Chapter 11

When the shooting started, Sam didn't hear the report. A chunk of wall disintegrated close behind him and his instinct was to duck. He expected another round in quick succession, but it didn't happen. He took a risk and waved his towel again, hoping someone would get a clue that things just escalated. The next bullet swept past his sleeve, too close for comfort. He abandoned his position at the rail and got down, flattening himself on the balcony floor. From his experience, the only place those bullets could be coming from was the roof of the hotel next door. It was dark over there, so he couldn't see, just speculate. If he was right, the angle was such that if he stayed prone, he'd be okay.

Another shot hit the sliding door. The fourth shot shattered it, sending shards down onto Sam's back. The sudden influx of oxygen caused the fire to billow out over him. The hairs at the back of his neck felt as if they were being singed. Wait for it to settle down, if you don't get burned up, and then move.

The fireball tamed but flames reached outside, licking at the air above him. Sam kept his body low to the cement as he crawled away from the open door. He sat up against the wall, then realized that his sniper had a perfect shot and the light by which to see it. Sam dove for the floor again as another bullet hit the wall where he'd been just a fraction of a second earlier. His breath came in short gasps. The fire took up the oxygen around him; it seemed like there wasn't much left. He choked on the fumes pouring out of the suite. He covered his nose and mouth with the towel, but it was even more difficult to breathe. This is it. If they don't do something in the next few minutes, I'm done. He tried to suck in more air until he felt lightheaded. Good thing he was flat on the concrete, or he would have dropped to it or over the rail. That would have been a horrible cap to a bad day.

Michael and Fiona stopped the sniper, and as the two rejoined the crowd below, a chopper flew overhead, slowed, and hung above the balcony.

"It's about time," Fiona muttered.

"He's going to be okay," Michael assured her as much as himself.

Everyone watched as the craft hovered, two men climbed down a rope ladder to the balcony, and it seemed to take forever before a basket lowered. A few minutes later it rose with someone inside. Michael and Fiona's hands clung together, praying it was Sam. The two men climbed up into the chopper and it flew away.

"We've got to find out where they're taking him."

Fiona could only nod. Together they turned away from the scene, hurried to the car, and when he was able to get a signal, Michael and Fiona called every hospital in the area. None of the people on the other end knew about a helicopter bringing someone to their facility.

"They may not have gotten the news yet," Fiona said.

"No, the pilot would have radioed to someone where they were going." For a moment, he worried that maybe whoever picked up Sam was in on the plan to kill him.

His phone rang, and Michael picked it up. He recognized Sam's number. "Sam! Where are you?"

The voice on the other end sounded like Madeline's after she smoked a pack of cigarettes consecutively, and it was interrupted by coughing, but it was definitely Sam's. "Hey, Mikey. I'll be okay. They're taking me to the hospital."

"Which one?"

There was a pause, and he answered. "General. Just had some smoke... inhalation, I'll be fine."

"We're on our way. Just relax and let them take care of you."

"Sure thing, Mike." The connection closed.

Without a word, Michael stepped on it and arrived at the hospital shortly after the chopper. Sam was in the emergency room, but he and Fiona had to wait outside. No one came out to speak with them.

"This is getting ridiculous." Michael returned to his seat for the tenth time after inquiring at the desk. "They won't tell me anything. Ma keeps calling me asking for updates, and I have nothing to report." He shook his head in frustration.

The sun was starting to come up by the time the doors opened and a dirty and singed Sam walked through them. He cocked a grin. "Hey, guys." The breath he took sounded like it would be his last.

Fiona popped out of her chair and met him with a hug. Michael wasn't far behind with a hand on his shoulder. Sam put his arms around Fiona and hugged her back.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm... I'm fine." He pulled away and suffered a coughing fit, and at the sight of their worried expressions, his grin returned as he asked, "Hey, anybody up for a beer?"

"Sam! You almost died up there and you want to go drinking?"

He laughed and threw an arm around Fiona's shoulders. "I knew you'd say that." He pulled her into him and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks for caring so much, sister. Love you too." He looked at Michael standing by with the after-effects of everything he'd seen haunting his eyes. Sam broke away from Fiona and the two embraced briefly. "I'm alright, Mike. They're not even keeping me over. I can go," he said and coughed again. "I can go home."

