Page 53 of Reacher
“Déjà vu, huh, Pres?”
I stared blankly at him. “The fuck?”
He nodded at the infirmary door.
“Not so long ago, I was one the keeping vigil out here, and you were the one coming up to talk to me.”
Oh. He was right, although that felt like forever ago now.
“Yeah… I think things aren’t going to turn out as well for me. Well, if your shitshow you guys have going counts as ‘well’. I don’t know. She’s pissed at me, and I can’t really blame her.”
“You’re gonna have to grovel, Pres, a lot. Maybe some begging too.”
“You know we asked Rossi to send some guys to find her. Without Ice, we’re kind of blind right now.”
“Jesus, really?” Ryder looked horrified.
“Yeah. Bastards used a gun, to try and scare her into coming with them, and when that failed, they fucking hit her.”
“What? That’s how they do things? Fuckers.” I was relieved to see the same fury on his face, that I felt flowing through my veins. I guess, in my shoes, he’d be just as pissed off if Tori had been hurt this way.
“I thought it was my only option, you know? I didn’t know where to start. I… I was desperate.”
“Because you want her back. You love her. You need to claim her, Pres.”
I stared at the door again. “That bastard we questioned… the one who tried to kill Ice. He said it was because of her. Something she did led them to go after one of us. Maybe to come after the rest of us. That’s why I needed her.”
Ryder paced as he mulled that over.
“I mean, it’s bullshit, because you clearly fucking want her, but yeah, I get it. She’s bringing trouble to our door, and it’s already put Ice in the hospital, so yeah, I get it but… Pres, you’re not gonna put her back downstairs, right? It’s not gonna be that kind of interrogation…”
How could he even ask me that? I think my look of frustrated disgust was enough of an answer, because he just nodded, even looked relieved.
“So, uh… why are you hiding out here?”
“I’m not fucking hiding. She’s had something to eat, and she’s resting. She had a head injury. I’m… I’m, uh…”
“Waiting until she’s asleep, so you can sneak back in?”
Asshole. I jerked my thumb down the hall.
“Do me a favour and just fuck off, Ryder. I need some peace.”
“Yeah… you know where I am if you need me, or… if she needs Tori, just shout.”
After he’d gone, I wondered if that was what I should do. Send in her friend, so that she’d feel safer, but that same friend had encouraged her to steal, and lie, and betray me. It turned out that I was completely unwilling to put them in the same room right now.
Doc came out, and I stood up.
“Doc?”
“She’s resting. If you’re going back in, because I know I can’t fucking stop you, just bear in mind that she’s tired, she’s sore, and she’s afraid. It’ll come off as angry, but it’s fear, and hurt. You broke her heart, you stupid, arrogant prick. So maybe think very carefully about how you want to approach things, when you do go in. I’d say you have a very slim chance of talking her around. Fuck it up, and you’ll never see her again.”
Jesus. Everyone was full of advice, and none of it was even any use. At the end of the day, it really didn’t matter what I did next. What mattered was what she’d do next. I didn’t know if I had it in me to force her to stay, but I also knew I couldn’t lose her.
Sixteen
IwokeagainwithReacherbeside me, like he felt it was his place, like he thought he had a right to be there. He wasn’t holding my hand this time, and while I appreciated him giving me space, there was also this ridiculous, pathetic part of me that mourned the loss of his touch yet again.
