Joey stopped in front of him. “Condor,” he whispered. To his mortification, his voice broke. He felt his cheeks turn pink.

“Call me Matt.” Condor aka Matt said. He had a smooth voice, his accent slightly Hispanic. “Do you have it?”

Joey nodded, pulling Leah’s laptop from his backpack and handing it to him.

Matt slipped it into his leather messenger bag. “How is she?” he asked, his voice low.

Joey’s throat tightened. “She’s awake.”

Relief flashed through Matt’s eyes.

“But Harry Owen’s father tried to kill her this afternoon.”

“What?”

“Harry Owen’s father had a gun and he came to the ICU and tried to kill her as revenge for killing his wife.”

The anxiety that had been white noise in his cells now erupted.

Matt looked as sick as Joey felt. “What exactly happened at the Owen house?”

“Leah didn’t kill anyone. Mrs. Owen was dying. She had a heart attack.” From fear. He could totally relate. He thought his heart was about to shoot up through his throat and out of his mouth this very minute.

“Jesus. Poor lady.” Matt’s gaze narrowed. “Tell me what happened exactly. When did Harry Owen shoot her?”

“She told me that she was trying to give herself up and he shot her in the leg.”

“I thought she had a chest wound.”

“Then he shot her point-blank. In the chest.”

Matt frowned. “When she was already injured?”

“Yeah. She was on the ground. And he shot her.”

“The bastard. What did Aggroboy do?”

“Aggroboy had already escaped.” Joey felt rage push against his anxiety. “Her own boyfriend left her to die.”

Matt snapped the book closed as if Aggroboy was between the covers. “He left her there? What’s the prick’s name?”

“Aiden Boyne.”

“He’s going to regret this.” Matt lowered his voice. “But first, I need to see Leah.”

“You can’t. She’s under guard. They are only letting family visit.”

Matt ran a hand over his face. Exhaustion darkened the skin under his eyes. But then he grabbed Joey’s arm. “Let’s get out of here. It’s too open. Is there a place where we can look at Leah’s machine?”

Joey’s mind raced. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

Breathe, Joey.

Matt leaned in closer to Joey. “Are you all right, bro?”

Joey nodded. “Fine.” He swallowed. “I’m fine.”

“Let’s go to my hotel. We can look at it there.”

“I just have to let my parents know where I am.”

“Call them when we are at the hotel.”

“Okay.” Joey felt the anxiety ease up a tiny bit.

Matt would take care of this mess.

But then he remembered Leah, lying in that hospital bed with her feet hanging off the edge, tubes stuck in every soft, tender angle of her body.

His throat closed.

Breathe, Joey.

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

8:25 p.m.