Page 82 of Bad Blood

“Why do you think I did something?” I feign heartache at her accusation, but I’m not sure I succeed. She doesn’t know the half of it. I fall back onto the pillow, covering my face with my arm. Am I that predictable?

“Because you’re you. Anyway, I was calling . . .” There’s a long pause. “Look, I’m not always the one you guys come to for help, but I wanted to talk to you . . .”

There’s a knock on the door. Liam peeks his head in my room. “Dax?” His tone causes the hair on my arms to stand on end.

“Bree, let me call you back.”

“Wait, hear me out. It’ll only take a sec. I wanted to explain somethi—”

I hang up, kicking my feet over the edge of the bed, and stand. “Everything okay?”

Liam’s voice cracks as he extends his phone. “You’re gonna wanna see this.”

23

Dead to Rights

Brighton

Thursday, June 1 st

7:19 a.m.

There is something about being in the presence of Luca James that is both underwhelming and entertaining at the same time. I’m not sure if it’s the drone of his voice or the tap-tap-tapping of his pen on the legal pad in front of him, but I lost track of what he was saying when he mentioned the badges again.

A sharp sensation comes from my right elbow. “Ouch.”

“Sorry, Dr. Fields, did you need something?” Luca forces everyone’s attention to me.

“No, sir.” I rub where he pinched me. I hate how he thinks it’s okay to pretend we’re chummy when we’re anything but. And why is it always the freaking elbow?

I turn in my seat, ignoring Kline’s existence.

He chuckles under his breath.

“I’m sorry. Did I say something funny?” Luca stops tapping his pen. I can’t say I’m not thankful for the interruption, but now there’s no telling how long the rest of the meeting will be. Luca doesn’t do well with distractions.

“Dr. Matthews wanted to know if there was any new information about Dr. Pendegrass. He didn’t know how to ask. I figured I could help him out. How long will we have the extra security in the parking garage?” I ask, more out of my own curiosity than anything Kline mentioned.

Kline’s face pales. Ha! That’ll teach him to prod at me when I’m pretending to pay attention.

Luca glances at the pad in front of him, tracing his finger along his list. “Because of recent events, we’re on a basic lock-down, if you will. Authorities aren’t saying the incident at the park is related to the incident here, but the fact that someone else in the vicinity has fallen victim to a heinous crime doesn’t bode well for us. As I said before, we are working in complete cooperation with the police, and if anyone has any information pertaining to . . .”

Somehow, I lost focus and missed everything Luca said. Did he say another victim? From the park—as in where I was with Dax last night? How did I miss this? I pull out my phone, searching for more information, when someone on the opposite end of the table clears their throat.

Dr. Tara Perez, our locum radiologist, waves. I’ve seen her around the last few weeks. She’s always in some shade of red scrubs. They complement her olive complexion and brown hair. It’s a bold statement, but it suits her, and she’s extremely proficient.

I’m a little jealous.

“Yes, Dr. Perez?” Luca’s nasally voice drones.

“Haven’t they already interviewed everyone?”

Their conversation puts my search on hold. I need to know this.

Luca pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Well, yes, everyone here has been questioned pertaining to Dr. Pendegrass. I was reiterating the importance of coming forward if anyone thinks they know something about the recent incident, inform them and cooperate . . .”

I turn my head, chuckling into my shoulder. I do enjoy how easy it is to fluster him. Like I said, entertaining. I make eye contact with Tara, and she winks. I’m not the only one fluent in his propensity to fumble our meetings.

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