48. Chapter 48
TIERNEY
"Gamma!" I said, dropping into the familiar wooden chair beside the bed in Ahren's makeshift hospital room. My stomach turned, realizing we had now each taken a turn in it.
"That makes sense. Would you stop it, woman?" Ahren groused as Larissa checked him over.
"Nope. You promised I could check you out when we got home. Shouldn't have even let you drive in your condition."
"She's right. We don't need any surprises. If there's something wrong, we need to know now."
His eyes flitted between the two of us, finally settling on me. "Fine. Proceed."
"Enter gamma in my phone. There's a file called ENDGAME. It should be open."
I followed his instructions, watching the final sections of the map clear. "1+2+3= location" I read aloud.
"Gamma plus solar plus flare. What the fuck does that mean?" he hissed.
"Hold still." Larissa said tersely, dabbing a cotton swab against a cut on his temple.
"For what it's worth, solar flares emit gamma rays," she muttered almost absentmindedly.
I typed in every combination I could think of in connection with solar flares and gamma rays, ultimately putting the phone away, deciding we could all talk it over when Larissa was finished patching him up.
"It doesn't look too bad. You got lucky. You only hit your head," she said, snickering as she mussed his hair.
"Ha ha. Hilarious. Don't quit your day job. Oh, wait—"
“Funny. I quit my day job years ago to become ‘doctor death’. It was a full-time job patching you up there for a while.”
"I pay you twice as much as you would have made, and you're rarely expected to work."
"And it was still iffy until I realized I would get to talk shit to you whenever I wanted. It was an offer I couldn't refuse."
His jaw worked, teeth clenched together. Still, he couldn't hide the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"I'm starving. Apparently, getting blown up works up an appetite." I said, changing the subject.
"Let the lads out and I'll whip us up something."
"Perfect." I said, popping up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. "I think better on a full stomach, anyway."
Larissa followed me to the door, shaking a box of treats .
"I really need to make you a batch of treats." I murmured as Zeus sauntered over and bopped my hand with his nose. Clearly hoping I had brought him something. I scratched behind his ears.
Our dog died when I was six and no matter how much Carissa and I begged, we weren't allowed to get another one. I hadn’t realized until now how much I truly missed having another being around—how truly empty my life had become.
"It'll all be over soon." I said quietly.
Her gaze slowly swung to mine, exhaustion etched deeply into her once carefree smile. "You think so?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I can feel it. I suppose it's part of the job."
"Maybe it's like those people that can smell the rain coming," she mused. "Whatever it is, I trust your and Ahren's instincts."
"You have good instincts too."
Her head shook, and she laughed softly. "Not sure that's true."
"What made you save Ahren? He told me the first time he was pretty messed up. I mean, you could have just let nature take its course. It wouldn't have been murder or anything."
"I recognized him. Billionaire philanthropist Ahren Rossdale in my hospital parking lot with a bullet wound.
" She laughed, shaking her head. "It was—intriguing, to say the least. His eyes begged me.
I have worked on rich and powerful people before and none of them knew how to ask for anything, only demand. "
"He does tend to defy expectations." I agreed.
"I guess it was the way he said my name. Like a plea for mercy."
"I understand. He's like gravity. It's impossible not to get sucked in. But see, that was your instinct. You saved a good man."
"Anyhoo," I leaned against the doorframe. "There's this knot building in my stomach. It ebbs and flows with the minor victories and setbacks. But I can feel the moment before the whole thing explodes. We're close. Be ready for anything."
She nodded. I'm not sure if she really understood my warning, but I hoped she did.
"Are you ok with them? I want to go check on him."
"Yeah. Zeus and Apollo and I are great friends," she laughed.
Pungent garlic and crackling oil assaulted my senses as soon as the door swung open.
"What are you cooking?" I asked, dropping onto the stool at the counter next to him.
"Just frying up some thin slices of eggplant. That smell is lemon garlic chicken in the air fryer. Should be ready soon."
My eyes fell on the plate lined with paper towels that held a thin layer of fried discs.
"Never had eggplant before—"
"Trust me on this one. You're gonna love it."
"Ok. I'll give it a go. Anything I can do to help?"
"Take that ball of mozzarella and that tomato and slice them, maybe a quarter inch thick or so."
I pulled out the chef's knife and began slicing, my mind working over what I hoped was the last clue. 1+2+3=location It sounded like gibberish, but so far everything had meaning. Everything.
"What about light?" Ahren said, and once again, I wondered if he could read my mind.
"I tried it. All the clues had something to do with light."
"Too obvious." he nodded, pulling the last of the eggplant from the hot oil.
"Finished." I said, laying the knife on the cutting board.
Reaching into the window, he pulled five or six leaves and laid them in front of me .
"Roll these and slice thinly. Two minutes on the chicken," he said, cocking his head to the side to check the timer.
I did as he said, watching as he pulled a platter from the cabinet and alternated slices of tomato, mozzarella and eggplant, drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and topped them with the basil I'd just sliced.
Once again, I had watched him make something beautiful, yet I wasn't sure I could replicate it.
A shrill beeping signaled the chicken was finished. I held the platter as he pulled the chicken strips out and placed them alongside his eggplant concoction.
“Then why does ‘light’ sound like the right answer? It fits. We're missing something.” I muttered almost to myself.
He nodded, "I'll get Connor. Grab plates and forks, please."
I was so lost in thought I didn't even remember grabbing the plates and forks, nor did I remember Larissa and the dogs coming back in. The puzzle consumed me, swirling in my brain as if the answer was just beyond reach and it would only take the tiniest stretch to reach.
I speared a piece of food absentmindedly, not caring what I was putting in.
It was just fuel, after all. Flavor exploded in my mouth.
The chicken was so flavorful. Was there anything he wasn't amazing at?
I sliced off a piece of the eggplant, stacking it with the cheese and tomato.
Yep, that was ridiculously delicious. That settled it. He was objectively perfect.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the fog I had been lost in, Larissa and Ahren's voices coming back into focus just in time to hear Larissa's brilliant reply to our earlier conversation.
"What about her name—Lucia, it means light?"
My fork clattered to the plate, and I dove for the phone, snagging it before he could finish his bite .
My fingers shook as they punched in the passcode, then opened the map. "L-U-C-I-A" I called out the letters as I typed them in. The map disintegrated instantly, replaced by a clear photo of a majestic property. Small green numbers in the corner were most likely the GPS coordinates.
I took a quick screenshot before turning the screen for Ahren. I wanted to scream, to jump and celebrate, but I froze. A lead weight settled in my chest, anchoring me to the spot; my spirit drained and immobile. As if my body hadn't quite caught up with the idea, we solved the fucking riddle.
"Fuck yeah!" he yelled, offering both Larissa and me a high-five.
"What are the chances she doesn't know we solved the riddle? We may have her location, but she knows we're coming." I breathed.
The smiles slid from their faces as realization slammed into them. Everything leading up to now was nothing more than a practice run. Shit was about to get real—fast.