Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(101)

Gabe knew it was true, but seeing Summer pale and struggling didn’t seem to be cause for rejoicing. “What about Underhill?”

“He didn’t make it. Never regained consciousness, I’m afraid.”

After a moment Gabe shook his head. “So we didn’t get that name he promised us, after all.”

“Summer did. It was the first thing out of her mouth when she woke up in the chopper. Not panda, pal. Underhill was trying to say Amanda.”

Gabe stared at Summer, his leg throbbing in spite of the massive amount of painkillers the orthopedic specialist had ordered for him. “Tate Winslow’s mother? What does she have to do with this? The woman’s got to be seventy years old.”

“And sins are confined to youth? I just spoke to the senator in Laramie. Right now Cara O’Connor is in intensive care undergoing treatment for leptin poisoning induced by ground-up rosary pea seeds, courtesy of Amanda Winslow. None of us saw it coming.”

“That’s crazy.” Gabe rubbed his neck. “What’s Cara’s prognosis?”

“Too soon to say. She threw up fairly soon, which limited the amount of toxin she ingested. The ER team gave her gastric lavage and now she’s on IV fluids to stabilize her blood chemistry. So far, there’s been no sign of convulsions or cardiac involvement. The big question is whether she’ll lose kidney function, and that’s going to take time to assess.”

Gabe still couldn’t imagine the charming and stately Amanda Winslow planning anything like this. “I still can’t get a grip on this. I’ve known the Winslows forever, and they’re a great family.”

“From what Cara told Tate, his mother was irrational, afraid that news of Cara’s abortion would destroy his shot at Pennsylvania Avenue. To her, that meant everything. But it’s over now. Amanda and Patrick spun out on a mountain road. By the time they were found, both of them were dead.”

Gabe was silent for a long time. “I still don’t see how Amanda knew about Cara’s visit to Mexico.”

“You ready for this? She was working with Costello.” Izzy’s face hardened. “The chef was one of Costello’s people, too.”

“Patrick?” Gabe couldn’t hide his disbelief. “The man had the disposition of a pet rabbit.”

“A good actor, and hardly tame. Costello had every detail of Cara’s past researched during his trial. Eventually he discovered those missing weeks she spent in Mexico and he planned to blackmail her into working for him. That meant probing the evidence and testimony of key prosecution witnesses. The scary thing is, he might have succeeded, too. Apparently, the old forensic lab in San Francisco was a nightmare, because a leaking roof contaminated dozens of lab samples, invalidating some of the evidence actually gathered in the case. Thanks to Costello, two key witnesses also announced they wanted to change their testimony. Yes, he might have walked away, free and clear.”

“If Cara O’Connor hadn’t stayed tough,” Gabe said quietly. “How are Sophy and Audra?”

“Shaken up, scared crazy, but physically fine. They’re not leaving their mother’s side.”

“And the senator?”

“I spoke to him briefly. He told me exactly what he knew and exactly what Sophy had told him. None of it was pretty, considering that his mother appears to have arranged a complicated plan to murder his bride-to-be. The media is already on the scent, and they still don’t know the half of it.”

“Let’s hope they never do. Amanda’s dead and so is Patrick. I suppose they’ve paid their price.” Gabe grimaced as the wheelchair he was sitting in brushed the wall. “Damned chair. Damned knees.” He stared impassively at Izzy. “How much did they tell you?”

“That you’re going to be immobilized for two, maybe three months. After that there’s an experimental bone implant technique they want to try out.”

“The relevant word is experimental.” Gabe turned away, looking through the window at Summer, who had finally stopped arguing with the nearest doctor. An IV line hung from her arm and she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Stubborn, difficult woman.

Wonderful woman.

“Don’t tell her about me, Izzy. I don’t want her to know.”

Izzy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It was time to leave, anyway.” Gabe’s hands tightened on the arms of the wheelchair. “This makes things cleaner.”

Izzy glared at Gabe. “Cleaner for who?”

“For both of us,” Gabe said quietly. “You think I should hang the hell around? Hold her hand and act warm and fuzzy? Sorry, but I don’t do warm and fuzzy.” Gabe’s jaw worked up and down. “I may not walk again, Teague. We both know that changes everything.”

Izzy crossed his arms in stony silence.

Gabe snorted. “I figured you’d say that.”

“I said nothing, Morgan.”

“That ugly, beat-up face of yours said it for you. You think I’m some kind of shit for cutting things off with her, and that’s too damned bad.” Gabe gripped the big wheels and started down the hall, moving awkwardly in a wave of unrelenting pain.

“That’s right, you are a first-class shit. Even more, you’re a fool. Now stop trying to run into a wall and let me help you.”