Mercy approached him and slid her arm around his firm middle. “Take a breath, baby. We need a plan before we go storming in there.”
James frowned and then seemed to take in what she was saying. “I just need my niece and sister safe and together where they should be.”
Mercy rested her head against his and sighed. “I know, but we have one shot at this, so we need to be slick and keep our heads.”
“I know. It’s just hard, that’s all. Every part of me wants to rush in there and put a gun to the old bat’s head, demand she gives Abbie back.”
“And that’s why you have me, to keep your head on straight.”
He kissed her lips. “So fucking glad I do, baby.”
As Nick came out of the bathroom, she pulled away but not far, giving James her silent support by sticking close as they put their heads together and formed a plan that was hopefully foolproof.
“I think we need to keep this costume after this mission. We could play doctors and nurses.” James waggled his eyebrows, but Mercy just put her hands on her hips and scowled.
The plan for her to go in as an agency nurse and let him and Nick into the room had been her idea, and while she’d typically balk at playing the obviously sexist woman’s role, for this, it was perfect.
The members of the MC were well known to be sexist pigs and would think nothing of a new nurse turning up on shift. Her colored contacts and wig would change her appearance enough that they wouldn’t recognize her.
“Keep that up, and I’ll shove this stethoscope where the sun don’t shine.”
Nick smirked, and James winked at her as he rechecked his weapons. She hid her grin, but she was pleased to see him calm again, and if their banter helped then she was happy to do it.
“Ready to rock and roll?” Nick was leading this mission, his experience as a Navy Seal, making him the obvious choice.
“Let’s do this.”
Nick drove the short distance to the York Transplant Centre and dropped Mercy off at the front as if for a shift. There were five or six bikes in the carpark which she suspected belonged to the MC. Imari had hacked into the CCTV and relayed that neither Hull nor Rao were at the hospital now, but had been seen late last night leaving the center together.
They had timed the drop-off to coincide with the start of a new shift. Imari had provided the credentials and canceled the real agency nurse, so it should be seamless.
Waving as Nick drove away for all intents and purposes, Mercy spun and confidently walked past security as if she had every right to be there. Confidence was half the battle with a disguise. If you looked like you should be there, then nobody questioned it.
She saw the two burly bikers outside the room as she got off the lift on the second floor. Both were huge, and they were more than likely packing, even in the hospital. Moving closer, she looked up at them with a friendly but wary smile much like a real nurse would approach these two bikers.
“Morning, can I get by so I can see my patient, please?”
The man barring her way crossed his arms as he blocked the door.
He was chewing a cocktail stick and grinned lecherously at her, making her fight a disgusted shiver. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing working? Don’t you have a man to take care of you?”
Mercy bit her tongue against the sharp retort she wanted to give him and shrugged. “Nope, no man, just me and my cat.”
“Maybe I could show you a good time. What time do you get off work?”
Mercy could imagine how James was reacting hearing the conversation over the comms she was wearing. “I have a double shift, but I finish around six tonight.” Flirting with this clown was worse than getting shot, but it was working and he was lapping it up.
“Sure, baby, I’ll be here,” he lifted her name tag, brushing her breast with his hand, a look of desire on his ugly face, “Crystal.”
“Sounds good to me, sugar. But first, I need to not get fired and look after this lovely lady.”
The chuckle the two bikers shared proved the lovely lady comment was way off base, they’d probably come to understand momma Hull was a bitch.
Stepping aside, the biker gave her a pat on her ass, which in any other situation would’ve resulted in a broken bone, but she ignored it and pasted a smile on her face as she gave him a wave and closed the door to the private room.
She turned toward the sleeping woman in the bed, her small, frail form making it hard to believe she was the tyrant she’d heard about.
Moving to the bed, she did some basic checks as she noticed the biker who hadn’t flirted with her watching through the window.
After a few minutes, he lost interest and Mercy got to work putting the next part of their plan into action. Taking a bowl and washcloth out, she made as if she was going to give her a bed bath and moved to the door.
“Hey, guys, mind if I close these shutters to give our patient some privacy and dignity while she has a bed bath?”
The two bikers appeared horrified and quickly nodded. Mercy closed the blinds and got to work going through her things, looking for any kind of clue as to where they might have Abbie. She found some old receipts, pictures of her and her son, and also one of Rao with her son and daughter. Rao looked like a different man, and much as she hated him, it was easy to see the love he’d had for the woman who hung weakly to his arm. Her disease was obviously in an advanced stage when it was taken.
She was about to put it down when she spotted something in the background of the photo. A sign for the World’s Best Ribs, but it was the bikes behind it beside a track with a ‘private property’ sign that caught her attention.
She was about to call James and Nick and put the next part of the plan into action when she heard a commotion in the hallway.
Shoving the picture in her pocket, she grabbed the bowl and lifted the sheet as if she’d been doing what she said.
Her heart jumped when an angry Agent Rao slammed the door open, his wary gaze traveling over her. Mercy prayed he didn’t recognize her, his training as an agent meant he had more skill to detect a fake than the other two men.
“Who the hell are you?”
Mercy looked at him with wide, scared eyes as she mumbled her name, not wanting to resemble the confident agent he’d met before.
“Crystal, my name is Crystal, I was just giving my patient a bed bath. Bedsores are a real risk to high dependency patients who are quite immobile.”
“Whatever, come back later.” He shooed her out of the room, and she went with minimal fuss, not wanting it to be too easy.
“Are you sure? I’ll just be a minute and I really should get this done.”
“I said leave.” He got in her face, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes or slam his head into the door.
“Fine, I’ll take my break extra early then.”
“You do that.”
Rao closed the door, and with a small, nervous smile at the bikers, she hurried down the hallway. Making it to the exit, she rushed outside and found Nick parked where he’d said he’d be waiting. Mercy hurried to the van and jumped in.
“I’m gonna kill that motherfucker,” James hissed, having heard everything over the comms.
“Yeah, get in the queue, lover boy.” Mercy pulled the wig off her head and shook out her blonde tresses.