CHAPTER 188 Creepy

*Jack*

"Anyone got eyes on Virtue Sullivan?" I asked through radio.

"Negative, Undersheriff," came the muffled response of one of the deputies; he was most likely shielding himself from the smoke. "I haven't seen her since the smoke first started, but we did find several canisters that look like grenades hidden within the bushes near the novelty stores."

"Whatever you do, don't touch the canisters," I instructed. "I'll call dispatch and have NSFD and Bomb Squad take care of that. Right now, I need you to help me locate Virtue Sullivan."

"Copy that, Undersheriff. We'll holler if we see her."

After his response, I changed the communication channel on my radio and called dispatch.

"Main, this is Undersheriff Jack Emery of the New Salem Sheriff's Department. Requesting the assistance of the New Salem Fire Department. Possible structure fire at Three Twenty-five Main St. Also, I need you to alert Bomb Squad. My men have discovered several incendiary devices in the area."

"Alerting NSFD and Bomb Squad, Undersheriff Emery," a female voice replied. "ETA eight minutes."

Satisfied with the NSFD and Bomb Squad's response time, I focused on finding Virtue.

I had to think like her. *Where would she go in a situation like this*?

I raised my eyes and found the answer to my question... *the commercial complex*. Virtue probably decided it would be safer for her to be within the confines of her own store.

*And who could blame her*? After witnessing how all of us just stood there, seemingly powerless and vulnerable, while Lorenzo Ortiz openly mocked us, she probably came to the conclusion that she was better off on her own.

I shook my head and grimaced. *Damn that man*. His mere presence threatened how we did things in this town. We needed to get rid of him and fast.

But first, I had to find Virtue. I placed my radio back on my belt and headed toward the commercial complex.

To avoid the smoke, I opted to cross Main St. by walking through the crowd of people who were busy looking up at the sky. Thanks to the fireworks, the pandemonium from earlier had quickly died down, yet, I noticed the townsfolk were still visibly shaken from the incident.

I kept my head down and refrained from making any eye contact, moving discreetly through the crowd until I reached the sidewalk at the other side of the street.

I was walking towards the main entrance of the parking lot, when I spotted a woman in a bee suit arguing with a man whose back was facing me. I quickened my pace, more curious to know what they were arguing about than wanting to intervene.

In an attempt to dodge the woman, the man suddenly veered to the right allowing me a view of his front. He was carrying someone in his arms... someone whose hair shimmered like gold in the sun.

*Virtue*!

I squinted my eyes to get a better look at the guy carrying her and noticed the strands of light blonde hair peeking from underneath his baseball cap.

*Of course*.

I dashed toward a tree and concealed myself behind it, preparing to step in.

"She needs to get her ankle checked by a doctor, Kiki," I heard Noah say. "Be a peach and open the door to the back of my truck so I can slide her in."

I rolled my eyes in disbelief. *Nice try*, *Noah*.

I quickly grabbed my radio and called dispatch.

"Main, I need an ambulance. I have a female vic, late twenties suffering from a possible fracture. Location Main St."

"Copy that. Alerting Ambulance 17," a female voice quickly replied. "Undersheriff, GPS shows ambo is already en route to your location."

"Thank you, Dispatch," I answered and switched channels to contact the ambulance. "Ambulance 17, this is Undersheriff Emery of the New Salem Sheriff's Department. What's your twenty?"

"Approaching Main St., Undersheriff," a female voice immediately replied.

"I need you to drive to the commercial complex parking lot. Female vic with a possible fracture."

"Roger that, Undersheriff."

After her reply, I suddenly heard the sirens of the ambulance wail alerting the people standing on the street to give way.

I signaled to the driver and pointed toward Virtue's location. Then I radioed the Sheriff and told him I found Virtue.

As the paramedics jumped into action, I decided it was better if I stood back and watched.

"Hey, Jack!" I suddenly heard a familiar flamboyant male voice from behind me. "Seems like I missed an *awesome* parade."

I turned around and laughed. Chip always had a twisted sense of humor. "You sure did. People will be talking about this parade for years to come."

"So who's the unlucky guy the EMTs are about to pick up?"

"Not guy. Gal," I corrected him. "I called in an ambulance for Virtue."

"Oh dear Lord. What happened to her?!" He screeched, moving towards the ambulance. I placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"No need to panic, Chip. She's in good hands," I assured him.

"This is just perfect," he muttered, clearly frustrated. "I walked all the way here since you guys blocked traffic from entering this area."

"You can always ride with me to the hospital," I suggested.

He shook his head. "I'll just borrow Bo's car. I need to get back to the pub right away."

"Busy day, huh?" He nodded his head. "Well, let the paramedics do their job, then we can all drive to St. Elizabeth's."

"Oookay," Chip answered absentmindedly. "Hey... is that Noah carrying her?" I nodded my head.

"I think she hurt her ankle," I replied casually. "That's why I called for an ambulance."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that from what I saw, it seemed like Noah was about to kidnap Virtue.

I knew how Noah felt for her. It wasn't beneath him to steal the bride.

_______________

*Noah*

"Sir, I need you to place her on the gurney so we can assess her," instructed a female voice from behind me. Noticing my hesitation, she placed a reassuring hand on my back. "We are licensed paramedics, Sir. We're here to help."

There was nothing more I could do, but follow her instructions. I turned around and gently placed Virtue on the gurney.

"What's your name, Ma'am?" The female paramedic with mousy brown hair asked.

"Virtue."

"Virtue, just lie back and relax. I need to take a look at your ankle and assess it," the paramedic said before placing a gloved hand on Virtue's ankle.

