Page 97 of Heart and Soul
After blowing out a relieved breath, he chuckles. “Are you kidding? That place was more dangerous than the Grande Ballroom. A wounded cop with an ass like mine in those skimpy hospital gowns? Every nurse there wanted to take me home for extended bed rest.”
Bitterness grips my heart. “Do yourself a favor, Russo. Go on back there. Get as many of their phone numbers as you can. The old Russo would have.”
His laugh turns nervous. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
“Really, Mr. Two-Amy’s-At-The-Same-Time?”
“Wow, okay then.”
“Save yourself, Russo. Hillerman’s gone, and she won’t be back.”
He begins knocking again. “All right, how about we not do this through the door, Shayne? Open up.”
Using the door handle, I pull myself up. “I’m serious, Russo. Lock up your heart and throw away the key. People tried to tell me, but I didn’t listen, and now look—” My voice cuts off when I open the door to see Agent Hillerman standing right next to Russo.
She levels a flat look at me. “I didn’t think you’d open if you knew I was here.”
I don’t have an answer for that. My feelings are so complicated right now. I’m happy to see both of them—yes, even Hillerman. At the same time, having the three of us together only emphasizes the one glaring absence from our party. We’re supposed to be four, not three.
Thankfully, Russo didn’t break out of the hospital in his skimpy gown. He’s fully dressed. With each movement—even with each breath—he winces in pain. Muppet wags his tail, wanting to jump at him, but Russo holds him at bay with a scratch on the head. “Sorry, boy-o. No wrestling for me just yet.”
“How are you even on your feet right now?” I ask.
“Surgeries went well. No vital organs hit. A few aspirin. I’m good to go.”
His casual response doesn’t surprise me. Jay would have said the exact same thing. I look to Hillerman. “And you. Director West told me you were reassigned. They’re pulling you back to Washington.”
“That’s what I was told, too,” she says. “So I quit.”
“You…what?”
She narrows her eyes. “Well, I guessquitisn’t the right word, since UTF agents aren’t allowed to quit. We know too much for the government to let us go back into the wild. I guess that means I’ve gone rogue.”
“Love it. So much hotter than quitting,” Russo mutters.
“Rogue? You mean, like, people are going to be after you?”
Hillerman tosses her head. “They can get in line.”
Russo laughs grimly. “Right? Don’t look so surprised, Shayne. You’re acting like you thought this was over.”
“It’s not? No, I mean, I know it’s not, but…what if Jay’s already…how do we know they haven’t…” I can’t say the words. My emotions run wild, tying my thoughts and fast-flowing words into knots. “Look, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate…you have no idea how glad I am to see you guys right now”—I gesture to Hillerman—“yes, even you. But we had our chance last night. That was it. Hillerman, you’ve been working this case for how long—how many years now?—and it all led to the Grande Ballroom. That’s not happening again, so what do we…how the hell do we find them again? What are we supposed to do? We don’t have years anymore. We have, what, days? Hours? We don’t know!”
“You’re right,” Hillerman says in her sharp, clipped way. “We don’t know how much time. Maybe we don’t have much. But there is one thing we do have.”
Russo cocks one brow. “We have help.”
There’s a knock at the door before Elle bursts in and rushes straight into my arms. She’s so short, the top of her head fits snugly beneath my chin. “Shayne, you…why would you…how come you didn’t…”
“Breathe, Elle.”
She huffs. “You stayed here all night, alone?”
“It’s fine. It’s safe here.”
She scoffs with a grunt of frustration. “I’m not talking about beingsafe. I’m talking about being alone, which you are not.” Pushing me out to arm’s length, she pins me with a fierce look. “Any hour, day or night, rain or shine. I’m the first call you make.”
The weight on my heart eases a bit. “I know, Elle.”
