He blew out a harsh breath as he took a few steps into the medical bay. “Darwin, SIT REP.”
Darwin chuckled. “One day, you’ll have to give up all that military speak when it’s just us. As for our patient?—”
“Barrett.” Gus glared at Neve for a moment. “Captain Coulter Barrett, JTF2 and a damn liability that’s guaranteed to bite our entire operation in the ass.”
Darwin glanced at Neve, eyes wide before he focused on Coulter. “He’s stable enough — he’ll live if you stop hovering over me and let me do my job.”
Gus arched a brow. “And if we moved him?”
Darwin stopped, looking up. “You’ll kill him. So, he stays. My call, Gus.”
The general nodded, twisting to look at Neve. “What the hell were you thinking? You were sent on a recon mission. See what had set off those damn alarms at Blackridge. Decide if the CEO, Peter Ramsey, might be connected to Finch. But then all hell breaks loose, and you’re coming in hot, bringing trouble to our door. You do realize that if Ramsey got a good look at Barrett, he won’t stop searching for him. And all these precautions might not be enough to keep us safe.”
Neve straightened. “Correct me if I’m wrong, sir, but the last time I checked, we didn’t leave people behind. And Ramsey can knock down the damn door for all I care. I promise, he won’t like the reception he gets.” She glanced back at Coulter, remembering the haunted look in his eyes as she’d stepped out of the fog. “Regardless, I’m not abandoning Coulter, again. Never should have let you talk me into keeping him in the dark in the first place.”
Raking her fingers through her hair to expend some energy, she pushed down the rage, the guilt. “I don’t know why Coulter was at Blackridge, but based on how badly they wanted him dead, I’d say he either saw something damning, or grabbed some proof. Which reminds me, we need his clothes. In case he hid something in the pockets.”
Gus tapped his foot on the floor, looking less than impressed. “I’m not heartless, Neve. I’m simply trying to keep you all alive long enough to bring down Finch. But now that Coulter’s here, he’ll have to stay.”
“I don’t see that as a problem.”
“Good, then you explain it to him once he wakes up because like it or not, he’s a ghost now, too.”
Neve studied Coulter’s profile for a moment. “He was a ghost the moment he stepped into that facility. He just didn’t know it. And at least this way, we can keep him safe. Use his expertise.”
“Just don’t get any romantic ideas that he’s going to embrace this. We just burned his career to the ground. He might not be so thrilled once he realizes he’s stuck here until this is over.”
Neve stared at Coulter, heart still pounding, the ache in her chest cinching tight. “I’ll take angry over dead any day.”
Gus sighed. “Darwin, keep me posted. And let me know if Coulter grabbed anything useful. We’ll all sit down and have a chat once he’s strong enough. Until then, make sure he doesn’t drag his ass out of here.”
He turned and left the room, his expectations lingering like the chill still seeping into her bones.
Darwin looked over at her. “He means well. He just doesn’t like putting all of you at risk.”
She smiled. “Pretty sure we agreed to stay.”
“I doubt that’s how he sees it.” Darwin gathered more supplies. “Why don’t you grab some coffee. I promise I’ll come get you once he’s cleaned up, and you can sit by his side until you either fall on your face, or he wakes up.”
Neve rolled her eyes, though, she had to admit, she liked Darwin. He had a way of easing the tension without saying a word. Or maybe, just saying the right words when she needed them the most.
She detoured to her room and showered, watching Coulter’s blood circle down the drain before getting some coffee and planting her ass in a chair beside his bed once Darwin had given her the all-clear. Wynn had found a thumb drive in Coulter’s pocket, along with a photo from Neve’s time with his unit, and a few pieces of some broken tech. Zadie had already started running encryption algorithms to see if she could open the files. Get a head start in case Coulter didn’t rouse for a while.
His hand felt cool, heavy, the air around them a mix of lemon cleaner and antiseptic wash. A steady beep sounded from the monitor, his whispered breath soothing the ache in her chest. The one she’d had since she’d agreed to stay.
Since she’d burned their one chance into ashes.
Time faded as she drifted in and out, Darwin checking in a couple times before leaving her with the man she’d planned on growing old with. The other half of her soul.
Voices sounded in the hallway, everyone rousing for breakfast, when Coulter’s fingers twitched in hers. She stilled, leaning over him as his eyelids fluttered, catching fleeting glimpses of blue before he managed to keep them open, look up at her.
Tears burned her eyes, a few falling onto their joined hands as she smiled down at him. “Hey.”
He squinted, looking at her just like he had outside the facility, eyes narrowed, mouth slightly open. He wet his lips, swallowed. “Neve?”
“Glad you haven’t forgotten. And yeah, Coulter. It’s me.”
He pursed his lips, groaning when he tried to move. “But, it can’t… you’re dead.”
