Yeah, fair enough. “Enjoy your vacation. Sorry Ibothered you.”
“Jethro,” she said quietly. “Whether you like it or not, you are a member of our team. If you need help, you’re going to get help. So put yourself in front of this right now and tell me if you requiremy assistance.”
“When you get ticked, your Irish brogue is stronger,” he mused.
“When you’re hiding something, your British accent clips every word at the end,” she returned.
He shut hislips. Bollocks.
Chapter Ten
Gemma finished lunch—a too-enjoyable lunch with the handsome Dr. Hanson—and hustled out to her car by the day care. A quick glance inside confirmed that it was still nap time. Man, she could use a nap. Instead, she needed to take advantage of the fact that her afternoon class hadbeen canceled.
Her engine took a few moments to turn over in the cold. Though it hadn’t started snowing again, the clouds were dark and swollen above her. Finally the engine caught and the car roared to life. Well, sputtered to life. It was doubtful the heap would last through the winter.
A worry for another day.
She drove away from DC University, choosing a random direction. If she picked Trudy up at five, she had ninety minutes to drive one way, do what she needed to do for an hour, and then drive the ninety minutes back. To be safe, she only needed thirty minutes once she stopped.
Exactly ninety minutes later she sat in a coffee shop outside Sharpsburg, Maryland. The place had weathered wood walls, a mellow vibe, and no security cameras.
Sitting at a table in the far corner, she booted up the laptop she rarely used. The one with the IP address scrambler. Then she dug into her pack for a burner phone and turned it on, waiting for the screen to clear. She drank several gulps of her honey oat latte and then dialed the number, trying to keep her voice from sounding panicky.
“Cameron Medical Practice, Julie speaking,” a chipper youngvoice answered.
Gemma’s shoulders slowly relaxed. This was a new voice. “Yes, hello. My name is April and I’m new in town. A friend of mine recommended Dr. Monty Cameron to me, and I was hoping I could make an appointment.”
“Sure. What’s going on?” Julie asked, the sound of typing comingover the line.
“I injured my shoulder, I think. Or maybe it’s my back. I’m not sure, but I’m in a lot of pain and need to get in as soon as I can.” Gemma’s hand trembled as she reachedfor her latte.
More typing. “Okay. Well, the soonest I can get you in to see Dr. Cameron would be the end of next week. We do have a nurse practitioner you couldsee tomorrow.”
“No, I really need to see Dr. Cameron,” Gemma said as calmly as she could. “It’s so painful. Does he have anything openbefore that?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Julie said.
Gemma sighed loudly, letting the sound echo into the handset. “Okay. Well, I’ll take that appointment, but could you also put me on any cancellation list you might have? I’d really appreciate it.” Was Monty really that busy, or was he out of town? If he was out of town, what did that mean? Had he found her? That puddle by the washing machine just wouldn’t leave her mind. Plus, what about the flat tire? Sure, her tires were worn, but…what if?
“Oh, I normally would, but Dr. Cameron is on vacation right now. He’ll return on Monday.”
The world narrowed from outside in, muffling all sound. Gemma swallowed. “Vacation?”
“Yes,” Julie said cheerfully. “He’s in the tropics somewhere, not stuck in snow like the rest of us. I’m a little jealous.”
Gemma couldn’t breathe. “Oh. Okay. Well, my pain is pretty intense. Maybe I’ll head down to the emergency room and then schedule a follow-up with the doctor once I know what’s going on.” Her head spun. The entire coffee shop spun around her.
“Sounds good. Call back any time.” Julie clicked off.
Gemma sat frozen for a minute. Monty could be on vacation. Or he could have found her. It’d be just like him to play games and mess with her head. But she’d been so careful. Counting her breaths in and then out, she tried to calm her body while tearing apart the phone. It’d go in the garbagewhen she left.
Then she punched up a video call on the special laptop, hoping her friendwas available.
Serena’s stunning facecame into view.
Hope leaped into Gemma’s chest as she shoved in her earphones. “It is so good to see you.”
Serena smiled. “You too.” Her kinky black hair had grown out, and a fine smattering of freckles spread across her nose and cheeks, darker than her russet-brown skin. She wore a red shirt depicting a dancing Yoda, along with a white lab coat.“Are you safe?”
