Page 22 of Rogue Survivor
“Baby girl, how do you know that?” With a gentle touch, Isabel brushes a lock of hair off of Veronica’s forehead.
“Because Jamie told us she had to go. That she had to meet Reggie down at the abandoned strip mall on Orchard. We…followed her.”
Veronica’s heart rate shoots up from seventy-three to ninety, and I make it to the door just as the nurse tries to come in. Removing the chair, I block her access. “She’s upset, but she’s fine. Unless you’re ready to move her, you’re not coming in right now.”
“Agent Davis, you arenotin charge of my patient. Let me in or I’ll have you removed from this hospital.”
Her tone tells me she’ll do it, and there’s no fucking way I’m leaving Isabel and Veronica alone. “You have two minutes.”
“Ihaveas long as I need.” With a huff, she shoulders past me. “Young lady, you need to stay calm. The epinephrine we gave you makes you more susceptible to a blood pressure spike, and that could be dangerous.”
“I’m sorry,” Veronica sobs and buries her face in the crook of Isabel’s neck. If looks could kill, that nurse would be flat on the floor.
“Get out.” Isabel points to the door. “You willnotmake my daughter feel guilty for having emotions.” When we’re alone again, she mutters, “Nurse Sheila wasa lotnicer. Take a couple of deep breaths, V. I need you to tell us the rest of it, and I don’t want that battle axe coming in again.”
I don’t bother with the chair this time. Just lean my entire body against the door. No one’s getting in here unless they’re a hell of a lot bigger—and more ornery—than I am.
After a minute and a couple of sips of water, Veronica continues. “We parked a couple of blocks from the old mall. Mitzi refused to go in, but I wanted to get proof Reggie was blackmailing Jamie. I told her to wait on the corner, and I snuck in. I got video and everything. Real, hard evidence, Mom. He hit Jamie in the face and Officer Milton was there pointing a gun at her. There was another guy there too, but he left, and I was about to…”
More sobs, and the kid’s going to start hyperventilating if she doesn’t calm down. “Veronica!” I say sharply. “Tell me five things you can see in this room. Right now.”
“Huh?” Her dark brows furrow, but the question alone distracts her enough that her heart rate stops climbing.
“Five things you see. List ‘em off.”
“Mom, you, the TV, the water cup, and the whiteboard.”
I nod. “Now four things you can feel.”
“Mom’s hand, the sheet, the pillow, and the blanket.” After a shuddering breath, she sniffles and Isabel passes her a tissue. “I’m okay now.”
“Not yet. Three things you can hear. Two things you can smell. One thing you can taste. Get through all of them. Okay and calm are two different things.”
The relief on Isabel’s face as Veronica lists everything I asked for and relaxes against the pillows is so damn heartbreaking. How she hasn’t totally lost her shit is beyond me, but I suppose when you’re a parent, you gotta find a way.
“Good job. If you start to feel panicky or have trouble breathing, go back to that, and try to pick different things every time. Got it?”
She nods carefully, tiny lines of pain bracketing her eyes. I remember my first couple days in the hospital. How every time I moved my head, it felt like the baseball bat was slamming into my skull over and over again. Swallowing hard, I clench my right hand behind my back. Isabel and Veronica don’t need to know I’m barely holding on too.
“Go on, baby girl. You had video of the officer and Reggie threatening Jamie?” Isabel keeps her tone light, but I can hear the slight wobble, and I wish I could comfort her.
“There was no service inside the mall, so I couldn’t upload the video. I was about to leave. Really, I was. But then I heard Mitzi scream.”
Half an hour later,I follow behind an orderly moving Veronica to a room on the eighth floor. She and Isabel are exhausted, and thank God they aren’t paying much attention to me. I can’t hide my limp. The end of the hall is surrounded by a soft glow—one of my ocular phantoms making itself known—but it’s manageable. For now. Only a little dizziness so far.
As soon as I know Isabel and Veronica are safe, I can call in reinforcements and send a dozen Texas Rangers to that abandoned mall to search for any sign of Mitzi. Every person we pass is a potential threat, but most pay us little to no mind.
In the elevator, Isabel leans against me, winding her arms around my waist. “I think she’s asleep.”
“Good. She’s been through enough the past twenty-four hours. You have too, darlin’. As soon as she’s settled, you should try to rest.”
With a sigh, she shakes her head. “I can’t. What if that man comes back? Or that cop?” There’s so much fear in her eyes, my heart aches.
“I’ll be right outside the door all night. No one’s getting to Veronica again. I promise.”
Isabel’s about to protest when the elevator doors whisper open and I tell the orderly to wait. “I need to check the hall first. Do not take one step out there until I do.”
The man rolls his eyes, and I’d tell him to go fuck himself if there weren’t a seventeen-year-old girl a foot away. Asleep or not. Veronica will be safe if I have to interrogate every single doctor, nurse, med tech, orderly, and janitor in this entire goddamn hospital tonight.
