“No one is in your room tonight.”
Hint. Hint.
“That’s true.” I wrestled my smile into submission. “Would you like to sleep in there?”
“I guess I could.” She scrunched up her nose. “As a favor.”
“I appreciate it.” I fought down laughter. “Do you want me to try and wake Sloane before you go?”
“Would you?” She twirled in place. “Like I said, it’s not about money, it’s the principle of the thing.”
“I understand.” I crossed to the bed then thumped Sloane between the eyes. “You’ve got a guest.”
“Mmm.” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Hamburger.”
“Sloane.” I pressed a finger into the red spot. “Open your eyes.”
“Onionsss.”
“Get ready,” I warned Goldie then wedged myself between the head of the bed and the wall. “Put your phone on burst mode. That’ll give you the best chance of catching the shot you need.”
While visions of rare cheeseburgers danced in Sloane’s head, I thumbed back her eyelids as far as they would go. I nodded to Goldie, who held down the button to capture as many shots as fast as her camera could snap, then yanked my hands back.
“Well?” I gave her a moment to check her work. “Are any of them useable?”
“How about this one?” She flashed me a shot of Sloane with one lid open to the whites of her eyes while the other eyelid sagged through her pupil. “He didn’t specify she had to be awake.” She mashed her lips together. “And both her eyesareopen.”
“I call this a success.” I slid out and gripped her shoulders, spinning her toward the door. “Now go claim your prize.” I gave her a quick hug. “And maybe bring your Auntie Sloane a jerky tomorrow as payment.”
“I can do that.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “The corner store sells the skinny ones for a dollar.”
“That sounds perfect.” As soon as I scooted her out into the hall, I checked on Jess—still unconscious—then on Sloane. “Your shifter healing will take care of that red spot before breakfast.” I rubbed it like a stain I could wipe away but onlymade it worse. “Burdock must have really given you the good stuff if that didn’t wake you.”
“Who says I’m not awake?” She didn’t so much as flutter an eyelid. “Do you really think I would miss a chance to mess with Liam?” She snickered and pulled the covers up to her chin. “I do appreciate you negotiating a payoff for me. Talk about having your jerky and eating it too.”
“I think that wascake, but sure.” I thumped her again, right between the eyes, and laughed when she yelped. “That was for faking.” I considered going for lucky number three. “Jess and I have been watching over you all afternoon, and that’s the thanks we get?”
“I haven’t been awake long.” She finally looked at me. “You were asleep, so I wasn’t going to bother you. Then I saw Goldie sneaking in and waited to see what she was up to before deciding on my next move.”
“And that was letting her snap a photo that made you look like one of those blinking dolls when one of their creepy eyelids gets stuck?”
“Yes.”
“As your best friend, it’s not my job to always understand you as long as I support you.”
“That is probably for the best, yes.” She turned on her side facing me. “What time is it?”
“No clue.” I stifled a yawn. “Want to talk smack about Liam until we fall asleep?”
Scootching over, she patted the mattress beside her. “I thought you would never ask.”
Sloane was bouncing in place, eager to leave the clinic, but I had to find Jess first. She hadn’t been in the room when I woke, and I had yet to see a nurse I could ask. She wasn’t answering my texts either. About the time I decided to go search for her, a faraway door squeaked, and a soft voice escaped into the hall.
“I’ll be right back.” I pointed where Sloane sat on the bed. “Donotmove until you’re discharged.”
Mature as always, she stuck her tongue out at me and kept swinging her legs.
I tracked the source near the exit and peeked in a room through the thin glass panel inset into the door.
