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They left the AFP to mop up and catalog the warehouse while everyone who had been held captive got a trip to the hospital. While Kaiya was taken away into a treatment room, the other hostages, looking dazed, were being instructed to sit while nursing staff took their vitals.
Archie Baker struggled with some of the health workers until Mickey stepped in and calmed him down. He took over, cajoling Archie to undress and shower, standing by the door so he would feel safe. Once he emerged, dressed in a set of scrubs, looking less worse for wear and squeaky clean, he only relaxed when he saw Mickey. Kodiak gave Mickey a nod of appreciation and Mickey smiled.
Tessa had gone back to headquarters to secure safe houses for the woman, who had identified herself as Jody Larkin, her son Taylor and daughter Hanna, and Baker. Kodiak waited outside the room while the doctor tended to Kaiya, unable to stop pacing, not something he normally gave into. He worked at calming himself in the wake of her rescue.
“Hey, Kodiak, the woman’s ready to talk.”
He looked at the closed door and Hazard said, “She’s going to be a while, man. Let’s get proactive.”
Kodiak nodded and followed Reck’d and Hazard to a small waiting room where Jody and her two kids were waiting. He smiled at the kids as Hazard sat down next to them and started pouring on his charm. In moments, the children relaxed.
Kodiak drew Jody away from them, and said, “What can you tell me about your husband?”
“I don’t know where he is. They gave him one of their phones, and I don’t know the number. He thinks we’re still in danger. He won’t stop until—” She broke off and covered her face, sobbing softly. The two children looked over and their expressions melted back into anxiety. Kodiak touched Jody’s shoulder and then squeezed.
“I know this is difficult, ma’am, but we need as much information as we can get to help stop your husband from committing heinous acts against his will.”
“You won’t hurt him, please.” She clutched at Kodiak’s shirt. “Please don’t hurt him.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“He oversees personnel, people coming in and going out. That kind of thing. I don’t know where he is or what they want him to do, but he will be irreversibly damaged if he does this for us. I know him. He’s got so much integrity.” She cried some more, tears streaming down her face. “Please help him.”
“Who kidnapped you and when?”
She described Allambee and Billy to a T. Cox’s guys. “They broke into our house, bound our hands, pulled hoods over our heads, forced us at gunpoint into our car, and drove us to that warehouse. They told us my husband was getting instructions on what to do to save us.” It was frustrating that NSH had compartmentalized their activities, guaranteeing them secrecy and anonymity.
He nodded, and she went back to her children to wait for transportation to the safe house.
He went over to where Archie was, but the man wouldn’t talk. He was malnourished, dehydrated, and in bad shape from living on the streets. Part of the problem was his paranoia. He seemed to calm when Mickey was around, so Kodiak asked Mickey to accompany him to the safe house. NSH still wanted him, but the threat to Mickey had been alleviated when Kodiak had killed Cox. Mickey agreed, seeming to take a shine to the guy who was about Mickey’s age.
By the time he got back to the treatment room where Kaiya was, she was finished. The doctor said she was going to be fine with a little bed rest and some painkillers. “Someone should stay with her. I know you copper types. Make sure she sleeps and takes her medication on time.”
Kodiak pushed the door open, and Kaiya was sitting on the exam table in her bra, trying to get her shirt back on. Without hesitation, he crossed the room and helped her into it. She looked up at him, her face swollen and mottled, butterflies on some cuts, stitches in others.
“Let me give you a hand, there, Frankenstein.”
“You are a bloody arsehole,” she said, a smile forming, her eyes lighting up, but then she cupped her jaw with a grimace. “Don’t make me laugh.”
He tucked some hair behind her ear before moving in front of her and buttoning up her shirt. He tried to smile, but it wouldn’t come. The more he looked at her, the more his guard slipped until his heart hammered, his breathing labored, and he felt almost dizzy with relief. He weakly rested his head against her forehead. He felt as if he’d been wrenched in two.
He didn’t know how long he stood there just absorbing the feel of her beneath his hands, trembling from the reaction.
It wasn’t until he shifted his hold and tucked his face against her neck that he realized how scared he’d been. Hauling in an unstable breath, he turned his head and gently kissed her lips, a feeling of overwhelming protectiveness rising up his chest. There was no way he could let her go. Not yet.“You scared the hell out of me, babe.”
She made a soft sound and cupped his face in her hands, then shifting her head, she covered his mouth in a hot, deep kiss, opening to him, her mouth moving against his with an urgent hunger. He waited a moment for the knot of emotion to ease. Then he smoothed his hand up her back, soothing her until she broke the kiss.
“It wasn’t a picnic for me, either, but you came for me. All of you, after I had been so damned rude.”
“Yeah, we, uh, overlook rudeness when we decide to save lives.” She sagged a little and he decided it was time to get her the rest she needed. He pushed away from her. “Let me talk to the boss and I’ll be back.” He slipped out of the room and headed for Reck’d and Anna. “I’m going to take Kaiya home and watch over her until the morning. We’ll see where we are then. Mickey has a good rapport with Archie, so maybe after a good night’s rest, he’ll be willing to talk.” He relayed the information he got from Jody Larkin. Anna had already contacted the base and put them on alert. With security beefed up, hopefully they snagged Larkin before he followed through with NSH’s plans. That’s all they could do now.
After picking up Kaiya’s meds, he went back to the treatment room, finding Kaiya right where he’d left her. Without saying anything, he scooped her up into his arms. She started to protest, but he shook his head, his jaw set. He shouldered his way through the hospital until they reached one of the utes. Opening the passenger side door, he sat her inside and did up her seatbelt.
“So, what did Archie have to say, and who was that woman?—”
“Nope, no discussion about this right now. You need to disconnect, and rest.”
She frowned and weakly struck his arm. “You can’t shut me out of this?—”
