Revelation (The Protectors 7)

I nodded. “This is where he lives,” I said as I motioned to the house.

Ronan nodded. “I got his address from the hospital’s employment records.”

I knew what that meant and I was certain he hadn’t just waltzed into that department and simply asked them to let him see the records.

“My plan was just to talk to him yesterday when he was scheduled to work again, but he didn’t show up for that shift or this morning’s. So I figured I’d come here to check it out. Only a qualified medical professional can do that kind of procedure, and from the way he did it, I could tell it wasn’t the first time he’d done it.”

“So why would someone like that be masquerading as a transporter,” I observed.

“I thought maybe he’d had a pulled medical license or something, but there’s no record of him having had a medical license in any state under the name he gave HR.”

“You think he used a fake name?” I asked.

Ronan nodded. “I had Daisy check his application. None of the information on it checks out…the name and social security number he used belongs to someone who died ten years ago.”

“He’s on the run,” I murmured. “Why not call the cops?” I asked.

Ronan was quiet for a moment. “I agree he’s on the run, but not necessarily from the law. Just a feeling,” he added. “I met him a few times before that night…he was well-spoken and seemed familiar with the chaos that comes with working in a busy ER. But there was something else about him too. I never sensed he was any kind of threat.”

I nodded because I didn’t really need to know anymore. Ronan knew his shit. If he felt there was something off about the whole thing, he was probably right. And judging from the scene inside the house, he was a hundred percent on the mark.

My phone beeped and I pulled it out to see a text from Daisy, the girl who handled the IT for the group. I showed Ronan the screen. He nodded.

“I was able to find the form he filled out for his parking pass. He put a valid license plate on it. Daisy tracked the car – it’s listed under the guy’s alias so he probably paid cash for it at some point when he bought it. It’s an older car, but it has a customer assistance feature. Even though it wasn’t active…”

“Daisy was still able to hack their system and get his GPS location.”

Ronan nodded. “I’d like you to check it out. Feel the guy out. If we need to bring the cops in, we will, but based on this” – Ronan glanced at the house – “I’m more inclined to keep them out of it for a while. The house is a rental, so I suspect it will be a while before the landlord realizes anything is up.”

I nodded in understanding and glanced at the location Daisy had sent me. “He’s in the Cascades,” I said. “Near Mt. Baker.”

Ronan merely said, “Keep me posted and be careful.”

I didn’t respond as I watched him go to his car. I was both intrigued and leery of the situation. Ronan might think the guy was harmless or in trouble, but I’d seen enough to know that even the most average Joe could be hiding a wealth of evil that no one would have suspected in a million years.

Hell, I had the scars to prove it.

I sighed and tucked my phone in my pocket. I had a long drive ahead of me and no idea what I’d find at the end of the journey.

* * *

I’d known the weather would be an issue as I made my way farther and farther up into the mountains, but once my truck began sliding back and forth along the narrow, winding snow-covered road leading to the location my GPS was pinging on, I began to regret not putting chains on my tires. Not that they would have done much good, especially since I had nothing to weigh down the empty bed of the truck.

I risked a glance at the GPS screen and saw that I was only a mile from my destination, but with the heavy snow and blowing wind, it may as well have been twenty. I forced my body to relax as a particularly strong gust of wind made the truck swing wildly towards the opposite side of the road. With no guard rail and a sheer drop off, there was only one certain outcome if the truck plunged over the edge, and while I couldn’t say I was particularly fearsome of death, I wasn’t actively seeking it out.

I slowed the truck as the road began turning away from the cliff’s edge and began heading inward. A new sense of focus shimmied through me as I was once again surrounded by dense forest on each side. The wind continued to howl all around me as the snow became blinding and I was forced to drop my speed to just a few miles an hour since the visibility was next to nothing. By the time I entered a clearing and my GPS showed I’d reached the coordinates Daisy had sent me, I was actually feeling somewhat drained. The snow was still heavy as I took in the sight of the small wood cabin in front of me. It was the only building in the sparse clearing, so I could only assume it was privately owned rather than being a part of one of the many resorts that dotted the area. I could see a wisp of smoke trailing up from the chimney. An old, beat-up SUV sat in front of the cabin and I saw that the plates matched the ones Ronan had gotten off the guy’s parking pass form which Daisy had included in the text containing the GPS coordinates. Since I knew the occupants of the cabin would have easily seen me coming whether I was on foot or in my truck, I drove up to the cabin and parked next to the SUV. I grabbed my phone from the cup holder and tucked it into my pocket and then shrugged on my jacket, which wasn’t heavy enough to offer any true protection from the cold, but was better than nothing. The last thing I grabbed was my gun which I kept in my hand as I exited the vehicle.