Page 22 of Vital Signs

Ready to fight for him.

The dining room hummedwith conversation when I arrived at seven sharp. Annie had made meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans, and the rich, homey scents wrapped around me like a hug. The extended family gathered around the massive oak table, and for a moment I could almost pretend we were normal. Just a big family sharing dinner, not vigilantes planning their next hunt.

"Misha." Annie's face lit up when she saw me. "Perfect timing. How was your day?"

"Productive," I said, sliding into my usual seat between Xander and Xavier.

Xavier gave me a quick nod. Tatiana and Nikita Volkov held court at one end, their rapid-fire Russian mixing with everyone else's English in the familiar chaos of family dinner.

Once everyone had filled their plates, Annie tapped her knife against her water glass. "Alright, family. Does anyone have business to bring to the table tonight?"

River's eyes met mine, and he gave me an encouraging nod.

"I do," I said.

A ripple of surprise went around the table.

War set down his fork, giving me his full attention. "What's the case?"

"A doctor is using homeless people as lab rats and covering up the deaths." I met his eyes directly. "I want the family to sanction his execution."

The table went silent.

"Tell us what you've found," War said carefully.

I laid out Tyler's case, telling them about the misgendering at the county morgue, the experimental drugs in his system. I outlined how the trail led me to Dr. Elliot Wright and his pharmaceutical trials targeting vulnerable populations. I painted Wright as a predator who fed on desperation, who saw human beings as disposable test subjects.

"How did you come by this information?" War asked when I finished.

"I've been investigating since Tyler's body arrived at the funeral home. I found evidence of at least six other victims who ended up in emergency rooms with similar symptoms."

River leaned forward. "I can confirm the county misgendered the victim. Misha caught it immediately and corrected the paperwork. He's been... invested in this case from the start."

"And the source of this evidence?" Nikita asked.

I met his eyes directly. "I have connections."

"What kind of connections?" War pressed. "Medical staff? University insiders?"

I hesitated, and River leaned forward. "The man who broke into the funeral home the other night. You've been working with him."

Shit. Of course River had put it together.

"His name is Hunter," I said. "He knew Tyler. He has connections to other trial participants."

"Hunter who?" War's voice had gone sharp.

"Hunter Song. He's... he used to be a nurse."

"Used to be?" Nikita's accent thickened.

I took a deep breath. "He lost his license. He's homeless. Struggling with addiction. But that doesn't mean—"

"Absolutely not." War cut me off. "You want us to sanction an operation based on information from a homeless addict?"

The burn started in my chest. "He's a former medical professional. He knows these people, knows the system—"

"He's compromised," Tatiana said flatly. "Addicts lie. They steal. They can't be trusted with sensitive information."