When we’re a good distance away, I snap my hand out of hers.
J bends over, a hand to her chest. Her watch is shining yellow. “That was terrifying. I was so nervous.”
My heart is in my throat, and it’s about to burst into a million pieces. “Why did you leave your room? I told you to stay put!”
“I saw two scary guys follow you into the bathroom, and you didn’t come out. What was I supposed to do?”
J has access to the hospital cameras, which is probably how she saw me. What I’m uncertain about is…
“The sprinklers?”
She shrugs. “I turned them on, but I didn’t have eyes in the bathroom. I had to get closer to see what else I could do.”
“You’re insane,” I hiss.
She tilts her head, squinting at me. “What a strange way to say thank you.”
The fact that she’s so calm about this, soproudof herself, sets me off.
I bear down on her. “You should have stayed in the bathroom like I told you.”
“But—”
“What would you have done if these guys were really after me? What if they came after you too!”
She winces.
I realize I’m shouting and take a deep breath. Scraping my hands through my hair, I wrestle with the awful, fire-like sensations in my chest.
“Look, J, you can’t just?—”
“Finn?” J points to something beyond me.
I look over my shoulder. Ren and Hayato are standing with their backs to us, facing the wall like children in time out.
I frown at them. “What are you two doing?”
Ren turns slightly, but he still keeps his eyes averted. “We are giving you andokusamaprivacy.”
“Okusama?” J repeats.
Ren’s words barely register. I feel like I’m about to climb out of my own skin. Whatever this emotion is called, I hate it.
“Back to your room, J.”
“What are you, my dad?” She juts her chin at the men. “Who are they? What do they want? Why were they—gah!”
J lets loose a strangled cry as I set my arm under her back and scoop her up with one hand. She automatically wraps her arms around the back of my neck to secure herself against me.
“Finn, put me down,” she snaps.
“Wait in my car. I’ll be right there,” I bark at Ren and Hayato.
They dip their heads and share secretive smiles as they walk off.
J’s eyes are boring into my skull with the force of a jackhammer, but I ignore the dark looks and take her back to her hospital room. When I dump her on the bed, she bounces a bit.
She’s wearing a cotton T-shirt and long blue pajama pants with blue flowers on them.
