CHAPTER 196 Temperature
*Cristos*
I followed Xavier out of the hallway to his office where he handed me a dark brown leather jacket. I put it on and zipped up, concealing my gun underneath it.
Once I nodded my head that I was ready to go, Xavier opened his office door and walked out. I followed him, chin up, chest out, my left hand on my waist, swaying my hips as if I was listening to Temperature by Sean Paul.
Unlike the empty store that welcomed me earlier, there were now many people shopping. Several waved at Xavier enthusiastically, particularly the women, while some simply nodded their heads in greeting before reverting their attention back to the list of grocery items they needed to buy.
I noticed Hudson was busy entertaining an old lady at the meat section, helping her choose the right cut of beef.
Yet, I felt his eyes follow us as we walked past him. I turned my head and glanced at him, and sure enough, he was staring at us, a corner of his lips turned upward in a sly grin.
*There was something really strange about Hudson*. I took my phone from my pocket and messaged Dina to do some digging on Hudson with explicit instructions to keep this between the both of us. Xavier, I knew, wouldn't act on a hunch. I had to find substantial proof to back my suspicions.
Inside Bo's, it was quiet, somewhat serene. However, once we stepped outside, it was chaos.
Several firetrucks were scattered along Main St. blocking the front exit of the complex. Sirens wailed while dozens of firemen scurried about, some assisting injured people, others inspecting the vicinity of the novelty stores.
Thankfully, the smoke had finally cleared up. As we walked toward Xavier's parking spot, I could hear the nervous chatter of the townsfolk who were watching from the sidewalk. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Unbeknownst to them, they were in the crossfires of a war.
"Dina, Main St. is a mess," Xavier said as he turned on the ignition of his car. "I need another route to the hospital. One without traffic."
"Copy, Beaufort," Dina replied. "Exit through the back and turn on Baker St. That will lead you to the backdoor route Autumn and Emma took earlier."
While Xavier drove, I messaged Lou for an update. He said they were on their way to De Luca's location and would immediately update me once they had a visual of the white van De Luca was driving.
"Who are you messaging?" Xavier asked curiously, glancing at me.
"Lou," I answered. "I asked him to escort De Luca to the safehouse. He brought Max with him."
"If there's a *problem*, Max will handle it," Xavier replied candidly, turning on Baker St. "Dina, current location of Liam and Noah?"
"They're both stuck in traffic on Prairie Avenue," Dina answered, chuckling. "St. Elizabeth's parking lot is full, so you'll have to park outside the hospital compound. I've already alerted Domenico of the situation. He'll reserve a spot for you once he arrives."
As expected, the hospital was full of injured people. It was somwhat of a comfort to know that Pete was no way near the hospital, however....
*He did have people on the inside*!
"Dina, do you have eyes on the hospital director?" I asked through coms, quietly chastising myself for not realizing the hospital posed an even greater risk.
"Yes," she answered quickly. "He's in his office, alone. Why?"
"Keep an eye on him," I ordered. "I don't want him getting any ideas."
Xavier glanced at me, his eyes as wide as saucers. He muttered a curse under his breath and stepped on the gas.
"Damn it! I completely forgot Pete has hospital staff on his payroll. If anything, this would be the perfect opportunity to abduct Virtue," Xavier exclaimed. "Jake, once you arrive at the hospital, go directly to Virtue's room and stand guard. "Dina, have Sam send a small team to the hospital."
"Copy, Beaufort," Dina replied. "ETA 25 minutes."
"Chip, buckle up," Xavier instructed, speeding up. "It's going to be a bumpy ride."
Xavier swerved in and out, speeding through traffic. I hung on for dear life, praying we wouldn't need to see the inside of a hospital as patients ourselves.
Despite Xavier's agressive, *and reckless*, driving, it took us a good fifteen minutes before we arrived at the hospital.
Xavier quickly slid into the parking space behind Sebastian's car and quietly got out.
Sebastian, who was leaning against his car, greeted us with an impressed look on his face.
"I just got here," he announced, grinning. "Anyway, Jake is already inside the hospital doing as you instructed. I know Pete has people on the inside, but don't you think the other nurses and doctors would notice if a patient went missing?" Xavier scoffed at him.
"Dom, the hospital director knows Pete's after Virtue, so it's better to be safe than sorry," Xavier scolded him. "Don't ever underestimate what people can do for money. Come on, let's go. The faster we get to Virtue, the better I'll feel."
We had already crossed the street, about to enter the hospital compound when Dina's frantic voice popped up unexpectedly.
"Domenico, we have a problem," she cried out, almost hysterically. "I noticed De Luca's van had stalled at a certain location for ten minutes, so I tried calling him, but it went directly to voice mail. Right now, I'm trying to gain access to an ATM camera in that location to get us some eyes since the city's surveillance system has been down for the past couple of days."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. *It wasn't possible*.
The one man we couldn't afford to lose was probably...
"Fuck! And I didn't care to put a tracking device on that sonofabitch!" Sebastian exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "How far is the van from the safe house?"
"About ten blocks away," Dina answered.
"Alert Max, Dina-"
"No need," I interjected. "Dina, contact Lou instead. I asked them to escort De Luca to the safe house earlier."
"Primo, I'm getting a lot of interference," Dina replied. "I'll contact him through his cell."
"Sorry, but I have to fix this," Sebastian muttered, turning to walk back to his car.
"I'm going with you," Xavier said, grabbing a hold of his arm. "Hand over your keys to Chip. We'll take my car. It's packing." Sebastian nodded his head, relieved he wasn't going alone. "As I see it, we still have two and a half hours before the wedding. Dina hack into all ATM cameras or CCTV's of all business establishments within a mile radius. If someone has that bastard, they couldn't have gone far."
"Got it," she replied.
"Also, Dina, redirect the team Sam sent to the hospital to Bismarck," Xavier instructed. "Then, have Sam send another team here."
"Copy."
"Chip, I need you to hold down the fort until we get back," Xavier instructed. "If you encounter any problems with the Blue Rogues, ask Sam for assistance."
I nodded my head and unzipped my jacket, feeling uncomfortably hot.
*We*... *were fucked*!
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