Sorry I left you with a cliffie last week.

Chapter 165.

Seconds after the shots were fired, before any of us could rush to find out what happened, Jess ran back through the corridor toward us. "Edgar was shot, but he's not badly injured. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to shoot back. The man ran off."

"Did the perp realize Edgar would be alright?" I asked, while Wilson's first question was, "Did you get a good look at his face?"

Jess shook her head, although she had to speak so I could know which question she was replying to. "Edgar dropped to the ground as soon as he was hit."

"Wilson asked about the face of the shooter," Nina said.

"I didn't see it, but perhaps Edgar did. He stayed to look for evidence. He'll be back soon."

"At least you got rid of anyone watching the alley." I took her hand. "Isn't Edgar going to create the diversion?"

"Maybe after he reports back. But, Greg, shouldn't you see to his wounds first? I mean before he takes off again?"

"Yeah, yeah. One more question. Did the shooter see you?"

She hesitated. "No, I was still inside the building."

"Good."

"We should call the police." Nina took out her phone.

"And get Petey and the others shot? I think not." Jess slumped into a chair.

When Edgar finally showed up, I did wonder about her idea of a minor injury. He was favoring his right leg, andhis left hand pressed against a bloody rip in his jeans.

"Let's have a look at that." I motioned for him to sit up on the table. I separated the torn fabric and tenderly touched the area.

"It's just grazed." But there was pain in his eyes.

Without being asked, Jess went to the sink in the central room and wet one of the napkins with the name and logo of the catering company, then brought it back to me.

I used it to clean the blood from the graze on Edgar's left thigh. "Not very good aim."

Edgar smile was more of a grimace.

"We've got some ointment in the kitchen." Nina went to find it.

"Maybe someone else should create the diversion." Wilson look at Edgar's leg from the other side.

I looked up from what I was doing and met his eyes. "Are you volunteering?"

He hesitated, but surprised me by saying, "Yes. Someone has to, and Edgar's not in any shape to run if necessary."

"Yes...I...can." Edgar objected, but Wilson was right. And as fast as I could limp along, Wilson would be faster.

"What were you planning?" I asked Edgar.

He sighed. "I thought I'd stand out in the street and yell that you all got out and were heading north."

Wilson nodded. "I can do that."

"And the rest of us can goout to the alley and escape," Nina said.

"Is there a way to cut through to the next street?" I asked Jess.

"What about Petey, Hadley and Bev? Won't they take them along if they take off after us?"

"And how do we guarantee they don't leave someone behind watching our building?" Nina added.

"Let 'em. If we're going out the back it won't matter how many of them remain."

"We couldall go out through the alley now that the person out there ran off." Nina said. "Greg, why do you always have to over-complicate everything?"

I smiled. "Because it's more fun?"

She rolled her eyes.

"And after we go through to the next street, then what?" Jess frowned at her sister. "We still have to free the others AND cater a party in..." she glanced at her watch, "...three hours! This is where our equipment is." She pointed to the floor.

"But the food's out there," her sister reminded her. "Being held hostage along with our brother and two friends."

"One friend, one..." I didn't know what we were calling Thirteen these days. "...person who claimed she could shield you."

Wilson waved his arms the way he often did but he wasn't exasperated with me this time. "Let's just go and then we can figure out what to do next when we're not stuck in here." His voice was just a teensy bit high.

"I'll stay here." Edgar made himself as comfortable as anyone could sitting on a table. "I'll make them think we didn't leave. I'll slow you down if I go with you."

I nodded, although I could see everyone else was reluctant to leave him. Wilson shepherded us out to the hallway that led to the alley door. When we opened it, he briefly stuck his head out and looked around. "The coast is clear."

I chuckled. "I bet you've always wanted to say that."

We scampered across the alley to the gab between two building and through it to the street that ran parallel to the one where the rifle-wielding men were.

I looked up and down the street. "Now what?"

"Now you come up with a brilliant plan to rescue the prisoners, have the cops arrest Molino's men, and get us back to work so we can finish our preparations for the party." Jess looked so cute facing me with her hands on her hips.

"Do you think any of them have ever seen Molino?" I asked. A plan formed in my mind, but it would be chancy.

Nina looked at me like I was crazy. "How would we know?"

She was right. My first plan dissolved before it was fully formed. "Nina, call your father."

"And say what?"

"Tell him how scared you are. Someone's trying to kill you and Jess."

"What about Petey?"

"He doesn't care about our brother." Jess took out her phone and made the call. "Father, Father, you have to help us!" If I didn't know better, I'd have believed her myself. "We're barricaded in our offices and someone's outside taking pot shots at our windows with rifles! Nina and I are scared to death."

"Why didn't you call your boyfriend, ask him to save you?" The lack of sympathy made us all angry.

