Page 37 of Eden and her Mercenary
"No." Ryker's voice was flat. "The shot placement, the angle, they were after Eden specifically. This was a targeted hit."
"Why? She's just a dog transporter. She's not a threat to them."
"Unless she saw something or knows something." Ryker paced the small waiting area. "Or unless they think she does."
A terrible thought struck me. "Harrison. She helped us steal the equipment, remove the implant. What if they think Eden has information about the program? About what they were really doing?"
"Then they won't stop with one attempt," Ryker concluded grimly. "If she survives—"
"When," I corrected fiercely. "When she survives."
"When she survives," he amended, "they'll try again. We need to get ahead of this."
I looked down at my hands, still stained with Eden's blood despite my attempts to wash them clean. "First, we make sure she lives. Then we make them pay."
Hours later, a surgeon in blood-spattered scrubs approached us. His face gave away nothing as he introduced himself.
"Mr. O'Toole? I'm Dr. Reeves. I operated on Ms. Wade."
My heart stuttered at the name. "Reeves?"
"Yes." He consulted his clipboard. "The bullet penetrated her right lung and fragmented, causing significant damage. We've removed all fragments, repaired the lung, and transfused four units of blood."
"Will she live?" I asked bluntly.
Dr. Reeves met my gaze steadily. "The next 48 hours are critical. She's young and otherwise healthy, which works in her favor. But I won't sugarcoat this—her injuries were severe."
"When can I see her?"
"She's in recovery now. Once she's stabilized, we'll move her to the ICU. You can see her briefly then." He hesitated. "Are you family?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "I'm her husband."
The lie came easily, necessary to ensure I'd have access to her. Dr. Reeves nodded, either believing me or choosing not to challenge the claim.
"I'll have a nurse come get you when she's settled."
As he walked away, Ryker leaned in. "Reeves. Same name as—"
"Junction's security chief," I finished. "Could be coincidence."
"We don't believe in coincidences," Ryker reminded me.
"No, we don't." I pulled out my phone. "Call Declan. We need eyes on this place, background on every staff member who might come near Eden."
"Already done," came Declan's voice from the doorway. He entered, followed by Wren, who carried a small duffel bag. "Hospital's covered. Two of our people are posing as orderlies, one as administrative staff. No one gets to Eden without going through them first."
Wren handed me the bag. "Clean clothes, basic necessities. How is she?"
"Alive," I said, the word both prayer and promise. "For now."
"And Stella?" I suddenly remembered the dog, left behind in the chaos.
"At our house," Wren assured me. "Safe in the panic room with round-the-clock monitoring. She's agitated, keeps looking for Eden."
The thought of Stella waiting, not understanding why Eden had disappeared, twisted something in my chest. "She knows something's wrong."
"Dogs always do," Wren said softly.
