Page 15 of Fighting for Tawny

“The one and only.”

“Cool. You’d better look out for Tawny, though. She’s on their radar.”

“The FBI will be speaking with you about that. Rest now, Bette. We’re two minutes out from the hospital.”

St. Joseph’s Hospital, a small privately owned facility, lay on the fringe of Los Angeles. Hospital security had already been notified of Bette’s impending arrival, and the rest of Finnigan and Macklin’s SWAT team provided extra support. Finnigan parked in the ambulance bay and hopped out of the fire rescue truck. He helped Macklin and the EMT wheel Bette into an emergency room cubicle where Jiena, Justice, Cameron, and the others met them. An ER doctor previously alerted to the situation joined them.

“We don’t have much time,” Finnigan said. “Warden Stoltz was displeased when we told him there wasn’t room for a guard named Whitcomb whom he wanted to send with us. It won’t be long before he discovers we didn’t take Bette to the nearest hospital in Chino.”

“I only need a few minutes to make sure the patient isn’t suffering any ill effects from the poison she ingested.”

“I feel great,” Bette declared.

Jiena frowned. “Poison? That wasn’t the plan. You were supposed to fake a heart attack.”

“Dr. Sadler said to swallow the poison, that it would be more realistic and that she wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I’m alive, aren’t I?” She gazed at Finnigan and Macklin and grinned. “Or have I died and gone to heaven? You guys are fine.”

The doctor insisted on privacy while he examined Bette. Everyone chafed at the delay, especially Finnigan. On the job, Brielle often warned him to exercise patience when necessary, and at home, Tawny would tease him about his lack of it.

Tawny.

His love for her burned as fiery and passionate as she did, like a living flame. She torched Finnigan’s former self—condescending and cynical—and he rose from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix in a new form. A committed man bound to one woman for eternity. He always scoffed at the idea of being so devoted to a single woman until he’d fallen hard for Tawny. He’d lay down his life for her.

Finnigan obsessed over her being undercover. After years of being chained to a desk of her own volition due to tragically losing her partner and being held hostage, Tawny hadn’t been back in the field that long before she insisted on this assignment. In his opinion, she’d been inside CIFW too long, and every day increased the danger of discovery. Tawny made the right decision to get Bette out before one slip of the tongue put her life at risk.

When the ER doctor joined them, Finnigan ceased his nervous pacing. “Ms. Simpson is stable. I’m concerned about aftereffects, so please keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If she loses consciousness or starts seizing, you should seek immediate medical attention.”

Jiena nodded. “We understand, Doctor. Thank you for your care and concern.” She entered the cubicle with a bag of clean clothes, and Finnigan heard Bette’s exclamation of gratitude and happiness.

Bette changed her clothes, as well as her look. Jiena had prepared a disguise complete with a dark brown wig, a baseball cap, and mirrored sunglasses. They hustled her into Cameron’s nondescript, gray SUV. It took about an hour to reach the safe house in Laguna Beach, three miles inland from the Pacific Coast Highway. Finnigan, Macklin, and the others drove three unmarked cars and traveled at different speeds to avoid unwanted suspicion. They reached the safe house without incident and followed Cameron and Bette into the small living room.

“This is nice,” Bette remarked as she gazed around the sparsely decorated room. Anything was an improvement over a six-by-eight prison cell.

“Make yourself comfortable, Bette,” Jiena advised. “Would you like a bottle of water? We have a lot to discuss.”

“Isn’t this the part where you shine a light in my face while you question me?” Bette quipped. She plopped down on the sofa and accepted a bottle of water from Macklin. “Oh, comfy.”

Jiena smiled. “That only happens in the movies.”

“I like movies.”

“Do you want Mr. McAdams present for our interview?”

“Yeah. I ain’t sayin’ a word without him.”

“Okay.” Jiena addressed the rest of the group. “Please give us some privacy.”

“Wait a minute,” Finnigan spoke up. “I have a question. How’s Tawny?”

Bette grinned. “Oh, I get it! You’re her man. T’s a real badass. Everyone knows not to mess with her. But I understand what you want to hear. She’s doing as good as she can in a place like that. She’s marked, though, for fire camp.”

Finnigan frowned. “Is that a problem?”

“Could be.”

“Sergeant Finnigan,” Jiena interjected. Her voice warned him to back off.

“All right, all right.” He held up his hands, then filed out of the house with the others.

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