Page 60 of Girl Lost
21
LUNA WASSTARTINGto look back fondly on the maelstrom of anguishshe’d been in yesterday morning. Back when a coffeedate with Stryker was the biggest storm on the horizon. Because this? This was a tempest. A raging hurricane ripping through her meticulously curated life.
How many times could a person cheat death? Two? Three? These last forty-eight hours had been a gauntlet of close calls. The fire. The attackers. She’d stared down men with enough firepower to level a city block with less adrenaline thrumming through her veins than she had now. Probably it was the only thing keeping her on her feet because it was after midnight and she was bone tired.
She stood in the corner, watching as the doctor prepped to stitch the gash on Corbin’s side. Despite the fight they’d just endured, a small part of her couldn’t help but be impressed. Corbin’s talents had shone through tonight, his quick thinking and combat skills saving them both. The way he’d moved. Fluid and precise. It was a reminder of the boy she’d once known, and the man he’d become in her absence.
The thought flitted around her head again. Could Trinity really be their daughter? The timing fit. The resemblance was there. Buthow could she tell Corbin? And should she now that Trinity had disappeared?
Her eyes focused on Corbin, resting with his hands behind his head, eyes closed. There was a strength in him that she both admired and feared. It was the same strength she’d fallen for all those years ago, and the same strength that had allowed him to confront her when she’d returned. Luna wondered, not for the first time, if she’d made the right choice back then. If the life she’d built for herself was worth the pain of leaving.
“I think we’re about ready,” the doctor said, rolling the metal tray of instruments closer to Corbin. She’d introduced herself as Dr. Payne, and they’d had a good laugh about the name.
Dr. Payne reached for a fresh pair of gloves. “Okay, Agent King, I’m going to need you to take your shirt off.”
Heat crept up Luna’s neck. She was already feeling far too connected to Corbin. She didn’t need to see him shirtless on top of everything else. “I’ll ... I’ll be right back,” she mumbled, making a hasty exit. “Just need to make a call.”
In the hallway, she leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. The cool surface grounded her, helping to clear her mind. She pulled out her phone, fingers flying over the screen as she pulled up the social media profile for Trinity Brown.
She scrolled through the few public images, scrutinizing each one. In every photo, Trinity’s smile seemed a little more forced, her eyes a little more distant. It was like watching a flower wilt in slow motion. How had no one noticed?
None of the photos or posts she could access mentioned medical issues. She needed more. Needed help. Before she could second-guess herself, she was dialing Harlee’s number. The phone rang once, twice, three times. Luna paced the hallway.
“Hello?” Harlee’s keyboard clacked in the background.
“It’s Luna. Just checking in while Corbin gets stitched up.”
“Still can’t believe you guys were ambushed like that.” The typing paused. “How’s he doing, anyway?”
“Good, all things considered. Should be done soon.” She hated small talk but liked that Harlee put Corbin before business. “I wanted to ask, have you checked in about?”
A heavy sigh came through the line. “I have, but the local cops didn’t seem too eager to look into it. They know she has a history as a runaway.”
“Typical.” She knew this story all too well. Overworked cops, limited resources, kids falling through the cracks. It was a cycle she’d seen play out too many times, and it never got easier. “Did she take her medications with her? I mean, I assume she needs immunosuppressants or something.”
“No, which makes finding her extremely urgent.”
Luna’s phone slipped from her hand. She tried to snatch it, but it bounced from one hand to the other. Her ankle flew out to break the phone’s fall, but it hit the burn spot on her shin before sliding to the floor. Cringing, she snatched it up and put the phone back to her ear.
Harlee was saying, “...as a part of a clinical trial at Chiron BioInnovation Center.”
“Hold up, I think I missed part of that. She had a heart transplant as a part of a clinical trial?”
“That’s right. I forget the medical jargon, but the study was to evaluate a new surgical technique on pediatric patients with cardiomyopathy like Trinity’s. Stryker helped her get into the program because he knew someone pretty high up,” Harlee said. “That was last year, and Stryker had her join the Warrior program after her recovery. That’s about all I know.”
A nurse approached, informing Luna that the doctor had finished with Corbin. She nodded. “Listen, I’m going to check on Corbin. I’ll be in touch.”
Luna reentered the room just as Corbin was sliding his shirt back on. She averted her eyes, focusing instead on the bloody instruments and gauze on the nearby tray. The sight made her stomach churn. Not from the blood but because Trinity had needed a heart transplant.
Was itherfault? She’d tried to eat healthy and exercise during her pregnancy, but maybe that wasn’t enough. Maybe Trinity’s heart was more susceptible to the virus because it had been broken by parents who’d abandoned her.
Dr. Payne peeled off her gloves. “The wound isn’t serious, but you’ll be sore for a few days.” She tossed the gloves onto the tray. “You need to take it easy.” The doctor looked at Luna and pointed. “You’ll help with that, right?”
She glanced at Corbin. Everything in his lopsided smile said he hadn’t “taken it easy” for decades and had no plans to start now. “I’ll try.”
Dr. Payne rattled off care instructions and promised to print them with his discharge papers.
The door swung open, and Blade sauntered in, grinning. “Look at you, tough guy. Showing off your battle scars?”
