Read Online Riordan by Kathi S. Barton - Free Book Online Page B

doesn’t happen very
    often. May I ask who you thought was coming in?”
    “Blackson. He said he had something for me to…something he needed for me to look at.”
    Bri sat down and smiled at her. “If I asked you to leave, you wouldn’t do it, would you?”
    “No. Not yet. I was told that you’re going to be upset in a few minutes and I want to be here
    to see it. It’s not often that Riordan is in over his head. And with you, I think he is.” Storm
    started to tell her that he’d not be in over his head if he just left her alone, but Bri continued. “I
    was scared out of my mind when he called me. I knew that he’d been frightened but not why.
    And when his phone call came through to me, I nearly didn’t want to answer it. I owe you a great
    deal for saving his life.”
    “He wouldn’t have had to be saved if he had just done what I told him.” Bri nodded and then
    smiled at her. “I can see where he gets his supposed charm. You. He thinks that if he just smiles
    a little, things will go the way he wants them to. Or demands them to. I’m not swayed by charm
    or his good looks. I’m over that shit.”
    “Yes, that’s him, but I don’t think you’re as over it, as you say, as you might think. And the
    charming part is not something that most would call him. Mac is charming. You’ve met him.
    And I think that Aedan is as well, but he’s a romantic more than just simply charming. You’ve
    not met the others, have you?” Storm told her no and leaned back on the bed. The monitor was
    hyping up, and that meant she’d be on it longer. Slowing her heart, she tried to concentrate on
    the woman’s voice rather than what had happened today. “Tell me what happened.”
    “He stopped taking his meds. Two weeks ago. I don’t know the entire story of why he was
    on them, and even if I did, I’d not share with you. But he was depressed. He told me that he
    hated the way they made him feel. I know what he meant. You feel sort of leggy and doped up.”
    The door opened and closed, but she didn’t open her eyes. When her IV was touched, Storm
    didn’t think anything about it. It was a hospital after all. “When he had Riordan in his arms, all I
    could think about was you. I know that you think that’s really stupid, but you were forefront and
    center. I didn’t want to have to explain to you why he’d been killed.”
    “I can’t thank you enough for that.” Her voice sounded sort of sluggish, and Storm opened
    her eyes to look at the person touching her. The nurse standing there had a needle and she was
    pushing something into her IV site. Storm tried to ask her what it was, but Bri continued talking.
    “The entire family is grateful for it, too. Stormy, are you all right?”
    Something was wrong. Something…she looked at Bri and noticed that she was waving in
    and out of focus. The nurse…it was all she could think about. Reaching behind her for her gun,
    Storm realized it was gone, taken for evidence. Grabbing for the nurse, her fingers slipped off
    her, and she looked at Bri as she pulled the needle from the IV. It was their only hope.
    “Stop her.”
    The door slammed open and she heard a growl. As she felt herself slipping off into la-la
    land, Storm saw the big wolf, then the cat. Things were blurring in and out then, and she knew
    that whatever was going on, she could not help.
    ~~~
    Riordan held Storm’s hand as the men in the room cleaned up. They had thought to move
    her to another room, but Blackson said that would be a bad idea. So the blood and the body were
    being removed, as well as any evidence of what the nurse had been doing. Riordan looked at his
    mom as she sat there as calm as ever.
    “She knew something was wrong and warned me.” Riordan nodded and looked down at
    Storm when his mom spoke. “Why on earth would they hurt her here? Not that I think they
    should hurt her anywhere, but why?”
    The IV that was running in her arm was not dripping like he’d seen them do, but