Page 99 of Pulse
“I’m looking forward to it.”
He looks at me through the corner of his eye and tries not to smile.
I rest my head on his non-broken humerus and yawn.
Thanks to the Landry connections, doctors saw me right away. I’m going to live, which I knew as soon as I saw Troy climb out of the car, although with a little less blood and a lot more inflammation.
“We need to make sure we send a sizable tip to the pizza guy when we get home,” I say. “Freddy told me he killed him. He really thought he was dead.”
“Already took care of it.”
I flinch. “You did?”
“Yeah, since the bastards wouldn’t let me go back with you for all the tests, I had time to process every fucking minute of that ordeal. Becca’s getting the contact information so I can take care of it this week.”
I lift my head and look at him curiously. “Becca, huh?”
He smirks.
I’m just screwing with him—he knows that. Becca is the sweetest person I’ve ever met, and Troy almost killed a man for me.
Lights twinkle on the ground below as we sail quietly through the night sky. Everything’s a bitmoretonight. The stars are prettier. The cookies the stewardess served us when we got on board were sweeter. The guy next to me is more irresistible.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“Just that when we land, things will be different. There’s so much to figure out and navigate.”
“Like what?”
“How do I work with a broken arm? Will Ford even let me work after I broke protocol and answered the phone, whichcaused this whole damn thing? I’m also screwing my co-worker, and that’s probably against the handbook.”
He exhales. “Freddy didn’t track your phone. He had a tracker in your bag. He knew where we were the whole time.”
“What? Are you serious?” The thought of him watching us, sneaking around, preying on us for those days makes me ill. “How do you know?”
“People say things when they’re under duress.”
“Did you find it?”
“Grey did. It’s tech that’s not mainstream yet. It’s still in beta. I don’t know how in the hell he got it, but he did.” He pulls his phone out and opens his camera reel. “Here. I saved this for you while you were getting your X-ray.”
I take his phone and look at the picture.
Breaking News: All charges against Dallo dropped by prosecution.
I gasp. “What?”
“That’s what Ford was calling to tell us. Or a part of it, anyway.” He takes his phone and slips it back in his pocket. “The forensic accounting firm discovered money laundering and other things happening with Dallo Metalworks. But a few months ago, they arrested a bunch of cartel guys in Atlanta and got some of them to turn State’s evidence.” Troy yawns. “Turns out that your grandfather really was a bad apple, and two of his seeds were still working for your father. The CFO and CIO, I think. Your dad cooperated with them for weeks and helped them build their case. It’s a tangled web.”
My heart warms, either from the pain medication or because my father isn’t a con man. Maybe both.
“They got indicted last night,” he says, furrowing his brows. “Or tonight. Hell, I don’t know what time it is. We were in the marsh, and they were getting indicted.”
“Does my father know about Alexis?”
“I’m going to let the two of you have that conversation. Short answer is yes. But that’s all I’m saying.”
I shrink against the seat.
