Ethan cleared his throat. “As I said before, the two of you are the only people qualified to assist me in a sensitive operation. All you need to know is that a patient will be arriving at the hospital two days from now to receive treatment for his specific type of blood disorder. The treatment will be administered by a specialist. Dr. Yassan will be on hand to assist the specialist in whatever way they need and ensure the patient comes through the procedure to the best of her ability. Luca, you’ll be in charge of security.”
A patient.
One under the protection of the US Marshals, authorized by a federal judge.
Luca would guess that the patient was in witness protection. Or some kind of high-value target. A criminal testifying against others in exchange for a deal—like cutting-edge treatment for a rare disorder.
Either way, this could be a potentially risky situation.
Ethan looked at Luca. “We would like you to do a full assessment of hospital security prior to the patient’s arrival in order to identify any potential points of threat. During the patient’s stay, we would like you to oversee security and protection along with a rotating team of those you authorize to work with you or off-duty marshals who volunteer their time.”
“You don’t have the personnel for full detail?” That explained why they were outsourcing the job.
The judge said, “The agreement with the patient isn’t yet signed. I can’t authorize the personnel without the deal, and he won’t sign the paperwork until he receives the treatment.”
Ethan shook his head and sighed. “A couple of our agents are either ill or on vacation. We’re also one marshal short and looking for someone to transfer in, but that won’t happen soon enough to have this covered.”
This whole thing actually sounded like a pretty good use of Luca’s skills. “As long as the hospital understands what I’m there to do, I can give you a quote for the job.”
Ethan’s lips twitched. “Your envelope is on the desk. All the details are inside.”
He figured that meant there was a flat payment for the job and the terms weren’t negotiable.
Beside him, Kira shifted in her seat. Not nervous, but he got the sense she was intrigued by the idea of this opportunity. “Am I going to receive the patient’s medical history, even with the name being redacted?”
Luca wondered if she would recognize the person as soon as she saw them. Did she keep up with the Most Wanted lists?
He didn’t want this woman beside him to be intriguing, but the fact was, he had thought about her off and on since they met. Mostly in order to try and figure out who she worked for or why she’d taken his flash drive, even if it was only for a few minutes. But he’d never discovered any answers. On the surface, this woman had been, by all accounts, a legitimate doctor.
Except he knew different.
Ethan said, “We have a secure drive, on which is everything you’ll need to know about the patient and the treatment he will be receiving. If any of this information is leaked, all culpability will fall on your shoulders.”
Luca figured that was a reasonable warning, given what he knew about Kira. Even if it wasn’t much.
She lifted her chin. “I assure you I can keep my mouth shut.”
“If you couldn’t,” the Judge said, “you wouldn’t be here.”
So they had done a thorough check on her and found out who she really was. Luca wondered if it was worth asking Ethan for a copy of that report. They evidently had access to things restricted from Luca. Because he wouldn’t have said he trusted her.
Not until she’d stood up in front of those two insurgents and risked her life to give his team enough time to get away.
But Luca hadn’t been doing that.
Something had held him fast behind the curtain, watching to see what would happen to her. Observing her in action as she talked the men down and tried to get them to leave, waylaying them in order that men she didn’t even know could survive the encounter and complete their mission.
And then one of the insurgents hammered the butt of his rifle into her face. Seeing her crumple to the ground was one of the most harrowing things he’d ever experienced. Though by far not the worst. Still, it was bad enough he’d nearly launched himself through the curtain and out into the main hospital room.
Hammer and Kane had acted quickly, neutralizing the threat. Enabling him to go to her.
The guy had practically caved in her skull.
And again, when he’d tried to find out where she was and what happened to her—if she’d even survived—there had been nothing to discover. No records. No files.
She’d completely disappeared.
Kira turned to him now, and he saw the line of the scar over her left eye, where that guy had hit her. She turned away from him, retrieved her envelope from the desk, and stood. “Thank you for the offer, gentlemen. I’m happy to assist.”