Possession (Steel Brothers Saga 3)

“Maybe he does have somewhere to be,” Talon said, “although…”

“Although what?”

Talon pursed his lips. “He seemed beside himself with worry and concern when we got here, and now all of a sudden he takes off?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I said. “But I don’t have time to worry about her boyfriend being an ass. I need to find out about my mother.”

“She’s been in surgery for a while. Someone is bound to know something soon.” Talon smiled.

God, his smile. He smiled more now. When I first met him several months ago, getting a smile out of him had been like pulling teeth out one by one.

Talon stood. “I’m going to find something to drink around here. Do you want anything?”

I wasn’t thirsty, but I did need to go to the bathroom. “No, but could you stay here a minute in case someone comes out with any news? I need to use the restroom.”

He sat back down. “Sure.”

I kissed the top of his head and headed out to find the bathroom. As I turned the corner into a different hallway, I stopped.

At the end of the hallway stood Nico, talking to— Was it Larry? I squinted. It was a long hallway, but damned if it didn’t look like my boss, Larry Wade. What the hell was he doing here?

The man who looked like Larry turned, met my gaze, and then pulled Nico around the corner. I walked swiftly and then began running, but by the time I reached the end of the hallway, the two men had vanished.

Had it been Larry? Had it even been Nico? My senses weren’t functioning all that well. My knees buckled. What was going on?

I leaned against the wall and breathed deeply. When I finally made sense of my environment, I turned and found a ladies’ room.

A few minutes later, I walked back to the waiting area. Talon still sat, leafing through a sports magazine.

“Any news?”

He shook his head.

I sat down next to him and fidgeted.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. I just thought I saw…” What? My mom’s boyfriend talking to my sleazy boss? So what?

“Saw what?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” I couldn’t deal with what I’d seen and what the implications might be. Right now, I had to deal with my mother.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes? I’m going to go and find that drink. You want anything?”

I shook my head.

He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of Coke and sat down. He put his arm around me, and I snuggled into his shoulder.

And waited.

About an hour later, a woman in scrubs approached us. “Ms. Roberts?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Rosenblum, your mother’s orthopedic surgeon. Her trauma surgeon, Dr. Melvin, is still in surgery with her.”

“Is she all right?”