Page 91 of Rivals & Revenge

"Who knows?" I said, turning my attention back to the road.

Chapter 48

TIERNEY

"Gamma!" I said, dropping into the familiar wooden chair beside the bed in Ahren's makeshift hospital room. My stomach turned, realizing we had now each taken a turn in it.

"That makes sense. Would you stop it, woman?" Ahren groused as Larissa checked him over.

"Nope. You promised I could check you out when we got home. Shouldn't have even let you drive in your condition."

"She's right. We don't need any surprises. If there's something wrong, we need to know now."

His eyes flitted between the two of us, finally settling on me. "Fine. Proceed."

"Enter gamma in my phone. There's a file called ENDGAME. It should beopen."

I followed his instructions, watching the final sections of the map clear. "1+2+3= location" I read aloud.

"Gamma plus solar plus flare. What the fuck does that mean?" he hissed.

"Hold still." Larissa said tersely, dabbing a cotton swab against a cut on his temple.

"For what it's worth, solar flares emit gamma rays," she muttered almost absentmindedly.

I typed in every combination I could think of in connection with solar flares and gamma rays, ultimately putting the phone away, deciding we could all talk it over when Larissa was finished patching him up.

"It doesn't look too bad. You got lucky. You only hit your head," she said, snickering as she mussed his hair.

"Ha ha. Hilarious. Don't quit your day job. Oh, wait—"

“Funny. I quit my day job years ago to become ‘doctor death’. It was a full-time job patching you up there for a while.”

"I pay you twice as much as you would have made, and you're rarely expected to work."

"And it was still iffy until I realized I would get to talk shit to you whenever I wanted. It was an offer I couldn't refuse."

His jaw worked, teeth clenched together. Still, he couldn't hide the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"I'm starving. Apparently, getting blown up works up an appetite." I said, changing the subject.

"Let the lads out and I'll whip us up something."

"Perfect." I said, popping up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. "I think better on a full stomach, anyway."

Larissa followed me to the door, shaking a box of treats.

"I really need to make you a batch of treats." I murmured as Zeus sauntered over and bopped my hand with his nose. Clearly hoping I had brought him something. I scratched behind his ears.

Our dog died when I was six and no matter how much Carissa and I begged, we weren't allowed to get another one. I hadn’t realized until now how much I truly missed having another being around—how truly empty my life had become.

"It'll all be over soon." I said quietly.

Her gaze slowly swung to mine, exhaustion etched deeply into her once carefree smile. "You think so?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I can feel it. I suppose it's part of the job."

"Maybe it's like those people that can smell the rain coming," she mused. "Whatever it is, I trust your and Ahren's instincts."

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