Friday 9pm

Officers Santos and Kilterage entered Jimmy's room, waking him.

Jimmy opened one eye. "Argh visiting hours are over, Santos. Even my girlfriend couldn't stay."

Santos fiddled with his police cap before sitting heavily into the visitor's chair. "There's no easy way to say this Mr. Carrick, so I will just say it."

Jimmy's other eye shot open. "My family?!"

"No. As far as I know they are safe. For now." Santos gave a look to Kilterage who exited the room. "This is about Frank Jacobs."

"The dirty one."

"We can not jump to conclusions about Officer Jacobs."

"He abducted me from this hospital! You had to shoot him! He was about to kill my girlfriend! "

"He says he arrested you. He says he thought your girlfriend was aiding and abetting you."

"He a fucking liar! He drew his weapon on me in the elevator after trying to sucker punch me." Jimmy's attitude changed. "He better lawyer up, that bastard. He will be lucky to be riding a bicycle!"

"Okay enough, Mr. Carrick! When you are able to travel we will be taking you into custody." Santos showed Jimmy the arrest warrant issued by Judge Ballanno.

"Robert Fortune has this town under his thumb." Jimmy chortled. "Complete with judges and dirty cops." He looked directly into Santos' eyes.

"Robert Fortune Junior is an upstanding member of the business community." Santos naively expressed.

"Not him. His father!" Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"What about Robert senior?"

"You are daft, Santos!"

"Officer Santos to you!"

"Maybe you need a history lesson of Van City, Officer Santos!"

"And why would I need that?"

"Because Robert Fortune ~ Senior is the Don Corleone, the Al Capone of the twenty-first century! He owns Van City." Jimmy's stare did not waiver. "No wonder they are putting you in charge of the missing women's case! You are clueless!"

Kilterage walked back into Jimmy's room. "The daughter is safe. Her parent's are spending the night, Sir."

"Tell me Kilterage, is there a mob boss in Van City?" Santos leaned back into his chair expecting to laugh at Jimmy after she answered.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Kilterage?"

"What she is trying to say is - are you stupid or something?" Jimmy looked at Kilterage who nodded.

"Robert Fortune ~ Senior, Sir."

"Where are you from ~ Officer Santos?" Jimmy queried the officer with his mouth gaping.

"Toronto."

"Figures." Jimmy shook his head. "You are green and wet behind the ears. I bet you follow every order barked at you."

"I am an officer of the law." Santos leaned towards Jimmy. "It is my duty to follow orders!"

"Even orders from a judge tucked into Fortune's back pocket?!"

"Kilterage?"

"Sir, it is generally understood that a warrant from this particular judge is backed by Robert Fortune ~ Senior. Mostly to rid himself of anyone he needs out of his way. Sir."

Santos rubbed his eyes, looked at Jimmy, then stood. "Christ almighty. How is it a rookie cop and a former reporter know more about the city's crime than I do? I'm their lacky!"

"I think you can be more effective than you realize, Officer Santos." Jimmy nodded. "They won't suspect a thing."

"I don't get you?" Santos shrugged. "They will expect me to heel for them. Bark when told to bark."

"Stop thinking like a dog! Be a fucking cat!" Jimmy raised an index finger to his head.

"A cat?"

Jimmy pointed to Kilterage who understood and explained his reasoning. "A cat is independent, Sir. They do what they choose and rarely what their human master wants. A cat will only give in when they feel they will gain what they want."

Jimmy pointed at Kilterage with a wry smile while looking at Santos. "All the while making their human owners unaware they are being manipulated.  Can you be an unsuspecting  house cat or will you be their lap dog?"

"I get the funny feeling you are trying to do more than clear your name." Santos leaned down to speak with only Jimmy able to hear. "You better not be toying with me, Mr. Carrick. You will not like it if that is the case." He stood tall and pulled his bulletproof vest down. "We'll be back, Mr. Carrick. Time to leave, Kilterage."

Escape from VGH 

Windy slipped passed the night shift nurse and into Jimmy's room a little after midnight. The light from the hall provided just enough light to silhouette the furniture in the room. She eased herself down into the visitor's chair.

"Win?"

"Uh huh." Windy softly acknowledged.

"I have to get out of here."

"Jimmy?"

"Santos stopped by with an arrest warrant from Judge Ballanno."

"Ballanno?! Wasn't he the judge that let Joey Fortune out early?"

"Yep."

"When do you want to leave?"

"Ha." Jimmy quietly scoffed. "Now."

"Jimmy?" Windy questioned his thinking. "Tonight?"

"Yeah."

"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours!" Windy tried to keep her voice down.

"I'll take it easy. I promise Win."

"You really need to take it easy. And I mean easy!"

"I want to live, Win. But I am not going to prison for those bastards just to murder me and everyone to wipe their hands clean of it."

