Zacary picked up the phone from the bedside table. The doctor had just left, so no one would disturb him for a while.
He had given a false name, said he was from Ireland, and claimed he was on vacation. He was supposedly passing through Oldgrove on his way to Leeds when his phone broke, and he'd had to buy a new one.
That should buy him some time before they verified his identity—at least, he hoped so.
He dialed the number from memory and waited for Patrick to answer.
"The GPS signal's scrambled—we couldn't locate the hospital."
"Spoofing. Should I move to plan B?"
"Yes."
He hung up and got out of bed. The wound in his side hurt, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It was a clean hit—not meant to weaken him or prevent him from moving. He'd been a soldier for too long and had endured far worse injuries to be concerned about this one.
His clothes had been stored in the wardrobe. The shirt had been cut off, so he would wear only the jacket.
He left the room and read the signs in the corridor. He located the room where surgical instruments were sterilized. Inside, he grabbed two scalpels and returned to his room, lying back down on the bed. He pressed the button to call the nurses and waited.
A young man entered.
"What's wrong?"
"I'd like to speak to Dr. Silver."
She had come the day before, accompanied by two warriors, to ask him questions about what had happened. He had pretended not to remember anything, claiming to be confused and in shock. It was all believable for a civilian who'd just been shot for no apparent reason.
"I'll go find her," the nurse said.
Zacary nodded, tightening his grip on the scalpel under the sheet.
After a few minutes, Dr. Silver entered with the nurse following behind.
"I wanted to speak with you about what happened to me," Zacary said.
"Of course. Have you remembered something?" Madison asked as she approached, gesturing for the nurse to leave them alone.
The nurse nodded and stepped out, closing the door.
Zacary couldn't have hoped for better. As soon as the doctor was close, he slipped off the bed and pressed the scalpel to her throat.
"Don't scream. Don't speak. We're leaving now. Take me to the parking lot. Don't do anything to draw attention—I won't hesitate to kill you or anyone else. Understood?"
Madison nodded. He tore off the hospital gown and slipped on his jacket without breaking contact with her. Then he moved behind her and prodded her lower back with the scalpel.
"Let's go," he ordered.
Once outside the room, Dr. Silver headed toward the elevators and stairwell.
They passed a nurse, who greeted her with a nod. She raised a hand in return. For a moment, she considered whether she should call for help or try to run—but after meeting Christopher and the other warriors, she had realized that this werewolf likely had military training as well, and wouldn't hesitate to kill her colleagues.
"Stairs," he hissed in her ear as they reached the end of the corridor. They would be less frequented.
"What do you want?" she asked as they started down.
"You won't get any information from me."
Madison pressed her lips together.
"You got yourself shot just to be brought here?"
The male didn't reply.
"I'm of no use to you."
"That remains to be seen."
Maybe he didn't know she was the alpha's mate. She wondered who he was and what he wanted. He had to be connected to the attacks somehow. Was he planning to take her to whoever was orchestrating all this?
As they opened the stairwell door, they ran into a young man on his phone.
"Dr. Silver," he greeted.
Then he paused.
"Is everything all right?"
She nodded.
"Yes, thank you, Dr. Mu."
The man behind her grabbed her tighter and pressed the scalpel to her throat.
"Give me your phone, doctor. Then take us to your car, or your colleague dies."
Mu Yang's eyes widened, but he obeyed. He handed over his phone. The male threw it to the ground and stomped on it with his combat boots, then motioned for him to move.
"Drive. No tricks," he ordered when they reached the car.
Mu Yang nodded and got into the driver's seat. He glanced in the rearview mirror and met a pair of icy eyes staring back at him. He started the engine and drove off.
"Where are we going?"
"Get out of Oldgrove. Head toward Leeds."
Then he turned to the female.
"Give me your phone."
Madison took it from her coat and handed it to him. Instead of smashing it, he simply turned it off and slipped it into his pocket.