His brows drew together in a scowl. “Could have. This was bad enough.”
“I really need to learn to defend myself more effectively.” Guilt warred with a pang of sadness. “Here you are freshly back from a dangerous mission and I—”
“Need to rest and heal.” Gabe interrupted her, pressing his thumb over her lips.
Irritated, she caught the tip of his thumb between her teeth.
Heat kindled in his eyes and she blushed in response, releasing his thumb.
Gabe chuckled. “Don’t tempt me. That wouldn’t be rest. What I could do, if you’re feeling up to it now, is take you to see your sister.”
She startled to scramble out from under the light covers.
“Easy, easy.” Gabe’s arms wrapped around her. “You’re going to tip right off this bed.”
The warmth of his embrace seeped through the thin fabric of the hospital gown and through her skin. He held her for a long moment, whispering endearments into her hair, then he adjusted his hold to scoop her up in his arms.
“I can walk!” She didn’t wiggle, though. He had to have been hurt back there on the mission. She’d seen the vehicle flip over. “You should not be carrying me.”
He grunted. “I can handle getting you into a wheelchair. Safer than letting you hop out of that hospital bed and try to run around with a mild concussion.”
Well, even without a mild concussion she was clumsy enough that she probably would have tripped herself up somehow and fallen out of the bed.
There was indeed a wheelchair nearby, and he placed her gently into the seat. He also got a light robe from a nearby hook on the wall and helped her slip it on.
She tipped her head to look up at him. “How do I look?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Beautiful.”
She batted at his hand on the arm of her wheelchair. “Presentable? I need to know if I look presentable. I don’t want An-mei worried about me after everything she’s been through.”
“Can barely see the lump with your hair down.” He leaned in and kissed her for good measure. “And you make the robes here look surprisingly presentable. Ready?”
“Ready.”
He wheeled her out of the curtained area and out of the larger infirmary into the hallway. It wasn’t far, and he turned her wheelchair in to a much smaller room with only two beds, separated by curtains. As he brought them to a stop at the far set of curtains, Maylin reached out and twitched the edge of one aside. “Mèi mèi?”
A form stirred under the blankets on the bed. “Jiě jiě?”
Tears welled up and burned her dry eyes at the sound of her little sister’s voice. Groggy, hesitant, but it was An-mei. Swallowing to ease the constriction in her throat, Maylin tugged at the curtain to open it more.
Her little sister was sitting up in bed, green eyes blinking away tears.
Without being asked, Gabe pushed her wheelchair forward until she was within reach and leaned forward to lock the wheels. Maylin surged out of the chair and stumbled forward, wrapping her little sister in a careful hug.
An-mei’s arms tightened around her in return. “You found me. You found me. You found me.”
“We did.” Maylin kissed her sister’s hair and rubbed her back, surprised at how thin she had become. She didn’t want to ask what had happened to her in captivity. Not yet. “Do you think you could eat something?”
An-mei made a choking sound, somewhere between crying and laughing. “It is so good to hear you ask.”
Maylin released her from the hug and drew back to look her over. “We should both have something to eat, and I’m guessing there are medications they’d like us to take too.”
Shadows darkened An-mei’s gaze and her slender shoulders stiffened under Maylin’s hands.
“You’re safe here.” Maylin wasn’t sure how to give her sister the reassurance she’d need. “These are the people who helped me find you, got you out.”
Giving her sister time, Maylin shifted to sit on the edge of the bed and turned to hold out a hand for Gabe.
Gabe took a step forward and placed his hand in hers. His grip was firm, steadying, and he rubbed his thumb over her fingers comfortingly.
“This is Gabriel Diaz of the Centurion Corporation.” Maylin figured now was as good a time as any for formal introductions. “He led the fire team that went in to save you.”
Recognition replaced the shadows in An-mei’s eyes. “You were there. You came and got me out.”
Gabe nodded. “This is real. This isn’t a new way of trying to trick you into doing their work for them. This is really your sister and you are really out of that place.”
An-mei balled her hands into fists, the sheets caught up in her grip. “They drugged me, had an actress come in trying to pretend to be my sister. But I knew it wasn’t her. Knew it.”