“What?”He blinked innocently.It was a simple question.She was already fixing his error; it couldn’t be that hard to make a few tweaks.
“You don’t need all these changes.”
“I know I don’tneedthem, but I want them.”Anything to make his job easier and make him deadlier.Most people were unassuming since he had an impediment.That was their first mistake.No one would suspect him when he opened the tip of his finger and poison could be added to a glass.
“I can’t make those changes without impacting the functionality of the fingers.They need the mechanics in them to work.”
“But I saw—”
“What, something in a movie?”she cut him off, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” he hedged, shifting from one foot to the other, not willing to admit the truth.
Dr.Shane rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.“Barry, that’s fiction and CG.If you want something like that, I can do it, but you won’t be able to use the finger.It won’t curl to assist in grabbing.”
“You could do it to the pinkie,” he suggested.“It’s not like anyone uses them anyway.”If it gave him a poisoned finger, he’d sacrifice the pinkie.
Dr.Shane shook her head and rolled her eyes.“You’re impossible.”
“Alright, so maybe it wasn’t my best idea,” Barry admitted.None of the missions he’d been on had required him to have poison in his finger, but he wanted to be prepared for anything.
“You think?”she asked in exaggeration.“Next time you get a bright idea like this, call me instead of trying it yourself.”
“Will do, Doc.”He probably should leave something like this to the professionals.He had been a ranger, not a mechanic in the military.“Did you receive bad news?”he questioned after a few moments as she started working on his arm.He didn’t know how long it would take her to fix it, and she hadn’t told him to leave, so he tried to fill in the silence as he waited.
“What do you mean?”she asked instead of answering.Her focus was on his arm, but he could see the tension return to her body.
“You seemed upset when I came in.”
“It’s fine,” she replied, though by her tone, it was anything but.“It’s my sister,” she finally said.
“What about her?”
“She’s a shark biologist in the Caribbean.She’s been there for years.She wrote to tell me that sharks have been going missing for a while now.She’s blaming someone and has plans to confront them without proof.I’ve urged her to let it go, but she won’t.Says it’s her mission to protect them.”Dr.Shane rolled her eyes as if she didn’t believe the sentiment.
Barry didn’t agree.The woman was obviously passionate about what she did.That shouldn’t be held against her.He could relate.“One should always protect the ones they love.”
“I’m worried she’s going to end up in jail or worse.”
“I can go down there and check in on her, if you’d like,” Barry offered.
Dr.Shane looked up at him, speechless.A kaleidoscope of emotions crossed over her face.“Really?”
Why not?Give Dr.Shane some peace of mind after all she had done for him and his friends.It was the least he could do.“Yeah, we’re in between assignments right now.I can fly down and check in on her.I can find out what the trouble is.If she’s causing trouble, I can extract her or help her with her problem.”
A sense of relief washed over her face.“You don’t know what that would mean to me.I’m worried about Mac.She’s headstrong, independent, and stubborn as a goat.She won’t listen to anyone.I’m worried she’s going to upset the wrong person one day and I’ll never see her again.She’s never been one to back down from a fight, and I just have this awful feeling something could happen to her in all this.”
“Don’t worry, Doc.I’ll keep an eye on her,” Barry assured her.How hard could it be keeping an eye on a woman and making sure she stayed out of trouble?This would be a walk in the park for him.Less dangerous than some of his more usual assignments.
Dr.Shane started working on his arm again then stopped and looked back up at him.“Oh, and one more thing.Don’t tell her that I asked you to come.Just pose as a tourist.”
“Why is that?”he asked, confused.Why couldn’t he tell Mac her sister was worried about her?
“If she thinks I sent you, she’ll just ghost you or make your life hell.”
Since she knew Mac best, he’d take her advice.“I’ll be discreet, Doc.Don’t worry.”
Chapter 2
