Page 62 of Cloud Storm

“Roselynn, I sent these emails,” I whisper, still in a state of denial.

“So why does Lancelot have them?” She’s looking at me like I have two heads.

To be honest, if I were in her shoes, I’d think the same thing.

“I have no idea.” And here comes the creepy part. “Perhaps the Suit is an accomplished hacker.”

Just thinking about it unnerves me and frightens me. My body shakes, I can’t believe he would go this far.

For fuck’s sake, how deep in trouble am I with this man?

“Who were you writing to?” Here we go, the Roselynn Holland third degree begins.

“To a virtual friend. Someone I met online.”

Her mouth opens in shock, I have caught her completely off guard.

“Ariel, those things are for teenagers or sad lonely spinsters. Haven’t you read about the dangers of meeting people in forums and dating sites?”

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” I reply angrily.

“So why start now?”

Under her gaze, I’m really embarrassed, and then luckily in the open drawer of the desk I see the phone book we’ve come in here to look for.

“It’s a long story,” I add. “And right now we don’t have time to waste. Lancelot needs to see a doctor urgently, even if he does deserve to be in jail.”

Suit, I’m gonna smack you so hard as soon as you feel better.

My friend’s attention is focused on the Suit’s phone book. But this is temporary, the way she spares me a look confirms that.

As Chase predicted, Lancelot has the phone number of not one, but two doctors. Browsing on Google we discover that one is a pediatrician and the other a well-known plastic surgeon, which we immediately discard.

I’m calling the pediatrician.

As we wait for the doctor to make a house call about an hour later, Lancelot is still asleep in bed, although the three of us agree that his condition is not as serious as yesterday, apparently my pharmacy remedies did work.

I look at him, trying to find the answers I’m looking for.

Suit, you have no idea what’s coming for you, motherfucker.

A doctor who seems to have just left med school arrives and Roselynn guides him to the Suit’s room. He asks for an accurate account of the circumstances, and I tell him as much as I can, although I’ve only been involved over the last twelve hours, and I don’t know how long he was been ill before that, although I assume since Monday, our wicked encounter and our soaked clothes.

“Take that worried expression off your face, girl, I’m pretty certain your friend is not going to die,” the doctor says, as he shows me out of the bedroom in order to carry out his examination of his patient.

“And how do you know that?” Maybe the Suit will survive his cold, but he won’t survive my fury.

That’s a fact.

He raises an eyebrow, silently answering my suspicious question. But hey, I don’t know him or read his references, what did you expect?

“He’s very young, and seems to be taking his time,” I grumble to Chase as we stand around waiting for news. “Not sure he’s even old enough to shave. Have we called a veterinarian by mistake?”

Chase smiles almost with sympathy. The fucker.

“Ariel, it’s only been twenty minutes, relax. The doctor is doing us a big favor by coming out to see Lance, he really ought to be at the hospital,” he replies, shaking his head at my impatience.

“That doctor does not inspire a lot of trust, not when he looks like he should be seeing the pediatrician himself.”

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