I kept my dad’s hand in mine and talked to him like I used to when he’d been in the coma.
“I missed you,” I told him. “And I didn’t know what to do. I…thought maybe you found out something, some information you weren’t supposed to know, at work.”
“Work,” my dad said, his voice rough and scratchy.
My heart leaped. “Yes, work,” I said. “Do you remember work?”
His eyes fluttered open. He looked confused at first but then his features cleared slightly. “The lab…?”
I nodded. “Right. You worked at the lab.”
His hand flexed in mine like he was frustrated.
“Work,” he said again.
I leaned in closer to hear him. “Do you remember something, Dad?”
His lips moved silently, almost as though he was working through the words he wanted to say.
Then he grunted softly in frustration. “I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay,” I soothed, fighting back more words. Questions I wanted to ask. “I’m here. You can sleep now.”
It was good. He could rest and then I’d be able to visit with him more when he woke up again. This would give me a chance to call Xander and update him. I should also call Declan and tell him I wasn’t going to be able to meet him.
I started to slide my hand from my dad’s, but his grip tightened.
“Dad?”
He didn’t open his eyes but mumbled “work” once again.
“Do you remember something?” I asked.
He grunted in agreement.
“About that day?” I said, my voice quiet.
He grunted again, making my heart race. Shit. He remembered the day of the accident or something about it.
“Dad?” I said again.
His eyelids flickered and then his gaze fixed on me. He said one word, only one, but it rocked me to my core.
“Dark.”
Chapter 16
Adrenaline raced through my veins. Dark. He’d said Dark.
Declan had seen him that day. And he’d lied about it.
Along with the adrenaline, a healthy dose of rage boiled up in my veins.
I knew all along that Declan had something to do with this, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I was even going to meet him today.
That asshole.
I stepped out of the room, already pulling my phone from my pocket. I should probably think through what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. I was filled with purpose. I wanted answers now, and Declan needed to know that I knew the truth.
I pressed his name to send the call. With the phone to my ear, I heard the ringing first in one ear, then in the other.
My head jerked up at the sound, realizing what it was. His phone. Declan was somewhere close by.
I caught sight of the back of a jacket before it vanished around the corner and I yanked in a breath.
The call went straight to voicemail as though someone had abruptly ended it.
Declan was here. Had he been following me?
I raced after him, not even trying to be discreet. When I rounded the corner, I saw the door to the stairs shut and cursed.
Fuck. He was fast.
But I already knew that, which was exactly what made what I was doing so reckless and ridiculous.
I was chasing after a man who was faster than the speed of light. Or at least, fast enough I could barely keep track of his movements let alone keep up.
But I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. Not again.
I ran to the door, yanked it open, and then started down the stairs. My breath came in sharp, controlled spurts but I was nowhere near my limit.
Hiking mountains had prepared me for this.
When I reached the lobby, I pulled the other door open and exited to the main level of the hospital.
I cursed again when I didn’t see him. He might have gotten off on another floor for all I knew.
But no, I didn’t think he’d try to hide. He’d probably try to run. He’d want to get out of here as fast as possible.
Cool mist hit my face when I rushed outside. I spotted Randy’s car in the same spot I’d left it and there! Across the parking lot was the same black Bentley.
I raced to Randy’s car as I saw someone jog to the Bentley. When they got in, and when I caught a flash of dark hair and a dark jacket, I gave a rueful smile.
That’s right, I thought. You can’t go as fast when you’re around people. You might get caught.
I yanked open the back door to Randy’s car, startling him, and pointed.
“You have to go—you have to follow that car,” I said, breathless.
Randy shoved his thermos back in the passenger seat. “What?”
“Go, go, go!”
To his credit, Randy started the car quickly and didn’t ask any questions until he was racing across the parking lot toward the black car that was trying to exit the hospital.
“Why are we following this car?” he asked. I noted he still put on his blinker even though he was weaving around a car that wouldn’t move.
“Because the man inside was following me,” I told him.
“What the hell?” Randy went around another car and then turned onto the man road, going in the opposite direction we came from. “I thought you were going to see your dad.”
“Just don’t lose that car,” I said.
I pulled out my phone and called Xander. “Pick up, pick up—”
“Royal?”
“Xander. Declan was at the hospital—he must have been following me—”
“Wait, what? He was doing what?”
“Following me,” I said, keeping an eye on the black car. It was getting farther ahead of us than I was comfortable
