Page 40 of Agent Zero
Again.How much bad luck could one woman have before she decided to just step away from it all?Like leaving your slippers next to the bed.Goodbye, so long, don’t write, don’t call, just forget there had ever been a Holly Rachel Candless.
“I...”She coughed; her mouth tasted awful.He had her upright, somehow, and they were under a giant oak that had already lost its leaves.The houses here didn’t have fenced yards, merging their greenery in companionable tangles.Were there people inside, wondering what these strangers were doing?“Reese.”A croak.Had she thrown up?She didn’t taste it, but her abdomen ached so badly.
“I’m right here.You’re safe.”
No, I’m not.She straightened, found her balance.He didn’t want to let go, maybe thinking she’d fall over, but Holly pushed until he did.“You should just leave me here.”She sounded surprisingly steady, she supposed.“It doesn’t matter.I’m sick, Reese.Really sick, and it won’t matter if they do...whatever it is they’re going to do to me.I should have told you earlier.I’m sorry.”
“What?”He glanced up, checking the street behind her.“I’m not going to let them catch either of us.”A dark, level gaze, and of all the things he could do, he chose to brush a few fallen strands of hair from her face.“What makes you think you’re sick?”
“Look, just leave me here.”She was shaky and exhausted now, even though she’d slept so heavily.“Okay?I’m not going to?—”
“No.”His eyebrows drew together.He inhaled, sniffing, and she stared.“Nothing wrong with your charts but some anemia and severe stress.Panic attacks are normal when anxiety spikes, and you’re under stress.Your blood pressure’s low, too.You shouldn’t be on your feet all day.”
How do you know?Do you have medical training, too?It was probably in that stupid file, her life pinned on the wall like a butterfly.“Reese, stop.Just leave me here.”
“Get in the car.”He pushed her shoulders, gently but irresistibly, and Holly half fell into the passenger.“You start feeling like that again, we’ll pull over.For now, drink some of the Gatorade.Your electrolytes are all out of whack.”
With that, he swing the door shut and strode around the front of the car.A high blush from the chill on his cheeks, and even though he was wearing yesterday’s clothes he looked like a young professional out for a Sunday drive with a nauseous friend.
Was it Sunday?She didn’t even know what day of theweekthey were at.
Reese dropped into the driver’s seat, buckled up, and the car roused softly.He stared out the windshield for a few moments, and Holly was suddenly certain he was going to say,You’re right, you’re deadweight I don’t need, get out.
It would serve her right, too.All of this had happened because she’d selfishly wanted to feel normal and go out to coffee.She should have turned him down, shut him off, found another job, pulled away, done what she knew she was going to have to eventually do.
“I want you to listen to me,” he said, finally, very quietly.“Are you?”
There’s nobody else talking.“Yes.”
“I couldn’t stay away from you.I’m selfish.I should have left you alone, but I didn’t.”He nodded slightly, as if she’d agreed.“I’m not going to.Drink some Gatorade, now.We’re going far today.”
He wasn’t going to listen.Holly slumped in the seat, her head throbbing.
We want to do some more tests, Dr.Gregory had said.She’d agreed, nodded through scheduling future visits, and never gone back.Paid the bill for the initial appointment when it arrived, even though it took her down to quarters and chewing gum for the rest of that month.No insurancemeantcouldn’t afford it.
It’s expensive to add someone else,Phillip had said, even though he was covered through his school.Why bother when I can just treat you?We can use the money elsewhere.
You didn’t need a weathervane to know about the wind, Dad always said.And when she got home there was Phillip at the table, just waiting to drop the bombshell.How he must have nerved himself up to it.
It didn’t matter.Nothing mattered.Even being selfish over a goddamn coffee date was irrelevant.It all ended up in the same place, and her condition had been steadily worsening for a while now.She didn’t have much time left; it occurred to her that Reese was bound to have a weapon handy.
If a woman got desperate enough, she could do anything.So Holly closed her eyes, and let him drive.
TWENTY-SIX
That was close.In any number of ways.
What kind of illness did she think she had?Her medsheet showed nothing but low blood pressure and mild anemia, though there were notations about her bloodwork being off.He hadn’t smelled anything off in her in all this time, except the drugs and that deep-yellow metallic tang, the only thing about her that didn’t smell delicious.He’d also studied the financials and figured out that she’d put her ex through med school, which was a waste since Holly had no doubt been the bright one in that marriage.
Any man who would divorce her was a mouthbreathing fool.
Maybe it was just rabbit talk.Without training, the stress would tell on a person early.Hell, it got to you even if you were trained, which was why he was worrying about her ex instead of trying to pin down what had felt so off this morning.
If he had deep pockets and government resources, he’d have hit the airwaves with APBs and some sort of cover story by now.But there was nothing in the papers, nothing on the radio, nothing on the television this morning while Holly slept and he kept the sound turned all the way down.
That was distracting, too.The blue flicker of the television playing over her peaceful face.Imagining her waking up and smiling at him.
Just didn’t smell right.That’s all.
