“Calm yourself. We put him underground as a precautionary measure.”
Face grim, the federal agent leads us past the double doors marked oncology, recovery, and orthopedic. Finally, he stops at a seated police officer.
Rushing by, I race to the bed, lean over the railing, and hug my bestie. “Hey Henry, mind if I come in?”
“Gwen? Thank God you’re alright. They won’t tell me shit. Does my family know I’m here?” When he lets me go, I’m more confused than ever. Is he under some kind of secret hospital arrest?
“I told Callie, and she called your grandmother. They didn’t tell you?”
Girl, you are in trouble.While my Beyoncé Angel fires off a warning, Henry shakes his head no.
“The doctor said I had a heart attack. Can you believe it? I know I’m a little heavy, but I’m only twenty-five.”
“What do you remember?” For the hundredth time, I wonder if I had imagined the weapon. It happened so fast, and as Farid likes to say, Idohave a vivid imagination.
My coworker’s mocha-brown face scrunches up, and his eyes close. “I went outside for air. That’s it. Everything else is blank.”
Axel leans against the doorframe to my right, his face an unreadable wall.
Because of him, I ask again. “Nothing at all?”
“No. Why?” As Henry’s brows raise, I open my mouth to explain the EMF weapon, then stop when Wulf puts his finger to his lips.
“No reason.” Rats, I was hoping my friend could corroborate my story. Now, I have no other witness other than a dog.
Sensing my mood change, Henry grabs my hand. “They told me a woman saved me. Was that you?”
“Yeah. I was the first one on the scene. A jogger on the beach helped me administer CPR. Then, a doctor arrived and shocked you with a defibrillator.” Tears blurring my vision, I lean over and hug him. “I am so glad you’re alive.”
“Me, too. I guess I should’ve taken your advice and eaten a little healthier.” At his rueful smile, I grin and hope some good can come from his ordeal.
“Perhaps you could occasionally walk in the sunlight and eat a few carrot sticks?”
“I will. Jeesh, this was a real wake-up call.” As he lifts to sit up higher, I bend over his bed and lower my voice.
“I know we’re not supposed to share our passwords, but Callie wants to download your code, and you haven’t checked anything in for over a week.”An infraction like that could get him fired, and now, more than ever, he needs his healthcare package.
“Go to my hotel room and get my laptop. I’ll do it from here.” In the past, he’d have no problem sharing his credentials. No doubt he noticed the wolf in the doorway.
I hiss for his ears only, “The team’s gone into lockdown. They’ve taken away our remote access.”
The steady bleep-bleep of the heart monitor accelerates, and an alarm goes off from the tower of devices beside the bed.
A nurse in sailboat scrubs races in and shoos me to the door. “Enough talking, Miss, Mr. Rickard needs his rest.”
“Favorite song, person, flavor, number.” Henry’s rapid chant echoes down the hall. “You’ll find my work in the regular folder.”
“What was that all about?” The terse tone tells me Axel is still pissed, but I’m doing the best I can.
“It’s a game. These are a few of my favorite things? Like in The Sound of Music?” To me, the lie sounds plausible enough, but Wulf grunts.
“It sounds more like Jeopardy.”
Holding up a virtual index card, I mimic Alex Trebek. “And the question is, ‘What is my username and password?’”
I’m fucking hilarious, so why isn’t he smiling?
A bit later, in the car, Axel narrows his gaze at me over the cupholder. “I had my men stop by your rental and pick up some items. I hope you don’t mind.”