"You're going to my Ma's," Michael said with a tone that said there would be no arguments. "She insisted. And until we can grab Sedgewick, it's probably a good idea for you to lay low. Stay away from the mansion in case he's got more surprises for you there."

"Fine, but after a little rest, I have to get back to work. I mean, we've got some major damage to take care of, and no doubt there'll be a need for a press conference, and..." His face turned ashen. "Oh no, what if Elsa hears about this? She's gonna freak out!" He broke away from the two and pulled out his phone. It didn't matter what time it was in Australia. Elsa needed to hear this from him before she caught a newsfeed. As he waited for her to pick up, he followed Michael and Fiona to the Charger.

"Hello, Sam?"

He heard music in the background. "Elsa, where are you?"

"At a banquet, but I'm just about ready to get out of here. Hang on a second." Sam waited until the music faded. "Okay, I'm waiting for my car back to the hotel. How are things going at home?"

"Uh, well, we had a little incident at the hotel."

"Little incident?"

He knew that piqued her interest. "Yeah, someone tried to kill me by trapping me in the penthouse and setting it on fire."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little smoke inhalation, a few hairs singed, and a scrape from just missing getting shot, but otherwise, I'm good."

"Sammy! You... I mean..." Elsa sputtered and gave up trying to speak. It made Sam feel good to know she cared that much.

"I haven't been back to the hotel yet to see the damage, but I suspect we'll be doing some extreme renovating up there."

"Please, tell me everything. What happened? Who did this?"

He gave her a brief rundown on how he was trapped, the sniper's arrest, and the suspicions about Sedgewick being the mastermind. "Honey, we just got to Maddie's. I'll call you back in a little while, okay?"

"Sam!"

"Relax, I promise, I'll call you back." He said it with such conviction, her voice softened when she spoke again.

"Okay. I'll get to the hotel, and you call me there as soon as you can."

"I will, baby."

The three arrived at Madeline's house. He went inside, accepted a hug from Maddie and found himself being ushered into the kitchen.

"Sam, I'm so glad you made it out of there! I was watching on the news and called Michael. He didn't even know what was happening!"

"I was sleeping, Ma!" He turned to Sam. "Sam, I'm sorry. You know I talked to Mitch today about the threat, but we were going to start tomorrow on beefing up security."

"Figures." Sam smirked.

Maddie flapped a hand. "Anyway, you're safe now. We'll take good care of you here, honey." She grinned. "Why don't you go clean up? I have some fresh towels waiting for you in the bathroom. I'll throw your clothes in the wash so you have something to wear tomorrow."

"Thanks, Maddie." Sam hugged her, not worrying about how smoky he was. With all the cigarettes she inhaled, she probably didn't even notice the smell. She kissed his cheek and sent him off to the bathroom.

When Sam returned to the guest room, the bed was turned down and the blinds closed against the sunlight. He didn't realize how tired he was until that moment, beyond tired actually. His entire body screamed for rest, but he promised Elsa he would call her, and he was already overdue. He lay on the bed, propped up with a couple of pillows, and dialed her number.

"Hi honey, it's me again."

"Oh, Sammy, I was about to call you! You've got me so worried!" He'd never heard her sound so distressed before.

"It's okay. Maddie's spoiling me." The time spent in the shower made his breathing better. "I'm just really tired now."

"Why didn't they keep you at the hospital? You sound better now, but before... I didn't think you'd be able to take another breath!"

"I'm fine, pumpkin. Really."

She sniffled. "I'm leaving."

"You're... leaving?" His stomach felt like it dropped through the floor. "Why? Did I..."

"The next flight I can get, I'm out of here. I'm coming home."

The sense of relief dropped on him like a ton of bricks. Yet as happy as he was that she wanted to be with him, he didn't want her to interrupt her trip on his account. "Elsa, that's not necessary."

"Yes, it is! You could have died, and I never... I never would have had the chance to say how sorry I am that I didn't put you first, and I didn't trust that you could help me with the hotel. I'm sorry that I listened to Daniel. If I'd gotten your help to begin with, he never would have had the chance to do all of this. I'm certain of it." Her voice caught. "You would have told him to take a hike and pulled out one of your scary guns, and he would have been gone." She laughed.

