Seizure(71)

Hi slapped his neck. “These mosquitoes are eating me alive.”

“Me too.” Shelton tossed Hi the bug spray. “We must be delicious.”

“Buckeye!” Ben eased Sewee between a pair of grassy humps.

“Lunatic Island, twelve o’clock.”

Fifty yards of open water separated us from Marsh Point Hospital and solid ground.

“There.” Ben pointed to a knot of weeping willows growing hard against the water. “Those trees should screen us from view.”

“Everyone knows his job?” I spoke to cover my pregame jitters. “Let’s review one more time.”

“I dump you guys on shore,” Ben said, “then pull back and hide Sewee in the rushes. Wait for the signal.”

Shelton spoke next. “We sneak to a door at the left rear corner of the building. I unlock it and stand guard.”

Shelton had found and downloaded the hospital blueprints earlier that afternoon. After studying the layout, we had a pretty good feel for our target.

“The door shouldn’t be alarmed,” I reminded.

We were counting on that.

The Marsh Point Hospital website emphasized the open, unrestrained character of their treatment facility. Residents were never locked in their rooms, and were generally free to roam the grounds at their leisure.

Small wonder. Given the Alcatraz setup, there was nowhere for a patient to go.

If only I could get a message to Chance. He could walk out to meet us.

Impossible. Patients weren’t allowed unsupervised phone calls. Chance had no idea we were coming.

But we couldn’t wait. Sunday meant less staff, less opportunity to get caught. I’d just have to find him myself.

Hi picked up his part of the sequence. “Once inside, Tory and I climb to the fourth floor, where I keep watch in the stairwell.”

My turn. “I search the guest rooms, find Chance, and we rejoin Hiram.”

“Back down the stairs,” Hi continued. “Link up with Shelton.”

“I text Ben,” Shelton said. “Then we haul ass back to the drop zone.”

“Where I’ll be waiting,” Ben finished. “We disappear into the swamp. Done.”

Our strategy was solid. But so much could go wrong.

What if someone noticed Sewee? How many guards were in the building? How would I locate Chance’s room?

I shoved my doubts aside. No plan could account for the unknown. We’d adjust on the fly.

Deep breath. Go time. “Take us in.”

“Roger that.” Ben gunned the engine and we fired across the lake.

Reaching the cover of the willow trees, Shelton, Hi, and I jumped from the bow and waded ashore. Ben reversed Sewee and retreated into the marsh.

“Now?” Hi asked.

“Yes.” Steeling myself. “Do it.”

SNAP.

The power tore through me. Lightning. Fire. I closed my eyes and waited for the tremors to subside.

My senses came alive. The world shifted into laser clarity.

“Ready?” I panted.

The boys nodded, golden eyes hidden behind dark lenses. Positioning my own sunglasses, I headed up the hill.

The low-hanging sun at our backs helped obscure our approach. We scurried into the yard and ducked behind a hedgerow. Lucky break. The suffocating heat had kept everyone inside.

I assessed our target in silence. The castle-like structure was equally menacing from this angle, but the entry was there as expected.

“Here goes.” Shelton streaked to the door, pulled, and nearly fell flat as it swung open, unlocked. He held it ajar for Hi and me.

“Good luck.” Shelton melted into the nearby bushes.

Inside was a wide stairwell. I paused to get my bearings.

Muffled voices came through a door to our right.

Lobby, Hi mouthed.

Keys jingled. A shoe squeaked. Someone laughed gruffly.

Hi and I fired up the steps.

Fourth floor. Double doors separated the stairwell from a long corridor beyond. I strained my ears.

Nothing. Even flaring, the only sound I detected was a ticking clock.

Where is everyone?

“Wait here,” I whispered.

I slipped into a white-tiled hallway lined with steel doors. A metal clipboard hung beside each one. At the far end sat an empty chair.

I dashed from clipboard to clipboard, checking names, certain I’d be caught, one eye watching the elevator beyond the nurse’s station.

Chance Claybourne’s was the fifth room down.

I didn’t hesitate.

Heart in my throat, I stepped inside.

The space was cozy, with a single bed and a small wooden desk. Soft blue walls, bare. The sole window overlooked a Japanese rock garden.

Chance was propped in bed, reading a book. Even wearing raggedy gym clothes, he looked like a fashion model. How could I still find him so attractive?

Remember what he did. What he tried to cover up.

Chance’s yelp brought me back to earth.

“Tory?” Eyes popping. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”

“You said you needed rescuing. I haven’t slain any dragons yet, but the day is young.”

“Now?” Chance was too shocked to play it cool. “You have a way out? Why are you wearing sunglasses?”

“No questions. Unless you have other plans?”