Page 72 of Death Wish

“Where’s he going?” Allison asked.

“To find the orderly.”

“He shouldn’t go alone. What if the orderly is dangerous?”

“He can handle it,” Jesse said.

“Who are you three? Why do I have the feeling you’re not working for Dragon Alley just to have a job?”

Simone glanced at Jesse. How far could they trust Beckett and Allison? Believing the best of them was one thing. Trusting them to protect her and Jesse and the other operatives already involved in the case was another matter.

“We’re not,” Jesse admitted. “The three of us work for another company. Someone hired us to find the programmer and stop him from completing the job.”

Beckett stiffened. “I shouldn’t have talked to you. Please, don’t hurt Allison. Do whatever you want with me, but don’t hurt her. I’m begging you.”

“I meant what I said earlier. I’m going to protect you. The best way to do that is to get you out of the line of fire.”

“What does that mean for us?”

“A new job in another location.”

“Dragon Alley has a long reach,” Alison said. “If Daley and his cronies don’t eliminate us, they’ll blackball us. How will we make a living?”

“You let us worry about that. Your job is to get better and escape Mexico. We’ll handle the rest.”

“They won’t give up,” Beckett said. “They’re tenacious.”

“So are we. We’ll create new identities for you.”

“A fresh start.” Allison pressed Beckett’s hand against her cheek. “That’s what we need. Please, say yes. We can’t do this alone.”

“How do we know we can trust them?”

Simone had the answer for that one. “If we wanted you dead, Jesse wouldn’t have saved your life tonight, Allison. Jesse and his teammates are professionals. Killing you and your boyfriend would have been easy and accomplished in a matter of seconds. Jesse and his friends saved me a few weeks ago. I would trust them with my life any time.”

“What choice do we have, Beckett?” Allison looked up at him. “I believe them.”

Beckett watched Jesse for a beat, then said, “If you’re lying to us, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

Jesse inclined his head. “I understand. You won’t have to resort to anything so drastic.” He grabbed his phone and sent a text. He received a reply seconds later. “It’s arranged.”

“What do we do now?”

“First thing to do is get you and Allison out of here and into the safe house. From there, we’ll work out the logistics to transport you from the country.”

“We’ll need our passports.”

“You’ll need new passports with false identities. I’ll arrange for that as well.” Jesse walked to the computer at the small desk near the bed and scanned the information on the screen. “You’re being held overnight as a precaution, Allison. You aren’t to receive any more medication. The doctor is satisfied with your progress and your prognosis. Leaving the hospital now won’t affect your recovery.”

“Are you sure?” Beckett asked. “I don’t want to risk Allison’s health.”

“I’m positive. Besides, if she has a problem, I’ll be less than five minutes away. I have the medication on hand that Allison needs if she has a relapse.”

“How do we get past the orderly?” Allison asked. “I’m not strong enough to run.”

“We’ll carry you. Leave the orderly to us. We’ll handle him.”

Simone patted Allison’s hand. “This is what Jesse and his friends do. You can trust them to handle any crisis.”

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