I pointed to him.
“On three?”
Again, I nodded.
“One. Two.” He ripped it off.
I yelped. My lips burned and tears stung my eyes. “No three?”
“Sorry, I thought that would be better.”
A sticky residue from the tape coated my cheeks, wrists, and ankles. “That’s okay.” I touched his arm. “Thanks.”
He gave me a shy smile. “You certainly keep a guy hopping.” Bubba Boom freed a few strands of my hair that had stuck to my cheek and tucked them behind my ear. “Doctor Lamont’s on the way.”
“I’m fine. Just starving.”
He took my right hand in his. Turning my wrist, he traced the tiny scar on my forearm. “We would have found you sooner if you hadn’t taken the tracer out.”
“We?”
“Hank and the others. And Doctor Lamont. We’ve all been searching for you.”
“Did she rat me out about the tracer?”
“No, but we figured it out pretty quick.” He grew serious. “Who locked you in here?”
“Sloan.”
He nodded as if expecting that answer. “Who were the two guys who took you from the infirmary?”
“Jacy’s goons. I don’t know their names.”
“Do you know why they grabbed you?”
“I think Jacy found out about my tracer. He wanted to know what I had been doing, and I wouldn’t tell him. It’s obvious he’s up to something and he thought I’d figure it out and cause trouble.”
“So he made a preemptive strike,” Bubba Boom said.
“Sounds like?—”
“Trella!” Lamont rushed into the room. She dropped her medical bag and wrapped me in a tight hug. Her muscles trembled.
Stunned, I didn’t move.
“I’ve been so worried!” She pulled away to look at me. “Are you alright? If they’ve hurt you, I’ll dismember them without antiseptic and feed them to Chopper one tiny bit at a time.”
Impressive. All I wished to do was slap Sloan a few times.
“Can you walk? I want to do a full scan right away.” Lamont checked my pulse.
“I’m fine. Just really thirsty and hungry.” I appealed to Bubba Boom. “Can you come with me to the cafeteria?”
But Lamont wouldn’t take the hint. “I’ll come along. You haven’t eaten in at least twenty-six hours. You’ll need to be careful about what you put into your stomach.”
“Twenty-six hours? Are you sure?” That seemed too long. I wondered if Logan had been successful and what was going on with the Outsiders.
“Oh yes. I suffered through every one of them.” Lamont thumped her chest. “You were stunned and, since you’re small, it probably knocked you out for ten to twelve hours.”
