He glanced around and, spotting Talia, walked straight over. She stood up, Drex and Mike doing likewise. She said, “Andy, I didn’t expect you! You could have sent an underling or just called me.”

“Does this have anything to do with Jasper? Margaret and I were shocked to hear about it. Has there been any word?”

“Thank you for your concern. There’s nothing new to report on Jasper’s disappearance, but indirectly that’s why I’m here. One of the men on the investigative team was brought here by ambulance a short while ago.”

“Lewis.”

“Yes. What can you tell me?”

“I can tell you that he’s alive.”

She, Drex, and Mike all slumped with relief. “We’re all very glad to hear that,” she said. “Thank you, Andy.” She made hasty introductions. “Mr. Lewis is more than simply their colleague, he’s their very good friend. Naturally, they’ve been anxious to know his condition.”

“And that woman over there wouldn’t even tell us what had happened to him,” Drex said.

The surgeon looked him up and down. “You must be the extremely rude and vituperative individual referred to by her.”

That bounced off Drex. “Is Gif going to be all right?”

Talia knew Andrew Phillips to be kind, but he was also brusque. “Come with me.”

Without further ado, he turned away. They followed him through the door from which he’d entered and headed toward a bank of elevators. He jabbed the up button. “Mr. Lewis presented with a lacerated liver that required immediate surgery.”

Talia covered her mouth with her hand. “Heavens.”

“Knife?” Drex asked as they boarded the elevator.

“Blunt trauma.”

“He took a blow to the gut?” Mike asked.

The surgeon placed his fist in the wedge where his rib cage came together. “Right here. Vulnerable spot. Ask any boxer. You catch a blow there, you’ll likely go to the mat. Hurts like a mother. Excuse me, Talia. Renders you unable to move, breathe. Blood pressure tanks. Here we are.”

The surgeon alighted from the elevator first and led them to a much smaller waiting room, which was unoccupied. “Whoever hit him knew what he was doing,” he said. “The blow was perfectly placed and done with harmful intent. I wouldn’t rule out brass knuckles or some other object. In any case, it was hard enough to cause a sizeable tear. Good news, your friend got here before catastrophic blood loss, and he had an excellent trauma team working on him. The tear has been repaired. He seems overall healthy. Barring any complications, which aren’t anticipated, he’ll live.”

While Mike and Talia expressed their relief, Drex turned away from them and placed one hand on the back of his neck, indicating to Talia that anxiety and tension had concentrated there. Likely he also needed a moment to suppress his emotions.

“When I got your call, they were closing him up,” the surgeon was saying. “So if he’s not already out of surgery, it shouldn’t be much longer. I’ll be sure someone lets you know.”

Drex came around. “Can I see him?”

“He’ll be in recovery ICU for several hours.”

“Can I see him?” Drex repeated.

“He’ll be out of it. But if you—”

“I do.”

Dr. Phillips eyed him as though he warranted his reputation for rudeness, but also with respect for a man who didn’t mince words. “I’ll tell the staff to grant you a minute as soon as possible.”

“Thank you. For everything. I mean it.”

The surgeon acknowledged Drex’s appreciation with a curt nod, then reached for Talia’s hand and patted it. “This business with Jasper…” He let that trail. “Margaret and I are here for you, whenever.”

“You certainly have been tonight. Thank you.”

He gave her hand a final pat, turned to Drex and Mike, and said, “I have utmost respect for the FBI. Good luck to your friend.” Then he left them as though already late to the next emergency.

“Friends in high places,” Mike wheezed as he lowered his bulk onto an upholstered love seat.

Talia said, “I’m glad I could be of some use.”

“Well, thanks,” Mike said.

Drex didn’t thank her verbally. He simply pulled her into a tight hug.

Drex had paced miles, it seemed, before he was summoned by a nurse and told he could see Gif. He followed her to one of the ICU rooms, where she left him. Under the loose hospital gown, Gif looked fragile and pale and, if Drex didn’t know better, dead. The rhythmic blinks and blips on the machines to which he was connected were reassurance that his systems were functioning.

When the nurse returned to escort him out, she emphasized that Gif was doing well, that his vitals were strong, and that she predicted a full recovery.

“Take good care of him,” he said.

“I will.”

“He’ll complain, but don’t listen. Do what’s needed to get him well.”

“I promise.”

Drex hugged her tightly, too.

He relieved Mike and Talia of their concern immediately upon reentering the waiting room. “He looks poorly, but he’s doing well. His condition has been upgraded to stable.” They were on the verge of asking questions when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Hold on. This may be Locke.” He looked at his phone. “It is. He’s sent a text.”

Warning! Rudkowski here. On our way up.

Drex read it silently and then out loud. “Dammit.” Gif’s emergency had temporarily distracted him from the other crisis. This jerked him right back into the thick of it.

“He’s still typing,” he told Mike and Talia, then read the new message aloud. “‘Take fire stairs. Look for M.’”

“Menundez,” Mike said. “Go!” He shooed them toward the door.

Drex said, “I can’t leave Gif.”

“He’ll never forgive you if you don’t. Go!”

“What about Rudkowski?”

“I’ll be the sacrificial lamb.” Then, rubbing his hands over his extensive midsection, he said, “Sacrificial ox.”

They hurried down the fire stairs to the ground floor. Menundez was waiting for them where the stairwell opened into a lobby. “How’s Lewis?”

“Out of surgery and in ICU.” Drex gave him a concise update. “I can’t thank you enough for getting word to me.”

“Sure, man.” Menundez called their attention to the unusual amount of activity in the lobby. “As you can see, there’s a large police presence.”

“For us?” Drex asked.

“Busy night. Two assaults, one fatal, in the same area within hours of each other.”

“Mike Mallory stayed behind to stall Rudkowski, but he’ll be demanding to know where Talia and I are.”

“Hear ya. Keep your heads down,” the detective said, and started threading this way toward one of the entrances. Glancing around, he lowered his voice before continuing. “Rudkowski is an idiot. After this thing with Lewis, Locke brought me into the loop.”

“You and he talked to witnesses who were near Gif when he went down?”