"He's here too, and he's hurt."

"Serves him right."

"Aren't you going to help us? Father, we're you're flesh and blood." There was just the right amount of pleading in her voice.

"You didn't want to know me before."

"What are you talking about? I thought we were making progress on our relationship."

"Well, think again. The only one I trust is a guy named Bernini. He's going to change things here so we don't all have to bow down to his highness, Tony Locarno." He spit the name out.

"You know Bernini works for Carlos Molino, don't you?"

"Sure. Molino and I go back a long way. He's a real Italian, knows how things should work."

"Father, I think the men attacking us were sent by your friends Bernini and Molino."

"So?"

She stared at her phone and ended the call. After swallowing hard, she turned to me. "Now what?"

"Yeah, House. Your wonderful plan didn't work at all."

"It reinforced the fiction that we're still back in the office."

Nina rolled her eyes. I think she learned that from Wilson.

"Now we get us some reinforcements." My turn to make a call. "Bertoli, this is the situation. We locked ourselves in Jess' and Nina's office when Bernini's goons started shooting at their front windows. I'm afraid they captured Petey and Dr. Hadley, and Bev along with them. We managed to escape out through a back alley, but we have no way to rescue the others."

"What did they want with my daughter?" he bellowed.

"Wrong place, wrong time, I guess. We've hesitated calling the gestapo because that might get the hostages killed." I tried to sound calmer than I felt. "So we hoped you could send someone instead?" My voice unintentionally rose at the end.

"I'll get right on it." He was definitely a more concerned father than Giordano.

I gave Wilson and the sisters a thumbs up. "Thanks. Somehow I knew I could count on you."

"Where will you be?"

"We're a block over. There's a coffee shop on the corner. We'll wait there for you to call and give the all clear." I started to end the call, then asked. "You know where they're located, don't you?"

"Yes. I met them there once to talk about a party they're doing with food from my place."

"Good."

The four of us entered the shop I mentioned. It was a seat-yourself kind of place, so we took a booth toward the back. In the middle of the afternoon, the restaurant wasn't very busy. When the waitress came by, we ordered coffee. Even I didn't have an appetite for anything else.

"You didn't mention Edgar," Jess said.

"Bertoli's focus was on rescuing his daughter."

"I still don't understand how she was captured with Petey and Hadley."

It surprised me, too. "I guess she was coming to tell me what happened at the meeting earlier."

"She could have called."

I nodded.

Our coffees were delivered. Jess added her usual spoonful of sugar and sipped, then put her mug down. "I can't just sit here without knowing what's happening."

"It's only been ten minutes since I called Bertoli. Relax." Easy for me to say, but I was as antsy as she was.

"Do you think we could hear any shooting from here?" Wilson asked.

"Probably not."

"Maybe we should check." He tapped a spoon on the table.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"They don't know me." Wilson stood. "I can stroll by and see what's happening."

"You will be careful, won't you?" Nina grabbed his arm.

He smiled at her. "Sure."

"Hurry back," she called after him.

"Where's that waitress?"

"How can you eat?" Her voice was higher pitched than ever.

"Nina, he eats when he's nervous." Jess smirked.

"Do not!"

"Sure you do. It's one of your coping methods."

"And you twist strands of your hair."

"Do not!"

"Oh, stop it, you two!" Nina shouted. She swallowed and lowered her voice. "This isn't helping."

The waitress came over. "Can I get you more coffee? Something else?"

"Cheeseburger," I ordered. "Hold the pickles and ketchup."

"Ladies?"

"Nothing for me." Nina stared into her coffee cup.

"Do you have onion rings? I'd die for some."

"Please don't say that!"

The waitress frowned at Nina, but told Jess, "I'll bring you some."

A phone rang. It wasn't mine, and I didn't think it was Jess'.

Nina answered hers. "Jim. What's happening?" She ignored my whisper to put it on speaker. Instead, she sighed with relief. "Hurry back."

"So?" Jess asked.

"There's no one in front of our building."

"What about Petey and the others?"

"He didn't say."

"So we still don't know whether they're safe."

"Well, no. But it means we can go back and prepare for the party tonight."

"You don't know that. And is the party more important than the lives of our brother and our friends?"

Nina didn't answer.

Wilson arrived at the same time as my burger and Jess' onion rings. "Want some?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "There was no sign of anyone outside the building."

"Did you check to see whether Edgar was inside?" I asked.

"All I could see through the front windows was the office furniture in the front room and the freezers through the doorway to the kitchen area."

"After I finish these, we can go back and check whether anyone's inside." But after only two rings, she pushed the plate away. "If they were freed, wouldn't they call?"

"You mean your brother, Hadley and Bev?"

She nodded.