Have you ever been stood up? You know--you wait and wait for someone at a restaurant and the other person never shows. You might order a glass of wine to kill the time. You call the person's cell phone and they don't answer. Has this ever happened to you? If so, do you worry, get mad, feel miserable thinking that the person doesn't like you? Well, in this next chapter of COVERT REICH Kelly is waiting for Jake. If you read yesterday's chapter then you know that Jake is not going to show. He has been brutally murdered.
I am still tweaking and fixing and doing some revising to this book, but I will keep posting the chapters daily until I get the book out there.
Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kelly finished her Chardonnay and glanced around for any sign of Jake. None. She wasn’t a big drinker, but after his strange behavior, she’d had a feeling the wine might calm her nerves. He was fifteen minutes late already, and her patience was running thin. A voice inside told her something was wrong, but she pushed the thought out of her mind and took another sip of the wine. She would give him ten more minutes. She’d called his cell phone twice already, but it’d gone straight to voicemail. Jake almost always picked up so either his battery had died or…something else had kept him.
She thought about their discussion earlier. He was a straight shooter—not evasive and not one to play games. But this felt like a game to her, and she didn’t like it at all. She would’ve never left the hospital to meet him for dinner if she’d known he was going to blow her off. It was so unlike him. And because it was so unlike him, she knew something was terribly wrong. The sinking feeling in her stomach worsened. Five more minutes ticked away, and she decided to pay for the wine and head back to the hospital. Once in the car, she tried to reach Jake again by cell phone. She drove by his house, only a few minutes from the hospital. No lights were on and his car wasn’t in the driveway. Good. Maybe he was still at the hospital, and he could explain what was going on. She wasn’t leaving until he told her everything. Whatever everything was. Clearly when he’d said this was dangerous, he’d gotten her attention. What the hell could be so dangerous it would cause him to be so adamant and upset?
She pulled into the hospital parking lot and scanned it before getting out of her car. Her days at USC had taught her one could never be too careful. Walking toward the building, she noticed there were several police cars out front. She shook her head. Must’ve been another gang-related shooting or something.
With steeled determination, she headed to the elevator. Jake was obviously avoiding her, and she wasn’t going to put up with that. He’d better be there because she planned to give him a piece of her mind. How could he drop a bombshell and not show up to explain everything?
She would find out why he had stood her up if it killed her.
There was a noticeable buzz filling the halls, a surreal tension. Something was out of whack. She spotted another policeman by the elevator. Kelly stopped an intern passing by who was reading over a report on his clipboard. “Hey. What’s going on? Why all the police? Something major happening in the ER?”
He studied her for a second, his silence indicating he was deciding whether or not she was entitled to know. She flashed her credentials from the chain around her neck. His eyes widened. “Oh sorry, Doctor. I didn’t realize you were staff.” She nodded. “No. It’s not in the ER. I don’t know exactly what’s up, but rumor has it there was a murder downstairs.”
“What? Downstairs as in the morgue?”
“Yes.”
Kelly’s breathing changed, her body tensing. “Who?”
He shrugged and looked back down at his clipboard. “Sorry, I don’t know. I have a patient waiting.”
“Yeah, sure.” Her racing thoughts took a giant turn for the worse. She tried hard to push them away, but they wouldn’t budge.
She headed toward the elevator. Before she could ask the officer what was going on, the doors opened. A man with dark hair and piercing brown eyes stepped out. He glanced at Kelly. He straightened his navy and teal striped tie against his button down. “Excuse me?” she said.
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“I’m a doctor here on staff.” She showed him her ID. “Could you tell me what has happened?”
“Dr. Morales.”
“Yes,” she said.
“You’re exactly who I’ve been looking for.”
I am still tweaking and fixing and doing some revising to this book, but I will keep posting the chapters daily until I get the book out there.
Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kelly finished her Chardonnay and glanced around for any sign of Jake. None. She wasn’t a big drinker, but after his strange behavior, she’d had a feeling the wine might calm her nerves. He was fifteen minutes late already, and her patience was running thin. A voice inside told her something was wrong, but she pushed the thought out of her mind and took another sip of the wine. She would give him ten more minutes. She’d called his cell phone twice already, but it’d gone straight to voicemail. Jake almost always picked up so either his battery had died or…something else had kept him.
She thought about their discussion earlier. He was a straight shooter—not evasive and not one to play games. But this felt like a game to her, and she didn’t like it at all. She would’ve never left the hospital to meet him for dinner if she’d known he was going to blow her off. It was so unlike him. And because it was so unlike him, she knew something was terribly wrong. The sinking feeling in her stomach worsened. Five more minutes ticked away, and she decided to pay for the wine and head back to the hospital. Once in the car, she tried to reach Jake again by cell phone. She drove by his house, only a few minutes from the hospital. No lights were on and his car wasn’t in the driveway. Good. Maybe he was still at the hospital, and he could explain what was going on. She wasn’t leaving until he told her everything. Whatever everything was. Clearly when he’d said this was dangerous, he’d gotten her attention. What the hell could be so dangerous it would cause him to be so adamant and upset?
She pulled into the hospital parking lot and scanned it before getting out of her car. Her days at USC had taught her one could never be too careful. Walking toward the building, she noticed there were several police cars out front. She shook her head. Must’ve been another gang-related shooting or something.
With steeled determination, she headed to the elevator. Jake was obviously avoiding her, and she wasn’t going to put up with that. He’d better be there because she planned to give him a piece of her mind. How could he drop a bombshell and not show up to explain everything?
She would find out why he had stood her up if it killed her.
There was a noticeable buzz filling the halls, a surreal tension. Something was out of whack. She spotted another policeman by the elevator. Kelly stopped an intern passing by who was reading over a report on his clipboard. “Hey. What’s going on? Why all the police? Something major happening in the ER?”
He studied her for a second, his silence indicating he was deciding whether or not she was entitled to know. She flashed her credentials from the chain around her neck. His eyes widened. “Oh sorry, Doctor. I didn’t realize you were staff.” She nodded. “No. It’s not in the ER. I don’t know exactly what’s up, but rumor has it there was a murder downstairs.”
“What? Downstairs as in the morgue?”
“Yes.”
Kelly’s breathing changed, her body tensing. “Who?”
He shrugged and looked back down at his clipboard. “Sorry, I don’t know. I have a patient waiting.”
“Yeah, sure.” Her racing thoughts took a giant turn for the worse. She tried hard to push them away, but they wouldn’t budge.
She headed toward the elevator. Before she could ask the officer what was going on, the doors opened. A man with dark hair and piercing brown eyes stepped out. He glanced at Kelly. He straightened his navy and teal striped tie against his button down. “Excuse me?” she said.
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“I’m a doctor here on staff.” She showed him her ID. “Could you tell me what has happened?”
“Dr. Morales.”
“Yes,” she said.
“You’re exactly who I’ve been looking for.”
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