Page 28 of The Refiner

I won’t be here in the morning. I know I promised Halle, but now that Keagan is here, I have no need to stay once I’ve spoken to her.

Remington walks backward toward the door, flashing me a wink as he says to Keagan, “There’s a vacant alley just a block from here if you need a place to stash his body. It’ll be a while before the cops find him.”

“Rem!” Halle grabs him by the collar and yanks him from the room. “Feel better, Astor!” she calls from the hallway. “I’m going to call the nurses’ station later. You better not try to leave.”

Luckily Vance shuffles her down the hallway before I have to lie.

“You okay here?” I glance back at Duke, who’s turned serious, likely putting all the pieces together about Keagan.

“Yeah, man. I’m fine. Go home.”

He nods, still looking unsure as he walks past Keagan and stops. “I’m sorry to hear about your sister. She’s an amazing person.” He turns and takes one last look at me. “But so is my brother.”

A tear falls down Keagan’s cheek. “I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

Duke puts his hand on her shoulder. “I know.”

A few moments after Duke shuts the door, Keagan’s friend breaks the ice. “I’m Kenny,” he says, stepping forward and extending his hand. “It’s nice to meet you finally. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

That seems to snap Keagan out of it. “Kenny!”

“What? He already knows you talk shit about him. It’s no secret.”

Keagan buries her face in her hands. “This is so not how this was supposed to go down.”

Chuckling, I get up and tip my chin at Kenny. “Will you toss me that bag?”

“What are you doing?” Keagan snatches the bag from Kenny. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

“Not yet.” I pull the bag from her grip. “But I am getting out of this hospital gown.” I’ll let Halle’s extended break go since she was thoughtful enough to bring me a change of clothes.

“Here? You’re changing right here?”

I pull the sweatpants from the bag. “Would you prefer I change in the hallway?”

“I prefer you stay in bed and rest like you’re supposed to.”

“Well, I’m sorry to burst your colorful misperception of me, but I don’t take orders from anyone.” Untying the knots holding the gown together, I tip my chin to the door. “So you can either turn around or watch. One way or another, I’m getting naked.”

Kenny chokes, his eyes widening before Keagan snags him by the arm. “Turn around. You’re not watching.”

I fight back the urge to laugh as I watch her cover his eyes, making sure they face the wall while I change. “You can turn around now,” I tell her when I’ve finished pulling on the t-shirt and sweats.

Slowly, she turns around as I sit in the chair Remington vacated. “You should be resting.”

“I’m feeling better.”

Keagan sweeps down my body with a sharp gaze. “What’s wrong with you anyway?”

“Other than the fact I’m an asshole, you mean?”

The comment makes her chuckle, and I swear my chest feels a few pounds lighter at the sound. “Yes. What happened earlier when you collapsed?”

If I didn’t know any better, I would say I detected concern in her voice. “Despite what Remington told you when you called my office, I haven’t been on vacation. I’ve been overseas in international waters, operating on children in need.”

She swallows, taking a seat on the bed with Kenny.

“Most days, I operated for twenty-plus hours. I didn’t take care of myself like I should have.”

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