Page 86 of Brutal Savior

Or maybe the cleaner just forgot where he left his trolley. There are too many variables here, and it’s making me nervous. By the time I pull into the back of the hospital parking lot and make my way to the designated meeting spot at the back of the building, I’ve run the possibilities so many times they’ve stopped making sense.

“Sir.” The Gilda soldier doesn’t salute, but he might as well have. The polite nod and deference in his voice screams a junior officer addressing a senior. “All quiet so far. We’re watching every entrance, of course.”

“Good.” The structure isn’t large. State of the art though the facility is, it doesn’t take on many patients. The car park has forty spaces, and half of them are empty. There are seven possible entry points into the building, and all of them are guarded.

All on-site staff, from surgeons to cleaners and caterers, are thoroughly vetted and have to present their ID to a desk guard on the way in. Under normal circumstances, I’d say the security is excessive. I have a feeling Kelly will take it as a challenge.

“I’m going to walk the perimeter.”

The guard nods again as I set off to check each entry point. Two nurses arrive, another two leave, and I observe the check-in, check-out process. All carried out properly.

Have we overdone this? Has Kelly decided the security is too tight and decided not to try for Ruth again? It doesn’t seem likely, but at the same time, it’s hard to see a way in.

Circuit complete, I’m about to head inside to pretend to check on Ruth when an explosion rips the air. It didn’t come from the hospital, but from the car park.

I turn toward the sound, drawing my pistol. The source is easy to spot—a car, three spaces down from mine, is lit up like it’s fucking bonfire night. Two Gilda agents, who were closer than me, are already searching the area around the car, weapons leveled.

I scan the area for the two nurses and relax as I see them staring at the burning vehicle. Not a murder, then. So what did this accomplish?

Absolutely nothing. It’s a distraction. The explosive could have been set hours ago.

I race back to the front door. The head guard—Lieutenant something-or-other—joins me, looking equally worried. He’s in his early thirties, with a bald head and a confident manner. I stop outside the sliding doors. “I want to know who owns that car.”

“Yes, sir. We can speak to the facility manager. He’ll know.”

We approach the doors, but they don’t open. The guard pulls out his phone. “Don’t worry, sir. Just the emergency lockdown system. The explosion will have triggered it. This is a smart building, designed to be very defensible in case of an attack. The lockdown seals all the doors into the building.”

“Well unseal them.” There’s a buzzing at the edge of my mind, and I’m hoping I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. The explosion had to have a purpose. Is this it?

“Of course. I have to call the Compound.” He dials, and I stare through the double doors. The admin lady on the inside watchesus through the glass. She’s soon joined by a couple of nurses and a guy in cleaning overalls.

No one can get in. But no one can get out.

The doors remain shut. I tune back in to the guard’s conversation. “No, I’m looking at the doors, and they’re still closed. Yes, I’m sure. I’m right here. Your computer is wrong.”

Suspicion solidifies into certainty as the guard meets my gaze. From the tight cast to his features, he’s drawn the same conclusion I have. “There’s a problem with the lockdown system, sir. It’s showing as unlocked, but it isn’t.”

I hold out my hand for the phone, and the guard gives it to me without a word. “This is Jacob West. What’s the issue?”

The voice on the other end isn’t military. Too high-pitched and with an anxious quaver. “It’s showing as open on our end. I’m not sure what’s happening. I’ll need to get an engineer out there.”

“Put me through to Kendrick right now.”

“But—”

“Right now. This is an attack on the hospital facility.”

A sharp indrawn breath. “Yes. Right away.”

The line goes quiet. I clench my hand on the phone as I wait. I jolt as my own phone comes to life, buzzing in my pocket. I stare at the display—unknown number.

Bad form to hang up whilst I’m waiting for the big man, but I don’t hesitate. That flashing call scratches at my psyche from the inside. The world swims, and horrible, childish terror clenches my guts as I answer the call.

A female voice answers. English, but smooth and cultured. Posh.

“Hello, Jacob. It’s been a while. Have you missed me?”

Chapter Thirty-Four

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