Page 102 of Sloth
Unable to get to his vein, Grace shook her head and quickly replaced her syringe with another. “We have to sedate him.”
Then she plunged her needle into his right biceps and depressed. Max roared, bucked and threw at least two of them off him.
He should get in there. Max would want Tony in there.
“What happened?” Tony asked Griffin, who had come to stand next to him.
Griffin only gave him a sideways glance, then said: “You’d know if you came to the briefing when Parker called.”
“He just said to get down to the basement,” Tony muttered. “I didn’t realize it was important.”
Griffin’s only answer was a grunt, because his wife also joined him at that moment. Flush-faced and fresh from the camera, her makeup was done. Her hair and smart dress was smooth.
She rushed up to Griffin. “Griff, honey. Is he okay?”
Griffin curled his fingers around his wife’s waist and simply nodded toward the window. “We don’t know what’s wrong with him. They’re trying to sedate him so they can test his blood.”
Lilo frowned. “He looks like Donnie did when he took too much of the Greed Serum.”
She was right.
Tony moved. He slammed his palm on the door to the med room, swinging it open. He strode inside and right to where Barry stood at the side, wringing his hands, eyes wide on Max. Tony clicked his fingers in front of the scientist’s face to get his attention. “Lilo said he looks like Donnie did when he took too much Greed Serum. Does that mean anything to you?”
“I-uh…” Barry’s fearful gaze darted between Max and Tony. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Greed serum?”
“Out,” Parker ordered from the table, face straining with his grip on Max’s arm. “Get out, Tony.”
Fuck that. Tony had to help. Max would want him to. He crossed the room to stand next to Sloan. “You want me to take over?”
Her eyes glistened when she brought them to his. “Parker’s right, Tony. There’s nothing you can do. We need to test his blood. The answer is in his blood.”
“You keep saying that. Why?”
Sloan shook her head absently. “It was on the note pinned to his chest.”
“You got that note?”
“Tony,” Parker growled. “You stink like alcohol. Get out before I take you out.”
Tony ignored his brother. Yes, he was still a little tipsy. Yes, he stank. But, no. He would not leave Max. He should have been there.
“Where is the note?” he asked Sloan.
“Tucked in my waistband.”
Without waiting for permission, Tony lifted the hem of her jacket to reveal her waistband beneath. He saw the white crumpled paper wedged near her hip. He plucked it out. He opened the note.
“He’s calming,” Grace muttered. “It’s working.”
Tony read the note, eyes scanning across the words.The answer is in your blood.He repeated the words in his mind. The answer is in your blood. It was a note pinned to Max’s chest. Whoever pinned the note knew what was going to happen to Max. They’d have known he wouldn’t be in any condition to read.
The note wasn’t for Max.
It was for Sloan.
“The answer is in Sloan’s blood, not Max’s,” he said and then handed the note to Barry. “Doesthatmake any sense to you?”
Barry’s eyes suddenly focused, and he straightened. “In her blood. Yes. Yes, that makes perfect sense.”
