The Wolf with the Iron Jaw (Elysium #1)

Chapter Nineteen

 After cleaning the mess in the kitchen and seeing Henry up to his room, Trinket made her way back to the laboratory. She went to knock at the door but found it ajar. Booker hadn't locked it?

"Fickle man," she mumbled as she proceeded down the stairs.

Booker was standing by Alice, timing her pulse with his pocket watch. As she joined him at the operating table, he closed the watch and returned it to his vest pocket. "She's doing well," he said. "I think it's safe to bring her upstairs."

Without even waiting for a response, he set his attention on the workbench behind him, busying himself with the gears and bits of metal scattered atop it.

She turned to Alice and gently brushed back her hair. The lady gave a soft moan, her eyelids fluttering. "Henry will be glad to hear it," Trinket said.

"If I work quickly enough, I may be able to stay on schedule," Booker said.

She nodded. "Has infection set in?"

He appeared beside her, fidgeting with Alice's bandages while dutifully avoiding her eyes. "No, it seems fine for now. There's no telling what the next few hours could bring, though. Keep a close eye on her. If she appears to be developing another fever, have her chew on some mint leaves and then come and get me. I'll leave the door unlocked, but be sure to watch that Henry character. I don't want him wandering down here."

"I don't think Henry is the type of person to put his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Really? Because I think that is precisely the sort of thing a man sleeping with a married woman would do."

"I meant with regard to your work."

Booker sighed. "Yes, but he seems stupid enough to accidentally get lost and end up down here. It would be a shame to have to kill him before I got paid."

She widened her eyes, and he raised his eyebrows. Surely he was joking? But the usual playfulness in his gaze was missing, so she wasn't so certain.

"I will be vigilant in guarding both Alice and the door," she said.

Still not meeting her gaze, he gave a nod. "Let's get her back upstairs before she wakes."

~

Trinket had a fitful sleep that night. The voices taunted her relentlessly while dozens of cockroaches swarmed her bed. After hours of tossing and turning, she finally rose with the sun and headed downstairs to get an early start on breakfast.

The hallucinations began to die down by the time she brought a tray of cheese and toast up to the lovebirds, but her lack of sleep was made obvious by her uncontrollable yawning.

"Miss Trinket," Henry said with a sigh of relief when he opened the door for her. "So glad to see you."

"I thought you two might like some breakfast. And don't worry, I didn't burn it."

He chuckled nervously as he stepped aside to let her in. Alice was lying comfortably on the bed, seeming far more lucid than she had the last time she'd seen her. But there were dark circles under her puffy eyes, and considering her wet cheeks, Trinket guessed she'd been up all night crying.

Setting the tray on the side table, Trinket took a seat on the end of the bed. "How are you faring this morning?"

Alice shrugged and attempted an unaffected smile. "As good as one can be with one less foot."

Her voice was tight and strained. Turning her attention to Alice's covered legs, Trinket asked, "May I see?"

"Why would you want to see?" Alice asked, unable to hide her repulsed surprise.