An Arrogant Black Belt Threatens a Rookie Nurse in a Rural ER — Unaware She Was a Navy SEAL Officer
Chapter 13
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Reese closed her eyes for just one second. "From which extension?""Office on the second floor. Doctor's office. Name on the door is Kessler."Reese opened her eyes. "Of course it is."The Bay 1 stab wound patient groaned. Reese turned to him without missing a beat, walked back to his bedside, and checked his vitals like she had not just shot a man in the chest 15 feet away.The patient's eyes focused on her. "Did they... find me?" he whispered."They found you. They didn't get you. Who are you?""I'm the woman the man on the phone told you to ask for. You can call me Donovan. What's your name?""Bishop. Hugh Bishop, Master Chief, retired."Her hand stilled on his wrist. "Bishop... you were Reeves's senior chief.""Yes, ma'am.""He sent you to find me.""Yes, ma'am.""Who stabbed you?""Same crew that just walked in. They thought they had me on the doorstep of your hospital. They knew you'd treat me; they wanted to use me to flush you.""And the knife in your chest?""His idea. Said keep it in, you'd recognize the work, you'd come find me before he did. Reeves said only Dusty would know what the knife meant."Reese exhaled slowly.Captain Joseph Reeves had been her commanding officer at Dam Neck for four years. Reeves had been the man who pinned her O-4 on her shoulders in 2020. Reeves had been the man who had told her in 2022—with tears in his eyes that he did not allow himself to show in front of any other officer—that she was discharging at the wrong time for the wrong reason, and that he understood why she had to. Reeves had been the man who, 18 months ago, started a personal investigation into the contractor network that had set up the ambush that killed half of her assault element. Reeves had been the man who, three months ago, stopped returning her annual Christmas voicemail.Reese had assumed Reeves had finally gotten tired of leaving messages with a ghost. Reese had been wrong."Where is Reeves now, Master Chief?" she said.Bishop's eyes drifted; he fought them back. "He's three hours behind me. He's driving in from Norfolk in a civilian truck because he didn't trust the air corridor. He told me if anything happened to me, to tell you the file is in the spare tire well of his Bronco, and the password is the dog's name.""Cooper.""Yes, ma'am." Bishop's lips lifted at the corner. "He said you'd remember the dog."Reese closed her eyes again, just for one second. Then she opened them and turned to Marsh. "I need a secure line. I need it now. And I need to have a conversation with Dr. Kessler before the FBI gets here, which will be in approximately 45 minutes. And I need the conversation to be on the record."Marsh's mouth twitched. "Yes, ma'am."Reese took one step toward the corridor. Hannigan was standing at the doorway of Trauma 2; Hannigan had drawn his sidearm at some point in the last 11 seconds, and now Hannigan was holstering it again.Hannigan said very quietly, "Ma'am, Vega's awake. He's asking for you."