“Dormer-Salinger,” Julia said tightly.
“Are you all right, Ms.Dormer-Salinger?”
Julia swallowed, her face turning the same color Josh’s had been before Liam had hustled him out.“Not really,” she mumbled.“I didn’t get dinner, and….”
Leon was there to catch her as she actuallyswoonedinto his arms.
Carl stared, nonplussed for the first time all night.With a clearing of his throat, he shook himself and asked Leon for a business card so they could be interviewed later, and then he pretended to take one from him so Leon didn’t have to root through his wallet.As he was doing that, he murmured, “Are you okay?”
“Next time,” Julia said, and he could tell she was struggling for tartness, “I’ll eat dinner before I attend.You never know when art theft is going to derail your evening.”
Carl nodded and gestured for Leon to take the elevator, Julia still nestled in his arms.As he turned back toward the last of the people waiting to give their information, he shuddered hard and glanced up.
Andres Kadjic was glaring at him, an expression so ugly on his craggy face that Carl had to work to keep his naturally stoic expression up and running.
In his ear, Grace and Hunter were going off in panic.
“She fainted?Mrs.Josh’s Mom fainted?I can’t do this again, Mr.Insurance Asshole Man, I can’t—”
“Calm down, Grace.”
“But shefainted.Oh my God—”
“Hush,” Carl said, his back to Kadjic as he moved across the room.“We’ve got bigger problems than Julia fainting.”
“How could it get worse!”Grace’s voice was high enough to short out the earwig.
“Kadjic suspects,” Carl told them both softly.“Now shut up and let me get through this night, and have Stirling hackall his commsto see who he talks to and what he says.”
And with that, they clicked off, and Carl began his night in earnest.
Tasks Pleasant and Less So
“UGH,” JOSHmuttered as Felix pulled up in front of the ER entrance of the hospital.“I wasn’t supposed to be back here for another six weeks.”
“And yet here we are,” Felix told him, voice weighted with meaning.“Danny, you take him in and deal with the doctors.Young Liam and I will join you after I park.”
“Oh, but I—”
“Would love a nice walk in the brisk evening air,” Danny filled in dryly, giving Liam an apologetic glance, and Liam got it then—there would be conversation while Josh got his shoulder checked out.
“It’s fine,” Josh said on a yawn.“We can talk at the apartment tonight when I’m done.”
Danny helped him down from the vehicle and closed both doors, leaving Felix free to find a spot in the lot.
“Good thought about the apartment,” Felix said as he pulled into a space and killed the engine.“Glencoe’s a slog if you’re not feeling well.”
“Is this the part, sir, where you ask about my intentions?”Liam asked doubtfully.He’dthoughthis intentions had been perfectly clear since that vacation in January, and these people didn’t seem stupid.
Felix’s bark of laughter reassured him.“Oh my God, no.My son’s virtue is his own, to give or keep as he wants,” he said, unbuckling his belt.“Come—I know for a fact neither of you have eaten.There’s a woman in the cafeteria who makes five-star sandwiches.Let’s go see if we can get some of those.”
It was a summer night by a lake—the air was crisp enough for long sleeves, but the wind was a wholly pleasant break from the humidity of the day.The two men walked shoulder to shoulder for a moment until Felix broke the silence again.
“Now, I don’t want to alarm either of you—I take it you both killed your comm links?”
“While we were calling the proper authorities,” Liam confirmed.“Why?”
“Well, when Carl went up, Josh’s mother—who much like Josh likes to skip meals when she’s focused on something—had a little bit of a moment.She fainted, Leon swept her out of there, and they too are going to come to the hospital to get checked out.Now I’m going to ask a favor of you, a large one, and that’s to—”
