Page 45 of Innocent Target
James felt like smiling. “Hull isn’t the kind of man to let members of his pack out of his sight, which means that if we find his mother, we’re close to Abbie’s location.”
Nick reached for more chocolate. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rao remaining nearby too. We find the mother, and we can take care of momma’s boy and his little FBI friend, once and for all.”
Mercy reached for James’s hand. “I think we need our hacker’s help one more time. The three of us are exhausted, and we need to recharge.”
Bringing her fingers to his lips, James agreed. “Let’s make one last call back to base. If we’re lucky, the team will have our backs, and after some shuteye, they’ll give us the target on a platter.”
Nick rubbed his hands while Mercy put her head on his shoulder. “Soon you’ll have Abbie back and we’ll be able to put this nightmare behind us for good.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The call they’d been waiting for came in at four-thirty in the morning. Mercy felt her heart race at the sudden noise in the silent room, her body waking faster than her brain as she snatched her phone off the nightstand. “Talk to me.”
Imari didn’t keep her waiting. “I have the mother.”
Mercy clicked the phone to speaker and laid it on the bed so James and Nick could hear.
“Where is she?” James demanded, and she could tell that he was getting to the end of his tolerance with this now.
“She’s registered under Molly Pritchard and is at the York Transplant Center here in Daytona. It’s a private hospital.”
James looked up at her, and she could see his adrenaline was pumping. “Thanks, Imari, you’re a star.”
“No problem, go get your niece back.”
Imari hung up, and James checked his weapons as Nick used the bathroom.
Mercy approached him and slid her arm around his firm middle. “Take a breath, baby. We need a plan before we go storming in there.”
James frowned and then seemed to take in what she was saying. “I just need my niece and sister safe and together where they should be.”
Mercy rested her head against his and sighed. “I know, but we have one shot at this, so we need to be slick and keep our heads.”
“I know. It’s just hard, that’s all. Every part of me wants to rush in there and put a gun to the old bat’s head, demand she gives Abbie back.”
“And that’s why you have me, to keep your head on straight.”
He kissed her lips. “So fucking glad I do, baby.”
As Nick came out of the bathroom, she pulled away but not far, giving James her silent support by sticking close as they put their heads together and formed a plan that was hopefully foolproof.
“I think we need to keep this costume after this mission. We could play doctors and nurses.” James waggled his eyebrows, but Mercy just put her hands on her hips and scowled.
The plan for her to go in as an agency nurse and let him and Nick into the room had been her idea, and while she’d typically balk at playing the obviously sexist woman’s role, for this, it was perfect.
The members of the MC were well known to be sexist pigs and would think nothing of a new nurse turning up on shift. Her colored contacts and wig would change her appearance enough that they wouldn’t recognize her.
“Keep that up, and I’ll shove this stethoscope where the sun don’t shine.”
Nick smirked, and James winked at her as he rechecked his weapons. She hid her grin, but she was pleased to see him calm again, and if their banter helped then she was happy to do it.
“Ready to rock and roll?” Nick was leading this mission, his experience as a Navy Seal, making him the obvious choice.
“Let’s do this.”
Nick drove the short distance to the York Transplant Centre and dropped Mercy off at the front as if for a shift. There were five or six bikes in the carpark which she suspected belonged to the MC. Imari had hacked into the CCTV and relayed that neither Hull nor Rao were at the hospital now, but had been seen late last night leaving the center together.
They had timed the drop-off to coincide with the start of a new shift. Imari had provided the credentials and canceled the real agency nurse, so it should be seamless.
