Page 77

“Take me to her.”
Reaper shook his head. “If you mean Verity, she isn’t here. She was transported to Medeor Hospital. It’s the best in Dubai but, also, the closest to Burj Al Arab, and it has a helipad.”
“Bloody hell.” I closed my eyes and shook my head, fighting against my drowsiness. “Get Nem on the phone, would you?”
Reaper pulled out his mobile. “Not responding,” he said after several seconds. “I’ll send a text.”
“What happened at Burj Al Arab?”
Reaper pulled a chair closer to the bed. “How much do you remember?”
“Xavier Vella’s dead. He was the bodyguard?”
“Affirmative.”
“And the woman?”
“Selene Pavia.”
I could hear the woman’s screams in my head. “She yelled the wordSheka. She’s dead, yes? Am I remembering that right?”
Reaper nodded. “Affirmative.”
“How in the bloody hell did they get off the compound on Mallorca, and why weren’t we alerted?”
“Decker Ashford is piecing that together now, but apparently, Francesca Vella suffered a heart attack. Xavier, Selene, and his aunt went to the hospital where she was taken, although the timing is what’s in question. As far as the Vellas leaving Mallorca, they were there under protection, not arrest. It wasn’t as though Rile could stop them from leaving.”
I understood what Reaper was saying. Rile could discourage their departure, but certainly not stop them. “Where are Francesca and her daughter now?”
“Francesca remains in the cardiac ICU at the hospital in Palma. Her daughter, Charlene, was staying next door, at a place the hospital provides for families of ICU patients. Decker is confirming her twenty now.”
“Who will notify them of Xavier’s death?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
I rested my head against the pillow and shut my eyes. “Verity,” I said under my breath.
“What would you like me to do, Zep?”
“Go to the other hospital. Don’t leave until you know Verity’s condition. Do whatever it takes to find out.”
“Understood. Anything else?”
“Where’s my mobile? And my clothes?”
“I believe Macht is in possession of both.”
“Where in the bloody hell is he?”
“Here, sir.”
“Find him!”
When Reaper nodded and left the room, I closed my eyes a second time. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep, but theaftereffects of the anesthesia were making it nearly impossible to stay awake.
“Hello, sir. How are you feeling?” Macht asked.
I stared at the clock, unable to remember what time it was when I’d last looked. “How long have you been here?”