I still haven’t figured out what Ren and his buddy are doing hovering around him. Should I let Finn know they could be dangerous?
Mindlessly, I reach into my snack drawer and realize I’m out of my favorite candy. Irritation spreads through me all over again, and I kick the drawer.
“Disgusting.” I kick it once more for good measure and then scoot out of my chair. Finn might have switched all my candy, but guess what? The hospital has a vending machine. I’m going to buy itallback tonight.
I stalk to the elevator, smack the button, and fold my arms over my chest. My warped reflection flashes from the metal’s surface.
Stupid Finn.
My strategy was to be nice to him until I got what I wanted, but I don’t have it in me to act like a lovesick idiot. It doesn’t even work on him anyway.
The doors open with ading!
I nod at the nurse and the three patients who shuffle back to give me room as I walk in. Soft jazz music pours from the speakers. When I was hanging with the cancer patients, we all decided to sign a petition to have that music changed to something less boring, but alas… none of the administrators approved our hip hop soundtrack.
The elevator stops.
The nurse and two of the patients leave. Three guys wearing over-sized T-shirts and baggy pants swagger in. The elevator gets a little crowded, so I press into the corner to make room.
“What floor?” one of the guys says.
“I don’t know, man. My find-your-phone just said it was here in the hospital.”
Those words capture my attention instantly.
“So your plan is to walk up and down every floor?”
“Damn, just get another phone instead of chasing this one down.”
“I just bought that phone,” the first one says. “And if it wasn’t for that Asian guy, I’d still have it.”
That Asian guy?
I look up and immediately start panicking when I recognize Ace from the Grave City Crew.
My watch beeps.
The elevator stops again.
The patient waddles out.
The doors close.
It’s just me and the Grave City Crew now.
My breaths turn shallow and spread fog on the wall that I’m standing in front of. Ace is here in the hospital. How? Why? I’msure I turned the phone’s location off, and the device was only powered on for a short time while I was ripping its data for Henry to sort.
Oh crap.Henry.
I left the wi-fi on so Henry could unlock the secure folders. And while I definitely turned off the location, if the owner tried to ping his device with the find-my-phone feature, it would have connected to the hospital’s internet.
Dread pools in my stomach.
I need to get out of here.
The elevator stops on another floor, and the door spreads open, inviting me to the safety of the hallway where I’ll be able to blend into the crowd of doctors, nurses, and patients.
Just a few steps to freedom.
