Read Online Foundation for Three by Vella Day - Free Book Online Page A

let you go back to work full time?”
    His jaw tightened. “Desk work for at least a week. It sucks. Plus, I gotta get a psych eval for discharging my gun.”
    “That should be easy. You handled all of my questions well.”
    “Yes, but that was fake.”
    Not completely. The cops had given him a background, complete with a pregnant wife and late stage pancreatic cancer. Sure, he was acting, but she could tell he longed for a family of his own. They’d discussed what was important in the ill Thad’s life and how much he’d miss seeing his unborn child when he passed away. Zoey had the sense Thad’s answers, while made up, contained a lot of truth.
    “One of the nurses told me that man you shot is married to your ex-wife.”
    Thad nodded. “Garrett McDonald. He married Peggy a month after we divorced.” His lips thinned as if the topic was still painful.
    Way to go, Zoey. His ex-wife remarrying so soon after a divorce had a lot of implications. None of which were good. “How is our nemesis?”
    “Recovering.”
    She couldn’t tell if Thad was relieved or upset. So much for her ability to read people today. “How about I buy you dinner Saturday night?” Normally, Zoey didn’t ask men out, but she owed Thad her life.
    He grinned and his face lit up. “It’s a date.”
    She pulled out her cell. “What’s your number? I’ll call you and then you’ll have mine in your contacts.”
    He told her the information then took a drink of coffee. “Ah. That hits the spot. I can’t tell you how much the hospital’s version of coffee and food sucks. I feel better already.” He was exaggerating, but that was probably his way of saying thanks.
    Even though Thad looked better than yesterday and his attitude was more upbeat, she sensed he was torn up about having to shoot her captor. “Are you mentally doing okay?”
    “You mean with shooting someone I knew?”
    There she went again. Trying to get into a person’s head. “Yes.”
    His lips hardened as if he was debating what and how much to reveal. “Let’s just say shooting a stranger would have been easier.”
    She was afraid of that. “He shot you first. Still, it must have been hard.” Stop it. Why was she trying to pick at his wound?
    Zoey was a therapist through and through. She couldn’t help it.
    “It was.”
    His short response was his way of asking her to mind her own business and she took his cue. Zoey slapped her thighs and stood. “I need to get back, but I do owe you.” She didn’t want to overstay her visit, though she wouldn’t have minded getting to know him better.
    “Don’t forget our date,” he said.
    The butterflies in her stomach flew away, and she smiled. “I won’t.” She was halfway to the door when she turned around. How thoughtless of her. “Do you need a ride home tomorrow or anything?” She didn’t know if Pete would be at work.
    “I could use one. I’m kind of out of commission for a while. Can’t drive until the doc clears me.”
    That might be the toughest part of the ordeal—having to depend on someone. “Call me when you’re ready to leave. I’m only a few floors away.”
    “You bet.”
    His enthusiastic response pleased her. Happy that Thad was in better spirits, she took the elevator to the second floor. Food was calling her name. It was past the lunch rush, so she made it through the line quickly. Finding a seat near the back, she readied for some peace and quiet. She’d eaten only a few bites of her salad when loud chatter caught her attention. She turned back toward the entrance. Oh, shit. Dr. Avery Carson had come in with plastic surgeon Dr. Raymond Thompson. While she’d never been introduced to either man, everyone knew those two. Being in the same room with Carson curbed her appetite.
    Don’t judge.
    Returning to her meal, she delved in, mentally reliving her visit with Thad instead of thinking about what Kara had told her about her boss. Chairs scraped right behind her, and she chanced a glance