Page 95 of Heartless

Why she had continued to go down that path she couldn’t say. Hawke had made it clear from the beginning how he felt about having children. Hoping he would somehow change his mind had been both naïve and stupid.

Telling her to find someone else—that hadn’t been him. Yes, she knew he wanted her to be happy, but actually saying the words he’d said hadn’t been Hawke. Her husband had a strong possessive streak. She knew the thought of another man touching her would destroy him. She had seen his face when he’d uttered those words, seen his regret and pain. Problem was, even though he hadn’t meant them, he had said them.

They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk much since she’d woken, what with the steady stream of visitors. Eve and Serena had brought toiletries, clothes, and her favorite brand of tea. Liam had brought magazines and a box of candy. Gideon had brought flowers. Hawke had been by multiple times, but he hadn’t stayed long. She thought maybe he was making sure she hadn’t fallen back into a deep sleep.

No one would tell her anything about what was going on. Every question she’d asked had been met with, You don’t need to worry about that now. Just get better. She would get better once she had answers. Being treated like an invalid wasn’t going to work.

The only piece of news had come from Serena, who’d told her the flight attendant they suspected of putting the patch on her jacket had disappeared.

Other than that, she knew nothing. She wanted to know what else they’d learned. Was the Wren Project, the shadow group Iris had named, behind her poisoning? If so, what had they hoped to accomplish? Was it because of the Gonzalez cartel’s destruction or something else? Was it because of what had happened to Iris? Was it retribution?

No one had been by for almost an hour. She’d looked for her phone earlier and couldn’t find it. If she needed anything, she could use the Call button, but a nurse couldn’t tell her what she needed to know.

Her feet touched the floor, and she stood, sliding her feet into the tieless sneakers beside the bed. Her legs were a little wobbly in the beginning, but they found purchase, and she felt stronger with each step. Eve had helped her shower earlier, and after brushing her teeth and dressing in a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt, she’d at last begun to feel human again.

She glanced in the mirror on the wall. Despite the makeup she’d applied earlier, she was still a little pale, but not too much so. She pulled her long hair into a low ponytail and pinched her cheeks to add a little more color. That would have to do. She was determined to leave this room and find out what was happening.

Opening the door, she peered into the empty hallway. She knew this was a special wing created specifically for Option Zero employees. She’d been here before, but only as a visitor.

From what she remembered, at one end of the hallway was a nurses station and reception area. At the other end, there was a waiting room and a small chapel. Since the area was limited to OZ personnel, it wasn’t large, but why did it feel so deserted?

She headed toward the nurses station, willing her legs to stay strong. By the time she made it to the desk, she was sweating and felt as if she’d run a marathon, but she also felt triumphant. Unfortunately, when she got there, no one was around. Standing in the middle of the hall, she called out, “Anyone here?”

The sound of raised voices coming from the other end of the hallway caught her attention. Turning, she slowly headed that way. A door on the left with a Meeting Room sign above it was closed, and she distinctly heard Hawke and Gideon shouting.

She twisted the knob and pushed the door open to reveal a conference room. Several OZ operatives were sitting around a table, while Hawke and Gideon were standing within inches of each other, looking as if they were about to brawl.

No one had noticed her, so she stood quietly and listened. She had a feeling this was the only way she would get some answers.

“You have no plan, Hawke,” Gideon barked.

“Everything’s going to have to be fluid until we can figure out what we’re up against.”

“In the meantime, Eve is expected to stand in for Iris Gates without knowing what they want with her. For all we know, they’ll kill her on sight.”

“She’ll be protected.”

His face dark, Gideon shook his head. “You can’t protect against an unknown entity.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Gideon, we do it all the time,” Eve said. “It’s not like this is my first rodeo.”

Gideon glared at her over his shoulder. “Maybe so, but we have no idea who these people are. There could be hundreds…hell, thousands of them. How do we know you and Hawke won’t be walking into a bloodbath?”

“Maybe Olivia could tell us some of her mother’s characteristics or traits,” Serena said. “Eve might be able to look like her, but to be more convincing, it would help if she could mimic some of Iris’s mannerisms.”

“No,” Hawke said. “Olivia stays out of this. She’s been through enough. This doesn’t concern her.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one to make that judgment?”

All eyes turned to Olivia. Myriad emotions played across everyone’s faces—surprise, guilt, embarrassment. Hawke was the only one who looked angry.

He strode toward her, and she could easily read the intent in his expression. He was going to try to put her back in her room, back in bed. That wasn’t going to happen.

She stood her ground, refusing to retreat. “What’s going on? And why is Eve planning to impersonate my mother?”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t you dare say this doesn’t concern me, because it obviously does.”

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