Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Ivy gasped. “Jack? Oh no. It’s broken?”
“Let’s not decide that from the lobby.” May pointed toward the hallway. “Bring him back.”
His friend helped him hop past a watchful Nancy at reception, down the hallway, and into the second exam room to sit on the table.
“What happened?” May asked.
“I went for a run and hit a slick patch. My ankle rolled hard,” Jack hissed out.
May eased the sock off carefully. “Okay. Let’s take a look.”
Ivy inhaled.
Swelling had already set in, with deepening purple discoloration along the lateral ankle. May focused. “I’m going to examine it. Let me know where it hurts most.” Her fingers palpated gently, mapping bone, ligament, joint line. He flinched when she reached the lateral ligaments. “Here?” she asked.
“Yes.” He paled.
“And here?”
“Yes.”
Despite the bruising, there was still movement. “I don’t think it’s broken,” she said calmly. “But we’ll confirm with an X-ray.”
The older man cleared his throat. “I’m Peter. Is he going to be okay?”
“I think it’s most likely a sprain. We’ll know more once we image it. The hospital is attached to the clinic, and we’ll do X-rays there,” May said.
Jack exhaled shakily, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Worst vacation timing ever.” He winked at Ivy. “Although I’ve learned to fish at night, even if it was light outside.”
May allowed herself a small smile. It was nice to see Ivy having some fun, even if her new love interest worked for Kyle the jackass senator.
“Dr. Smirnov?” Peter asked.
She looked up.
Peter was dressed in a polo shirt and jeans, leaning casually against the far wall. “Since we have you here, do you think you could take some photographs? Maybe out by the trees near the river. Just a few photographs with Kyle. Fishing shots, maybe.”
“Why would I do that?” May asked.
Peter smiled politely. “He says you’re getting back together. We’d like to show a more romantic side of him. Voters love that kind of thing.”
May didn’t hesitate. “We’re never getting back together.”
The man straightened. “Ah. I’m sorry, May. I didn’t introduce myself properly and just gave you my first name. I’m Peter Langford, Kyle’s chief of staff. I joined the team a couple of months ago and wasn’t there when you used to date.”
“Dr. Smirnov, not May,” she said evenly. “If you want to help your candidate, tell him to stay away from me.”
Peter’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh?”
“Yes. If he doesn’t leave me alone, I’ll go to the media.”
Jack shifted on the table. “Whoa.”
Peter glanced at him. “We thought you two were just on a short break?”
“No,” she said.
“Oh.” Peter cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize there was a problem. So, uh, I’ll talk to Kyle. If you’re not interested, we’ll have to find another angle.” Curiosity glimmered in his eyes. “But we didn’t need to come all the way to Knife’s Edge, though.”
“You really didn’t,” May agreed, her body feeling chilled.
Peter hesitated. “Also, I’m out of my blood pressure medicine. What do I do about that?”
May gestured toward Ivy. “She can help you sort that out. You’ll need a refill from your primary physician, but we can have medication flown in if necessary.”
“Oh. Good.” Relief filtered across Peter’s face, although he still looked confused. Exactly what had Kyle told him?
May stepped back. “All right, Jack. Let’s get that ankle imaged.”
Chapter Eleven
Ace glanced down at the EVE visitor emblem stamped across his badge, the dark red letters catching the overhead light, and shook his head. He tugged once on the lanyard to make sure it was secure around his neck. The drive out to the facility had been decent, but seeing all those antennae across the fields was just as freaky as ever.
The waiting room hummed with a low electrical buzz, while steel beams cut hard lines across the ceiling. The metal reception desk sat dead center, cold and unwelcoming. Two armed guards occupied the space behind it, silent and watchful, their expressions hard.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Damian walked out. As usual, he looked perfectly at home in this world. He wore an expensive black suit, tailored to fit his tall body, paired with a crisp white shirt open at the collar. No tie today. His stride was smooth and controlled. “Hey, let’s go up to my office.”
“Sure thing,” Ace said immediately, already stepping in behind him.
They rode up in silence. The elevator climbed with a steady mechanical whir, the air tight and faintly metallic. Ace kept his gaze forward. Damian didn’t fidget. He never did. When the doors opened, Damian led him through a small waiting area and toward the office tucked into the back corner.
“Sorry I had to ask you to come all the way out here,” Damian said as he moved inside his office. “I’m in the middle of five different things and didn’t have time to come into town.”