Page 12 of Private Exhibit
“I saiddon't!” Andy roared.
Bokin took a step back and held up his hands. “Alright. Alright.” Another brief silence settled over the room. “Just thinkabout it. I know it's too late for your son, but there are other people out there with the disease. With all sorts of diseases that maybe only you can diagnose. And with Crawford's help–”
“I don't need anyone's help. Especially not his!”
Bokin slowly nodded. “Fine. I'll leave it at that for now.” The man took a step back, then pointed at him. “But youarehiring an assistant. Tomorrow, you hear me? I don't care whom you pick. Just pick someone.” Bokin turned on his heel and strode out of the office without waiting for an answer.
Andy watched him go, then gulped down his coffee all at once, leaving himself gasping for air.
Uh, Dad?
Andy gave a start.Gods, kid. You're gonna give your old man a heart attack.Andy paused.I was starting to think you'd left.
Junior shook his head, then pointed at the door into the morgue.There's someone in there—totally not hospital staff—looking at the body.
Andy frowned.The hells?He slammed down his mug, waited for Junior to step aside—Andy still couldn't bring himself to walk right through the ghost—and entered the morgue.
Sure enough, someone stood beside the autopsy table, his back to Andy. Someone with long, dark hair.
“Don't bother consoling this one's ghost, Doctor Gerard,” the man said, his voice deep and almost sinister. “He's not worth it.”
Andy strode forward. Before he could catch even a mere glimpse of the man's face, the figure vanished. There one moment and gone the next, just like last night. The lights in the room flickered and buzzed, creating an eerie strobe effect for half a second before going back to normal.
Whoa, Junior gasped.Was that a mage?
Andy nodded dumbly. That was the only explanation. Besides ghosts, the magi were the only people in the world with the ability to come and go as they pleased.
Well, that's one mystery solved, Andy thought, frowning at the empty air where the strange man had been.And a dozen new ones.
Who was that mage? How did he know the deceased? What did he mean by the guy not being worth it? Was it the same man from last night at the club? If it was, why had he been watching Andy? Or had he been watching the boy instead?
On and on the questions went, chasing one another around inside Andy's brain, until he came to the ones that plagued him the most.
Who was the boy from last night?
Would he ever see him again?
And did he even deserve to do so?
Chapter 5
DEVON TUGGED at his dress shirt—the only one he owned—trying to get it to sit just right, then shoved his hands into his pockets. He glanced over at Oliver as the two of them rode the elevator to the hospital basement.
If anything, Oliver looked more nervous than Devon felt.
“You don't have to come with me,” Devon murmured.
“Huh? Oh. Nah. It's fine. I'll be fine.” Oliver chewed his lip and stared at the panel, then shrugged, clearly trying yet failing to make it look casual. “We had to come here anyway, right?”
“Right,” Devon agreed. They were both out of testosterone vials, so they planned to stop at the pharmacy upstairs once Devon's job interview was over. That monthly errand would make the hospital familiar enough even if it weren't for Devon's frequent trips to the emergency room.
But neither of them had ever gone to this particular part of the hospital.
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened on a wide, pristine hallway. Devon stepped out first, and Oliver followed a moment later. Directly across from them were two huge, swinging doors labeledMorgue Surgical Suite.
Devon gulped. He glanced to his right and saw another door labeledViewing Room, outside of which was a small, cozy waiting area with plush chairs. Down to the left, Devon spotted a door labeledMorgue Office.
He looked at Oliver, who gave him a nod. They both turned and started to head that way when abangstartled them both.
