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“You owe me nothing. She’s important to all of us.”
“Where’d Omar get the antidote?”
“When I asked him, he said I wouldn’t believe him if he told me, whatever that means. I didn’t take the time to question him, wanting to get back here as soon as possible.”
Now that the fear had subsided, the fury returned. Whoever had done this would pay.
“I got a call a few minutes ago from the man responsible,” Hawke said.
“You what? Who was it?”
“I have no idea. He used a voice distorter, which makes me think I’d recognize his voice if I heard it.”
“What did he say?”
Hawke described the conversation and the agreement he’d made.
“So this was all a ploy to get Iris Gates back. What are you going to tell him now?”
“To go to hell, that his ploy didn’t work. I’ll tell him Iris is dead, and it’s too—” He stopped, realizing something. “Wait. We can still play it out.”
“How so? Iris is not only dead, we don’t even have her body.”
“We’ll get Eve to disguise herself as Iris to make this meeting. She’s around Iris’s height. We can turn the tables on this bastard and capture him.”
“You have any idea who this might be?”
“Maybe. The person referred to Olivia as ‘your Livvy.’ Only a handful of people know I call her that.”
“You think you’re that close to this guy?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You faked your death. Maybe someone else faked theirs.”
That was what Olivia had suggested, that perhaps Rio had faked his death. Hawke and Rio had never been friends. The man had been too much of a lone wolf and wild card to form attachments. But had the man gone so far off the deep end as to turn traitor and try to harm Olivia? If he had, Hawke was very much looking forward to a reckoning with him.
“Whoever it is, you’ll need to be prepared for him,” Ash said. “Once he realizes he’s been tricked, he won’t be happy.”
Hawke smiled at the thought.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Looking both puzzled and elated, Dr. Steiner grinned down at her. “Your pulse, respiration, and blood pressure are normal. Your reflexes are excellent. Except for some lingering weakness, I’d say you’re in excellent health. I see no reason you can’t resume normal activities soon.”
“When?” Olivia asked. She wanted to find the people who’d done this to her. If this drug got out into the public domain, the havoc and destruction could be unimaginable.
“Give yourself a couple weeks,” he said. “Take it easy. Take walks instead of running or hiking. Eat well, stay hydrated, and get plenty of rest.”
Considering she had more or less slept for almost five days, it seemed ridiculous that she would need rest, but she couldn’t deny that she felt incredibly tired. The doctor’s assessment was a welcome relief, though. In a few days, she should be back to normal, and she could get to work finding out who’d poisoned her and why.
She glanced over at Hawke, her heart turning over when she saw his expression. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair looked like he’d run his fingers through it a dozen times, and the beard that he’d been keeping closely shaved was once again shaggy.
He had been through hell, and despite the hurt she felt at their last conversation, she wanted nothing more than to go into his arms and hold on to him for dear life.
The doctor patted her shoulder in the universal language of comfort that all doctors seemed to use. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hawke walked with the doctor to the door and exchanged a few words she couldn’t make out. Dr. Steiner gave her another bright smile and then walked out the door.