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“Oh my god, really?” I said in exasperation as Nick flinched. “Could you try again with a little less Asshole?”
“What? Oh.” Bear grimaced. “Shit. I didn’t mean it like that, Nick. I meant that you have to want that kind of thing if you’re going to survive the grinder.” He exhaled. “Sure, a trauma surgeon would help our community, but it’s no damn good if your heart’s not in it.”
Nick blinked. “Um, right. Exactly.”
“It’s a big dream, being a surgeon,” Bear said. “I wanted it for you. I thought you wanted it too and just needed the push.”
“Fuck no! Not my dream, Dad. You never bothered to listen to what I wanted.” Nick cut a nearly imperceptible glance my way. “And to think I almost went through with it, because I did listen to you and didn’t want to disappoint you.”
I clapped my hands together. “Good. It’s settled. Nick will do what he wants, Bear will become a surgeon, and I’ll do something brilliant to turn the tables on Dante Rosario.”
Bear snorted. “Two out of three isn’t bad. I’m a bit old for med school.”
“You’ll be just as old if you don’t go,” I pointed out. “Hell, Nick can even tutor you.”
Bear said nothing as he moved to sit behind his desk. He had the strangest look on his face, as if he’d tasted a new food and had no idea whether to love or hate it. Or . . . as if I’d told him that yes, he could go follow his dream. I masked a smile. Had Bear ever consciously known that being a surgeon was where his heart lay? No wonder he’d ridden Nick so hard. Not that it excused everything that had happened between father and son. I watched the emotions crawl over Bear’s face as it began to hit home what he’d done—to Nick, to himself, and to their relationship. I didn’t expect him to run off to med school, since it was obvious he loved his current work, but I couldn’t help but take a grim pleasure in his current unsettled state. Not to mention, I highly doubted the med school thing was the only sticking point between the two. But, hey, it was a start.
Bear nodded to himself then leaned back in his chair and regarded me. He knew exactly who helped Nick come to his senses. And he knew I was right about med school, which meant it was possible I was right about other things, too. “Angel, you’re a little bitty thing, but you’re full of fire and managed to throw me around like a feather.”
“A really big heavy feather,” I said with a laugh.
One side of his mouth twitched up. “Thing is, you and your people would be one hell of an asset.”
My humor vanished like a pricked soap bubble. “I don’t want to be anyone’s asset,” I said sharply. “That’s the whole reason my kind are being experimented on, so that other people can use us.”
Bear lifted his hands in surrender. “Today seems to be my day for saying the wrong thing.” At a rude noise from Nick, his mouth twisted. “Okay, decade. Let me try again.” He took a deep breath. “Angel, you’d make one hell of an ally.”
“I have my moments,” I said, eyeing him with caution. “Is that an observation or an offer?”
“Offer.”
Huh. Ally, until the Tribe yanked up its roots and relocated. Sweet zombie Jesus, Pierce was going to shit himself when he found out how many people knew about us. To hell with the flash drives. All the enemy needed was an Angel Crawford to scatter chaos and secrets like beads from a Mardi Gras float.
“Allies could be cool,” I went on, “but I need to think about it and consult with the others.”
“Fair enough. How about a truce for now.”
“Truce works.” For now. Though I didn’t fully trust him when it came to his son, I had faith that he wouldn’t stab me in the back. “On that note, do you have a gadget or gizmo that can find a GPS tracker on a car?”
“Yes, I can scan for trackers.” His brows drew down. “Your car?”
“Yeah. Pretty sure that’s how Rosario found me.” Judd, too, I suspected, but they didn’t need to know about any of that.
“Bring your car into the alley. I’ll meet you out there.”
• • •
Fifteen minutes later, I stared at the four GPS trackers lined up on the hood of my car. Ranging from small and sleek to big and clunky, they’d been hidden in various locations throughout my car, tattling its location to whoever monitored the signals.
“You’re a popular girl,” Bear said, jaw tight.
“I’m the goddamn homecoming queen,” I grumbled. How could so many people care this much about where I went? Rosario was one of them, for sure. Judd was probably a second. But I only had wild guesses about who might have placed the other two trackers. The Tribe tracked me, but that was an internal modification to my car that I’d agreed to. Special Agent Aberdeen? Yet another Saberton operative?
Bear scooped up all four trackers and stalked back inside with me right behind and Nick trailing. He dumped the trackers onto a table, then sat behind the desk, expression grim and thoughtful. Nick fidgeted near the door, but I flopped into a chair in front of the desk.
“You knew about zombies before Judd gave you those videos,” I said, eying Bear. “And I’m betting your source was Rosario.”
He muttered a curse. “I’d met him a time or two in the past few years during disaster relief efforts. Always struck me as a straight arrow.” He leaned forward and steepled his fingers on the desk, grimaced. “Few weeks ago he comes into the shop, we end up grabbing a beer together. He starts talking about being prepared for the zombie apocalypse—but not crazy. More like how the concept can be used as a model for disaster preparedness.”
