Page 119 of Theirs to Hunt
And that is enough to keep me going.
To let me focus on something besides the shame I felt at failing her.
Because maybe I did not fail.
I straighten my spine, drag my hands down my face, and force my head back into the game.
Grayson is already on his phone, no doubt coordinating something I will never see.
But this one?
I need to own it.
I pull out mine and fire off a group text to Maddox, Cade, and Inez.
Brooks:
I want eyes on the crash. Get me intersection footage, VIN on the other vehicle, everything you can pull.
Was it random or deliberate? I want answers. Maddox, this is our only priority.
Cade, run financials on the guy.
Inez, cross-check my security feeds for tailing vehicles or repeat pings near Reagan’s apartment in the last 48 hours. Do it from the hospital.
She will be guarded 24/7 here. Create a schedule.
Do not put me on it. Move quiet.
I want this tight.
Maddox:On it. Already pulled partial footage. Full cam grid in twenty.
Cade:Scanning financials now. I will ping when I get a full profile.
Inez:Understood. Dispatching a sweep team to her place. Nobody gets close until we clear it. En route to you, and I have two meeting me there. You just take care of her, boss. Maddox, you take Brooks. Cade, you take Grayson. Build a team. We do not know what we are dealing with or if she was opportunity or target... or meant to make Brooks and Grayson vulnerable.
They do not need me to lead. That is why I trust them.
Inez has instincts I would bet my life on, and she knows damn well how distracted I am with Reagan bleeding behind those doors.
I cannot think it.
I shake my head, trying to shake off the thought.
I lift my eyes to the double doors again. Still sealed. The red "Do Not Enter" light glaring like a warning flare.
I move to the nurses’ station, keeping my tone level.
"Status on Reagan Marks?"
The nurse checks the monitor.
"Still in CT, but stable. No internal bleeding. No skull fracture. They are prepping her for a private recovery room. Someone will come update you shortly."
I nod. Stable. That is something.
But I will not exhale until I see her for myself.
