But her hopes were shattered when an unfamiliar voice came on the line.
“Hello? Is this Jillian Marks on the Kindred Mother Ship?” a man asked.
“Yes, this is she.” Jillian sighed inwardly. “Who are you and what can I do for you?”
“I’m just calling to inform you that your husband, Brad, has been in an accident,” the man said.
Jillian frowned.
“I’m sorry, but Brad isn’t my husband anymore. We divorced over two years ago.”
“Well, you’re still listed as his next of kin and I’m afraid he’s in a pretty grave condition,” the man insisted. “We need you down here to make some life and death decisions for him. Will you come?”
Jillian bit her lip. She didn’t want to go—she didn’t owe Brad anything after the shitty way he’d treated her. But life and death decisions sounded pretty heavy. As much as she hated him, she didn’t wish him dead.
“Well…” she began.
“Come to Valley Hospital—you know where it is?” the man asked.
“Yes, I know,” Jillian said reluctantly.
“Come to the Emergency entrance,” the man instructed. “And please hurry—lives are on the line!”
Then he hung up before Jillian could ask any more questions.
Jillian looked at the com-u in her hand and sighed. Well, it seemed like her crappy night had just gotten a little bit crappier. The last person she wanted to see right now was her ex, but what else could she do? She was a decent person—she wasn’t going to refuse to go down and check on him if there was no one else.
She’d been slated to spend some time with Suzanne and her babies that evening—her friend didn’t want her to be alone on the night Kalis left. But to be honest, Jillian was a tiny bit glad she would now have to cancel.
Being around her best friend and her two husbands and three sons could be a bit much, especially when she knew she would never have a happy, fulfilling relationship like the one Suzanne was enjoying. All that domestic bliss could really get on a person’s nerves. She had agreed to go only because her friend had insisted and Jillian had to admit that hanging with Suzanne and her hubbies and kids was better than going back to her own suite and drinking too much wine.
Well, now I don’t get to drink wine or hang out with Suzanne and envy her perfect marriage, she told herself as she grabbed her stuff and got ready to go.
Not that spending the night in a hospital with her ex was an improvement, but it was at least a distraction. Sighing, she gave Lydia and Lor a run-down of what was happening and asked Lydia to call Suzanne and make excuses for her.
“I’d call her myself, but it sounds like an emergency down there and I have to get right to the Docking Bay,” she told her line cook, who was nodding rapidly, a look of concern on her freckled face.
“I’ll let her know, Chef—don’t worry,” she said earnestly. “Just be safe. I, er, hope your ex is okay,” she added, rather doubtfully. She and Lor didn’t know the story of how Brad had cheated on Jillian and ruined her life, but they did know enough to understand that she and Brad weren’t on good terms—or any terms at all, for that matter.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Jillian said neutrally. “Thanks, Lydia.”
“We’ll finish up here,” Lor promised. “You can count on us, Chef.”
“I know. Thanks, guys.” Jillian gave both of them a tired smile. “See you later.”
Then she left, with no idea that she was walking into a trap.
43
“Right here is fine. Thanks for dropping me off,” Jillian said to the Blood Kindred pilot who had brought her down to Earth and then driven her over to the Emergency Entrance of the Valley Hospital. He was one of the pilots always standing by to take people back and forth from the Mother Ship to Earth, but just because he was only doing his job didn’t mean she couldn’t be grateful.
“Of course.” The pilot nodded in a friendly way. “Would you like me to wait for you?”
“No, that’s okay.” Jillian shook her head. “This might take a while. I’ll just catch a ride to the HKR building and call for a shuttle back to the Mother Ship whenever I get this wrapped up.” The Human/Kindred Relations building was in downtown Vegas, not far from where she was.
The pilot nodded again.
“As you wish. Enjoy your night.”
Jillian very much doubted that she would, but she nodded back politely and thanked him again as she climbed out of the shuttle. The door of the sleek silver craft shut behind her and it sped away into the night.
With a sigh, Jillian headed for the emergency entrance.
But before she could get to the sliding glass doors, a long black limo pulled up beside her, blocking her way to the Emergency Room. Feeling irritated, Jillian started to walk around it, but the window rolled down and a vaguely familiar face looked out at her.