Page 56 of Huntsman

Forty minutes later, I glance down at my phone. It’s been damn near an hour, and no word from Sienna. Not a call or text. Unease creeps into my stomach. I lower my cell, but several minutes later, that niggling feeling hasn’t left.

“Fuck it.” I scroll to my Favorites list and dial Sienna’s phone.

It rings once, twice, three times. Just before it goes to voicemail, an unfamiliar voice greets me.

“Who the fuck is this?” I bark, my worry barreling into anger.

“This is Vanessa Laurel, a nurse in the ER here at Mass General. A Sienna Browder was admitted. Are you a relative?”

“Yes, her sister. I’m on my way down there now.”

“Okay, I’ll—”

I hang up on her and am already moving for the door.

“Eshe.” Tera calls my name, following me out of Penn’s room. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“Sienna is down in the ER. A nurse answered her phone. I’m headed there.”

“Not without me.”

We rush to the other side of the hospital, and within minutes we reach the ER. A petite, dark-skinned nurse stands by the admission desk, and we approach her.

“Are you Vanessa?” I demand.

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry you had to find out about your sister this way.”

I wave her words off with a flick of my fingers. “You’re good. What happened to Sienna?”

“Apparently, someone found her in the hospital’s parking deck suffering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. She’s in surgery right now. I can take you up to the surgical waiting room, and as soon as the surgery is done, the doctor will come out and talk to you.”

“Is she…?” I pause, swallow hard. “What are the…?”

The nurse looks at me with sympathy, and I want to cringe away from it.

“The wound missed anything important, but she had a lot of blood loss. Dr. Kregg is one of our best surgeons, so she’s in good hands.” She lifts a clear plastic bag that I didn’t notice her holding. “Here’s your sister’s effects. I didn’t want to leave them in the ER since we don’t have a room for her yet.”

I accept the bag from her.

“Thank you,” Tera murmurs.

“No problem. I’ll be right back to take you up to the waiting room.”

She pivots and heads for the doors that lead back to the ER.

“Eshe.”

I tear my gaze away from those doors and glance at Tera.

“Look.” She dips her chin, gesturing toward my hand.

I lift the clear, plastic bag, and I don’t need her to say anything else. Sitting on top of Sienna’s clothes is a golden apple.

A muffled yet deafening noise roars in my head. It grows louder and louder the longer I stare at that fucking apple.

I take it for what it is.

A sign.