Page 51 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

She, Poe and Abi hovered in a group of trees at the edge of the wooded area. Beyond their position was the landscaped yard that surrounded the home of Dr. Case.

Half an hour ago they had received word that they should move into place. The three of them had come down the hillside, which surprised Jamie. She’d expected to go in a vehicle, but Abi assured there would be a vehicle waiting for them when the time came. He had better be right.

“You’re going in through the front,” Abi said to Jamie. “Poe and I will approach from the rear.”

Sounded easy enough.Not.“Do I have a cover?” Going in via the front door surprised her. Security was inside and around the house. Not just one or two either. They had already established that there were a lot of security personnel. Whoever answered the door was not going to let her in without one hell of a good explanation.

Abi smiled. “You talked to him at the hospital, did you not?”

The memory of the woman who’d started to cry in the waiting room pinged her, followed immediately by the flash of recall with Jamie and the doctor chatting in the room belonging to the woman’s husband. Jamie had walked right into that one.

“I guess I did,” she admitted.

Abi glanced at his watch.

When had he started wearing a watch? Apparently, he’d added it for the final step. She didn’t recall him wearing one to the party. Change always set her on edge.

“You should go now.” Abi turned to Jamie. “A car is coming up the driveway now. You’re trading places with the driver.”

Jamie spotted the headlights at the farthest end of the drive just before the two round orbs went out. “See you inside,” she said to Poe before disappearing into the trees.

Sprinting through the trees wasn’t so easy, but she managed. There was just enough daylight to prevent any head-on collisions with the flora or face-plants after tripping over roots. The car stopped as the driver somehow realized she was near. Probably a tracking device in the clothes she was wearing. Abi wasn’t one to take chances. A good thing, she supposed.

The driver’s-side door opened and the man behind the wheel emerged. He walked right past Jamie and into the woods without a glance or a word. Weird.

She watched until he’d disappeared and then she climbed into the car. Maybe she was accustomed to working with team members she knew and liked. This was strange territory.

After putting the car into Drive once more, she rolled slowly toward the house. When she reached the fountain that sat in the middle of the parking area, she slowed to a stop. By the time she put the car into Park and shut off the engine, a member of the security team was at her door.

She opened the door and started to get out, but he held up a hand. The weapon still sheathed on his hip warned that he was dead serious about her staying in the vehicle. “Let’s see some ID.”

“My name is... JamieMason. I’m here to speak with Dr. Case about his patient, my uncle, and what happened at the hospital last night.”

He passed along a summary of what she’d said to whoever was on the other end of his hidden communication device. A few seconds later he evidently received a response because he stepped aside and said, “You’re cleared to come inside.”

Jamie wondered again how Abi had set her up for this. How could he have known that she would approach the woman in the waiting room? Calculated guess? The idea also made her wonder if the whole thing had been a setup. Clearly, the incident with the patient had been... But the wife in the waiting room? Had the fake nurse sent her to the waiting room rather than allow her to stay in the room? Made sense if the supposedly accidental meeting between her and Jamie was the plan.

She followed the guard to the front door. He led her into the entry hall and then disappeared back through the door they’d entered.

Eight, no ten suitcases of varying sizes were lined up in the entry hall ready to be loaded into a vehicle. The family was ready to head off to some ski slope loaded with fresh white snow or some city glittering with ritzy shops. Maybe she should take a vacation. Her parents were in Europe. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually taken a vacation. Or a holiday for that matter.

She traveled extensively with her work but that wasn’t the same.

At all.

Work usually involved being stuck in some location where the target could be monitored 24/7. Once she’d spent days in a jail cell with a target for a cellmate. It was almost Christmas, and she had no idea if she would even be spending it with family, maybe her grandparents, or completely alone.

If you can’t save your brother...what difference does the holiday make?

She blinked away the thought and focused on what she had to do. Dr. Case was the key to rescuing Luke. She had to keep that in mind above all else.

Movement at the far end of the larger hall snagged her attention. She focused on the man striding her way.Dr. Case.At least she hoped it was the real Dr. Case. What if it was his twin brother?

She steeled herself against the worries and readied to spin a tale that would keep her in the house until Abi and Poe showed up. At least she assumed that was the point.

“Ms. Mason.” Case studied her a moment, a frown working its way across his forehead. “I checked on your uncle a little while ago and he was doing fine.”

“He is,” Jamie agreed. “One of the nurses said you and your family were leaving for an extended vacation and I really felt it was important that I speak with you before you go.”

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