‘We’ve got pictures of you with Demetrius and Anders and Sweeney.’
‘I just got them coffee.’
‘It doesn’t matter what you actually did, just what the rumor mill says you did.’ Scarlett leaned forward. ‘See, you’re gonna be fresh meat to start with. With your pretty hair and soft skin. The others will hate you without knowing anything about you. But then they’ll find out. I’ll make sure they find out. It’ll be fun, Alice. You’ll be the belle of the ball. A real live debutante. And you’ll stay alive. Your new friends won’t want to lose their toy. Just think, Alice. Every day you’ll be the center of attention. Everyone will want a piece of you. Every. Day. Every. Night.’
Real fear flickered in Alice’s eyes. ‘You don’t scare me, Detective.’
‘That’s good, because I haven’t touched you, except to cuff you. I do know a few people in the general population who owe me a favor or two. And they’ll enjoy paying me back.’ She leaned close. ‘Because you’re so pretty,’ she whispered. ‘For now.’
Alice glared at her lawyer. ‘Are you going to sit there and let her get away with this?’
‘Get away with what?’ the man asked blandly. ‘She’s just complimenting you on how pretty you are. She hasn’t threatened you at all.’
‘I like your attorney, Alice. He’s got common sense.’ Scarlett stood up, glanced at the doorway to find that Kate Coppola had been silently watching. ‘Agent Coppola, I think she’s ready to go to lockup. I’ll have an officer take her. I’ll see you later, Alice. I think you’ll enjoy meeting your new friends.’
‘I won’t tell you anything,’ Alice said, but she was very pale. ‘You can’t bully me.’
‘I really didn’t think I could. I think I’ll get the information I need from DJ.’ She made a mental note to make sure he was brought in ASAP. ‘My goal, Alice, is to see you get the ultimate prison experience.’
‘DJ is in Interview Six,’ Kate said. ‘For realsies this time. He was brought in a few minutes ago.’
Alice’s eyes flashed fury when she realized she’d bought Marcus’s earlier lie about DJ having been arrested already. ‘You failed him, you know,’ she called when Scarlett turned to go.
‘Failed who?’ Scarlett asked, knowing exactly what Alice was going to say.
‘O’Bannion. You told him you’d get me to talk.’
Scarlett smiled at her sweetly. ‘No, I told him I’d do my job. One of my jobs is to get justice for the victims. Sometimes justice wears an orange jumpsuit.’
Scarlett left the room before she gave in to the urge to smack the woman senseless, leaning against the wall in the hallway where her father was waiting. ‘Where’s Marcus?’ she asked.
‘Right here,’ Marcus said as he came out of the observation room. ‘I’m calm now. I’m sorry I went after her.’
He looked drawn and exhausted and damn near defeated, worrying her. ‘No you’re not. I wish I hadn’t had to stop you.’
‘Are you going to interview DJ now?’ he asked.
‘Yes, since he’s here “for realsies”. You need to get to the hospital.’ She looked back into the room with a frown. ‘Although . . . Shit. The shooting at the Ledger was to lure you out. Maybe they’ll wait for you at the hospital.’
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, then pursed his lips. ‘Kevlar,’ he said.
‘Head shot,’ she countered.
‘Tactical helmet,’ he returned. ‘I wore them all the time in the Gulf. I kept myself alive for years, Scarlett. Trust me. You said it yourself – my family needs me. I’m not hiding here and I’m sure as hell not going to abandon Stone. He needs to know I’m there.’
Scarlett nodded shakily. He was right and she knew it. He’d trusted her to do her job. She had to trust his good sense and the promises he’d made her. ‘I trust you to stay alive. I don’t trust them to stop trying and maybe hurting a lot of people in the process.’
He blanched. ‘Shit. Oh shit.’
‘Wait.’ She glanced up at her father. ‘What can we do to ensure the safety of everyone in that hospital? Because even if Marcus doesn’t go—’ She held up her hand to quell Marcus’s protest. ‘I know you’re going, but even if you didn’t, they may expect you to. If luring you to the hospital is the goal, they’ll target it. Dad? What can we do to maximize security for everyone?’
‘We’ll post officers at every entrance,’ her father said, ‘and around the ER and OR. Weapons checks for everyone currently on the floor and anyone who gets off the elevator. The hospital itself has security protocols and we’ll work with them. It will deter any assault through traditional means, at least.’
‘That’ll have to be good enough,’ she said quietly, her eyes locked to Marcus’s. ‘I want to talk to DJ. Maybe he’ll tell me where to find Kenneth Sweeney. With Demetrius dead and Anders captured, Sweeney may be the one left running the show.’
‘I’ll take Marcus to the hospital, Scarlett,’ her father offered. ‘You do your job here.’
Marcus nodded soberly. ‘Thank you, Jonas. But if you’ll give us a moment first, please?’
‘Of course. I’ll meet you in the lobby by the elevator.’
Scarlett took Marcus’s hand and led him into an unoccupied consultation room, closed the door and gathered him into her arms. He shuddered and held her tighter. ‘What will I do?’ he whispered. ‘Without Stone? And Gayle?’
‘For now you believe that you’ll get them back. Both of them.’
‘And if I don’t? It almost killed me to lose Mikhail. If I lost Stone . . .’
Scarlett pulled his head down for a hard kiss. ‘Stop. You heard Jill. Stone is conscious. He will live. He’s too obstinate not to.’
He nodded, more to convince himself than in agreement. ‘So we just need to find Gayle.’
‘Exactly.’
He rested his cheek on the top of her head. ‘I should have shut the paper down until all this was over,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Why didn’t I do that?’
‘Because it would have put a lot of people out of work. You built that paper up, gave your employees financial security. Would any of them have stayed home if you’d given them a choice?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll never know now.’ He was quiet for a long moment. ‘I’ve known Cal Booker for as long as I can remember. When I visited my grandfather, before we moved from Lexington, Cal was always here. Never treated me like I was in the way.’ He tightened his hold. ‘This is my fault, Scarlett. I never expected any of my people to get hurt.’
She thought about him going to the prison, confronting Woody McCord. ‘You thought the McCords of the world would only come after you. Maybe you even wanted them to?’
‘That’s what Stone said, and now . . .’
‘Look, Marcus, all I know is that every member of your team looked me in the eye and said it was worth the risk. Cal included.’
‘Bridget didn’t. Jerry didn’t.’
‘And for them you hired guards.’
‘You’re not going to let me feel guilty for this, are you?’
‘No. Your family needs you. Your employees need you. They’re going to be in shock and grieving. So if you want to do something for Cal, find a way to keep the paper going.’
‘You’re so calm.’
‘But I won’t always be. When I’m not, you’ll be the calm one. I hear from a reliable source that that’s how it’s supposed to work.’
‘Your dad told you that?’
‘Among other things.’ She lifted on to her toes to kiss him. ‘Now go. I’ll be there soon.’
‘All right.’ Straightening, he blew out a breath. ‘I’ll see you at the hospital.’
Thirty-five
Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday 5 August, 8.45 P.M.
Scarlett found the OR waiting room full of people, including, to her amazement, both of her parents. Jackie Bishop was sitting next to Della, holding her hand. Marcus sat between his mother and Scarlett’s father.
Deacon’s fiancée, Faith, sat next to her uncle Jeremy, gently holding his hand, which was covered, as always, by the black leather gloves that hid the scars from the burns he’d received years before. Audrey sat on Jeremy’s other side, no expression on her face.