Page 9 of Retribution
‘But she’s…she’s…’ He breaks off with a hard breath. ‘Fuck. I don’t care about Sauvage and his deadlines. I care that our girl is laying in a hospital bed and might not ever wake up.’
My heart lurches at his words. It’s nothing I haven’t already thought, but hearing it out loud… I won’t believe that she’s not going to be okay. I refuse.
‘Don’t discount her that fast. She’ll pull through,’ I say, my fists clenching. ‘She has to. I don’t want to care about the pills either, but the fact is, we have to. She made sure she got them because they’re important, not just to us, but to her as well. I’m not going to let everything that’s happened be in vain and neither should you. Focus on getting better. Go sit with her when they let you. Shade is speaking to Sauvage now. He’s going to make sure everyone knows it was a gas leak.’
Blake nods. ‘Makes sense. Who do we think it was?’
‘You first,’ I say.
He puts his oxygen mask back over his nose and mouth, taking some deep breaths and coughing before taking it off again. ‘My money is on the stalker.’
‘But why?’ I ask, half to myself. ‘What does he gain? He wants her to find April’s murderer, not kill her.’
‘Who the fuck knows what he actually wants?’ Blake snarls. ‘He’s a fucking nutjob. He’s playing games…and they’re getting more dangerous.’
‘Maybe he didn’t know she was in there. Maybe it was just a message. Like Black.’
Blake doesn’t look convinced, but he shrugs. ‘Go back to Daisy,’ he says. ‘Stay with her. I’ll be there as soon as I have the all-clear.’
I nod and go to the door but turn back just for a second. ‘Glad you’re okay.’
He gives me a rueful grin. ‘Take more than agas leakto get rid of me.’
Then he frowns and looks away, obviously remembering where our girl is right now.
I leave him, a heaviness settling deep in my chest as I walk back to Daisy’s room. Shade is just outside, talking quietly on the phone, I guess to Sauvage. I’m about to go inside when I hear a familiar voice close by. Frowning, I go in search of it, and I find Applegate two rooms down on the other side of the hallway. He’s muttering to himself, agitated and looking upset.
‘Just like before,’ he whispers. ‘Just like before.’
‘Professor Applegate,’ I say. ‘Are you okay? What happened? Do you want me to get someone?’
He startles and looks over at me, only to relax and shake his head.
‘They don’t care. They’re telling me it’s not true, saying I have PTSD, but I know it is. Don’t they think I’d remember something like that? The smell in the air, the color of the smoke?The way it tasted when I breathed it in? My best friend died in it. I remember every second, God dammit!’
I step inside his room and close the door a little, remembering the eavesdropping nurses. ‘Professor, what are you talking about?’
He looks impatient and frustrated. ‘The fire. The fire in the lab.’
Shit! The fire in the Novelle Center. With everything else, it had sort of slipped to the back of my mind.
‘You were in there when it happened?’ I ask Applegate.
He shows me his bandaged hands. ‘I tried to put it out. Fire suppression system shorted. That’s not supposed tohappen. It was tested just last week. Doesn’t make sense unless…’
He shifts in the bed angrily, making it creak under him. ‘They’re saying they have to investigate to be sure. I could see they didn’t believe me. But I fucking know. ’
‘Know what?’ I ask.
‘The fire. It was the same as the one in Allentown.’
I frown at him. ‘The one Daisy’s dad died in?’
He looks surprised that I know about that.
‘Yeah,’ he says faintly.
‘You’re sure?’ I ask, wondering if I can really trust the professor’s version of events.
