Veil of Justice, Shadows of Justice Book 3 (12 page)

She sighed. It was too late to lie and she
sucked at it anyway. Her father –

The raw emotion associated with her father
brought her to tears. She blinked furiously until she regained
control. She'd promised herself grieving time when the map box was
secure again. Maybe her uncle could point her in the right
direction.

Though Nathan had promised to help her, she
wouldn't hold him to it. Not only was his physical condition
sketchy, she was frightened of the talents he'd demonstrated while
they were running. Who could drive a car by memory, with a
remembered map as well? And the little choking stunt in the car
made her wary. He was an unknown commodity and a risk her personal
mission couldn't afford.

He'd nearly killed her. While she cared for
him more than was practical, it sounded like he was safe. He could
recover with family and friends, maybe get a little psychiatric
help for that black-out-and-choke-your-rescuer problem and she
could move on. It was for the best.

Really.

It was time to make
her
investigation
the priority. She threw back the sheet and swung her feet over the
bed. They dangled, the curse of being short, so she hopped down.
Except her head swam and her knees buckled, dumping her in a
graceless heap.

"Miss!" a nurse in a stark-white uniform
nurse rushed over. She was a very young woman with coffee-colored
skin and odd golden eyes. "You must be more careful."

A timely warning. "Yeah, I noticed." When
Kelly was steady, leaning against the bed, she glanced around the
room looking for a clock or calendar, but any clues to her location
were conspicuously absent.

The fresh, mildly antiseptic scent, new bed,
crisp sheets, and upgraded peripheral furniture screamed private
hospital. They couldn't possibly be selling fast service if they
hid the clocks from their patients.

"Where am I?"

"You are in Chicago General Hospital."

The nurse was lying. Oh, they might be in
Chicago, but Kelly had done volunteer work at Chicago General.
Great place, but they didn't boast suites like this. She'd love to
know how she got wherever she was, but she didn't think this mouse
of a nurse would tell her if she did know.

"How long have I been here?"

"They assigned me to you yesterday morning,
miss."

A statement open to many interpretations. "Am
I in any danger?" she asked.

"From disease?"

Not really the point, but it was a start.
"Sure."

"No, miss. No danger from disease."

Well, that was something. And Nathan was in
the next room, visiting with Petra, so they were most likely in
Chicago and couldn't be in too much trouble. Unless.

"Is this a police ward?"

The nurse positively hooted with laughter.
"No! Oh, no, miss," she sputtered between guffaws. It took several
moments for the nurse to regain her composure. "They tell me you
are here as a guest of Jaden Michaels."

"Oh." No comfort there. Kelly had deceived
Petra, and most likely caused her former boss significant concern.
Jaden wouldn't take those offenses lightly.

"Your blood results were perfect, too," the
nurse added with a beaming smile.

Kelly turned away until she could get her
face under control. They surely ordered more than the typical labs
for cell counts and antibodies and with her DNA they would soon
find she didn't really exist. Not on their systems anyway.

"May I have a shower then?" she managed after
a moment.

"Certainly, miss. This way."

Kelly became an instant fan of Jaden and her
creative resources. On her way to the bathroom, she'd passed a bank
of windows. While the run down cityscape was hardly inspiring, this
infirmary – she'd never believe she was in an actual hospital –
boasted every convenience. Right now, the real, running water was
her favorite.

In the rural area where she'd grown up, water
hadn't been regulated and while she'd gotten used to the ionic
variety after a few years in the city, she was grateful for the
singular feel of the clean, fresh wet pouring over her skin.

She knew she should make it quick, but it was
so nice to wash off the stress of escape and evasion. So she
lingered, tipping her face into the spray and hoping a little grief
went down the drain too.

After drying herself with a luxurious terry
bath sheet better suited to a fine hotel, she opened a jar of body
cream and sighed. A rich blend of botanicals tempted her and she
rubbed the shea butter balm into her aching muscles, marveling
again at the healer's power. Mira had erased all trace of the
bullet's path through her leg. If Kelly hadn't washed the blood out
of her combat gear, she would've thought she'd dreamed the whole
thing.

