Page 79 of Fatal Attraction

Right away, the pretty brunette got up and scanned her ID against the black box outside the double doors. As they opened, I rushed inside, hollering, “Thank you,” as I dashed down to room C7. I found Spike already there and waiting outside on the bench beside the door, his leg anxiously bouncing.

Chief was nowhere in sight.

“Is he okay?” I asked, which had Spike’s head jerking up and his emerald eyes locking with mine.

“I-I don’t know,” he said as he rose to his feet, hugging me as he sniffled. “Doc and nurses have been in there with him since we got here about ten minutes ago.” He paused, pulling away with tears sliding down his cheeks. “He died on me, Phoenix. He-he stopped breathing. I had to give him CPR to bring him back. I…” He swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I don’t know if it was enough.”

“Did he say anything? Anything at all?”

He nodded. “Percious. I don’t know what it means.”

“Percious?” I repeated, my brows crumpled. “That has to be a person, right?”

Spike shrugged before reaching up to wipe under his eyes. “I-I don’t know, Phoenix. I—” His words faltered as my phonebegan ringing, and I annoyingly scowled down at the display, rolling my eyes in utter frustration as I brought the device to my ear.

“Who is it?” Spike whispered.

Crow,I mouthed out, which made Spike widen his eyes, his mouth dropping.

“Yeah?”

“I have the time and location.”

I raised two fingers at Spike, urging him forward. He stuck his head as close to mine as he could as I asked, “When?”

“Sunset. Meet us at Daggers. We’ll have a bike and jacket for you and Spike.”

“The plan?” Spike asked thickly.

“Ah, Spike.” Crow’s grin was heard in his tone. “I figured you were listening in.” He let out a deep laugh and I could literally imagine him shaking his head over the phone. “You’ll get all of the dirty details tonight. I can’t take the risk of exposing my plans just for the two of you to go behind my back and arrest me after the fact.”

“Crow,” I growled.

“Tootles.” He hung up.

“I really don’t like him,” Spike muttered under his breath.

“Welcome to the fucking club.”

An ear-ringing alarm wailed throughout the hospital then, and a females’ voice declaring a CODE BLUE blared through the intercom. My heart jumped to my throat when the words, “ROOM C7,” came next, and I instantly swiveled, tears rushing to my eyes as a group of doctors and nurses began rushing past us and inside Felix’s room.

“WAIT,” Spike shouted, grabbing ahold of a random doctor. “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“There’s no time,” the dark-haired man urgently replied, tugging his arm away. “Just wait out here and you’ll know something soon.”

“Come on,” I said as I grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the door. Spike fought against me, adamant on entering the room. “There’s nothing we can do, Spike. Let’s go check on Carter while we wait. As much as it hurts, they won’t let us in there. We have to let them do their jobs.”

“They have to save him,” he rasped, tears still falling down his face. “They have to. We-we need him to help us find Charlotte!”

“I know that Spike, but we’re not healthcare professionals. We have to let them do their jobs.”

“I was so mean to him, Phoenix, so atrocious and hateful. I have to apologize to him. To tell him that I forgive him for what happened between us all those months ago.”

“You will,” I said with what I’d hoped wasn’t a false promise, holding my brother tight as my heart began to swell. “You will.”

“If we lose him,” he said as he shook against me, losing it. “We lose Charlotte.”

“I know.” I held him tight, fucking praying our journey to finding Charlotte didn’t end here with Felix.

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