We got out of the SUV. “Don’t draw any unnecessary attention and stay alert.”
They both nodded and followed me as I led the way to Kay’s room. We stepped off the elevator and I didn’t see Logan in the hallway.
“Be ready.” I whispered.
We all put our hands on our weapons and walked as casually as we could towards Kay’s room. A nurse looked up from her station.
“Can you tell me how Kay Dandridge is doing today?” I asked.
“Oh, she is much better, and she’s had several visitors today.” The nurse smiled brightly.
“Any visitors in there with her now that you know of?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Thank you.” I motioned for Jared and Stephanie to flank the door to her room.
The door was closed which I thought was unusual, especially since Logan was not at his post outside the door. I used my foot to push the door open. I swept my gun back and forth in the room, then stepped inside. Jared and Stephanie followed me in one at a time. I turned to the bathroom and it was empty.
“Clear.” I called out.
“Over here, Ethan.” Jared answered.
I turned to see Logan face down on the floor and bloody.
“Is he….”
Jared was checking his pulse. “He’s alive, just unconscious.”
Stephanie shouted out the door. “We need a doctor in here now!”
Nurses and staff came running. I pulled one aside. “Where is the woman that was in this bed?” I demanded.
“I don’t know.” She sprang into action seeing Logan on the floor.
“Do you have cameras in the hallways?”
“Yes.”
“Get your security team up here now!” I barked.
Logan was coming around.
“Logan, what the hell happened?”
He looked at me. His eyes rolled around in his head.
“He may have a concussion; we need to take him now.” One of the nurses pushed me aside.
A uniformed security guard and a doctor showed up. “I need to see footage of this room.”
“Come with me,” I followed the guard down the hall to the stairwell then downstairs to the security office. He sat down at the computer and began stabbing at the keyboard.
The video showed two orderlies entering Kay’s room. Then a doctor pushing a gurney. Several minutes went by that I assumed involved a fight with Logan, then the orderlies and the doctor appeared in the hallway pushing Kay on the gurney. A few seconds later Mac strolled down the hallway and entered Kay’s room. He immediately came back out and ran down the hallway after the doctor and orderlies.
“Where does that hallway lead?”
“A number of places, let me pull up the other cameras and see if I can tell which way they went.”
“Great, do that!” I turned away and punched in Mac’s cell number. He hadn’t answered before. I prayed he did this time.
The phone rang three times. “This is McIntyre.”
“Mac, its Ethan, where the hell are you?”
“Ethan, thank god, listen they’ve kidnapped Kay….”
“I know,” I cut him off. “I’m at the hospital. Where are you?”
“I’m not sure, and my cell service is cutting in and out,” he said.
“Tell me which direction you’re heading.” I ran out of the security office back towards Kay’s room looking for Jared and Stephanie. I met them in the lobby.
“Hang on Mac.” I looked at Jared. “Do you have your laptop? Can you trace Mac’s cell phone?”
“It’s in the SUV,” Jared ran for the door and Stephanie and I followed.
“Mac, Jared is going to ping your cell so we can come to you. Tell me what you see?”
“We crossed a bridge and a tunnel about fifteen minutes ago and I think we are heading south.” He replied.
“How fast are you going?”
“About sevent,.”
Where were the state troopers when you needed them?
“Okay, stay on the line, we’re coming to you.” I got in the SUV and let the phone sync so I could drive.
“Mac, can you still hear me?”
“Yeah. Ethan, I see a sign that says North Carolina in ten miles.”
“Good, I know where you are.” I turned to Stephanie.
“Already on it.” Stephanie was working her phone to call the state police for both Virginia and North Carolina.
“Got him!” Jared called out.
I glanced over at the laptop screen. I knew we’d never catch up to them before they reached the state line so hopefully the North Carolina highway patrol could intercept them.
“Yes, there is a female victim in the vehicle she was kidnapped from a hospital, condition unknown at this time.” Stephanie was speaking rapidly into the phone.
“Description of the vehicle?”
“Mac, what are they driving? Can you see the license plate?”
“It’s a white work van. No windows in the back. Looks like a Ford, plat number is PRD, I can’t see the rest…,”
Stephanie repeated the partial license plate and description of the van to whichever agency she was talking to.
I turned on the emergency lights and sped up. “Mac, we’re trying to catch up. Stay on the line if you can.”
“You got it.”
We drove in silence. I wanted to concentrate on the road to make sure the other drivers got out of the way. After several minutes I could hear sirens through the phone.
“Mac what is happening?”
“State police have set up a roadblock at the border.”
“Keep me posted, Mac.” We were probably only ten miles from Mac’s location.
“They’ve stopped.” Mac’s voice came through the speakers.
I heard his tires screen and the door open and close.
“Mac!” I yelled. “Mac!”
“They’ve stopped at the ramp from the Carolina expressway.” Jared confirmed.
As I focused on getting us there as quickly as possible, the speedometer inched closer to ninety miles per hour. I heard Stephanie whisper my name, but I ignored her.
“Mac!” I shouted again. I couldn’t hear anything anymore. My heart was racing, and I hated not knowing what was going on, once again. I wasn’t there when Kay needed me. My fear turned to anger. Within minutes we arrived. I saw the lights of both the Virginia State Police and the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Shots were being exchanged but I couldn’t see Ka. I turned the SUV sideways as close to Mac’s car as I could
