Still, he knew instinctively how they’d respond. Rally at the vehicle and get out of Dodge, unless he changed the orders or they had to help him exfil.
He carried Melanie in his arms, cradling her to his chest as he headed toward the sunlight. When he made it to the sidewalk, he turned left, away from the broken glass from the front window and toward the blue suburban they’d left parked in an alley two blocks down.
He glanced at Melanie, an angry gash across her forehead bleeding more than he’d like. Her eyes remained shut, and her body hung limp in his arms. He looked over his shoulder, scanning the crowd that had gathered outside the Screaming Peach.
There was screaming, he realized, focusing in on a hysterical woman screaming and pointing at the restaurant. His hearing was slowly coming back. With one movement, he’d adjusted Melanie’s small frame so it was balanced over his shoulders, secured with one arm around her leg and one elbow tucked under her arm. He used his free hand to move his earpiece from one ear to the other.
Quiet voices registered. He didn’t wait to see what they were saying.
“I’ve got her. Rendezvous at the car. Anyone still have a bird’s eye?”
“I’m on the roof,” Tank replied. “I’ve got you.”
“Watch my six, in case this guy decides to finish the job on the street.”
He felt the weight on his shoulder start to wiggle and heard a groan. “Almost there, Melanie. I’ve got you.”
“Already on it. No one seems to be paying any attention to you.”
“We’ll meet you six blocks west in fifteen minutes,” he instructed Tank as he reached their vehicle. Pierce was already there, loading his equipment in the back before jumping into the driver’s seat.
Will opened the back door and set Melanie down in the seat before climbing in after her. The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but it was drying rapidly on her hair and skin.
He quickly ran his hands over Melanie’s arms and legs, making sure there were no other major injuries. She was woozy, but her eyes were open. Glassy and emotionless, but open. He grabbed the medic bag from under the seat and poured some water on a gauze pad to clean up around the wound enough to see it better.
“Melanie, can you hear me?”
She turned toward him, just enough to let him know that she heard him. Confusion flashed over her face. “Who’s Melanie?”
CHAPTER
THREE
FOUR DAYS EARLIER
Hannah busied herself fussing with the coffee station set up in the meeting room hallway. She checked her watch for the hundredth time since she pulled into the hotel parking garage two hours earlier. There was a meeting happening here today, and she wasn’t going to miss it. She’d laid out the plans carefully, even swiping a nametag from the hotel break room last week. Today she was “Melanie,” and at first or second glance, she worked at the Sunset Terrace Resort.
Driving from Brookside to this suburb of Orlando was killing her gas budget, but it had to be done. Maybe she’d finally feel like a journalist if she was able to help Gina and her family the same way Sharon Baker from the Mobile Sentinel had helped her, putting Jeremiah behind bars for good. Since no one else was listening to Gina and their community, Hannah was going to be the one to bust this story wide open.
Someone from Marshand Chemical Processing was meeting here with the Environmental Protection Agency. Hannah’s tipster had guaranteed there was something shady going down. They hadn’t been firm on specifics, but Hannah was pretty sure there was a bribe involved.
After the hurricane last month, people around Lecanto had been developing rashes and getting really sick. Gina and her neighbors suspected the hurricane had damaged something at the Marshand plant, but the huge corporation wasn’t admitting anything. By all accounts, reports from the public to the EPA were being stonewalled. Which is where she came in.
She checked her face in the reflection of the coffee carafe. She wore simple makeup and an outfit that matched the hotel catering uniform. The Sunset Terrace Resort and Conference Center was big enough that no one would pay any attention to an extra server weaving through the hallways.
Deep breath. She could do this.
She had to do this for Gina and her baby girl, whose soft skin had broken out in angry red welts after her bath time two weeks ago. There was something sinister going on, and Hannah was going to find out what it was. Then, she was going to publish an article that would have Marshand on their knees apologizing and paying for everything to be fixed.
Even an unknown freelance reporter like herself would make a splash with a story like this, as long as she handled it right.
Two men walked into the hallway as she straightened the napkins.
Their conversation grew louder as they approached. “I’m just saying, Lewis, the test results are clear–thanks for that, by the way. As far as we’re concerned, there is nothing wrong with the water. We’ve inspected the holding tanks and found nothing wrong.”
“Sure, now there is nothing wrong with the tanks. We’ll just ignore the time before those repairs…”
She tried to capture every word and lock it in her memory.
The conversation drifted into the meeting room and disappeared as they shut the door behind them. Hannah grimaced in frustration. She needed to get into that room, but how? Maybe there was another entrance from the staff area of the hotel.
Hannah swiped the stolen badge to open the door at the end of the abandoned hallway, leaving the plush carpet and ornate trim work for a utilitarian hallway and fluorescent lights. Catering carts lined the hallway, and she grabbed one, pushing it in front of her as though headed somewhere important.
She wanted to turn left, trying to find the rear of the meeting room, but the hallway only turned to her right. Maybe she had to go a bit farther down the corridor and then could double back.
An angry shout up ahead made her heart race. She couldn’t see them, but she found an alcove of the long hallway to duck inside. Heavy footsteps approached as she tried to calm her rapid breathing. She was going to get caught with nothing to show for it.
“T-minus five minutes until Waterford arrival,” she heard a male voice say from down the hallway.
She frowned. What was he talking about?
“Let’s just get this over with. You know how I feel about unscheduled stops. What meeting room did you say?” There was a pause. Hannah realized the man must be on the phone. “Copy that. I’ll secure a route from the loading dock to Seminole.”
Her breath caught. Seminole? That was the room where the EPA meeting was. She ducked behind the catering cart as the man walked past the alcove. His black suit, shiny shoes, and clean cut made her eyes widen. He looked like…Secret Service?
No, that was impossible. He was probably just hotel security.
“Fisher, I guess it’s just me and you. You secure the loading dock entrance. I’ll deal with the staff. The manager said the meeting schedule is light today, but we don’t want…” his voice faded as the security guard disappeared up the hallway.
Hannah sagged against the alcove wall, wondering what to do next. Whoever was coming to the meeting was clearly important. She needed to get into that room now more than ever.
She pushed her cart through the hallways, ignoring the activity in the kitchen as she passed, looking for a back entrance to Seminole. No luck.