He walked out of the office, leaving Zerta sputtering in his wake. Haydn kept pace with him as he found his way back to the front entrance. He’d visually confirmed the presence of each of the three individuals he’d noted previously, spread out around the office as he left.
He walked out into the parking lot and wondered how quickly he was going to find himself in hell. A spot between his shoulder blades itched. They weren’t likely to shoot him down right in their own parking lot, but there were eyes on him. He didn’t like it, even if it was exactly what he’d planned.
Getting Haydn safely in the back of his SUV and pulling out of their parking lot took patience. He pulled out on the highway and made a call.
“Kymani.”
“I’m out.” Forte scanned the road as he drove with the flow of traffic. There were a couple of potential vehicles behind him. They could be following him or they could’ve pulled onto the highway at the same time as him out of coincidence.
“We’ve got you.”
Forte ended the call. He considered calling Sophie. He hadn’t told her he was coming here to do this. In fact, only Kymani, Rojas, and Cruz knew. None of them had liked leaving the ladies out of this but what one of them knew, they all knew. It was a part of the way their friendship worked. Considering how tough it must be to be partnered with veterans like them, neither he nor Rojas nor Cruz minded the way they shared with one another. They were a support network.
The scary part was that they were all going to be mad at him if he got through this.
A dark SUV pulled up next to his. Forte glanced to his left and caught the impression of a familiar face from the Labs-Anders Corporation offices. Then his right tire blew.
Gripping the wheel, he fought to control his vehicle as the other SUV swiped him, sending him into a spin across the highway.
*
“This hospital room is more familiar than it should be.” Forte groaned.
Cruz leaned against the far wall. “This is the first time you’ve been the one in the hospital bed.”
The sound of a stampede grew loud in the hallway.
Forte swallowed hard and looked at the door apprehensively. “Save me.”
Cruz laughed. “Uh-uh. I’m in enough trouble just knowing about this crazy plan in the first place. You get to have all of them fuss over you.”
“Shit.” Forte watched as Sophie, Lyn, and Elisa piled into the hospital room. Rojas followed at a slower pace and shut the door behind him to give them all some privacy.
Sophie skidded as she came in, still wearing her medical boot from her stay in the same room. “Are you okay?”
“I’m awake,” he responded cautiously.
She stopped at his bedside, staring at him intently. She was pale, tired looking, with bruises under her eyes.
Guilt crushed his chest. “I’m sorry.”
She didn’t respond, instead crouching to look under his hospital bed. “Haydn, he’s lucky you came out of this without any new injuries. You could’ve been seriously hurt.”
Oh great, she was more concerned about the dog than him.
There was a perfunctory knock on the door, then it opened to admit three more people. Forte would’ve called it a party, but none of them had particularly party-type expressions.
The doctor was probably irritated with their entire group. They were all becoming too familiar in these hallways. Kymani was in law-enforcement mode, there in his capacity as a police officer rather than as a friend. Captain Jones rarely smiled, if ever, as far as Forte knew.
Sophie straightened and studied each of them. Then she crossed her arms over her chest.
Forte wasn’t the only one to tense.
“Someone please explain.” There was an element of command in her quiet tone worthy of the highest-ranking officer in any of the armed forces.
Or maybe it was just that what she said mattered so much to him.
Captain Jones took note of everyone in the room and sighed. “I’d like to allow the good doctor to complete his checks first, then answer your question.”
Sophie considered, then stood back.
Forte thought he saw sweat on the doctor’s forehead as the examination moved along.
“Concussion. Bruises and minor cuts. I’d recommend a day or two of rest, but all in all, the vehicle took the brunt of the damage. He should be ready for release in the morning after a night of observation.” The doctor looked at Sophie to give his diagnosis, and Forte mildly resented not being included in his own results.
“It could’ve been worse.” Forte didn’t know why he was so defensive. Especially since he was actually damned happy Sophie had come.
“Much worse.” The doctor shook his head. “Each of you is here far more often than this quiet hospital can handle. I suggest all of you take stock of what it is about your lives and take steps to live healthier.”
“As if you can fix car bombs or assault and battery with regular exercise and a balanced diet,” Sophie muttered.
Forte choked back a laugh as the doctor gathered his dignity and departed.
“Sophie.” Lyn’s reproof triggered a release of tension in the entire room.
“Okay, I’ll go apologize later.” Sophie sounded genuinely repentant. “It’s weird being back here.”