Page 91 of Talon

“I think so,” she murmurs.“Just a little bruised.”

“Let me take a closer look at your neck.” I gently take her chin in my hand, examining her throat where Allison had held the scalpel. There’s a faint red line, but it doesn’t look deep enough to need stitches.

“You saved my life,” she whispers, her eyes shining with gratitude.

“I’ll always protect you. Always.”

As the police finish securing the scene, I wrap my arm around Jessica, pulling her close to me. Our eyes meet, and in that moment, we share a silent understanding that we’ve survived yet another ordeal.

“I want to see my dad.”

“We’ll go back to his room as soon as the cops are done with us.”

“We’re aware of the situation with your father. We got a call from his doctor, which is why we happened to be here when security called in the attack. You two got very lucky. They just installed those cameras a couple of weeks ago.”

“Do you need us to make a statement?” Jessica asks.

“Yes, but you don’t have to do it right now. We have enough video evidence to lock them up. Come down to the station tomorrow, and we’ll finish up our report.”

“We will,” Jessica says.

“Let’s go see your father.” I take her hand in mine and lead her out of the morgue.

The sterile smell of the hospital fills my nostrils as we leave the chaos behind and make our way to Randolph’s room. My heart races, but it’s not from the fight anymore. It’s from the anticipation of what we’ll find when we get there. The officer didn’t say anything about her father’s condition, which has me worried.

When we get to her dad’s hospital room, Matrix whistles.“The fuck happened to you guys?”

“Allison and her … I don’t know what that guy was to her,” Jessica says.

“Probably her lover. They were too cozy for it to be a simple hitman and employer relationship.”

“They were talking about leaving the US after they got my father’s money.” Jessica shakes her head in disgust.

“That’s not going to happen,” I say.

“Here comes the doc. He was looking for you earlier,” Matrix says.

“I’m Dr. Andrews. I’m taking over for the day crew.” His solemn gaze sweeps across our faces.“Are you the daughter?”

“Yes. He’s my dad.”

“We found traces of a rare poison in your father’s system. But the good news is we have an antidote. It should counteract the effects within a few days.”

“He’ll be okay?” Tears fill her eyes.

“I can’t make any promises, but we’ll know more once he wakes up. Typically, the drug doesn’t have lasting effects, especially since we caught it fairly early.”

“Thank God.” Relief washes over me. I squeeze Jessica’s hand, sharing in her joy.

“She must have waited until they got back from their honeymoon,” Jessica says.

“Probably easier than trying to transport drugs internationally,” I reply.

“Definitly.” She nods.

“I’ll let you know how his tests look tomorrow morning. We’ll run them again around six a.m. He’s in a coma. I don’t expect him to wake up for at least another twenty-four hours. If you can, go home and get some rest.”

“Can you call me with the test results if we’re not here?” Jessica asks.