Dino by Jaime Lewis

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“For the love of God, Arianna, will you please stop fussing over me?” Paul scolded his daughter, even though Arianna knew he wasn’t serious.

She raised her eyebrow at him.  “Someone seems a little cranky today.”

“You’d be cranky too if you were in my place.”

Arianna wasn’t sure why suddenly she felt emotional.  She stared at her dad.  Yes, he was alive and awake but knowing how close she came to losing him, it hit her hard right at this very moment. She wiped her eye before the tear could fall, and her dad’s face softened.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her.

She shook her head. She had a huge lump in her throat that prevented her from speaking.  A tear slipped out, and she wiped it, but then another fell. Soon it was too many to keep up with.

“I’m sorry.” She told him, and his expression softened, and he spread his arms.

“Come here, Arianna.”

She went, and he hugged her. Maybe that was what she needed—just a simple hug from her dad. She soon felt better, stepped back, slid the chair closer to his bed, and then sat down. She noticed her dad’s eyelids got droopy, so she sat back and pulled out her e-reader. She would get lost in a book while he took a nap.

Arianna was so engrossed in the book she was reading that she almost didn’t hear the light tap on the door.  She was surprised when Dino stuck his head in, but she couldn’t stop the smile on her face.

“Hey.” She whispered, being careful not to wake her dad.

He smiled as he entered the room. Just the sight of him gave her instant butterflies in the stomach. He looked scrumptious in his jeans and long sleeve t-shirt. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“How’s he doing?”

She smiled up at him. “Great. He just gets tired easily, but the doctors said that was okay. He’s scheduled to be discharged tomorrow.”

“That’s really great news.”

He sat down in the chair next to her and draped his arm over her shoulder. She rested her head against his shoulder.

She looked up at him. “What made you stop by?”

“I had some errands to run and wanted to see how he was doing.”

“Thank you for coming.” She told him and leaned in and kissed him.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. When Arianna looked over, she found her dad staring at both of them. He had a slightly lopsided grin.

“When did this happen?” He asked.

She glanced up at Dino, who stood there with his hands in his pocket, looking like he wasn’t sure what to say.

She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s new.”

Dino walked over and shook Paul’s hand. “It’s nice to see you awake.”

“It’s nice to be awake and coherent. Hey, do you mind handing me that Styrofoam cup over there?” He asked Dino and pointed to a food tray.

Dino handed it to him, and he took a bite of what looked to be some sort of rice. Paul made a sour face and spat it back into the cup. Arianna stared at him while he wiped his mouth with the napkin.

“The MRE’s they fed us in the military tasted better than this shit.”

Arianna snickered. It had to taste really bad for her dad not to eat it. Being that he had his own restaurant he was constantly comparing others’ food to what he served. But again, this was hospital food he was critiquing. Hospital food was bland, to begin with.

“Dad…”

“I just want a bacon cheeseburger. The way Wade makes it.”

Arianna’s mouth started to water at the mention of Wade’s bacon, cheeseburgers. They were the absolute bomb and voted by the local newspaper as the best cheeseburger in town for almost ten years. To this day, nobody knew what spices he added to the meat to get them to taste so delicious, and they were juicy.

Her dad chuckled.  “You want one too, don’t you?”

She laughed. “It does sound good right now.”

“I’ll make you a deal. As long as your doctor says you can have a burger, I’ll bring you one when I come back later.”

“There’s my favorite patient,” Brianna said, walking into the room with her caddy of supplies.

Her dad was beaming. “And there’s my favorite nurse.” He winked at Brianna, and Brianna’s cheeks took on a pinkish color.

Arianna waited until Brianna took her dad’s vitals.

“Everything looks good, Mr. Roland.”

Her dad frowned. “Brianna, how many times have I told you to call me Paul.”

Brianna smirked. “I’ve lost track, Mr. Roland.”

Arianna laughed and then looked at Brianna. “So, Dad is insisting I bring him back a burger from his restaurant. Would that be okay?”

Brianna put her hands on her hips and looked at Paul. “What? Is the hospital food not up to your liking?”

Paul furrowed in eyebrows, and then Brianna laughed.

“I’m just messing with you.  I don’t see any issue but let me run it by the doctor just to make sure.” She looked over at Arianna and winked.

Paul looked at Arianna. “She’s nice. I like her.”

Arianna snorted a laugh. “I think she likes you too.”

“You do?” He asked with wide eyes. Arianna thought it was funny.

Arianna nodded her head. “I do. And do you know what I think?

“What?” He asked, looking almost afraid to ask.

Arianna grinned. “I think you should ask her out.”

His cheeks turned a little shade of pink. “We’ll see.” He told her. But Arianna knew her dad well and felt that Brianna could become someone close to all of them.

