It paid to be prepared.

She twisted away from Beth and punched in his number.

There was no way she’d walk away from this untarnished. Not if they had the soup. But excellent attorneys could work wonders.

And she was about to secure the best.

The woman pacing inside the glass doors to the ER in St. Louis, her dark auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail, had to be Cate Reilly.

Nate jogged toward the building. Grace’s oldest sister had done her best to keep him informed over the past several hours, but cellphone signals were spotty in ERs and it had been thirty minutes since his last update.

At least his call letting her know he was five minutes away had gone through and she’d agreed to wait for him at the entrance.

The instant the doors swished open, she spun toward him. “Nate?”

“Yes.”

“Cate Reilly.” She strode over and gave him a firm shake.

“How is she?”

“Holding her own. I can fill you in while we walk back.” She pivoted, and he fell in beside her as she launched into a rapid briefing. “The flu ended up being an advantage. With her stomach already queasy, it didn’t take much to set off several bouts of throwing up. That got rid of a fair amount of the poison fast. Also, she didn’t ingest a lethal quantity, from what they can tell, and it was caught early. The fact she’s young and healthy and they knew what they were dealing with is a plus too. But the cardiac crew is keeping a close watch on her heart.”

His own heart stumbled.

“Has that been an issue?”

“Not yet. But no one’s had any direct experience with yew poisoning, so they’re being extra cautious. If all her vitals remain stable, they’ll move her to intensive care in a couple of hours for continued monitoring.”

A woman with copper-colored hair slipped from behind the curtain of a treatment room as they approached.

“You must be Nate.” She held out her hand, and he took it. “I’m Eve. The middle sister. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Likewise. I’m sorry we didn’t meet under less stressful conditions.”

“We’ll have plenty of opportunities to get acquainted. At the moment, Grace is waiting for you.” She motioned to the room behind her. “But don’t expect much privacy. It’s like Grand Central in there.”

“I’ll be happy to stand in the corner, out of the way, and keep watch.”

“Good man.” Cate gave an approving nod, then nudged Eve. “Let’s go raid the vending machines.” She tugged her sister down the hall.

Nate pushed the curtain aside, slipped through—and tried to mask his shock. Grace’s naturally fair complexion had lost any vestige of color. An off-putting amount of equipment was also staged around her bed. As he paused at the curtain, monitors beeped, IVs dripped, and an automatic blood pressure cuff inflated.

“That bad, huh?”