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“You and I both know that he can’t order you to follow me against my will. This is out of some loyalty to him, and I am telling you to leave me be.”
She isn’t wrong there, but it’s not just about loyalty to him. It’s about keeping her safe because I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything went wrong. I fold my arms, letting her know she is fighting a losing battle.
“Well, then you’re going to have to tail me because I’m going in my car. Alone.”
“Fair enough.” I nod and head back to my Bronco.
We exit the driveway, and I keep behind her. When we get to the main road, I reach for my phone again.
“J, I’m tailing Skyla. I don’t know where she’s heading, but she’s heading south on the Coast Highway. She’s not in a good way.” My tone is bleak.
“Yeah, I know,” Jensen seethes. “I know where she’s going. Keep following her until I get there.”
Jensen hangs up on me again before I get to ask him what the hell’s going on. There are so many unanswered questions.
I’m lost in thought, trying to figure out how Reed got in the house when Skyla pulls into a parking lot and hoofs it toward some glass doors. The sign above says D.M. West Rehabilitation Center. I grab my weapon out of the glove compartment and follow her. She reaches the doors about thirty seconds before I do and rushes through them.
As she scans her card and enters the first of two doors, I see her smiling what must be her first genuine smile in weeks. I tug on the door just as Skyla swipes her card again to release the second set of doors. I pull harder, but the doors won’t budge. They must have a two-door system where one door will only open when the other is closed. This is not fucking funny. I frown at the door, tugging and scowling as if that’s going to make a difference. I turn my attention to a young kid at the front desk. A textbook is open in front of him, but he’s staring at me.
It takes me about two steps to reach the desk, and the kid visibly shrinks as I get closer. Good, he’s scared. He should be, because if he doesn’t open these doors and let me in, I’m going to make sure he has a reason to be scared.
“Let me in the fucking doors.”
He shakes his head, but that’s not all that’s shaking. His hands tremble as he answers me. “I’m sorry, sir, I can’t do that.”
“You can and you will. I’m not fucking around. You better open those fucking doors and right now!”
“Sir, this is a maximum security facility for very sick patients. Some of them are a great danger to themselves. I can’t let you in unless you know someone in here and are on the list.”
I look through the thick Plexiglas and point at Skyla. “I know her, so let me in.”
He shakes his head again, and I feel my temper rising. It’s rare that I lose my cool, but I don’t have fucking patience for this. “Look, kid. You’re either going to let me in, or I’m going to put a chair through some glass.”
“It won’t work, sir. Bulletproof.” He winces. “I’ll call my boss and see if he can assist you.”
I nod. “Do it fast.”
The kid calls his boss. While he stutters and stammers, I take a look at the facility. I can still see Skyla, so I calm down a beat. If there’s anywhere to be right now, this seems to be the safest place.
Just inside the doors and about thirty feet away, there’s an Olympic-sized swimming pool. To the right of the pool is a rec room. Through the windows, I see beige couches lining the walls. In the corner, four evenly spaced tables with four chairs each wait for visitors to utilize them. In the center of the large room, a couple of vets are involved in a game of table tennis. All around, it looks like a nice facility.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Skyla’s face light up when a marine with a stump for a right arm and leg beams at her like the fact that his limbs were blown off doesn’t faze him in the slightest.
The kid puts the phone down and smiles at me. Much like I imagine I smiled at Skyla earlier when I was about to tell her I wasn’t gonna budge.
“Sir, I’m afraid I can’t let you in.”
A peal of laughter from Skyla has me turning in her direction, and I notice she’s sitting down to a bowl of oatmeal and looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her. I realize I hadn’t ever heard her laugh. Or seen her smile, for that matter.
Fuck it. She deserves a day to chill and relax.
I try to get hold of Jensen to let him know what was happening, but he doesn’t answer. I’m trying again when Skyla arrives back at the desk and starts talking to the kid who’s excellent at his job. I wonder if he’d consider joining the Marines.
“Hey, Jerry. What’s the name of the patient sitting next to the window, and while you’re at it, give me the name of the girl sitting next to him,” Skyla asks.
“Sure thing. You okay?”
I focus on Skyla. She’s awfully pale, and she turns to the couple at the window. There’s something familiar about the girl there, but I can’t put my finger on it.
