Page 129 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
Her hands shake so badly that liquid sloshes over the edge. Without comment, I take the cup from her, sitting beside her on the couch. I hold it to her lips, angling it so she can drink without choking.
"I hate this," she whispers after swallowing. "Being useless."
My thumb moves along her wrist, finding the steady beat beneath her skin. "You're recovering. It's not the same thing."
The familiar sound of boots on hardwood announces Kade's arrival before the door opens. He enters with a manila folder tucked under his arm. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of us.
"You look better," he tells Vanessa, though his gaze shifts to me, studying.
I move behind Vanessa, arranging pillows to better support her back. My fingers linger in her hair, brushing it away from her face. The touch flows as easy as breathing until awareness hits and I withdraw my hand.
Kade clears his throat. "The test results came back. This wasn't random. The chemical was designed to target brain chemistry receptors."
Vanessa's body stiffens.
"Targeted?" Her voice is stronger now, interest cutting through the medication fog.
"The compound was engineered to create maximum disruption for someone with your brain chemistry." Kade places the folder on the table, avoiding comment on how I'm now rubbing Vanessa's shoulder without thinking.
"ADHD," she murmurs. "They knew."
I move to sit beside her, checking her temperature with the back of my hand against her forehead. "We need to figure out who got their hands on her medical files."
"Already on it." Kade's eyes fix on the case files rather than on how my fingers have drifted to Vanessa's wrist.
Vanessa leans forward slightly, her eyes showing the first real clarity since the attack.
"Slate would know. He's helped me manage my meds before." She winces, struggling to organize her thoughts. "But the masked man—at the gala—"
I place my hand on her knee, steadying her. "Don't push yourself."
I help Vanessa lean back into the cushions. Four days since we brought her back from the brink, and her color's still wrong. The toxin ravaged her system, but her mind is fighting back.
"Let's go through it again." Kade spreads the photos across my coffee table.
Vanessa's fingers play an invisible keyboard on her thigh, a nervous habit when she's processing information. Her body might be weak, but her mind is racing.
Everything on my coffee table sits at exact right angles. Evidence photos of the gala, test reports, and blueprints of the venue. I've arranged them in order of importance, maintaining order in a chaotic investigation.
"The masked man entered at 10:47 pm." I point to the security still. "Tatiana met him in the east corridor seven minutes later."
Vanessa's breathing shifts. I glance over, tracking her heart rate based on the pulse visible in her throat. Elevated.
She suddenly sits straighter, her pupils widening.
"The hallucinations… they weren't just hallucinations." Her fingers freeze mid-fidget. "I saw fragments of what actually happened at the gala."
My attention sharpens on her face. The evening light through my windows casts shadows across her features, but clarity breaks through the medication fog.
"What do you mean?" I move closer, shoulder touching hers.
"Tatiana was in a heated discussion with the masked man about 'loose ends.'" Her voice gains strength. "They mentioned Jenny by name."
My muscles tense. Jenny Martinez—the woman whose death started this whole investigation. The connection forms in my mind.
"She was furious about something Jenny discovered," Vanessa continues, her words coming faster. "Said the 'clean-up' was messy and drew too much attention."
Kade's eyes meet mine over Vanessa's head. The word "clean-up" triggers the same memory for both of us. MarkusSteele. The man we interrogated months ago called himself a "cleaner" before Kade killed him.
