Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)
Emerson Shaw
Dedication
To my husband and co-conspirator, I wouldn’t be taking this journey without you. Thanks for staying by my side.
Note to the Reader:
This is Book One of the hot pursuit series. I originally intended for each book to be a standalone novel, but as I got into the story, it just didn’t work out that way. Each story within each novel will wrap up in every book, but the individual character’s’ stories will continue to evolve. I hope you grow to love Diana, Vance, and Gabe as much as I have. Thank you for coming along for the ride.
Let’s begin…
Inside the Church of the Immaculata, a Roman Catholic Church atop Mt. Adams in Cincinnati, Ohio, a painted scroll stretches above the main altar over a depiction of the Immaculate Conception. In German, it reads: O Maria, ohne Suende empfangen, bitte fuer die Bekehrung dieses Landes, Amerika.
(O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for the conversion of this country, America.)
One
Through the large panes of glass, the night wind whispered, rustling the leaves on the trees. In Cincinnati, as soon as the calendar lands on September, the memo goes out and Mother Nature flips her switch. Autumn had unofficially arrived. In a few weeks, decaying leaves would be shriveled up, crispy and brown, lining the streets in piles. The roads outside were already littered with a few of those that had broken loose from the trees, clinging to the pavement, plastered there by the misty rain that silently fell.
I staggered through the automatic doors glancing over my shoulder. The temperature had dropped dramatically from the sweltering heat of the afternoon.
In like a lamb, out like a lion, I repeated in my head.
A cool breeze brushed my cheek. I had a general distaste for autumn, but in light of recent events, I hated it even more.
The smell of cigarette smoke from the patient sitting out front puffing away stung my nose. I held my breath while I walked through his noxious cloud. I hate the smell of smoke, but it’s a free country, and people can do as they like, even if it means endangering the lives of those around them while they blaze away sitting next to a highly flammable tank of oxygen. To each his own. I wanted to be holding a warm mug of coffee in my hands and snuggled under a blanket. My reality couldn’t have been farther from the dream.
I was pretty sure no one had followed me, or I hoped—I’d had enough surprises and disappointments to hold me over for a while. I sighed, reliving it all over in a moment. The memories quickly rushed in like a stream swelling after a hard rain. My heart started to race and sweat saturated my skin as regret and culpability settled into my bones. Then, I dropped the gate. Just like that, I was all caught up. No need to get lost in the rising waters when I still had to fulfill my promise.
I left the hospital against medical advice. I only needed to make sure I wasn’t dying. And as it turned out, I wasn’t. When I’d been rolled in, I was certain my spleen had exploded or some other vital organ had been obliterated inside my body. My nose was broken—that I’d been certain of. The cracking sound on impact was like someone snapping a crisp stalk of celery in my ear, and the pain was blinding.
I was patched up and didn’t have the luxury of taking extra time. Once I knew nothing of major importance was damaged, I signed my forms and left.
Who would have thought I would be walking around with the key to our national security tucked safely inside my bra? I laughed and shook my head. Not me.
How had all this happened? Sneaky memories tried to trickle back in, but I stopped them dead in their tracks.
No, not now.
I needed to get the flash drive to the FBI. Enough people had been killed because of it. If I had to, I’d die getting it into the right hands.
I walked briskly in the cool drizzle. The ground wasn’t completely darkened yet. There were still small patches of dry concrete, but the torrent was coming. I could smell it in the air. I needed to find a cab. I walked along holding my side. It hurt to breathe. With each step I took it was as if one of my ribs was puncturing a hole into my lung, slowly leaking air. I kept my eyes on the few fellow pedestrians brave enough to be walking the neighboring sidewalks. As far as areas of town go, I wasn’t in the best one—here, trouble found you. I suspected everyone, especially now.
I approached a stop sign at a four way intersection one block outside of the hospital and decided to wait for a cab; one had to be along shortly. Then I began to doubt leaving the hospital. Maybe the doctors and nurses knew what they were talking about. I was cold, shivering, and felt like death warmed over.
My sinuses were so swollen it mimicked a head cold from hell. I fantasized briefly over taking some of the awful-tasting, green, black licorice flavored cold medicine in my bathroom. That stuff could knock me out in heartbeat, and I would definitely need it to be able to fall asleep when all of this was over.
I rested my shoulder against the cold metal post and closed my eyes; I was so tired. I desperately needed a good night’s sleep.
Footsteps came up behind me, and I stiffened.
“Jesus, Di, what are you doing out here? Do you have a death wish?”
I jumped and when I turned, I saw Vance’s worried face. “Christ, Vance, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on someone?” My heart didn’t appreciate the extra jolt.