Page 92 of Time to Bounce

He was once again in his tactical pants, black polo, and combat boots.

He had a holster wrapped around his right thigh, and it did wonderful things to his package. Almost framing it for my viewing pleasure.

His arms were crossed tight over his chest, and his muscles were bulging, and I could just see the hint of a tattoo from underneath his shirt.

Grinning, I put my calls on pause, and then went to my boss’s office.

“Hey,” I said. “Do you mind if I take off an hour early? My best friend is in labor.”

Cameron looked up from his desk and said, “Sure thing. I’ll take over until your relief gets here.”

I clapped my hands happily, then hurried back to my desk to gather my things.

Since I assumed the threat was no longer active, I didn’t bother to call anyone to tell them where I was going.

I cannot brain today. I has the dumb.

—Text from Athena to Gable

ATHENA

Maybe I should’ve waited.

Maybe I should have also not walked to the hospital.

But my first thought was the walk was only eight blocks.

My second was that I didn’t have a car, and I was fairly sure everyone I would normally call would be busy either driving to the hospital themselves, or already there.

I also didn’t give a second thought to the fact that the person in the house who Maven and Nastya had shot might not have been Madman.

I’d just assumed… and you know what they say about making assumptions.

I was lost in thought, my pace quick, as I rushed to the hospital from the station.

In fact, I was so lost in thought that I didn’t expect anyone to be in my path until they suddenly were.

I could see the hospital in the distance.

It was maybe a block and a half away.

That was the first thing that caught my attention when I felt like I bounced off a brick wall.

“Well, hello there.” A man chuckled.

His words sent my heart pounding, and not in a good way.

I knew that voice.

I knew that body.

I backed away or tried to.

He wouldn’t let me go.

I struggled, and was definitely drawing people’s attention, but it wasn’t enough to get him to let me go.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

---