Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 25 - Ashes to Ashes

Cole saw Mike MacDowell coming down the hall towards him. The guy was built like Vince Vaughn and impossible to miss.

"Hey, Mac. Thanks for coming," Cole said as he shook his hand. Ethan had stayed as long as he dared then taken Mariposa home. Those fifteen minutes between the time E left and Mac arrived seemed like forever. Aware of his vulnerability, Cole had positioned himself outside the waiting room where he could see the access points to the hallway. Now that Mac was there he could relax a bit.

"No problem, man. What's going on here?"

"A friend came out from Washington and we were ambushed in a parking lot."

"I heard something about that on the news. Do you know who it was?"

"No. SFPD took my statement, but I don't think they've had a chance to run anything down. I'm waiting for his family to fly in from Virginia. They should be here around ten. My JTTF partner was here but had to leave. I appreciate you covering me, Mike."

MacDowell tipped his head. "How's your friend?"

"He's going to make it; that's what's important." Cole paused a minute. "Ben stepped in front of a bullet that had my name on it." A nurse rolled a cart out of a room and Cole turned to watch her so Mac wouldn't see him blink the moisture from his eyes.
*

It was 11:00 a.m. by the time Cole pulled his car into Ethan's driveway. He pushed the second button on the garage door opener. The car idled as he waited for it to rise.

He couldn't stop thinking about the last 24 hours. There were so many things he should and shouldn't have done. So many ways this situation could have been avoided. He was the one who suggested they go to dinner. It was because of his negligence that Ben was in the hospital now. 

As bad as things were, facing Victoria and her husband had been worse. She was an emotional mess by the time she walked into the ICU. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice hitched as she asked him what happened. His heart went out to her. He told her that Ben was a hero and saved his life.

Cole waited until the doctor spoke with Victoria before he left. It was a relief to everyone when they learned Benjamin had improved to the point they were moving him from intensive care to a regular room. The doctors called it a miracle. Not only had he survived--he was healing faster than they'd ever seen before. According to Ethan, it was Madison's blood that saved him. Cole was thankful to have played a small part in that.

Exhausted, all Cole could think about on the way to Ethan's was hitting the mattress and sleeping. He started to pull into the garage then stepped on the brake. "What the hell?"

Focused attention replaced weariness.

The car lights reflected back at him off something wrapped in shiny black plastic under the workbench. He'd parked in this spot the last couple of days. Whatever that was-it wasn't there when he left. There was a tarp in the garage over on the shelf-except it wasn't there now.

Cole backed the car up and turned the ignition off. He sat there and studied the bulky mass trying to figure out what it could be. It looked like a damn body bag.

Leaving the door open, he got out of the car and pulled the automatic from his ankle holster. With his gun raised, he crept cautiously toward the workbench, stopping about ten feet away. The bottom shelf of the bench obscured his view.  Crouching lower for a better angle, he studied the shape calculating its size. It appeared to be about five feet long. Whatever it was, it was wedged in tight.

Cole kept the gun trained on the black form with one hand and pulled out his phone with the other. Switching on the cell flashlight, he shined it under the bench. Had Ethan brought something home with him from Italy? Maybe it belonged to Mariposa and Ethan stored it in the garage. It was possible.