Page 125 of Sweet Little Spies

She would rather sit here and wait for Parker to wake up. Ithad been a close thing. He’d been in surgery for hours, the doctors working tosave his liver. She’d been told he would come through with minimal damage, buthe would have to rest.

Carys rather thought the Canadian operative wouldn’t listento doctors.

She’d been surprised no one had visited him. Only a youngman who’d introduced himself as Tim. He’d checked on Ben and then he’d gone offto the debrief, too.

Was Ben Parker a lonely Captain Ahab, constantly chasingafter his white whale? How much had he given up to try to take down Huisman?

Of course after spending some time with the doctor sherather thought Parker was right.

“Hey, is he still out?” Aidan walked in carrying twocoffees. “I checked his chart. All of his vitals are strong. He’s a tough sonof a bitch. He carried her down a steep flight of stairs with two bullets inhim.”

“The man deserves some rest. I want to stay here until hewakes up. I don’t want him to wake up alone,” she whispered back. “Any wordfrom Tris?”

In the chaos she hadn’t had a chance to really talk to him.She’d been working with Aidan to save Parker’s life, and then the team had metwith CSIS to clear up all the details that came with a house blowing up in themiddle of Toronto. And there were all the bodies…

“I think they’re finishing up,” Aidan replied. “He said hewould be here within the hour. Ian wants to leave this evening. HopefullyParker wakes up soon because I got the feeling they’re planning on picking usup and taking us all straight to the airport.”

They’d been left out again, though this time they’d chosento stay in their world—the hospital—rather than going into Tristan’s. This timeit didn’t feel like he was leaving them behind. They’d been given the choice,and it was easy to trust him now. “Any news about Zach?”

The whole team seemed sick at the idea of Zach’s betrayal.Though Tristan hadn’t exactly put it like that. He’d said Zach was in trouble.

They just didn’t know what the trouble was.

“He didn’t say,” Aidan replied. “We’re going to have to sitdown and talk, Carys. I know you’ve been through a lot, and if you need sometime, we’ll give it to you.”

The door came open and there was Tris. He’d showered andchanged clothes and still looked tired and rumpled and so beautiful. “Hey. Ishe doing okay?”

She needed to make a few things plain to him. To both ofthem. She walked straight up to Tristan and wrapped her arms around him.“Parker is okay, but I’m not. Tris, I should have been exactly the woman yousaid I was. I should have found you and dragged your ass back home. At leastthen we would have talked. I shut down because somewhere deep inside I alwaysthought we would fail. I always thought something as amazing as what we havecouldn’t possibly last. You should understand I’m never letting you pull thisshit on me again, Master.”

A long, shuddering sigh went through Tristan, and he held onto her tightly. “Never. I told you, I’m done playing the spy. I’m a happy techwho will hang with Lou and Tash and make sure Ms. Magenta gets out alive.”

“Is she?” a deep voice asked.

Aidan immediately moved toward the bed where Parker waswaking up. “Go slow, man. You’ve had a serious surgery. One of the bulletslodged in your liver. The good news is you didn’t lose it, but you’ve got along recovery ahead.”

“I heal pretty quickly.” Parker groaned but shifted so hecould see Tristan. “I ask again. Is she alive?”

Carys started to let go, but Tristan’s arms held her. “Ms.Magenta is alive, thanks to you. I’m sorry to say Dr. Huisman is gone. Webelieve he left the country a few hours ago. We were minutes behind him.”

Parker nodded, scrubbing a hand over his head as thoughtrying to clear it. “Yeah, he had a way out. I should have… Well, let’s say heknew exactly what buttons to push. He knew I wouldn’t leave her behind.”

“How much did you hear?” Tristan asked.

The amount of information about the team Parker might havelearned from the conversation Huisman had been having with Tristan was of someconcern.

“Uhm, I managed to get into place when Manny went off on hismisogynist bullshit. I couldn’t see well. Was he going to take her fingersoff?” Parker coughed and put a hand to his chest.

“I don’t even want to think about that. Ever again.” Aidanshook his head.

“Yes, he was going to do exactly that.” Tristan rubbed hischeek against her head as though he needed the closeness to remind him theywere alive and whole. “You saved more than Ms. Magenta. You saved my fiancée,and I’ll be eternally grateful, Parker. Anything you need, all you have to dois ask. I think you’ll find the Agency is now taking the threat seriously. CSISas well. My boss is meeting with yours right now. I believe he’s planning oncoming down to Langley in a couple of days to talk further.”

“I’ll be there if they’ll let me,” Parker vowed.

So stubborn. “Or you could rest and let your body heal.”

“See, that would be reasonable, and I happen to know he’snot reasonable.” The door had come open again, and her cousin stood there.

Kenzie not Kala, because she happened to know Kala wasalready on her way back to Dallas. Cooper had bundled her up after she’d wokenand Carys had decided she was stable enough to travel. She was on her way homewhere they would assess her to try to figure out what Huisman had given her andif the experimental drugs had any long-term effects.

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