“And I think it was the right call for me to get there,” Chase said quietly.
“Yeah. You’ve done this—had the equipment and the knowledge to do what was needed. Let’s hope he makes it. And that he comes around...in time.”
“We have no idea how much is out there,” Chase said.
Sky was watching and listening in astonishment. She thought she knew Chase. Even after years away. She’d asked about him casually. She’d looked him up online. It always seemed that he’d been playing or taking classes or...
Maybe she actually knew Chase better than she’d imagined. This was, on the one hand, all a shock. On the other hand...
It wasn’t surprising Chase would be an agent, that a young man who had listened to and admired her father had learned to save lives...
And to fight the bad guys.
“All right. We know Brandon had stuff—and Bobby had it. We need to find the main snake and cut its damned head off,” Wellington said. “This has gone on too long.”
“My grandfather and Bobby are at the same hospital. I thought I’d take a minute to visit Hank, and then I can check on Bobby as well. NOPD is on it—guards are in the hall,” Chase said. “Sir, if you could be with Sky a bit longer—”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Sky said flatly.
They both stared at her.
“Now that I know what the hell is going on, Chase, I’m sticking with you. I haven’t seen Hank, and I’d very much like to. You just said NOPD is at the hospital, too. I’m going with you.” She turned to Wellington. “Thank you, Mr. SAC, sir. I appreciate everyone worrying about how I get to keep on living. But I will be fine now with Chase, and I’d very much like to see Hank.”
Chase and Wellington stared at one another for a moment.
She had a feeling Wellington was silently assuring Chase it was his call.
“All right. So Larry guards the house, and we all head out,” Chase said.
“And you’ll be at the venue by four?” Wellington asked Chase.
Chase nodded. “Last tech.”
“I’ll be there, an old lecturer, in awe of a classic-rock band,” Wellington said.
Chase nodded. “And we may find nothing, despite all our determination.”
“Something is going on. And we will find the truth,” Wellington said. “Well, I’ll leave you for now. Give Hank my regards. I’ll just say goodbye to Larry and be out of here.”
“Thank you, sir,” Sky told him.
He smiled at her. She did like the man. And if Chase was working directly beneath him, it was good to know him.
When he was gone, Chase watched her in silence.
“So nothing about you is real.”
He shook his head. “Sky, everything about me is real. And that’s why...it’s why what I do works.”
“Hey, you were honest at first. You said we needed to pretend.”
“Sky, nothing with you is pretend!” he vowed.
She nodded. “Well, we’ll see. Busy afternoon—let’s get to the hospital.”
“I’ll see to Larry—”
“I have food and water set out for him already,” Sky said. The dog was next to her, her constant companion—and guard.
Well, if all else went astray, she’d gotten a great dog out of it all.
She petted Larry’s head and told him to guard the house and started out, leaving Chase to follow her and check on the locks to the house and the gate as they left.
His car was there, ready, on the street right in front of her house.
She was silent as they drove. So was he.
But when they reached the hospital, he turned to her at last. “Sky, please. I swear this is true—what happened with your dad set me on this path. But it’s incredibly important that no one else knows.”
“Did you think I was going to announce it on stage tonight?” she asked him. She knew her tone was sharp and sarcastic, but she had trusted him. And she had thought that he trusted her.
Even if they’d been apart.
He didn’t respond. They exited the car and headed up into the hospital, pausing for their visitor credentials at the desk.
Sky followed him as they walked straight to Hank’s room.
Hank was in a chair by the bed, watching the news. Sky was glad to see he looked good: his color was healthy, and he smiled broadly as he saw her coming in behind Chase.
