Page 20 of Wolf Bane
ChapterFive
“Ididn’t mean it like that.”Ethan sighed for the fourth, maybe fifth time (it was sixth but who’s counting).“I know you didn’t do anything wrong!I just… had a brain glitch.”
“Okay.”
“Landry.”
“What do you think I did wrong, Ethan?”I hissed.My office door was closed, Gina Perrin was at the front desk with Reba, ostensibly helping her sort out the callbacks for the missed appointments, and Bossy and Overbearing (Okay, Davis and Kenner) were arranging transport for Mr.Robards to aspecialty clinicin Luring, a suburb of Fort Worth that had one gas station, one old Walmart, an HEB that dated from the dark ages, two trailer parks, and apparently a super-secret werewolf lab.
Because that was life now, I guess.
“What did you do, Landry,” I repeated.“Yep, still stings.”
“Can we please do this later?”
“Oh, sorry, am I doing it wrong again?”
“Landry!”
A rapid knock sounded on my office door.“Hey, the rest of the team from LMR is here.”
I raised a brow at Ethan.“Did you know she was going to be here?Is this more of Landry-is-a-mushroom?And what the hell is LMR?”My mental filing cabinet was running out of space for all of the acronyms that had come into my life lately, and honestly, I was starting to wonder how many wolf-based names could possibly exist in the world.
“I have no idea who that woman is,” Ethan snapped.Louder, so Gina Perrin could hear him more clearly, he added, “Send them to room two.We’ll be right there.”
There was a brief hesitation, then the sound of Gina Perrin walking away.
“If I tried for the rest of the day, I don’t think I could begin to explain to you how much it is pissing me off that you’re inmyplace of work, throwing your weight around like you’re in charge.”
Ethan’s jaw worked silently as he chewed on the words that would no doubt cause a bigger fight if they got out.Finally, in a measured tone that added fuel to my irritated fire, he said, “Then maybe it’s best you don’t try.”
He slipped past me and opened the door, following Gina Perrin’s steps down the corridor to exam room two.“What the fuck is LMR?”I shouted after him.
* * *
Reba was hard pressedto leave.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she hedged, eyeing the additional two burly weres who strode into the clinic less than an hour after Ethan arrived.They’d either broken land-speed records to get there or were already in the area.
I wasn’t sure which was more worrying.
Ethan was all business, ordering Bossy and Overbearing to let me check Mr.Robards’ vitals.Gina Perrin stepped back, hands held up in ago right aheadgesture, letting me close to my patient.
“Hey, Mr.Robards,” I said quietly, pressing the stethoscope to his chest.His heart was going hard and steady now, pulse faster than before though not concerningly so.Just better than I’d heard it in our previous visits, which was… good?Maybe?“Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”
His lips twitched, eyes half open as he lolled his head to look at me.“Not really,” he muttered.“Lord almighty.I… I feel hot.Hot and tired.Am I dying?”
I thought of Justin on Tyler’s couch.
“No.I don’t think you are, anyway.These men here are going to take you somewhere to help.”I glared up at Ethan, who was doing his level best not to watch me and failing miserably.“I’ll come with you, just to see you settled.”
“You can’t,” Ethan murmured.“You’re… you’re not on the approved list.”
“I’m not sending him on his own,” I hissed.“What the hell, Ethan?”
“It’s okay,” Mr.Robards said, voice weak but clear.“It’s okay, Doc.They’re not gonna hurt me, right?”
I stared hard at Ethan.He shifted uncomfortably, turning his practiced Sheriff Smile to Mr.Robards.“These guys here know what you’re going through, Mr.Robards.And Lobo Medical has experts in the field.”
