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if you knohat I mean"
Rio clapped Lazaro on the back "Good man I knew I could count on you"
"Get loaded," Lazaro returned "You don’t have a whole lot of time"
CHAPTER 10
"WHAT the fuck do you mean, they escaped the mountains?" Gordon Farnsworth bellowed "I called you in because you’re the best This isn’t acceptable Not on any level"
"Keep your underwear on," Hancock said in a cool voice Farnsworth didn’t like It was too collected It was too "I don’t give a fuck what you think or say" On sohtly Titan wasn’t a force to be fucked around with But desperation s
"The idiots ere hired to bring her in the first time made a clusterfuck of the entire situation The mountains are littered with their du up their da alone She has help Good help"
Far fe Kelx2nsworth swore "Who? Tell me who I’ll take care of it"
"Doesn’t matter who," Hancock said cal her in You’d be best served to stay out of it and let us handle the situation"
It was the closest that anyone had ever co Gordon Farnsworth what to do No one else dared But there was soave him pause Farnsworth tasted fear for the first time in his life and he didn’t like it a bit
"See that you do," he clipped out "I don’t have any time to waste I don’t have weeks or days I may only have hours, and each hour that rolls by and she’s not here is one hour I can’t afford to lose"
There was silence in his ear and he was stunned to realize that he’d been hung up on Swearing viciously, he shoved the phone into his pocket and strode down the hall to his daughter’s roo in heavily, ridding hie and the awful taste of fear in his
He pushed inside and saw the nurse he’d hired to re Elizabeth’s vital signs
"How is she?" he whispered, afraid of the answer
The nurse shook her head "No change She’s resting easily Breathing is good for now No temperature"
Farnsworth waved her away and then settled into the chair beside his daughter’s bed He collected her tiny, frail hand in his and bowed his head, staring down at his feet He closed his eyes as cold fury laced with paralyzing fear gripped hiood thing in his life
"Daddy?" she whispered
He yanked up his head, surprised to see her awake and staring at hi?"
He put his other hand to her cheek and rubbed his thu on you and saying good night How are you feeling?"
"I’ood"
It was her standard answer no ht to protect hi It should be hiain
"That’s good," he said, olden hair "I need you to hang in there I have so who can help you"
Elizabeth cast him a doubtful look It hat he’d said a hundred tiht in a new doctor And always the result had been the sa could be done
"This time will be different," he promised He leaned forward to kiss her forehead "This person is going to make you all better, and then think of all the wonderful, fun things we can do together I want you toon it"
And he would He’d spend any amount of money in the world to make her happy
"I’ll do it toht"
He squeezed her hand "Of course you will We’ll ether How’s that sound? Maybe we can order pizza and have a party right here"
Elizabeth closed her eyes "That
would be awesome Maybe I’ll feel better by then"
Tears burned Farnsworth’s eyelids k019at w and he furiously blinked theht here I won’t leave until you’re asleep"
CHAPTER 11
THEY landed in Belize in the dead of night Rio helped Grace fro her in a dark, hooded coat The ware to the chill of the Rocky Mountains She embraced it, breathed it in to alleviate some of the cold that had settled into her bones
Some of her shock had worn off and herBut with the neareness ca men Memories of the horrors she’d endured Phantom pain mixed with the very real pain of her current injuries It allher
Lucidity sucked
Rio ushered her into a pitch-black battered van and instructed her to lie down in the cargo area Truth be told, she’d done nothing by lie flat on her back for the last umpteen hours She crawled inside but sat up with her back resting on the side of the van
Her rib cage was still sore as hell, but her breathing felt nor or as deep She could tell her respirations were shallower than usual But she was at least in the early stages of healing and already she could tell the difference
She glanced down at her arers over the area where the break had occurred She flexed the affected fingers, satisfied that there was no lingering nu the break had helped enormously even if it had hurt like hell If he hadn’t done it, sheprocess
There was still so, but there was no crepitus to denote weakness in the fracture
In a day’s time, provided she had ample time to rest, she should demonstrate marked improvement
Rio hopped into the back a moment later, and the doors shut behind hiht came on and Rio’s eyes narrowed