The Cardinal Bird (1 of Cardinal Series)

Chapter 35

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Before I could get a good look at her son, Erica was ushering him out of the room and scolding him about protocol. He let himself be walked along as he chided back about badgering mothers that stuck their noses where they didn't belong.

It was silent for a moment. I glanced over to North to make sure he was still breathing or something. He was still zeroed in on me, so that stopped my gaze in a flat-second. I looked away immediately and went back to fiddling with my IV. However, my eyes were unconsciously drawn right back when North uncrossed his arms and stepped towards me. I wished that Erica had left the ice chips a little closer because my mouth felt dry.

He stopped when he got to the edge of the bed, towering there as he studied my face. After a long moment, he said, "You feel guilty, but I can't figure out why."

I resisted the urge to gulp but only just. Luckily, the door opened once more, saving me from responding. A copper-colored head popped in. Bright, smiling blue eyes met mine as he stepped into the room deftly shutting the door with his foot as he balanced a tray in his hands.

"Hey Peanut. I just saw Mrs. Lee with Kota. She said that you were awake. How are you feeling?"

I thought my mental analogy earlier had been pretty accurate, so I decided to use it. "Like my muscles have been wrapped in sandpaper."

Nathan winced. "Ouch. I know the feeling. I train a lot, so my muscles are usually pretty sore."

Right, he was a black belt. I had found that out right before he leapt from that window.

"You know what it's like to be shot and infected so badly that it killed you?" North arched an eyebrow as he paused for emphasis. "Twice?"

"It killed me?" I asked, my eyes big. Erica had said I was touch and go, but...to have died?

North nodded at my question. "You flatlined once in surgery, and then once later in the night when you were put in this room."

Was that why North had been on a rampage? Was that why he had stormed in earlier? Had he been listening for that specific noise because he had heard it before?

So many questions, but his eyes gave nothing away.

"Shut it," Nathan said jovially, rolling over the cart, now missing a clipboard but full of food. "I was just trying to carry on a conversation. You should try it sometime, Mr. Stare and Glare."

My mouth was watering an embarrassing amount as I locked on the food. Like I'd told Dr. Green over the phone, it had been a while since I'd had anything other than water and crackers. Other than that mouth-watering wrap Karl had given me, I hadn't really had anything with substance.

As soon as the tray was situated over the bed in front of me, I dug in with gusto. It disappeared so fast that I could hardly tell what it was that I'd eaten. I was valiantly trying to get the last drops of juice up through a bendy straw.

"Stop that," North said.

I took the straw out, immediately cutting off the slurping sound that I hadn't noticed in my efforts to get the last succulent drop of sweet juice up.

"Leave her alone, North," Nathan demanded, more serious than he'd been since he entered the room. I half-expected an explosion, but there was some sort of silent conversation going back and forth between the two of them that ended with what could've been an "I'll tell you later," look from Nathan, followed by a "You better," nod from North.

Since Nathan had been there for my phone assessment with Dr. Green, I had the suspicious notion that he would be telling North about my recent diet, or lack thereof.

So secretive, this lot.

I kept silent in case they decided to have any other future conversations like this. It could come in handy. Plus, if they were being secretive, then turnabout's fair play.

"Who's guarding the door?" North asked.

"Brandon," Nathan said, then he frowned. "I think."

"You think?" I asked. It would be hard to get him confused with another person. He was six and a half feet tall and sportily handsome.

"Well," Nathan shrugged. "He didn't have a computer."

I realized then what he meant. "Is that really the only way you can tell them apart?" I asked curiously.

"How do you tell them apart, Peanut?"

It was my turn to shrug. If I wasn't willing to point out the sadness in Brandon's eyes in front of Corey, I certainly wasn't going to do it now.

"Brandon smells like..."

"Sweat?" Nathan chimed in.

"B.O.?" North added.

"Stinky socks?"

"Like metal and cherries," I said. "But...synthetic cherries, like an automotive wash or cleaner or..."

"Wax," North said, an eyebrow raised. "He uses cherry scented car wax at his motorcycle shop."

"Ooh, do me! Do me next!" Nathan said quickly.

I was instantly uncomfortable, feeling like a bit of a freak.

North reached across the bed and slapped Nathan on the back of the head. "Idiot," he grumbled.

There was a knock on the door before it immediately opened. Karl came in. "Axel told me you were awake," he said by way of greeting.

"Axel? How the f--heck did Axel know? He's supposed to be training right now," North boomed.

"Well, Brandon...maybe Corey...Mr. Henshaw found out, and then called Axel, who was unavailable. So they called Raven and somehow Raven tracked him down. Axel--being the only smart one apparently out of that whole chain of Academy-trained people--remembered to let me know...you know, the CIA agent in charge of the whole operation?!"

Academy-trained?

"Uh...are you okay?" Nathan asked.

"Who me? What? Why? What do you know?" Karl said distractedly from his pacing.

"Nothing...it's just...you mentioned the Academy in front of her, and judging by the expression on her face when you said it, she definitely noticed."

I averted my gaze and tried to blank my expression as Karl's head swung in my direction, but judging by the collection of curse words that followed, I don't think I portrayed a very good clueless person. North was watching me, a small, proud smirk on his face.

"Forget the Academy, you can try to figure out our secrets later." Karl pushed his way into Nathan's spot at the side of my bed, ignoring the half-hearted protests. He leaned close, his gaze startlingly intense. "Sang, this is important. This is vitally important."

"You're scaring her," North grumbled, and indeed he was right. The heart monitor was picking up its pace.

I looked around the room, scanning for exits. By the unhindered view of the sky out the window, we were pretty high up. That wasn't a feasible escape option. Unless I stripped the bed sheets and tied them together to make a rope...

"Sang. Listen to me," he grabbed up my hand in both of his, his eyes holding mine captive. "It's not Nikolai, but men are about to walk through that door there to take you."

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