Page 66 of The Maverick (WaterFyre Rising #7)

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

ATTIKUS

I waited outside the exam room while the nurse checked Vanessa.

The door opened, and Nurse Amy waved me inside. “She’s fine, but she needs to rest and take it easy for the next few days. It was a traumatic experience. The doctor will be in shortly to examine her again before she’s discharged.”

“Thank you.” I walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in mine. “It’s all good news.”

She looked at my cane. “Did you use your cane to unlock the grid?”

I showed her the bottom portion that held lock-picking tools, screwdrivers, and other supplies.

“Wow. That’s an innovative cane,” she said. “I can’t believe your curator is among the ten people the police saved. How’s he doing?”

“I don’t know. I had to make sure you were okay first.”

She placed a hand over mine. “Go check on him. The doctor should be in soon.”

“Okay. If you need anything, shout.” I kissed her forehead.

“I’ll be fine. Go.” Laughing, she pointed to the door.

I walked down the hallway to Joseph’s room and sat in the chair beside his hospital bed. “How are you doing, my friend?”

“Better now,” he said. “Sorry, the workload must’ve piled up while I was gone.”

“Stop being a workaholic.” I shook my head, looking at his long gray hair that desperately needed a trim.

“Takes one to know one.” He smirked.

“I see you didn’t lose your sense of humor. Nothing to worry about. Agnes took care of everything.”

His eyes brightened, revealing an affection I hadn’t seen before. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“Something going on with you and Agnes?” I asked.

“Not really. It’s mostly me secretly loving her for years.” He chuckled. “It all started when she fixed my chair and repaired the sink in the office bathroom.”

“You know how to do that,” I said, loving the spark in his eyes. He would recover from this horrific event.

“Yeah, but she’s better at it. Especially in her maintenance overalls. So damn hot.”

I laughed, my shoulders shaking. I let him talk about Agnes for a while.

“You know, after coming so close to death, I realize that life is too short.” He sat up and shifted the IV tube aside. “I’m going to tell her how I feel.”

“Go for it.” There was nothing better than seeing my curator and maintenance manager together. They’d make a fabulous couple.

“Want to talk about how you got into this dangerous situation?”

“As your curator, I like to attend local art exhibits. There was an exhibit near the Canal Walk.Small event with fantastic art. I overheard two people talking about you and an event in Boston. I turned around and saw the First Lady and some guy. She didn’t seem as friendly in person as she did on TV.

I think she recognized me but said nothing. ”

“You jotted down an art auction event in Boston on your calendar.”

“That’s what the First Lady mentioned.” He nodded. “I never got the chance to tell you. The next day, I took a stroll along theCanal Walk after dinner. A man walked past me and jabbed a needle into my arm.”

“Was this the guy who was with the First Lady?” I asked, showing him a picture of Dr. Messina.

“Yes. He’s also the doctor monitoring everything. He shoved me into a trunk or van—I wasn’t sure. Then I heard him call the First Lady on speaker.”

Anger surged through me. Why was the First Lady involved in kidnapping and injecting people with dangerous drugs?

“How long were you out? Did the First Lady talk to you when you came to?”

“She asked me about your life and your weaknesses. I told her I only worked at the museum and didn’t know you well. That you weren’t the best boss, so we didn’t talk.” He flicked a look at me. “She didn’t believe my lie and injected more meds into me. It made me weak.”

“She did it, or someone else?”

“She did it,” he said. “There was evilness in her eyes. She said I’d be useful. I assumed she was going to use me to blackmail or hurt you.”

“Well, she didn’t get to. You’re safe now.”

Was the First Lady working for Ashton? Or maybe The Trogyn?

“I was in another building with other people. But then they moved everyone. I pretended I was unconscious but saw the number 207 on the new building. So I changed the date on my watch and dropped it, hoping you or someone would find it.”

“I did. But I didn’t know what the numbers meant.”

“Yeah, it was a long shot. But I tried.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Agnes poked her head in.

“We were just talking about you.” I waved her in.

She entered with a bag of food. “Oh, yeah?”

“I’ve got to go. Rest up.” I winked at Joseph. “Do what you need to do. Life is too short.”

“I just saw Vanessa,” Agnes said. “She looks well.”

“She is.” I leaned in and whispered, “Make the workaholic eat and rest.”

“Got it.”

After a hot shower with Vanessa, I tucked her into bed and lay next to her.

She described her ordeal. “They’re experimenting on people with dangerous drugs. I saw a man go crazy from Serum100. Did they locate Dr. Messina and Brody C. Harris?”

“The authorities are on it. Their faces are everywhere in the media worldwide.”

“Worldwide?” Her eyes widened.

“Musepaper and Orion’s media companies have extensive reach. They’ll be caught. Don’t worry.”

“Before I forget, you need to check this.” She reached for her phone at the charging station. “Brody bought an artwork from me.”

She told me how she’d inserted a tracking device Vivian had given her into the painting. “I haven’t looked at the tracker recently. Maybe that can help locate him or something.”

“My Lily Pad has some spying skills. I’ll look later. You need to rest.”

Her eyes warmed. “I’m part of the Super Spy Girl group.”

I laughed. “What’s that?”

“A group of intelligent women with unique missions. Sort of like the Bond girls.” Mischief gleamed in her eyes. “My mission, For Your Heart Only, is complete.”

I smirked. “What exactly is that mission?”

“To see if your feelings for me are real. We’ve had several painting sessions where you confessed your love for me. So they’re real.”

“You could’ve just asked me, and I would’ve told you.”

“But I wouldn’t have believed you.” She kissed my cheek and dropped her head on my shoulder. “Actions speak louder than words.”

When she fell asleep, I kissed her forehead and thanked the heavens for keeping her safe for me.I tried to extract her hands from my arm, and she murmured, “I love you, Attikus.” She breathed. “Even your cane.”

I smiled and replied, “I love you more than you can imagine.”

I could have lost her—the only woman who held my heart. The only woman who loved me and all my flaws.

My vendetta against Ashton blazed into my head.If vengeance consumed my heart, Vanessa was the lifeblood that eased it.

Was the First Lady responsible for everything? Did I have another enemy besides Ashton? Were they working together?

If something happened to Vanessa, I’d scorch the world for her.

I entered my office, logged into Vanessa’s tracker, and noticed she had several recordings. When I listened to the first recording, fiery blood surged through my veins. I called for an urgent meeting with my friends.