“Smoothing what out? The missiles that destroyed the—”
“Theofficialstory is that the explosions were…” Here she used air quotes. “Charges set by Sampson’s team of terrorists.Weknow that this clusterfuck hasgovernment involvementwritten all over it, but we’ve been instructed to play dumb.”
“Dumb?”
“As a doornail. Look, the president’s suggesting a joint effort at Pole. A U.S. and Russian research station. Suddenly—surprise!—Chronos Corp’s come out of the woodwork, offering up cash for the rebuild. Bigger, better. You—Hey! Angel? Where are you going? You just had surgery, for Christ’s sake.”
Ignoring her friend, Angel looked around. “I need clothes. Where are my clothes?”
“Whoa, whoa, I’ll get you some when you’re ready, but this is—”
“We can’t let them get away with it, Pam. If Chronos bankrolls a South Pole rebuild, we might as well hand them those freaking ice cores.” Angel turned in a circle and, finding nothing to put on, decided to hell with it. She’d go out there like this.
“Wait. Wait, Angel.Listen!” Pam’s hand on her arm finally stopped her. “You are not alone anymore.” She stared her down. “You’re not alone on the ice, honey.I’mwith you on this. Jameson is. Eric and his guys. We all are. We all want to stop them. But you going off half-cocked is not gonna help anyone.”
Angel stopped and sagged back onto the bed, face in her hands.
Pam drew close. “What? You in pain? Want me to call the—”
“It’s Ford. Coop, I mean.”Just spit it out already.“Nobody’ll tell me what’s happening with him and I’m…” She sucked in air.Breathe.“Why won’t anyone tell me how the surgery went? Is it that bad? Is he…” She couldn’t finish her sentence.
“He’s out of surgery. And he’s good. Conscious.”
Then why can’t I see him? Hasn’t he asked for me?
“Probably won’t be hitting the ice anytime soon.” Pam looked at a loss for the first time since she’d arrived. “Goes for all of us, I guess.”
“Ford won’t like that.”
“No. He won’t.” Pam’s eyes were so kind it made her feel itchy. Like maybe she had bad news she didn’t want to share. “You okay, Angel?”
Her knee hurt like hell, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t what Pam was asking. And this outburst, well, she could put it down to fear and frustration, anger, too, at all the crap that had happened. But when it came down to it, she didn’t know. Anything.
She barely recognized herself. Everything felt tight and off, like her insides had been pulled out, mixed up, and put back in wrong.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “So. Eric and his band of merry soldiers are taking care of things, but then…what?”
“Well, you get PT for that knee.”
“No. I mean. With us? Me? You guys? Ford?” Angel whispered his name. After a long, significant look, Angel opened her mouth and shut it again.
“You want to talk about it?” Pam asked.
“What?” Maybe if she played dumb, Pam would let it go.
“What happened out there?” her friend insisted, because that’s what good friends did. They didn’t accept your bullshit. “With you and Coop.”
“I don’t…” Angel blinked past one memory after another—the tent that very first night. His smile, with that almost-dimple that she’d wanted to lick. Had she licked it? She didn’t think so.Why was that so upsetting?“I don’t know.”Because maybe she wouldn’t get to lick it now. Ever.
“You okay, hon?”
Angel could only nod, exhausted. “Yeah.” She rubbed a hand over the soft hospital sheet. Well, soft if she compared it to what she’d gotten used to sleeping on. Hard ice, with nothing but a couple layers of padding, slippery sleeping bags. Warm, solid man.
Not just any man.
Ford.
He wasit, the missing piece she couldn’t put her finger on, the reason she couldn’t get comfortable in this bed or maybe any bed. Ever again.
