“Which is why you killed Anton.”

Ellie didn’t hesitate. “You’re goddamn right, I did. You heard what he said back there, at the house. I couldn’t let him live—couldn’t risk having him come after me.”

“Smart business,” Sebastian said flatly.

“And now I have to worry about Paul. I can’t go on with my life, and neither can you, until he’s properly dealt with. I’d say our interests are aligned, yours and mine.”

Sebastian said nothing. Ellie tried to get a read on him, couldn’t.

“I want to help you find him. I’ve seen Paul, and I saw the guy who drove him to the auto plant in Fresno. I know what he looks like, too, got a good look at him.”

“Make your point.”

“Let me stick close to you and watch your back.”

“And then?”

“I’m not following.”

“After Paul is dealt with, what do you want? Clearly you want something.”

“Absolutely,” Ellie said. “I want to learn the blood business—the actual business, not this boring front desk shit at the Wellness Center. You let me work with you, I’ll take only the money I need from your reward to pay off my debts, and you can keep the rest, use it as an investment in my future. With you.”

Sebastian slowly got to his feet.

“I’m sure you’ve got questions about me, maybe even some doubts,” Ellie said. “Give me a chance to prove myself, show you how valuable I can be.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“One last thing. Where are my clothes? I’d feel more comfortable in them than this hospital gear.”

“I had them incinerated. They were covered in blood.”

“We need to find Paul, and we need to kill him. It will be quicker and easier—safer, too, for the both of us—if we do it together.”

“Get some rest,” he said, and then left the room.

CHAPTER 31

WHEN SEBASTIAN ENTERED the area that served as a hub for monitoring patient rooms, he found Ron Wolff reclining in one of the brand-new Herman Miller office chairs, sipping his coffee and staring straight ahead, at the one-way mirror looking into Faye Simpson’s room. Ron didn’t speak, which didn’t come as much of a surprise. Ever since the explosion, Ron had gone into full quiet mode. He did that when he was royally pissed off—and Ron was still royally pissed off at Sebastian for forcing his hand that night. Ron, Sebastian was sure, also blamed him for the deaths of his three employees.

And now Frank’s.

Ron and Frank had been tight. In a lot of ways, the two of them were cut from the same cloth. Like Frank, Ron kept his true emotions well hidden. Unlike Frank, Ron had emotions.

“Any thoughts?” Sebastian asked.

“I think it’s a great idea, having her stick close to you. Paul’s probably shitting his pants, wondering what she’s told you about him, his plans.” He scratched his chin. “Speaking of Paul, if I were a gambling man, my money’s on him investing whatever resources he has to put you down—the sooner, the better. Once you’re out of the picture, he won’t have to be constantly watching his back. He knows we have people out there looking for him.”