I moved back and sighed helplessly as I watched the two female paramedics examine Virtue's ankle. I was hoping to talk to her alone to try and convince her that Liam was a bad fit for her, but it seemed like God was working against me.

*Serves me right*. Instead of being her knight in shining armor, I was difficult, rude and obnoxious to her.

*No*, *Noah*, *you were downright creepy*. I ran my fingers through my hair, regretting how I acted. I should have stopped my shenanigans when I first saw the panic in her eyes.

"I'd like my friend Kiki to ride with us," Virtue murmured to the paramedics as they carried her into the ambulance. "She's family."

The other female paramedic, who sported a nose ring, nodded her head and gestured to Kiki. "Get in."

Kiki quickly removed her beekeeping hat and shoved it at me. "We'll see you at the hospital, *Noah*," she murmured demurely, a smug smile on her pink lips. Before I could reply, she boarded the back of the ambulance and took a seat beside Virtue.

"Can I come too?" I asked the paramedic with the nose ring. "I'm her neighbor and there's still some space in the front." The woman shook her head and without a word, quickly entered the driver's side of the ambulance.

I turned to the paramedic with mousy brown hair. "Please?" I begged.

"Sorry, sir. Only one family member or friend is allowed to ride with the patient," she answered as she climbed into the back of the ambulance, closing the left rear door behind her.

"But I-"

"I said no," the female paramedic said flatly, leaning over and grabbing hold of the other door.

Out of desperation, I took a step forward and blocked her from closing the door. "I'll see you at the hospital, Virtue," I called out. I waited for a response, praying she would say something, but all I got was silence.

"Sir, please step away from the ambulance," the female paramedic said, "and let us do our job. She needs to see a doctor." Begrudgingly, I nodded my head and stepped back.

Once the paramedic closed the right rear door, the ambulance sped off to St. Elizabeth's... without me. Angry, I threw Kiki's hat on the pavement and smashed it with my foot.

As I took deep breaths to calm myself, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and answered.

"What just happened?" I asked harshly, pissed that I still had to deal with Liam alive instead of Liam in a coffin.

"A smoke grenade unexpectedly went off and my snipers were ambushed," the Colonel replied. "Then, we had to haul our asses out of there before anyone could see us."

I grimaced. Apparently, I had a team of incompetent mercenaries at my disposal.

"And the Consigliere?"

"He's fine," the Colonel answered curtly. "Actually, he's more than fine. He got himself an invite to the wedding. By the way, he wants you to find him a tux for later."

*This was just great*. Now I had to do more errands for Lorenzo.

"And where's Pete-"

"Pete?" I heard a familiar male voice ask from behind me. I slowly turned around, quickly hiding my phone behind my back, and found Chip and Jack. Chip looked utterly shocked while Jack stared at me, his eyes full of rage. Pete was New Salem's Most Wanted, and me being the idiot that I was, I had made the huge mistake of uttering his name.

*How long have they been standing there*? I wanted to kick myself for being so careless.

"I was just asking one of my men where Pete hid some of his old drafts," I answered quickly, keeping a straight face. "It's been a disaster since he left and Nicole figured into an accident. Without an interior designer under my employ, I've decided to use Pete's work from our previous jobs... until I can find a replacement that is. By the way, where's Liam?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. "His bride is on her way to the hospital with an ankle injury."

"Oh, he knows," Jack replied dryly before turning to Chip. "Chip, why don't you go on ahead and ask Bo if you can borrow his car? There's something I need to discuss with Noah."

"Sure," Chip said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll see you guys at the hospital."

Jack waited until Chip was a good distance away from us before yanking me to my truck for some privacy. "Don't you play with me. I saw you, Noah. It looked to me as if you were kidnapping Liam's bride." I scoffed at him and pried his fingers off my arm.

"She was hurt, Jack. What was I supposed to do? Just leave her? If you must know, I was going to bring her to the hospital."

"Noah, don't play me for a fool. We both know you want Virtue for yourself," Jack muttered darkly, his eyes peering into mine. "By the way, who were you talking to just a minute ago? Hmmm?" He quickly grabbed my phone from my hand, placed the screen to my face to unlock it and began to scroll through my phone history.

"I was talking to Bert," I said, trying to keep myself from smiling. Bert was one of my employees. He and the Colonel shared the same nickname. "Well? Do you see his name in my call log?"

Jack muttered a curse under his breath and handed me my phone back. "Liam suspects Pete is in New Salem. Have you, by any chance, heard from him?"

"You just checked my call log, Jack. Did you see the name Pete anywhere there?" Jack shook his head. "So there's your answer. And for your information, I'm not the first person he'd get in touch with. He'd call Cris, but as we all know, Cris is dead. So, who do you think he'll get in touch with next?"

"You mean... Lisa?" Jack asked doubtfully.

"Of course Lisa," I asserted, annoyed someone could be so dumb. "I think you should talk to her."

"She's in Chicago-"

"Do you really think she'd miss the wedding of the century? Of course not," I replied, checking my watch. "If the information I got from her secretary is correct, she's already in North Dakota. Her plane lands in Bismarck International Airport... in fifteen minutes. I suggest you speak with her. If Pete is here, she probably knows where," I stated matter-of-factly. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go to the hospital. A friend of ours is hurt."

"Don't you do anything you'll regret, Noah," Jack warned me before turning his head toward the sounds of the sirens of the fire trucks barreling down Main St. "Finally, the NSFD is here. I'll see you at St. Elizabeth's after I take care of this."

I opened the door to my pickup, quickly climbed in and started the ignition before Jack thought of anything else to ask me.

As I exited the parking lot, I clicked on a number on my phone.

Seems like Liam is one lucky sonofabitch.

Well, there were other ways to take him down.