"Well, I tried that, but apparently he decided to up the ante."

She gasped. "You did? I think you'll have to explain what exactly went on the entire time I was gone, over a few drinks. Somehow, I have a feeling that's the only way I can handle it."

He laughed, and the sound came out with a wheeze. "I'll tell you all about it when you get home. Now, about our trip... do you want to postpone it?"

"No way! I think, for your own protection, you need to be away from there for awhile! And I'll hire bodyguards if necessary."

"Mike and Fi would do nicely."

Elsa laughed, not sure he was serious. "Really?"

"Really. I think Fi's ready to tear somebody's head off for this. Getting her away might be a good thing. Sedgewick is still on the loose, but the cops, the FBI and God knows who else has got to be hunting for him by now." He paused. "He better pray that Fi doesn't find him first."

"I'm just about packed, and I'm heading to the airport. I'll see you as soon as I can, sweetheart. I love you. I can't wait to see you."

"You too, honey."

"Get some rest, Sam."

"I will." He closed the connection and fell asleep. Sam was so exhausted, he slept over twelve hours. When he awoke, he called Marissa and asked how things were going. The answer he received put his mind at ease. Everyone took the new plans seriously and performed their jobs as he expected. His sleep that night was deep, restful and uneventful, and a whole day had gone by without either Elsa's or his presence at the hotel.

He awoke the next morning to the sound of soft voices on the other side of the wall. Sam tried to get up, but he must have drifted off again, because when he awoke a second time he realized that he wasn't the only one in the room. A sound of soft breathing was close by. He knew it was Elsa even before he opened his eyes and studied her sleeping beside him. Her shoes were off her feet, but she still wore her traveling suit, minus the jacket and she lay on top of the covers. One arm stretched across his chest, the other tucked down between them, and she looked so sweet and peaceful. Her head rested on his arm, which he used to pull her closer.

Elsa awoke and looked up into Sam's eyes. Her brow creased, her eyes sad, and her lower lip quivered just before she pushed herself up to kiss him. He was glad his lungs were clear so he could give her a proper kiss to convey how much he missed her. Even so, by the time their lips parted, he was out of breath.

"Oh, baby." He purred. "Welcome home."

"Well, we're not home yet, but this is pretty good." She smiled at him, her eyes full of love focused on his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke into it. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Wherever you are is home to me, Elsa." He kissed her again, rolled to his side, and he pulled at the covers to let her inside so he could tuck her closer into his body.

Elsa responded to his movements, thinking in the back of her mind that they were in someone else's home, but in the end, she didn't care. She wanted him badly, and if someone walked in, it wouldn't matter. All that concerned her was showing her love to Sam. He took and gave, and she took and gave, and together they made enough noise to keep any curious bodies away from the door. Afterward, Sam lay against the pillows with Elsa resting on his chest. He stroked her hair, thinking about what he'd done. It was time to confess, because it picked at him as they made love. She had to know.

"Are you awake?" He asked and her head came up, her face decorated with a tender smile.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I have to tell you about something that happened with that case I was working on. The one where I saw you and... him..."

Elsa put her fingers on his lips. "Shh, that's over and done with."

"No." He pulled her fingers away and cleared his throat, but he held onto her hand and caressed it. Then he explained the aftermath of his case and how Mrs. Weber waylaid him. "I gave in, thinking I was only doing what you'd done. But then I was kissing her and I realized that, no matter what happened between you and Sedgewick, I was making the biggest mistake of my life." He looked down into her hurt eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't justify what I did. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness." He blinked away the tears forming in his eyes, then he looked deeply into hers as he vowed. "Nothing like that will ever, ever happen again."

"I believe you." She gave him a small smile and caressed his cheek. "It's even more important now for us to get away. If you're feeling up to it, we should go home, straighten up, and we'll work together to get this mess cleaned up at the hotel. Then, in a few days, we'll go."

He smiled. "We'll go to the hotel, meet with the management team, and let them take it from there. Elsa, trust our people to get the job done. "

"Are you sure..."

His smile widened. "Positive." He planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Come on, let's get this operation started."