Page 67 of Cassidy

“Maybe tomorrow,” Alanna said. “His condition is stable, but the cardiology team is going to watch him closely to make sure his heart doesn’t do anything funny. Surprisingly, though, he seems to have tolerated being shot in the chest fairly well.”

“Have you given him pain medication?” Cassidy asked.

He lifted a hand to the bruise on his chest. “Don’t need it.”

“No, we have given him some fluids but nothing for pain. We can’t risk masking a change in his condition related to his head injury,” Alanna explained.

“You’re sure he hasn’t been given anything for pain?” Cassidy persisted. Her expression was concerned, and he wasn’t sure why.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Really.”

Alanna nodded. “I’m sure. Would you like to walk with us to the cardiology unit?”

“I—yes. Thanks.” Cassidy stepped to the side, and Alanna resumed pulling the foot of the cart. He had no idea who was pushing on the other end behind him. Cassidy reached over and took his hand. “We have the three men in custody, but we don’t know who actually created the malware.”

He thought briefly about Faye’s directive to rest but thrust that aside. If the guy who’d orchestrated this mess was still out there, they needed to find him.

And soon.

“I need a laptop from the precinct,” he said, even though he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d find the mastermind of this thing.

“You’re supposed to rest,” Alanna said with a frown.

“Can’t rest until we get this guy,” Gabe said with a shrug. “I’ll be more stressed if I don’t do my part on this.”

Alanna sighed and shook her head. “I’ll leave that up to you and Rhy to work out.”

Cassidy’s expression was concerned. “Rhy will want you to rest.”

He didn’t say anything until he was settled in his new hospital room. The floor nurse chatted with Alanna, then came in to introduce herself. “My name is Diane. I’ll be your nurse for the day.”

Cassidy stood off to the side as Diane performed a quick exam. She glanced up at the heart monitor above his bed and nodded. “Everything looks good.”

“Thanks.” Once she was gone, he locked eyes with Cassidy. “I need a laptop.”

She sighed. “I’ll talk to Rhy. Even though he’s not happy about how you took off on your own to go to the warehouse.” She glanced away, staring at the wall. “I was hurt by that too.”

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you or make Rhy angry. It’s just—try to understand. I had to do everything possible to save Travis.”

She finally turned to face him. “You almost died today, Gabe. That’s not something to take lightly.”

“I know. And I’m sorry about that.” He grimaced. “I honestly didn’t expect Turk to shoot me. I figured I’d stall long enough for you and Rhy and the others to arrive.” And his plan had worked.

For the most part.

She bit her lip, then looked away again. He wished he wasn’t in a hospital bed so he could pull her into his arms.

“I had faith in you, Cass. And in God. We’re here today because of His grace.” It was important to him that she realized he’d embraced the Lord.

Her phone rang. She pulled the device from her pocket. “Excuse me, I need to take this,” she said. “This is my stepbrother Ben. I called him and Brian to warn them about the game.”

As she moved toward the door, he heard her say, “Hey, Ben. I’m glad you called me back.”

He remembered Cassidy telling him that her mother’s new husband’s sons were big gamers. And he’d found them on the Dorian site. He wondered how many gamers had already had their networks breached by playing the Sorcerer’s Sword game. Die-hard fans wouldn’t wait until Christmas to get it; they’d camp outside the store the minute the game went on sale.

Once he would have been among them, but his role within the Milwaukee Police Department had changed his priorities. He was more interested in supporting the team than in playing games.

If Travis hadn’t reached out to him about discovering the malware embedded within the Sorcerer’s Sword, he probably wouldn’t be lying here connected to a heart monitor.

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