Windy gave in to Jimmy. "Okay, so what's your plan?"

Jimmy slowly sat up in the hospital bed. "Text Dani. Have her get the nurse into Jordan's room. I'll need a wheelchair. I still can't walk on my right foot."

"Why you take these kinds of risks, I will never know." Windy shook her head even though Jimmy couldn't see.

"It's a calculated risk. I don't leave, I am arrested ~ then I'm dead."

"Some calculation." Windy rebutted with sarcasm. "I'll find a wheelchair. Can you get dressed?"

"I'll try."

She moved quickly past the nurse who seemed to be preoccupied with the cats of instagram feed. Windy continued down the hall, found a vacant wheelchair, returning to check on the nurse only to hear muffled laughter. She had to look and nearly burst into laughter herself.

Jimmy tried to stand as Windy entered the room. "Damn it, Jimmy! Sit your ass down!" She reached him just in time.

"Argh! Thanks Win." Jimmy winced in pain. "Stupid!"

Windy whispered. "I agree! Now let me help. Lift your right arm."

"That's all I have, Win." Jimmy couldn't lift his hand past his shoulder.

"This ~ is not your best plan." Windy spoke in a hushed whisper as she slipped the hospital gown back on Jimmy. "Where's your shoe?"

"How would I know?!"

Windy covered Jimmy's mouth. "Shut. The. Hell. Up!" She removed her hand. "You are going to get us caught!"

Dana stumbled into Jimmy's room. "Just what do you think the two of you are doing?"

"We're having amazing sex! What the hell are you doing here?" Jimmy found his suppressed his voice.

Windy rushed to Dana and brought her into the room. "Jimmy had a visit from the police. They will arrest him Sunday. We are getting him out of here tonight."

"What about us? Brad, Jordan and me?" Dana panicked.

"The three of you are not going to be arrested." Windy explained the modified plan. "When Jordan's safe to move we will get the three of you to the safe house. She is safe. Let her heal."

Dana took a breath. "Okay, but you need time to get away."

Windy handed Dana a burner phone. "Use this to call the only number on the phone. No one else. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

"This is important, Dana." Windy pulled on Dana's pajama top. "Do not use your old phone after you leave the hospital!"

"What, why?"

"They can track us with our cellphones." Windy rushed Dana to the door. "Call me with the new phone and I will get you guys when Jordan can leave."

"What if I have a question?"

"Use the new phone I gave you!"

"Okay." Dana sighed. "Good luck, Windy!" She looked at Jimmy. "You better survive this." The look gave Jimmy the feeling that she was going to kill him. "Ah, thanks, Dani."

Dana got up close with Jimmy. "Yeah, I want my chance to kick your ass!" 

"Get in line!" Jimmy gritted his teeth.

"Gladly!" Dana stopped at the door, hitched her oversized pajamas up, then nodded at Windy. "Now get the hell out of here. I'll distract the nurse."

The escape from VGH went pretty much as planned apart from getting Jimmy into the SUV. Getting out of the SUV proved just as daunting with him unable to twist or put pressure on his right foot. Without Windy's physical strength the plan would have been dead where it began.

The large four bedroom apartment, while having an amazing view of English Bay, also has a clear view to the front gates of the Fortune family mansion. It will be both a place to heal and a place to plan hostilities with the mob family.

Over the next few days Windy installed wired cameras looking down on the Fortune estate and another at the door of the apartment. She wouldn't leave anything to chance including someone hacking her cameras. The two laptops Jimmy miraculously saved from the fire held enough power to discretely start the digital war against Van City's powerful crime family.

Jimmy rolled his wheelchair to Windy's open bedroom door. "Hey, Win?"

"Jimmy?" Windy looked up from her bed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Jimmy tried to persuade her to take a break. "Can we talk?"

"Talk?" Windy questioned as she approched Jimmy. "About?"

"Our future."

"We are what we are, Jimmy."

"And what is that?"

"Two people, twenty-four years on, finally ready to move forward ~ together."

"I remember the first time I saw you put your backpack on at the window of that coffeehouse."

"Bean Brothers?" Windy smiled. "I remember you sitting on that stool, looking wired on coffee at eight o'clock in the evening."

"You know what, Win?" Jimmy's eyes softened. "You are even more beautiful today."

"Yeah, my acne is gone." Windy joked.

Jimmy shook his head. "You have been my best friend since the night I took your book."

Windy lifted Jimmy's chin, wrapped her long fingers around his head and kissed him with a passion no other woman has ever matched. She then eased her lips from her man's lips before unabashedly stating. "I knew, one day ~ you would confess you stole that book!"

"Ah, no no no, I..." Jimmy tried to claw back his words.

Windy's new phone rang. "Only one person has my number." She looked at Jimmy.