Ben suggests. “He’s a neurologist. Someone needs to fake a head injury. A fall, a concussion, whatever, to get to see him. The rest can follow after. Once we have a room, we’ll—”
“Surprise him,” Rafe cuts in.
“I’ll go into the ER,” Salto says. “We can figure out a way to make it look like I fell, that my head’s all messed up.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard.” Devon laughs.
“Ben can go with you and pretend he’s your friend,” you say. “I’ll meet you in the room as backup. Everyone else can keep watch.”
“I should be in the room, too,” Rafe says. “There’s no point in me waiting in the hall. What if this guy has a gun?”
“No, Ben will go with Salto,” you say, hoping to end the discussion. “He’s hurt, so he shouldn’t be working the perimeter. He’s not as experienced at scouting anyway. Rafe, you’ll be there if we need you.”
Rafe stands and grabs his pack. “Fine, we have a plan,” he says. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE BRIGHT LIGHTING in the hospital is oppressive. The sterile, tiled corridors make you uneasy. It feels like a place you can enter, but never leave.
The elevator gets to the seventh floor and you spot Rafe standing in an alcove by the window. He’s out of the way enough that you wouldn’t notice him unless you were looking. You don’t acknowledge him as you walk past and take a right down the hall. There’s a desk at the far end of the corridor, where a nurse is busy filing away papers. Another is talking on the phone, saying something about a patient two floors up who’s asking for a transfer. You stay out of their line of sight and head for 7776. The door shuts behind you as you slip into Salto’s room.
Salto smiles when she sees you and it makes her look like a completely different person. There’s a deep dimple in eachof her round, full cheeks. Her hospital gown hangs loose on her small frame, and you can see all her tattoos. The face of a woman on her right bicep. Two roses that twist up her left arm.
“We already saw Reynolds once downstairs.” Ben sits in a chair, tearing open a packet of hospital-issued painkillers. “He asked her a few questions before they admitted her.”
“Did he say when he’s coming back?” you ask.
“Any minute. I didn’t tell them anything, just said I couldn’t remember things. They asked me what month it was, stuff like that,” Salto says. “Wanted to know what city I was in. I just kept saying I didn’t remember.”
There’s a curtain by the door, hanging on a curved piece of metal. You pull it all the way closed. “What did he look like?”
“He’s a little guy. Brown hair, but, you know, like, balding on the top.”
You hear someone behind you and spin around. It’s only Rafe. He slips behind the curtain, gestures to the bathroom on the other side of the bed. “It’s better if I’m here. Just in case.”
“Where are Devon and Aggy? Did you see them?” you ask.
“They’re in the stairwell, watching the hallway. They already scoped out the whole building—nothing seemed off.”
“That doesn’t mean AAE isn’t watching him.” Ben will only look at you when he talks. “They should keep moving.”
“They will,” Rafe says. “Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing.”
You follow Rafe into the bathroom, keeping the door open a few inches to see out.
A nurse comes in. Salto pretends to be asleep. Ben says something about how tired she was, how her head hurt, and the woman checks something on the machine by her bed. A minute after she leaves there is the cold, hard sound of shoes on the linoleum tile. Someone else is coming in.
Rafe pulls the knife from beneath his shirt. You peer out the space between the door hinges, watching the doctor as he approaches Salto. As soon as he moves to the other side of the bed, you and Rafe step out, blocking his exit.
Reynolds turns around, realizing he’s surrounded on all sides. He sets the files down on the
“Surprise him,” Rafe cuts in.
“I’ll go into the ER,” Salto says. “We can figure out a way to make it look like I fell, that my head’s all messed up.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard.” Devon laughs.
“Ben can go with you and pretend he’s your friend,” you say. “I’ll meet you in the room as backup. Everyone else can keep watch.”
“I should be in the room, too,” Rafe says. “There’s no point in me waiting in the hall. What if this guy has a gun?”
“No, Ben will go with Salto,” you say, hoping to end the discussion. “He’s hurt, so he shouldn’t be working the perimeter. He’s not as experienced at scouting anyway. Rafe, you’ll be there if we need you.”
Rafe stands and grabs his pack. “Fine, we have a plan,” he says. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE BRIGHT LIGHTING in the hospital is oppressive. The sterile, tiled corridors make you uneasy. It feels like a place you can enter, but never leave.
The elevator gets to the seventh floor and you spot Rafe standing in an alcove by the window. He’s out of the way enough that you wouldn’t notice him unless you were looking. You don’t acknowledge him as you walk past and take a right down the hall. There’s a desk at the far end of the corridor, where a nurse is busy filing away papers. Another is talking on the phone, saying something about a patient two floors up who’s asking for a transfer. You stay out of their line of sight and head for 7776. The door shuts behind you as you slip into Salto’s room.
Salto smiles when she sees you and it makes her look like a completely different person. There’s a deep dimple in eachof her round, full cheeks. Her hospital gown hangs loose on her small frame, and you can see all her tattoos. The face of a woman on her right bicep. Two roses that twist up her left arm.
“We already saw Reynolds once downstairs.” Ben sits in a chair, tearing open a packet of hospital-issued painkillers. “He asked her a few questions before they admitted her.”
“Did he say when he’s coming back?” you ask.
“Any minute. I didn’t tell them anything, just said I couldn’t remember things. They asked me what month it was, stuff like that,” Salto says. “Wanted to know what city I was in. I just kept saying I didn’t remember.”
There’s a curtain by the door, hanging on a curved piece of metal. You pull it all the way closed. “What did he look like?”
“He’s a little guy. Brown hair, but, you know, like, balding on the top.”
You hear someone behind you and spin around. It’s only Rafe. He slips behind the curtain, gestures to the bathroom on the other side of the bed. “It’s better if I’m here. Just in case.”
“Where are Devon and Aggy? Did you see them?” you ask.
“They’re in the stairwell, watching the hallway. They already scoped out the whole building—nothing seemed off.”
“That doesn’t mean AAE isn’t watching him.” Ben will only look at you when he talks. “They should keep moving.”
“They will,” Rafe says. “Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing.”
You follow Rafe into the bathroom, keeping the door open a few inches to see out.
A nurse comes in. Salto pretends to be asleep. Ben says something about how tired she was, how her head hurt, and the woman checks something on the machine by her bed. A minute after she leaves there is the cold, hard sound of shoes on the linoleum tile. Someone else is coming in.
Rafe pulls the knife from beneath his shirt. You peer out the space between the door hinges, watching the doctor as he approaches Salto. As soon as he moves to the other side of the bed, you and Rafe step out, blocking his exit.
Reynolds turns around, realizing he’s surrounded on all sides. He sets the files down on the
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