But now she was in one piece, Nathan was
safe, and the original goal of freeing him so he could help her was
shot. They should part ways.

He had his family and after action reports to
write. She had seven deaths to avenge and an imperative secret to
recover. She would say her goodbyes and move on.

Before that DNA result came back.

She would find her uncle, who hopefully knew
where to find the real map box, and get back on task protecting her
family and their secrets. Her mind sorted details like
transportation, food, and clothing while she traded her towel for a
robe by the bathroom door. Ready to ask the nurse for her clothes,
she was startled to find the sick room occupied.

Jaden sat in the visitor's chair, her feet
casually propped on the hospital bed. Her fingers were busy with a
cell card, but the rest of her, from her long blond braid to her
scuffed boots looked thoroughly at ease.

"You took your time." Her green eyes flashed
hot in a dangerous contradiction to her cool voice. "Feeling
better?"

"Yes, thank you," Kelly replied.

"Good. Your presence is required in the
kitchen." She rolled to her feet with cat-like grace, then reached
down for several shopping bags. "Petra thought you needed a fresh
start."

Kelly recognized the logo from the elite
Water Tower Place. Anything inside those bags was far more generous
than she needed. An itch started between her shoulders, a weird
combination of discomfort, gratitude, and worry. "I had some things
in the Mustang."

Jaden simply stared, unrelenting, making
Kelly's itch worse. "Now you have new things. Get dressed so we can
get moving. People are waiting on you."

"What is this place?"

"You're in Slick Micky's place."

Kelly gaped, forgetting the wealth of
clothing. "The smuggler's hideout?"

Jaden nodded. "Didn't you notice the coffee
in the air?"

She hadn't. The room started to spin a
little. How odd, when she'd felt fine a moment ago.

"Hey. None of that. Sit down," Jaden ordered,
jumping up to steady her.

Kelly obeyed, thinking how her straight-laced
mother would react to know she was under the protection of the most
notorious full-caff coffee and real sugar dealer. If she ever got
this whole mess resolved, it was a conversation she'd savor. "How
does he hide all this?" she asked, amazed.

Jaden's stern expression melted into an
amused half-grin. "I can't give away all his secrets. Let's just
say business is good and he takes care of his mules."

"Mules?"

Jaden amusement turned wary. "You know, the
people who haul smuggled goods?"

"Oh. Don't they mind the reference?"

"Why care when it comes with these sorts of
perks?" she gestured to encompass the whole set up.

Kelly could see the attraction for women who
might not have other options or resources. Living in the city was
expensive and dangerous. "Working for Micky is safe?"

"As safe as it gets around here." Jaden
laughed, settling back into the chair, propping her feet up on the
bed again. "So, tell me, how safe are you?"

Kelly blinked. "I don't know what you mean."
She tugged at the tie on her robe.

"Sure you do. It took us three days to find
you and Nathan after the escape alert went out. When we did find
you, Nathan was in a daze and you were being strangled by an
invisible hand."

Kelly touched her throat, remembering.

"We had to sedate you, since the second you
got some air, you went after Nathan. So I'm here to find out if
you're friend or foe."

"I was Petra's assistant!" Kelly stood up,
pacing away from the confrontation. "You know me. She trusts
me."

"Trusted," Jaden countered. "You disappeared
with a great deal of information and stole a car."

Kelly didn't need any reminders and the guilt
shadowing her didn't need any help. Suddenly the posh medical suite
looked more like a pretty prison. She'd had enough. Her own agenda
was more important than the opinions of the uninformed masses.

"Am I free to go?"

Jaden studied her, the examination stretching
out, until Kelly nearly snapped.

"Petra wants to speak with you. She's
concerned. And she seems to think you can answer a few things about
her brother's paralysis –"

"What?" Her eyes darted to the door between
their rooms where she'd heard Nathan talking with Petra. "He was
better. He flatlined, I revived him, and he was totally
better."

Jaden arched a brow. Kelly wanted to slap the
arrogance off her face.

"He's paralyzed again now. He had no motor
control when we pulled him out of that Mustang."

