Page 87 of Canyon of Deceit

He swore in Spanish. “How about staying put where it’s safe?”

I preferred silence as my response. Sergio and I had covered a lot of territory over the years—physical, mental, and spiritual. We’d seen each other through complicated missions, and we’d do it again. I stared at Therese’s backpack and suspicion anchored a hold. “Sergio, can you hold on a minute? I want to check out Therese’s backpack.”

“Are you thinking a transponder?”

“Yep.” I laid the phone on the chair beside me and searched the dirty and worn bag. My fingers touched on a round object inside a zippered pocket. The pocket was empty but inside the lining, the circular item stayed intact. The lining opened with a gentle tug, and I pulled out a round tracker. I snatched up the phone and told Sergio what I’d located.

“Hold on to it until I get there, and we figure out how to catch Falin at his own game.”

The doctor who’d been treating Therese stepped into the ER waiting room. I caught his attention and said my good-byes to Sergio.

“How is she?” I said.

“Mr. Gardner, Ms. Palmer has given me permission to give you details about her condition. She has a mild concussion and several bruises. I noted on her chart a recent injury to her kidney, and she told me the antibiotic she was prescribed—”

“What kind of kidney injury?”

“A nasty punch. I recommended a follow-up with a specialist.”

Falin or Chandler must have hit her. “Thanks. Is she up to visitors?”

“Give me about ten minutes to write up orders. I want to keep her a couple of hours, monitor her condition before I release her.”

I thanked him again and watched him disappear behind the ER doors.

Was Rurik aware of the tracking? No doubt he’d held back more info than Therese and I imagined. I wanted to send a fist into his face. Several of them.

—

I waited eleven minutes, smiled at the white-haired woman at the reception desk, and trekked back to where Therese lay in ER. She had her eyes glued to the curtain opening as though she anticipated seeing me. Right. I was a bit full of myself.

“Glad you’re here,” she said. “Did you escape unscathed?”

“Unscathed?” I raised my brows like a comic character. “I broke my arm on our last adventure. Survived on Vitamin I and a good woman. The question is, how are you, Miz Kidney Punch Who Forgot to Tell Me?”

Therese laughed. “We’ve lost it, totally. Probably left them in the rental, but I don’t remember what it looks like.” She slurred her words. “All this incredible, death-defying, kidnapping, murder, espionage, and Russian mob stuff has—”

“Therese, what pharmaceuticals are you on?”

She shrugged. “The doctor said it would relax me.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. I hadn’t had this much fun in days. “If that’s the case, would you marry me?”

Her blue-green eyes widened. “I’m loopy, not crazy. But maybe.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“If and when I’m ready, I’ll send you an invitation.”

“I like you better this way. Can the doctor prescribe your relaxing juice in a pill?”

“I don’t take meds unless it’s on a much-needed basis.” She lifted her chin, but her eyes slid to half-mast.

“I rest my case.” I dragged a chair closer to her bedside. “Nothing left to talk about but the jerks who tried to kill us.” I wanted to tell her about Gabriel and Michael, but I’d wait until she was coherent to share our teen heroes. Instead, I shared what I’d found in her backpack.

She bit her lower lip. “Where is it?”

I patted my jeans pocket. “Got it right here. Now Falin is tracking me, not you.”