Page 44 of Fury

Chapter Fifteen

Penelope woketo the sound of loud beeps of machinery and voices she didn’t recognize. She tried to lift her hands to cover her ears and found one of them tethered to her side. What the hell?

Why the hell was it so loud in here? And where exactly was here?

Her eyelids didn’t want to cooperate either. She didn’t like the dark so she needed to open her eyes now. With what felt like all the strength she could muster, she finally managed to open them only to be blinded by bright, white lights staring her in the face.

“Jesus. Someone turn off the blinders. And for God’s sake turn the noise down about fourteen levels. What the heck?”

“Agent Bishop?”

Penelope slowly moved her head around to see one of her co-workers standing just inside the door. As her vision focused from the sudden move she began to realize what her surroundings meant. She was in a hospital. That thought triggered the memory of her getting shot. The pain had been so white hot and intense it had seemed like her body would combust long before she bled out.

And she remembered the blood. Oh God, the acrid odor and the warm liquid flowing over her fingers…

Her stomach tumbled with unease at the memories. How had she gotten here and what did it all mean? She struggled to lean up on her elbows so she could get a look at her abdomen.

“You probably shouldn’t move around too much. You were lucky that the bullet missed all your vital organs, but they still had to go in and remove the bullet. It was lodged inside.”

While Carl rambled on about her injury and subsequent surgery, Penelope wondered why she felt no real pain while leaning forward.

She gingerly reached for the bandage and pressed her fingers lightly to where she remembered the wound. And again felt nothing. Drugs. They had to have pumped her full of painkillers. She eased back onto the pillow.

Except if that were the case then why the hell did her head hurt so much and why did the sound of Agent Phillips’ voice feel like he was yelling at her?

“Do you remember what happened?”

She looked up and met his gaze. She did remember. Every vivid detail. Including the moment when two of the men in that clearing had clearly stated that she couldn’t be allowed to leave. Beyond that however, became a little fuzzy.

Sawyer had argued with her would be captors, demanding that she would be taken to a hospital. There’d been more. She strained for the memory that eluded her. There had been something that he’d said that seemed important at the time and now she couldn’t remember what it was.

“Where is Sawyer?” she demanded while holding her aching head.

“The victim from the Club Diablo fire?”

Penelope winced at his tone. He clearly seemed surprised that she’d asked about his whereabouts. She took a deep breath, knowing that if she did anything outside of normal protocols she would be reported and subsequently grilled. The Bureau had little tolerance for their field agents allowing personal feelings to interfere in an ongoing investigation.

Still. She had to know. “Yes. He was with me when I was shot. Is he okay?”

Agent Phillips frowned. “Depends on what you consider okay. If you mean surly and downright mean over the fact that your father wouldn’t allow him to stay in your room, then yeah he’s okay. But if you ask me, there’s something not quite right with him. He’s been pacing these halls and the waiting room growling. Literally growling. I think he’s dangerous.”

Oh boy. For a minute she’d forgotten about the rest. Or she’d hoped it had all been a dream. She dropped her head back to her pillow and blew out a hard breath. Why couldn’t it be a dream?

The life-like technicolor memory of the wolf who’d first approached her and put his snout between her legs filled her head. But it was the painful sounding pops and crunches of his bones breaking and reshaping into the man she’d become enamored with over drinks in a waterfront bar that stood out above all else.

Her senses had told her something was off the minute she’d arrived at Devils Point, but damn. She’d never expected anything that preposterous.

“Is he still here?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer. If yes, then she would have questions to answer from her father. If no, she feared her heart might break. Which of course sounded ridiculous even in her mind.

“Oh yeah. That scarred up brute refuses to leave. Even after your father ordered him escorted out by security, he sweet talked his way back in. Apparently, the nurses here feel sorry for him and only want to help him anyway they can. Your father is pissed.”

She chose to ignore the snide remarks about Sawyer. Agent Phillips was a tool who worked for her father more than he worked for her. “And where exactly is my father?”

The agent glanced away from her. “He couldn’t get away. Urgent Bureau business.”

“Of course.” Work always came first. Even when his only disappointing child got shot. Penelope ground her teeth and pushed thoughts of the man she was related to away. Nothing would ever change. She knew this and had already come to terms with it. Her father was who her father was and now would expect her to fall back in line…

Her thoughts halted.

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