Hayes bent over Riker and checked his vitals. “Doc, we need medical assistance for a thirty-four-year-old male. Human, obviously.”
“Doc?” Cami said, and went pale.
“That’s what we call Bond when we’re on an operation,” I said. “Are you okay?”
Our medical officer entered the room, spotted Riker, and nodded to Cami. “Good work. What did you hit him with?”
“It was the most powerful dose of emergency tranquilizer we have.” Cami wrung her hands in front of her. “We don’t work with humans, so I don’t know if the dose was safe.”
“You did the right thing,” Bond assured her. “You protected yourself and your co-workers. And it took real guts. I like you even more than the first time I met you.” She glanced at me. “We all like her. Don’t fuck it up.”
I would have been offended, but the words made Cami smile and relax. Which was probably Bond’s goal.
While Cami and Bond discussed the details of the sedative, I listened to Lang’s conversation with Darla through my comms. The women in the lobby had been able to hear the conversation in the OR through the office intercom system, and the receptionist recounted what Riker and Doc had confessed about Cami’s mentor, friend, and father figure betraying her. She must be devastated, but she was holding it together better than many trained agents would have. My heart broke for her.
Hayes knelt in front of Doc, spoke softly, then zip-tiedthe old man’s hands. Doc didnt seem to notice. Cami stepped closer to me and watched the interaction.
“You know what he did?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I can’t believe he was Scott’s accomplice this whole time. He said he did it for me.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” I said, stroking her shoulders and back. “This is not your fault.” I would tell her as often as needed to make her believe it.
“Riker has other accomplices,” she said. “He said this dog belongs to someone else. We have to find out who that is because there could be other dogs?—”
“Baby, we know,” I pulled her into a hug. “We’re working on it. We’re not going to give up.” Since we suspected Riker’s mentor was blackmailing the general’s son, I could guarantee her that. “Trust me, that guy has a big target on his back. But catching him might take a while. That’s sometimes how these things work.”
I wished I could tell her we’d catch the fucker tomorrow or next week or next month. But it might not happen that way, and I’d promised that even when I couldn’t tell her the whole truth, I would never lie to her.
Hayes said, “Doc...um, Bond, can we get a medical assist over here as well?”
“On it,” Bond said. “Wheeler, come remove Mr. Riker to the van, please. Get him in zip-ties first. He’ll be awake in about 15 minutes.”
Cami sighed with relief. She wanted the man in prison, not dead, and certainly not by her own hand. She was a protector, even of those who didn’t deserve her care.
Gina cleared her throat to get Cami’s attention, andCami went into action. She put on a fresh mask, scrubbed up in the sink, and snapped on new gloves.
Wheeler arrived, took one look at the dog Gina was monitoring on the table, and shook his head. “Poor Rocky.”
“Why did you call him that?” Gina asked.
Wheeler shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess because he’s had a rocky time of it. You’re going to save him, aren’t you, Cami?”
“As soon as you clean up my OR,” she answered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lang came to help Wheeler carry Riker out of the building, and Bond led Doc away.
“Good luck, Cam, Gina,” I said. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“Actually, could you stay for the surgery?” Cami asked. “I’d really like to have you here right now. And when I’m done, there’s somewhere I need to go, if you’ll take me.”
I nodded. “Anything you need.”
She smiled. “You always say that, and I always believe it.”
