Page 67 of Lethal Game

"Why don't we just call her? The nurse can get her phone toher. You can find out how she's feeling. You don't have to tell her about the letter."

"Doesn't she deserve to know everything? Am I wrong to keep it from her?"

"There's so much we don't know, Alisa, and there's nothing your mother can do. It's your call, but I think you should focus on her condition and assure her you're all right. Then she can rest, knowing you're safe."

"I agree," she said as he took out his phone.

He called the hospital and asked for the nurse's station on the sixth floor. Several moments later, he handed her the phone.

She heard the nurse talking to her mom, and then her mother's voice came on the line. The familiarity almost made her want to cry, but she had to hold it together.

"Hi, Mom," she said, forcing a cheerful note into her voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better. I even watched a game show tonight. It reminded me how your father knew all the answers before we did."

"Before they even finished the question," she said, feeling pain at the memory.

"Have you heard anything from him?"

"I haven't talked to him," she said carefully, wording the lie so it would be partly true. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Where are you?" her mother asked.

"I'm with Jason."

"Is he keeping you safe? Is he making sure you eat?"

"He's doing all that. In fact, we were thinking of getting dinner now. Are you okay tonight if I don't come by until tomorrow?"

"Of course. You do not need to spend any more time watching me sleep."

"Then I'll come in the morning." She felt guilty at the wave of relief that swept through her.

"That's perfect, Alisa. Have a good night."

"You, too. I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow."

She let out a breath as she set the phone on the console. "We can just go to the safe house."

As he pulled out of the lot, she glanced back at the motel where her father had spent the last few days. Hopefully, those days wouldn't be his last.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jason didn't know how Alisa was still on her feet. But as they entered the safe house, he was once again impressed by her emotional strength. She'd bloodied her hands trying to save Henry's life and had then seen more blood in the motel room where her father had been staying. She'd heard what could have been his goodbye letter, and she hadn't fallen apart, although she looked shell-shocked.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked as they moved through the kitchen and into the dining room.

"Right now, I just need a break. I'm going upstairs."

Not wanting to push her into a conversation she didn't want to have, he let her go. He needed to work, anyway. He went into the den and got on his computer, eager to see what he could learn about Dan Hunt—AKA Alexei Bruno. He finally had the connection between Novikov and the Hunt family, and it was seriously disturbing. If Novikov needed a chemist to carry out his plan, then that pointed to a chemical or bioweapon attack, which could be catastrophic.

After several minutes of searching through the FBI databases, he'd found absolutely nothing on Alexei Bruno, which seemed a little unusual. It almost made him wonder if Alexei'spast had been scrubbed from every channel, even the official ones. Tapping his fingers restlessly on the desk, he debated his options, and one jumped out at him. Dan had said he had a friend he was trying to reach. And that friend must have been the person who helped him reinvent himself. Since he hadn't been a part of witness protection, and there was nothing he could find in the FBI files, there was only one other person to ask.

Picking up his phone again, he texted Mick Hadley:What do you know about Alexei Bruno?

The reply came within a minute, but it wasn't an answer. It was a question:Do you have him in custody?

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