After Brianna came back and said that the doctor gave the okay that Paul could have a burger, Dino volunteered to pick them up for everyone and bring them back.

Arianna stayed because she wanted to talk to her dad. They talked a lot about the bar. But then he focused on her career. She hadn’t told him about her decision to stay in town.

“Have you made your decision yet?”

She played with the button on her shirt. “I think so.”

“You think?”

She smiled. “I love doing forensics work, but I also forgot how much I enjoyed the bar and atmosphere there. I’ve also missed being with real friends.”

“So, you’re going to give up a good-paying job to be a bar owner?” He asked.

“Well, no, not exactly. I talked with Alex the other day, and she mentioned that she went through a similar dilemma when she got back from wherever she was.” Paul nodded his head as if knowing where she was, and of course, he probably did know. Her dad had a way of knowing everyone’s business. “Anyway, she asked me a question that someone once had asked her.”

“And that was?”

“Did I enjoy my job?”

“Do you?”

“I enjoyed the forensics aspect. I liked being behind the computer and solving the numbers puzzle.”

“Well, can’t you go back to doing that for the agency?”

“I can, but I don’t want to. I’ve always been loyal to those who I work for. But sadly, I can’t say the same when you turn that around. I saw a whole other side of the agency while I was undercover and the aftermath. I don’t want to be a pawn in their big web.  Plus, being back here made me see how much I was missing everything and everyone, you, especially. I went a whole two years not seeing you.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Well, with the help of some really great friends, I had an interview the other day with a very reputable security company.”

“Where?”

“Here in Virginia Beach.”

She knew her dad realized right away who it was with.

“No shit! Tink?”

She smiled and nodded her head.  He’s been looking to add a forensics expert to his team.”

“Arianna, that is great! Tink is a great guy—a hardass and will demand one hundred percent every day, but if I ever had an opportunity to work for him, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Do you think the interview went well?”

She smiled again. “I think so, considering he offered me the job on the spot.”

Her dad was beaming, and he took her hand and squeezed it. “I am so damn proud of you.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty stoked about it.”

“Well, if the bar becomes too much….”

“I’ll be fine, dad.  Especially once you get back on your feet.”

“So, I guess this is good news for you and Dino as well?” He stated with a sly grin, and she just smiled.

“I love him, dad.”

He gave her a heart-felt smile and covered her hand with his. “As long as he loves and respects you, then I’m happy for you. From what I know about him, he’s a good man.”

“Yeah, he is.”

A few minutes later, Brianna poked her head into the room. “I’m sorry, Arianna, but there is an FBI Agent here to see you.”

Arianna wrinkled her forehead and wondered who it could be. But then she remembered Chris said he would be by to pick up the drive. She smiled at Brianna. “Thanks. I’ll be out in just a minute.”

Her dad gave her a concerned look. “What’s that all about?” He asked.

“Something that I can say I worked hard to get.”

She stood up from the chair, leaned down, and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. If Dino gets here before I’m back, make sure he doesn’t eat my burger.”

Her dad laughed, but she wasn’t joking. She was craving that damn burger.

Arianna walked down the hall to the nurses’ station, but all she saw was Brianna. Brianna looked up and pointed toward the stairs. “He got a call, and it seemed important. He went into the stairwell so he wouldn’t bother anyone. He said you could meet him there.”

She thanked her and slowly made her way toward the door with the picture of the stairs on it. She pressed the bar and pushed the door open. There was nobody there. She pulled her phone out and got ready to text Chris but then she heard a man’s voice down below. She went down the flight of stairs to the ground level, figuring it was him. When she made it to the landing, she saw a guy in a suit, but it wasn’t Chris. It was Miles Thakenburg; her former partner turned drug addict. What in the hell was he doing here?

“Miles.” She said in a surprised tone.

He nodded his head and took a step towards her. “Arianna. It’s nice to see you.”

She completely ignored his pleasantry and cut to the chase. “What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were a wanted man.”

He sneered at her then wiped his nose. No surprise there, she guessed he was still using. She began to feel a little uneasy.

“I’m here to collect my pay.”

“Your pay?” She repeated. What in the hell was the guy even talking about?

He took another step closer. “Yes. My pay. You see, a fairly new friend of yours has been trying to track you down. But when he offered a generous reward leading to your whereabouts, I figured why not help the guy out.” The grin he offered her was wicked and evil. Her panic level skyrocketed.

She moved back toward the stairs. She didn’t trust Miles as far as she could throw.

“I’m curious to know what friend you’re referring to since you and I don’t have any mutual friends.”

“Awe. I think Mr. Barros would find that insulting.”

Arianna paused her movement, and her body went rigid. Miles was friends with Demitri?