Kelly refused to comment. Jaden clearly
believed she'd done something to Nathan and no amount of protesting
would change her mind. Though she worried about what had really
happened, she folded her arms across her chest and asked again, "Am
I free to go?"

But her eyes were on the connecting door once
more.

"Yes, Kelly, he's in there. But I won't let
you see him before you meet with Petra. Will I have to dress you
myself?" Jaden finished with a snap.

Kelly looked around, certain this wasn't any
simple residence. "Just tell me where I'm going and I'll be there
in a minute."

"Oh, no." Jaden's eyes narrowed. "You lost
that privilege six months ago. I'm not letting you out of my
sight."

Her temper surged to meet challenge. "As if
I've been out of your sight since you picked us up. This place has
a net tighter than NORAD." Jaden blinked and Kelly caught the
smidge of respect in her eyes before it was doused by that cool
composure.

With no sign of her own clothes, Kelly
resigned herself to Petra's gifts. Pulling what she needed from the
shopping bag, she dressed her bottom half under the robe, then
turned her back on Jaden to don a bra and a remarkably soft, long
sleeved tee shirt in a rosy color. In another time and place, she'd
indulge the urge to sink into the fabric, but not in front of a
hard audience like Jaden.

"Shoes?" she asked.

Jaden's mouth tipped up on one side and she
turned to the door. "You won't need them. Let's go."

In other words, she'd get shoes when Jaden
trusted her. It would be awhile.

She followed Jaden out of the room and into a
brightly lit corridor. The tile was cool under her feet as they
passed several closed doors on both sides before the corridor gave
way to an atrium. The unexpected burst of nature was lush and
beautiful, and topped with a peaked, frosted glass roof. Various
shades of green were broken by bright pops of flowers and the
scents of the garden made you forget about the clinical antiseptic.
There was only one sort of place in Chicago that could pull this
off.

At the elevators, Kelly vocalized her awe.
"Slick Micky has everything."

Jaden's mouth curved into a wry smile.
"You're smart. I'll give you that."

Smart enough to leave despite recriminations
and repercussions. She didn't feel the need to give Jaden those
explanations any more than Jaden felt the need to give her
shoes.

"He put us in suites on the third floor. Pet
and Gideon are in 325. It's our current staging area."

The elevator took them down and this time the
hall was carpeted and the air was redolent with coffee. Jaden
entered 325 without knocking and walked straight back to the
kitchen. Behind her Kelly blinked.

The small, modern space had been turned into
a low-rent laboratory. Beakers, bowls, and ingredients congregated
on one countertop, while the other people in the room contemplated
a list in a hologram that seemed to sprout from a potato.

"What's all this?" Kelly asked no one in
particular.

"They hijacked my old recipe holder," Petra
complained. "Oh, Kelly, it's so good to see you again." She beamed
and held her arms wide. "Come here."

Kelly obliged, rounding the counter, only to
stop at the sight of Petra's rounded belly. "Oh. Wow. Umm.
Congratulations." The last was said as Petra simply enveloped
her.

The physical contact was more surprising than
the pregnancy. It was the type of greeting Petra normally avoided
at all costs. Kelly fought the urge to wriggle free so she wouldn't
overwhelm Petra with her recent memories and emotions, but the
woman seemed determined to greet her properly.

Jaden was all business. "Nathan was injected
with Paracuron. We got a tip about an antidote, but only the
ingredients, not the proportions."

"I was hoping you might help," Petra
said.

Kelly was confused by Pet's warm welcome. Her
former boss had a right to treat her coolly after she disappeared.
At some point, Kelly would have to explain, but she wasn't quite
ready, even if she'd known how to put the words together.

Was there an easy way to say, 'You were
getting too close to unveiling secrets my family would die to keep?
Oh, and I stole your brother's car to get away because I was
infatuated with him.' It all sounded so lame inside her head.

"Kelly?"

"Pardon?" She blinked, looking in turn at
each of the faces staring back at her. Jaden and Petra the most
daring, strong women in Kelly's acquaintance and they were well
matched with their tough, handsome husbands. She hadn't seen any of
them since they'd sent her back to Petra's office last spring. At
the moment, all of them wore expressions of grave concern.