Page 94 of Heartless

“What was that about?” she asked.

His eyes somber, Hawke shrugged as he came back to her. “Just getting reassurance that you’re really going to be okay. You scared the hell out of me, Livvy.”

She glanced around the room, noting the blanket on the chair beside her bed. “Did you sleep here?”

“Sleep? No, but I stayed a few nights.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips.

She savored the feel of his mouth on her skin for a few seconds and then pulled away. “Tell me what you know.”

“Not a lot. We found the toxin on the inside of your jacket. I figured the flight attendant placed something in the sleeve when she handed it to you on the plane.”

She nodded, remembering. “I didn’t put it on until I got out of the SUV at OZ.”

“Yeah. It was fast-acting.”

“Where did the antidote come from?”

“One of Ash’s informants.”

“Do we know what the poison was yet?”

“No.”

“So it wasn’t what my mother took?”

He looked away for a few seconds, then shook his head. “No. From what we could tell, the two drugs had nothing in common.”

“Any idea why I was targeted? Do you think it had something to do with Iris?”

“We’re not sure yet. Serena’s been digging into all the intel that Iris provided. So far, she’s thinking it’s legit.”

She swung her legs around and put her feet on the floor.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I need to help.”

A giant hand landed on her shoulder to stop her. “No. Your job is to get better.”

“Hawke, no. I have to—”

“Olivia, only a few hours ago, we didn’t think you would make it. For right now, you need to rest.”

She told herself if she’d had an ounce more strength she would have fought him. But she also knew he was right. She wasn’t ready for anything remotely active yet. Each moment she felt stronger, but she knew she wasn’t close to being a hundred percent. Collapsing again would help no one.

Sighing, she put her feet back on the bed. “Fine. But I want to know what’s going on in real time. Okay?”

“Of course. Now get some rest.” Hawke pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and walked out the door.

She watched him go, frowning at his quick exit. She blinked her suddenly heavy eyelids, but a part of her feared going to sleep. What if she didn’t wake up?

That was her last thought for the rest of the night.

Olivia sipped her tea and breathed in the first quiet she’d had all day. After eight hours of undisturbed, natural sleep, she had woken feeling almost normal. Her day had been filled with doctors, tests, and visitors. It was now early evening, and this was the first time she’d had to allow herself to think about what had happened.

She remembered everything. When the dizziness first hit, she had been confused. Darkness had closed in around her, but she could still feel the heat of the sun on her face. Her body had felt weightless, weak. At that moment, her every instinct had been to turn to Hawke. A voice inside her had told her to look at him one last time. If she were going to die, she wanted his face to be the last thing she saw.

She also remembered what he’d said before she’d gotten out of the car. As arguments went, it had been a mild one, though it had been no less devastating. The only one that came close was the argument two years ago that had crushed her heart. This one had left her without hope.

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