“I think he would, be considering the evening you and he spent together.” A voice behind her on the stairs said, and she spun around.

It was Carmine, Demitri’s second in command. He started to move towards her down the stairs. She only had two choices. Either go through Carmine up the stairs or take on Miles and go out the emergency exit. The pick was easy, but before she could make her first move, Miles stabbed her in the neck with something. It felt like a bad bee sting, and she covered the spot with her hand before she fell to the floor. The concrete room began to spin, and she didn’t feel right. She tried to speak, but her words came out slurred. She wasn’t able to focus no matter how hard she tried.

“Help me get her up and to the car.” One of them said. She was too out of it to focus on the voice. Her body was suddenly lifted off the ground, but she couldn’t stand. She had no feeling in her legs. The person holding her cursed and then began to drag her out the door. She tried to look around to call for help, but nobody was there, just a black sedan with tinted windows. The front passenger side door opened, and another man stepped out. He looked at Miles.

“Nice work. Demitri said thank you.” Then he pulled out a gun and shot Miles.

Carmine slid into the seat next to her and slammed the door. “Go!” He shouted to the driver, and the car lurched forward at a high rate of speed.

Tears ran down her face, though she couldn’t feel anything.

“Don’t cry. Once we arrive in Crete, Demitri will take good care of you.” Carmine told her as her eyes closed and her mind shut off.

◆◆◆

Special Agent Hurts was on his way to meet Arianna at the hospital when he got a call from headquarters. It wasn’t the news he wanted to hear. The cybercrime division had come across a post on a website hosted on the dark web that was offering a reward for any information leading to the whereabouts of the Black Swan. It included a picture of Arianna.

As he pulled his car into the parking lot at the hospital, he saw Arianna’s boyfriend walking toward the front entrance with bags in his hands. He grabbed his phone and exited the vehicle. He called out, “Dino!”

Dino turned and offered him a smile. “Hey, man. Arianna said you were going to come by.”

“Yeah, there’s also something else I need to talk to her about.” When Dino questioned him, he told him everything about the posted reward for Arianna.

“Shit. That’s not good.” Dino stated and looked angry. Chris couldn’t blame the guy. He was pissed as well, and Arianna wasn’t his girlfriend.

“She’s upstairs with her dad. Come on; I’ll walk with you.” Dino said to him as they made their way through the automatic sliding doors.

Just as they were approaching the elevator bank, his phone rang again, and he looked at it. It was headquarters again. He held his finger up for Dino to wait.

“Hurts.” He answered.

“It’s Scarborough. Are you at the hospital yet?” His director asked, and if Chris wasn’t mistaken, his boss sounded a little on edge.

“Yeah, I just got here. I’m actually getting ready to get on the elevator. What’s up?”

“I just got notified that Miles Thakenburg flew into Virginia Beach this morning.”

That information surprised Chris considering a team of agents had been hunting him over in Europe.

“Do we know why or where he went?”

“Twenty minutes ago, he was seen entering the hospital.”

“Are you saying he is here?”

“We think so. And Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“He’s not alone. The private jet was reserved under the name Carmine Johnston.”

“Oh shit!”

“Yeah. Go find Arianna. I’m making a call to the field office now and will have agents there in a few.”

Chris put his phone away just as the elevator opened and jumped in with Dino. He relayed everything Scarborough told him to Dino, and now Dino looked worried. As soon as they got to the second floor, they took off running down the hall towards Paul’s room. When they arrived, only Paul was in the room.

“Paul, where’s Arianna?” Dino asked hurriedly.

“She went to go meet an agent. Some guy named Chris.”

“Fuck!” Chris swore.

“What’s going on?” Paul asked, but there was no time. They needed to find Arianna.

“Do you know where she was meeting this guy?”

“No. But Brianna, the nurse out front, may know. She’s the one who came and told Arianna.

◆◆◆

Dino’s heart was racing as he sprinted down to the nurses' station. Seeing him coming, Brianna stood up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know which way Arianna went?”

“Yes. She went into the stairwell.” And she pointed down the other side of the hallway.

Dino took off with Chris right behind him. He busted through the heavy metal door and looked around. When he leaned over the railing and looked down towards the first-floor landing, he spotted Arianna’s phone on the ground. He called out to Chris, who was moving up the steps while talking to someone on the phone. When he landed at the bottom, he picked the phone up and saw the screen was cracked.

Then Chris called out. “Dino, over here.”

When Dino turned, Chris had the exit door open. When he glanced out and saw the dead body sprawled out on the concrete, he knew they were too late. He heard Chris tell whoever was on the phone to call in back up and start looking for Arianna. But being that the FBI was a legit law enforcement agency, they had to play everything by the book. Well, fuck that shit. He had his own team with their own set of rules. He pulled his phone out and dialed his commander.