Deadly Holiday (Southern California Violent Crimes Taskforce #6.5)(8)
“Where’s Celina?”
Cooper winced at the accusatory tone of Ronni’s voice. “She’s covering so we could get out. Let’s make this count, Punto.”
Chapter Three
Cooper was going to be pissed when she saw him again.
If she saw him again. Celina swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. She couldn’t think like that, not now.
With Novia nestled on her lap, she settled next to Emma and Jett, who were flanked on either side by Mitch and Thomas. Blessedly, Via had fallen asleep earlier and stayed that way through the commotion, completely oblivious to the drama unfolding.
Behind their row of chairs and huddled in the corner were the rest of the children, parents, and staff members who were doing their best to keep the children calm and quiet. A few were hooked up to machines, their vitals being closely monitored by nearby nurses. It infuriated Celina to see these families being so mistreated when they had already been through so much. These children should be tucked into bed, anxiously waiting for Santa, not dealing with dangerous men like Ortega and his goons.
“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” Ortega directed a menacing stare to Celina, who returned it unflinchingly. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he scared her. Dressed in an impeccable suit, his jet black hair slicked back from his face, the cartel leader’s voice was low and menacing in comparison to his handsome features. “I am looking for Dr. Juanita Kyan. I know she’s here, so there’s no need to pretend she isn’t.”
He reminded Celina of Enrique Londano—the cartel leader who’d hunted her. The thought prickled under her skin with icy awareness, and she inwardly shivered. A low murmur passed through the crowd, but no one moved. A few rows over, Celina noted Amber fidgeting nervously, her eyes covertly darting to the middle aged woman she had been in such a hurry to speak with earlier. Something told her the woman was Dr. Kyan, but what did Ortega want with her?
“You will give me Dr. Kyan,” Ortega growled, snapping his fingers. The doors to the cafeteria swung open and a woman in a nurse’s uniform wheeled a little girl inside.
Jana Ortega. The girl’s face was flushed, her eyes glazed and feverish. She was obviously quite ill, and Celina’s heart broke for her.
“Jana!” The little girl in Christmas pajamas who’d asked Santa for help stood up and waved excitedly. The girl’s mother quickly shushed her, growing fearful when an armed man made a move towards them.
“Leave them alone.” The woman rose from her chair, chastising the man with the gun. To Ortega, she demanded, “What is it that you want?”
“Juanita, please don’t.” Amber shook her head, face stricken.
“Ah, Dr. Kyan, I presume?” Ortega’s mouth curved into a smile that didn’t quite reach his fathomless eyes. “I am Basilio Ortega, Jana’s father. We’ve not had the pleasure of meeting, though I have been informed you have been taking excellent care of my Jana.”
“I was until you decided to check her out against medical advice.” Dr. Kyan’s gaze swept over the young girl, her face wavering between sorrow and anger. “Do you realize you have endangered your daughter’s life by doing something so stupid?”
Even in an evening dress and heels, Dr. Kyan’s shoulders were ramrod straight, her chin raised defiantly as if she didn’t care who she was addressing. Celina admired her for that, even if she was somewhat afraid for her. A man like Basilio Ortega didn’t give a damn about human life other than his own. He could, and would, end a person’s life at the snap of his fingers. The cartel leader was not a man to mess with.
“Shut up, doctor. I do realize my mistake,” Ortega begrudgingly admitted.
Dr. Kyan knelt before Jana’s wheelchair, her scowl replaced by a warm, gentle smile. “Hello, Jana,” she said softly, “it is so nice to see you again.”
“Hello, Dr. Kyan,” Jana answered shakily. “I…I’m sorry I had to go away, but you said to tell you if I didn’t feel good, and I don’t feel good. My body hurts. So much.”
Dr. Kyan pressed a gentle hand to Jana’s forehead, lips curving downward. “Oh Jana,” she sighed, true regret shining in her eyes. “You’re running a fever.”
“It started yesterday,” Ortega acknowledged. For a moment, his face morphed with distress, and he actually appeared like a concerned father. “That’s why we’re here. You will come with us to Mexico and complete the bone marrow transplant. Bring whatever equipment you need.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. Celina met Mitch’s hard stare and he nodded. Ortega should have checked the guest list before he busted in on their party. There was no way the agents in the room were about to let him abscond with the doctor, not when he had a one-way ticket behind bars waiting for him. It was ballsy of him to have crossed the border at all, a testament to how well protected he was. Celina could only hope Cooper and Ronni arrived with backup soon.
Dr. Kyan rose to her full height. She regarded Ortega coolly with the practiced experience of one used to dealing with demanding parents.
“I will do no such thing,” she informed him icily. “Because you pulled her from treatment, she didn’t finish the needed pre-op conditioning. If we do the transplant now it will fail.”