Part 41 (2/2)

”Don't you dare.” Elliott jumped to his feet, leaning over her, his features contorted with anger. ”You and your ex are two of a kind. You think you know everything. Well, did he know everything? Where is he now?”

”You don't scare me, and you can't stop me.” Jill could see he was about to explode, so she provoked him. ”I'll get my money one way or the other. I'll kill your drug.”

”I'll kill you if you do, and don't think I'm not capable of it!” Elliott's eyes flashed with a zealot's madness. ”I killed your ex-husband! He was easy to fool. I let him think we were going to pay him, told him I was coming over to negotiate the deal. I told him he drove such a hard bargain, I needed a drink. It only takes a second to dump a test tube in a drink. You think I don't know how to mix drugs in solution? Add a masking agent, for flavor? I'm a chemist!”

Jill didn't know what to say, and suddenly she didn't have to say more, or get Elliott to say any more.

”FBI, hands up!” shouted a squad of FBI agents in dark windbreakers, racing from the treeline, lead by Special Agent Harrison. ”FBI, get your hands up!”

”Don't shoot!” Elliott froze, raising his hands, his eyes popping as Special Agent Harrison and the other FBI agents grabbed him, patted him down, and handcuffed him.

Jill hustled away, as she'd been instructed, and the man and the woman sitting on the bench, both FBI agents, sprinted toward her and whisked her aside.

”Great job, Dr. Farrow!” The female FBI agent thrust out her hand. ”I'll take the device now.”

”Here you go.” Jill handed her the BlackBerry, which had been specially outfitted as a recording device. ”Thanks for protecting me.”

”Jill!” Sam yelled, and she turned to see him running toward her, his sport jacket flying open. The sight lifted her heart, and she hurried to meet him.

”Sam, he admitted it, did you hear? Did they hear?” Jill met him, and Sam hugged her close.

”Way to go, babe. They've got the murder charge against him ready to go, and next they're going after Pharmcen.” Sam smiled, looking into Jill's face with love. ”I hope this gives the girls some real closure, too.”

”So do I.” Jill hugged him, finally at peace. ”Now, it's over.”

Chapter Seventy-six.

It was dark by the time they got to Shood Memorial, and Jill and Sam exchanged looks as they walked down the glistening corridor. Megan and Abby were behind them, chatting with Steven, and Victoria brought up the very rear, her head down, her thoughts to herself. It had been Jill's idea to visit Brian tonight, but neither she nor Sam knew which way it was going to go, between Brian and Victoria. Victoria had confided in Jill that she was nervous about seeing Brian again, but she'd wanted to go, so Jill felt some trepidation as she led everybody into the hospital room.

”h.e.l.lo, Special Agent Prendergast.” Jill smiled, relieved to see that Brian was well enough to be sitting up in bed, reading a sports magazine. A bandage was wrapped around his head, making his brown hair puff in odd directions, and an older-looking pair of gla.s.ses perched on top of the gauze over his ears.

”h.e.l.lo, hey, nice of you to come, Dr. Farrow, everybody.” Brian grinned gamely, setting down the magazine. His color was good, but his face showed a few cuts and some bruising. His blue eyes were weary, but they came to life when Victoria finally walked in. ”Vick, it was nice of you to come, too.”

”It wasn't my idea,” Victoria shot back, standing stiffly at the foot of the bed, and Jill stepped over to his bedside, to smooth things over.

”Brian, meet my fiance, Sam Becker, his son, Steven Becker, and my daughter, Megan.” Jill gestured at them, and Sam came over to shake his hand.

”Good to meet you, Brian.”

”You, too.” Brian nodded, acknowledging them all with a smile. ”Hi, everybody. Good to meet you. Hey, Abby.”

”Hey, Brian,” Abby said, walking over. ”How are you feeling?”

”Fine, thanks. Nothing's broken. I lucked out.”

Jill felt her throat thicken as she thought about what she'd come to say. ”Brian, I want to thank you for saving my life. I don't know how to say thank you for something that huge, other than just to say it, so thank you, so much, from the bottom of my heart.” She managed to hold back her tears. She didn't want it to become about her. ”I owe you, everything.”

”No, you don't.” Brian smiled, modestly. ”It's my job.”

”Maybe so, but it's quite a job, where you risk your life for other people.” Jill flashed on the memorial at the police station in New York, with the plaques to the officers who fell on September 11. ”I think you deserve at least a thank-you, a commendation, or whatever medal they give you. To me, you're a hero.”

”To me, too,” Sam said, nodding gravely.

”Yep,” Abby added, and Megan nodded, staring at Brian, thrilled to be in the presence of a real FBI agent.

”Well, thank you, all.” Brian turned to Jill, c.o.c.king his head. ”By the way, Dr. Farrow, I heard you were quite the undercover agent today. Wearing a wire, the whole nine? Way to go, rook.”

Jill blushed, still too moved to laugh, but next to her, Sam chuckled.

”I know, my wife is 007 now. You should've seen her. She kept him talking like a pro.”

Jill nudged him, embarra.s.sed. ”Hardly, Sam.” She gestured at Brian. ”This man is a pro. He tried to drive bad guys off a road, at a hundred miles an hour. I'll never forget that day. I've never driven that fast in my life.”

”I have, except for the tree.” Brian laughed, and so did everybody else, except Victoria. ”Doc, you're a tough cookie when you want to be. I tried to warn you off, remember? When I threatened you with the restraining order?”

”Oh.” Jill smiled. ”That only made me madder.”

Brian laughed, turning to Sam. ”Dude, you've got your hands full. Good luck.”

Sam burst into laughter. ”You can say that again.”

”What's the secret, with these women, bro?”

”It's easy. Do what they say, when they say it.”

Everyone laughed, except for Victoria, again. An awkward silence fell, with everybody wondering about the elephant in the room. Brian looked over at Victoria after a moment, clearing his throat.

”Vick, I'm sorry for deceiving you, I really am.” Brian winced, and it wasn't from the scratches on his face. ”It's part of my job, too, but it's, hands-down, the worst part of my job.”

”Then congratulations on a job well done.” Victoria's tone was heavy with sarcasm. ”Way to go, Operation Hedge Clippers.”

”Go ahead and yell at me.” Brian frowned, his regret plain. ”I deserve it, and you know you want to.”

”Yell at you? I wouldn't stop at yelling. If you weren't already in a hospital, I'd put you in one.”

Jill cringed, looking down.

Brian said, ”Victoria, I really am sorry.”

”You made friends with me just to meet my father.”

”But then we became friends, you and I. The time we spent, that was real. We're real friends.”

Victoria scoffed. ”No, we're not, not anymore.”

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