The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda #1)(86)

Jennifer sat back on her bed, piling the pillows high behind her. “So Jack is one of the good guys.”

“Listen, I want to think so. It sure looked like he was sincere, and he got cut up bad protecting her. But we still have to assume that if he finds out about us and the Second Ship, he’ll turn us in. In a heartbeat. And I wouldn’t blame him.”

Jennifer nodded. “Then we’re just going to have to be careful around him and Janet.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “Janet? What has she got to do with anything?”

“Oh, so you just assume that a professional killer agent of the United States government brings his civilian wife along for the ride? Mark, think about it. She has to be an agent too.”

Mark frowned. “I don’t know about that.”

“Let your brain do your thinking instead of your crotch. It makes sense.”

Mark shrugged. “I just think we should keep an open mind about Janet, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Anyway, the only thing for us to do right now is try to get some sleep. Once Heather is in the hospital, the McFarlands will find out. They’ll call Mom and Dad when they get a chance. Then we’ll get to see her.”

“So, in the meantime, we should just hang tight?”

“You’ve got it.”

Jennifer bit her lower lip. “I guess there’s nothing else we can do.”

“Nope.” Mark opened her door, then paused to look at Jennifer. “Sis, it’s going to be okay. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jennifer nodded, then reached over and switched off her lamp.

“Good night.”

Despite the stress that had built to a painful tension in his neck, Mark was asleep as his head hit the pillow. He awoke to his father’s hand shaking him.

“What?”

“Mark, wake up, Son. We need to go to the hospital. Heather’s been hurt.”

Mark sat up. “Hurt? How?”

“I don’t know the details. We just got a call from the McFarlands. They spent the night at the hospital. They said that Heather is going to be all right, but they wanted to let us know what was going on.”

Mark slid out of bed and into his robe. “I’ll get through the shower and be right down, Dad.”

“You'll have to wait a bit. The showers are booked with your mom and sister.”

Mark looked into his father’s eyes. “Did they tell you how she got hurt?”

“No, they just said she had a concussion. It was a little odd. Anyway, they said they’d tell us the whole story once we arrive.”

“What time is it, anyway?”

“It’s almost nine. It’ll be ten before we get Jen and your mom ready and get over there. Come on down and have a cup of coffee with me while you wait for a shower to free up.”

“Okay. Give me just a sec, then I’ll be right down.”

“I’ll pour you a cup. See you in a minute.”

“Sure thing, Dad.”

As his father left the room, Mark sat back on his bed. So Heather was truly okay. Despite convincing himself last night that Jack would get her to the hospital, a wave of relief swept over him. All night, in his dreams, he had looked for Heather and had been unable to find her. He felt more tired now than when he went to bed.

Arriving at the hospital, the Smythes paraded up to the information station. By the time they had gotten the information on Heather’s room number, Mark’s anticipation level had risen to the point that he could barely contain himself.

He just wanted to see her, to hug her, to tell her how glad he was that she was safe. He was as nervous as a boy before his first date, a thought that both amazed and mortified him. After all, this was Heather, the friend he had known all his life.

As he and his family meandered through the hospital corridors, Mark thought about what he would say to her. Certainly, the tale of how Jack had killed the Rag Man would have to wait. On this visit, he would just be there for her, just let her know how much he cared.

Arriving outside the door to her room slightly ahead of the others, Mark could not contain his grin. As he entered the room, his grin froze. There, sitting in a chair pulled up next to Heather’s bed, both hands gently holding Heather’s, sat Raul Rodriguez.





Chapter 65





Jack stepped out of the Audi into the cold morning air, his breath puffing out in a cloud. Glancing up and down the street, he walked over to the bushes where he had stashed his weapon and goggles. He grabbed the shoulder holster and returned to the car, tossing it onto the floorboard on the passenger side as he slid into the driver’s seat.

The morning sky was a brilliant blue, and traffic was light at this early hour, making for what should have been a pleasant morning drive. But Jack was tired, he had a headache, and he had a to-do list in his head that meant he wouldn’t get to bed for a good long while yet. Oh well, what else was new? They had never promised him a cushy office job.

Jack pulled into the carport next to Janet’s little blue sedan, grabbed his things, and walked into the house. Janet glanced up at him from the kitchen table where she sat cradling a steaming mug of coffee.

“Nice outfit.”

Jack glanced down and nodded. They had given him one of those off-white hospital robes to wear as a shirt, and he had tucked it into his black corduroy pants. At least they used to be black. Yesterday had left them torn in several places and stained with a variety of fluids. The ensemble was augmented by the bandages down his left arm.