Another disappointed sigh, and she folded her arms on her chest.
“Hey, did I miss anything?”
She jumped at the sound of Chad’s voice. “No. How was practice?”
Chad waved his hand. “So-so. Felt like Skull just needed a punching bag today.” He wiped his brow and sat beside her.
Pain smiled with the corner of her mouth as she peered at his bruised cheekbone. It had taken some getting used to, seeing him bloodied and bruised all the time. “You can walk, so you’re probably exaggerating.”
He chuckled and turned his gaze to Doc as he said goodbye and slipped the phone into his pocket.
“You can go in,” Doc told her. “But only for a few minutes. What Chris needs right now is friends’ support, not questioning.”
She got up. “All right, all right.”
The infirmary smelled stale, and she asked Chad to leave the door open as they walked in. Peter was inside, geared up and armed, a troubled look on his face as he gazed off into space. Chris had finally come around a couple of hours ago, but judging from Peter’s expression, the only good news was that Chris was all right. And while it was more important, they’d all been hoping for some breakthrough.
“Hey,” Chris said from across the room.
“Chris.” Pain smiled, grasping his hand. “Good to see you up and kicking.”
Jane hurried into the room, stopping at Chris’s other side. “How are you feeling?” she asked, looking out of breath.
He grimaced. “All right. Just pissed about the hair.” He pointed at the side of his head that had been shaved after the accident. Messy blond curls on the other side bounced as he settled more comfortably into the pillows.
“It’ll grow back before you know it.” She reached up and slipped her fingers into Chad’s curls for emphasis, but Chris just made a face.
“Yeah, right,” he grumbled. “You would’ve razed the building to the ground if it was your head they shaved.” His face grew serious. “I wanted to ask what you saw when you found me, but Doc said it was just me?” He looked uncomfortable on the narrow bed, with his long arms and legs sticking over the sides.
She drew a breath, remembering that night. “We heard sounds of fighting, but when we got there, they were already gone. Marco tried to follow them, but it seemed he went in the wrong direction. When he checked from the air, there was nothing. Sorry. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He nodded, chewing on his bottom lip, and she added, “You said they were going to kill us all. What do you remember?”
He shook his head once, then winced and rubbed his temple. “I saw something down on the street, went to check it out and got jumped. Came around in a car, hands and feet tied. So I pretended unconscious. There was some kind of lab, lots of gurneys. I only remember flashes so I’m not sure how much was real, it was all blurry. They left me for a minute, and I managed to untie my feet and get the hell out of there. But I crashed not far from here, where they jumped me again or maybe someone else? I think they might’ve tased me a few times throughout the whole ordeal. And about what I told you—I’m not sure. I only remember some bits of conversation I overheard, and a name, Victoria.”
Pain’s heart sank even as she nodded, patting his arm. For two weeks, Chris’s words had been a mystery to her, and she couldn’t wait to talk to him. Now even this small clue was lost.
“I might remember more later, right?” Chris turned to Doc, who nodded. “Meanwhile, we could try checking that name, maybe? If this woman is of any importance there, and they operate like a military organization, maybe we could check former army or police officers with the first name Victoria?”
“Already on it,” Peter said with an approving smile. “We’ll let you know when—”
A loud bang drowned out his voice, and they all whipped around to find Tiffany gaping at the door, a steel tray lying at her feet.
Dave stared right into Pain’s eyes from where he stood in the doorway. Barefoot. His reddened cheeks and tousled hair told her he’d just been outside, but he wasn’t even wearing a jacket. And in his arms…
Pain opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. Her eyes slid over Elena’s lifeless form, her torn dress and bloodied face.
She glanced at Peter, the look in his eyes cleaving her heart in two. He had raised this girl as he had raised her and Jane.
It was Doc who spoke first. “Dave?” His voice shook, and for some reason he took a step back, not toward Dave. “What happened?”
Dave’s wild, unfocused eyes turned to him. “Help her,” he rasped. “Do something. Please.”
No one moved.
Pain stepped forward, only to halt when she realized what everyone was staring at. Why Doc had backed off from Dave, his eyes big as saucers.
Her heart kicked into overdrive. “Dave,” she said, swallowing hard. “How did you get here?”
The whole room froze, as if everyone was holding their breath, and only the soulless machines kept beeping somewhere in the background.
Dave looked up at her, a line appearing between his eyebrows as he struggled to form a reply. He opened his mouth, but no sound followed. He looked down at Elena, then back up at Pain.
His answer came out in a whisper, “I flew.”
Chapter 10
Chad was the first to unfreeze from his spot.
He dashed to Dave, ignoring the churning shield around him even as it parted so he could take Elena from Dave’s arms. Pain wondered if it would let anyone else through in that moment.
But Doc
