to the dressing room, using a key to open it. Left alone for several minutes, I showered, washing blood from my body and hair. I hadn’t realized how much I’d gotten on me. Towels, scrubs and even underwear were left outside the stall. I thanked her several times as she led me out to the surgery waiting room. Bill, Jack and Tom were already there.

  “How long, Tom? How much time will he be in surgery?” I asked first.

  “A long time. Three bullet paths to follow and repair. Four hours, maybe more.”

  I told Bill and Jack what I knew and what Tom had said. I could see they were torn. They didn’t want me to be alone to wait those hours on Takeshi, but their responsibility included helping with everything at the airport.

  “I know you have to go. Tom and I want to participate also. The gho
sts can search the airport far more effectively than anyone alive. Tom, Eduardo, Arturo, and the others can walk right through walls and stick their heads in trashcans and planes. If they find something, they can come straight to me with the news. If you bring me the DNA on the ghosts from the plane crash, I can be their command center. It’ll save time and energy without you or your men trying to decipher what ghosts might need to tell them.”

  I kissed Bill and Jack, forcing them to bend their heads to reach me. My face was sore again since Vincent’s manhandling. I looked like hell, but they both smiled at me. “I’m going to the chapel.”

  Less than thirty minutes later, I’d said every prayer I knew, twice. I made up a dozen more. I bargained and pleaded for my man so thoroughly that I had no choice but to join a convent should he come out of this alive and healthy. I was okay with that.

  “If you’re sure you can do this, we’re ready.” Jack sat down next to me. “One last prayer?”

  We said Our Father and then a Hail Mary for good measure before we left. Our words had filled the chapel and Tom’s voice was an echo only I heard.

  When we reached the waiting room, Enrique came forward and hugged me.

  “Tell me what is happening?” I requested.

  “The gunfire that injured Takeshi was from automatic weapons wielded by Tomas Ramirez’s men who were following Sanchez. When he stopped at my home, they opened fire. We have Ramirez under arrest. We revoked our deal with him,” he said.

  “What about Sanchez? Did you get him? Has he told you where the bombs are at the airport?”

  Enrique shook his head. “We are having him followed. We are spread pretty thin, Hannah. I must go very soon. The airport has been closed. Our airspace is cleared. We are diverting all flights. They are almost done with the evacuation of the airport, but if we empty too quickly, we might lose the very people we seek to find.”

  “How many were at the airport and where are you taking them?” I asked.

  “Everyone is being bussed to a warehouse some five miles from the airport. This takes many to facilitate. We need to search the airport, interrogate those we moved to the warehouse, and try to get Sanchez and his people to lead us to those responsible. If those bombs go off in the airport, my government and country will feel the effects for many years to come.”