Page 40 of Beachcomber Enemy

“What the hell?” The ambulance driver shouted as he swerved into the hospital’s emergency bay, screeching to a halt in front of the door.

Dane let Whitey go and turned his attention back to Shana. Her eyes were closed, her lashes dark against her too pale face. The doors popped open and Dane jumped from the back, seeing to it that the hospital personnel took Shana first. The EMT exchanged a few clipped updates with the team as they lowered her gurney. Dane took her hand.

As the EMT jumped down to accompany them, Whitey bellowed from inside, making everyone start with alarm. Dane’s blood froze.

“I need to make her understand. Shana is bad. She has to die.”

“Shut the hell up,” Dane turned, his heart thudding. Dane grabbed the attention of the stunned man dressed in scrubs nearest to him. “Give that animal something to shut him up before I strangle him to death.”

Whitey laughed hysterically as two orderlies scrambled to offload his gurney. The doctor who came rushing from the hospital caught Dane’s attention. He knew the doc, knew that he was there for Shana, knew that he was one of the best.

“Just hold on one minute,” Whitey sat up on his gurney in spite of the two orderlies trying to keep him calm. His voice was loud and clear and ominous in that sick, singsong tone. Dane’s spine tingled as he turned to look, stopping Shana’s gurney from moving forward. All the hospital personnel stopped, as if they too sensed something. Something bad.

Whitey looked around at them all from his hideous face until his eyes locked with Dane’s. and then landed with his hideous face and eyes on Dane. He squeezed Shana’s hand. Then Whitey said in a ringing, matter of fact voice, absent the sing-song of a mad man.

Sounding perfectly sane now, Whitey said, “Don’t you want to know where the bomb is?”

Chapter 14

Dane forced a calm voice through his clenched jaw. “You set up a bomb?”

The man nodded. Everyone in the vicinity froze, then someone gasped. No one doubted that he was telling the truth, especially not Dane. Not even for one goddamn second.

“I never wanted to hurt Sassy.” He threw an arm in Sassy’s direction where she was being wheeled into the hospital. The medic pulled at Shana’s gurney to move her inside, but Shana clenched on Dane’s hand and spoke. “No, wait.”

The medic stopped. Shana pushed herself up and Dane watched Whitey’s face turn to her.

“No, I only wanted to hurt you, Shana.” He was back to the singsong voice again and Dane needed him to get back to the bomb, to tell him where it was. Pronto.

“The bomb, Whitey. Where is it?”

He laughed. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t defuse it in time without the code. But I’ll tell you so you can watch the explosion. What fun would it be if you couldn’t see the fruit of your destructive ways?” He was still talking to Shana. Dane put a hand to her back, felt her shaking with the effort to hold herself up, to watch and hear this monster taunt them.

“Where?” Dane made his voice as matter-of-fact as he could. He didn’t do a half bad job considering the murderous rage that thundered inside him, the pounding of his heart, the white-hot loathing that seethed through him. The naked fear as he held Shana steady.

Whitey turned to him and spoke in his normal voice again. “I wanted to scare Shana first with the explosion of your house and then I wanted to scare her more by taking Sassy. I want to make her understand, make her apologize for what she did to me and then get rid of her evil.”

“The bomb, Whitey.” Dane’s effort was maxed out on keeping his voice even. This son of a bitch had one more chance, five more seconds or he’d beat the crap out of him to get the information and he didn’t care how many medics tried to stop him.

“I know she’s evil because she stays with you and you aren’t married. I don’t blame her because it’s too late for her now. But I blame you and you will both need to die.” He sighed and just as Dane was about to release his hand from Shana and go for the man’s throat, he spoke again.

“The bomb is at the Vineyard Haven Middle School.”

Without hesitating, Dane had his phone out to call Cap and filled him in.

“On it. I’m bringing the bomb squad. There’s a code?”

Whitey laughed. He was back to the singsong voice again. “I didn’t tell you the whole thing. The bomb has a code and I won’t tell you the code unless you call me from where the bomb is—a video call. Then I’ll tell you the code to diffuse it.”

“It’s a trap. Don’t believe him,” Shana said. Then she collapsed back down onto the gurney.

“I have to get her inside. She’s gone through this blood pack and needs more,” the doctor said.

Whitey spoke again, “It’s on a pressure plate. Can’t diffuse it without the code.”

Dane needed to make a decision. Should he fall for Whitey’s trap and try to diffuse the bomb, or should he stay with Shana?

“Damn it,” Dane snapped. He’d always prided himself on his cool under pressure, but he was unhinged now. He lunged for Whitey, intent on getting his hands around the man’s neck. Three pairs of hands grabbed at him, trying to stop him.