Forsaken (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #3)(68)

Liam joins us and I give him a hard look. “We need to talk.”

He gives me a nod and we move several feet away, but I don’t wait to lay into him. “What the f*ck is she doing here? You’re a damn prodigy architect, which means you’re supposed to have brains. What part of ‘they were herding us to one spot’ do you not get?”

“Herding us, or trying to make us scatter like wild, scared animals? We had Amy cornered in that hallway, the three of us all willing to die for her, and they picked another target. Right now, she’s safer right here with us.”

“You want to know about ‘right now’? Right now, Jared is most likely being tortured for information he doesn’t have to give. When they find that out, they’ll lash out again. Amy can’t be here for that.”

“I need to know what’s going on.”

I am not in the mood to explain anything to this man. “Ask Amy. I just told her the entire story.”

“I need Gia Hudson’s family!”

I whirl around, rushing to meet the fiftysomething gray-haired nurse near the double doors Gia disappeared through. “I’m Gia’s husband,” I announce as Amy steps to my side and asks, “How is she?”

“Disoriented, but stable and resting,” the nurse reports. “We’ve started fluids to help with the nausea and to flush her system of any toxins.” She hesitates. “We’re waiting on your wife’s test results, but I need to let you know that the syringe tested positive for arsenic.”

Amy gasps, grabbing my arm as if she needs to be steadied. “Arsenic,” I repeat, the word falling from my mouth like lead, impossibly heavy. Impossible to believe. “She was injected with arsenic?”

“It would seem likely, yes.”

“What’s the treatment for arsenic poisoning?” Amy asks.

More importantly, I ask, “What’s the survival rate?”

“There are a number of drugs and protocols, depending on the toxicity,” the nurse replies. “Right now, her condition suggests limited exposure. Let’s hope that proves true.” She offers me a clipboard. “We’d like to have you sign for consent. We feel like it’s best to start treatment now.”

“Without the final tests?” Amy asks. “Is that safe?”

“Time is critical with a toxin,” the nurse explains. “We feel this is the smart choice.”

Sold on fast action, I sign the documents and hand back the clipboard. “Start treatment.”

“We’ll be out with an update soon,” she promises, disappearing behind the doors again.

I grab Amy’s hand, keeping her close as I return to where Liam is ending a phone call. “Gia’s stable, and the syringe was positive for arsenic. I need to know if Dr. Murphy can treat her, and I need to know now.”

“She can, and she will. I already have Tellar working out the logistics, but she’s only in if she feels she can treat successfully and we can get the medication.” He motions to Tellar, who’s talking on the phone a few feet away.

Amy gapes. “What? Are you crazy, Chad? We can’t move Gia now. We don’t even have her test results.”

“I can hack her results,” I assure her. “I can’t bring her back from the dead, which is what she’ll be if she stays here.”

“What’s the word?” Tellar asks, holding the phone away from his mouth.

Liam tells him, and he quickly returns to his call. “Arsenic. Low doses expected. Stable condition.” He listens a minute. “Got it. On it.” He ends the call. “Make sure they’ve started the meds before we leave, and take the IV bag with us. She said that should happen within half an hour. The big question is how we get her out of here.”

“They’ve already started treatment,” Amy replies, “which says this is dangerous. She needs hospital care.”

“She needs to be somewhere safe,” I counter. “This isn’t it.” I glance between Liam and Tellar. “We go big and bold. I pick her up and carry her out of here, only it’s not Gia, it’s a decoy. Tellar will have Gia and take her to a safe house, where we’ll meet her.”

“This is insanity,” Amy argues.

“And I like it,” Tellar adds.

“It’s not ideal,” Liam replies, “but I don’t have a better idea on such short notice. Derek Ethridge, a close friend of mine, is picking up Dr. Murphy. His real-estate holding company has properties in the Hamptons that are vacant in the off-season. We can use one of those. We need to decide who goes with Chad and who goes with Tellar.”

Though it kills me to think about Gia being on her own with strangers, I know it’s the right choice. “Everyone has to go with me or it’ll look suspicious. Even Tellar. He puts her in the car with Dr. Murphy and Derek and then joins us at the front of the building.”

“You don’t have a decoy,” Amy points out.

Tellar grins. “I know a girl named Coco. Don’t let the name fool you; she’s ex-Special Forces, and she’ll do anything just to prove she can do it.”

“Okay then,” I say. “Try to reach her.”

He powers up his phone and punches in a number. “Hey, Coco. I have a dare for you, but you have to be at Mount Sinai Hospital in thirty minutes.” He pauses a minute and says, “Wear that under your coat and plan to leave everything behind. We’ll make it worth your while. Great. Yes. See ya, honey.” He ends the call. “Coco is in, and she has her own hospital gown. There’s a story behind it that I’ll tell everyone over tequila when we get to the safe house.”