Why?He needed to cover his own ass I'm sure, but what happened with Jo and Vinny when he no longer had to worry about me?
I thought they were his Achilles' heel, and I stand by that. He hit me and the reason is glaringly obvious: I’m the FBI agent, the one heading his case and when my people stormed the cabin, I would be obligated to arrest him. Sex be damned.
“They took Constantine back to surgery,” Soto continues, catching my attention. “Jensen called me last night and I took the first flight down this morning. He gave me a play-by-play-”
“What day is it? “ I interrupt, trying to focus. I need to know what’s happened before I can decide what we need to do next.
“Uh, Wednesday, Sir,” she says, her eyes briefly darting to the ceiling like she’s thinking. “The twenty-ninth.”
Glancing towards the window, I can see the sun. It’s got to be sometime in the afternoon or later. I was at the cabin past midnight… “Give me a quick version of what’s going on, please.”
She clears her throat. “Of course. Jensen said that you caught Constantine ahead of the rest of the team, but he clocked you in the head and took you down. When the team arrived they managed to get the gun from him before he could empty the clip and they subdued him. They brought Jo and Vinny in and were questioning them. Oh! Let me call your doctor-”
I catch Soto’s hand, her worried gaze meeting mine. None of this adds up with what I remember. The minute she buzzes for a doctor or nurse, the focus shifts to me instead of the case and Ineedupdates first. “The doctor can wait. I need you to slow down and explain.”
She pauses and blows out a breath, looking rattled. It occurs to me then that I don't see Jensen or Gabe, and I assume they are out taking care of things. “Constantine knocked you unconscious after you arrived at the scene. He managed to clip Gabe with a bullet-”
“Wait,” I interrupt, cutting her off. “Alastair shot Gabe?”
She nods. “Yes. Jensen said he opened fire when they got into the cabin, but he said they followed your initial request and brought Constantine in alive. Paramedics rushed Gabe to the ER and he's in recovery now. Constantine is still in surgery.”
I'm processing things too slowly. Alastair was… nothing like I expected when I finally crossed paths with him again. He went against everything I expected from the killer. I ask nearly the same question, trying to piece everything together about why the hell he’s gone to surgery. “Was Constantine shot? Is that what he’s in surgery for?”
“He had a wound on his hip,” Finley explains, and I didn't realize it was that serious. We all fucked Jo, so I thought the wound was managable, not surgery worthy. “He was arrested and they dragged him to the car, but he collapsed. The paramedics just said he needed care urgently and rushed him to the ER. The attending doctor mentioned that the wound is badly infected and needed surgery. He said it’s obvious the wound was old and had festered for some time.”
I stare at her. “He has an infection?”
“It’s really bad, apparently.” She hesitates. “The doctor said if he left it, it could turn deadly. Constantine collapsed before anyone could ask how long he’s had the wound. Tyler said there are a few officers on standby in case there's news from Constantine’s current care team.”
I run everything over in my head. “Where are Jo and Vinny?”
“The PD initially took statements from both of them, but that was hours ago. Tyler was with them while Jensen stayed behind at the scene to go over evidence and check out the surrounding areas. I'm here watching you and Gabe until you’re both in the clear. Gabe's trying to help but the doctors won’t let him do anything so soon after surgery.”
Nodding, I shift around in bed to try and get up, IV be damned, I need to get back to work. “We need to keep an eye on Jo and Vinny until we finish analyzing the crime scene. I should go check on Gabe and head out there-”
Soto frowns and holds up a hand, stopping me. “Uh, Jensen said you would react like this and I knew he was right. We’ve got it covered until the doctor checks you out, boss. Jo and Vinny aren't our priority right now, and Gabe said he doesn’t think that they’ll go anywhere since they’ve been loitering in the hospital.”
Pressing my fingers to my head, I wish the damn headache would go away. “Probably waiting for news on Constantine, no doubt.”
“And you boss,” she says, surprising me. “Shortly after their interviews they stopped by the room and asked if you were up yet. They haven’t come back so far, but last I knew they were in the waiting room.” She clears her throat before continuing. “Tyler is monitoring the guard detail overseeing Constantine until he is officially moved back to a room post surgery. As far as I know he’s still unconscious so unless he suddenly wakes up I don't see him doing anything.”
This is a disaster. I shouldn't have allowed things to get this out of hand, and now that I’m awake I need to get a handle on the situation. Having a serial killer in the hospital will put everyone on edge, especially someone with as much of a violent history as Alastair. Right now it’ll be easier to reach him for questioning in the hospital than in prison again, but he needs to be awake to ask him anything.
It feels cold to say after my last memories of Alastair. Before he turned and pistol-whipped me, I could see the parts of him that appeal to Jo and Vinny. He was a completely different person from the unstable criminal I've interviewed.
I'm just not sure which version is the real one: the killer or the trickster.
“I'll call the team and let them know you’re up,” Finley says, shifting back from the hospital bed. The door to the room is cracked, and she looks over her shoulder before meeting my gaze again. “The doctor should check you out. And… there’s something else.”
What else could there be?“Go on.”
“The deputy director called me once I landed,” Finley explains, rubbing the side of her head. “I relayed that you wereunconscious but seemed otherwise well, and he expects a status once you’re checked out.”
I sigh. That sounds about right, considering how off the rails things went since yesterday. It feels like it’s been days since I stepped into the cabin.
“I know you have a lot to handle, Sir,” Finley continues, tapping on her phone. “Tyler thought you should be evaluated before I show you this but there’s a lot going on and I can tell that you’re going to just run out of here and start working. This was live earlier and I saved the link to show you. It's going to be a shit show out there.”
Before she can hand the phone over, I press a hand to my temple and shake my head. “Keep it until I’m out of this bed, Finley. Is it a report?”
