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Mateo walked out of the hospital board room and leaned against the door. The atmosphere in there had been stifling. He had told the absolute truth, describing details that the board hadn’t even been aware of. That certainly hadn’t helped his case.
He shook his head and fished his phone from his pocket. There were no new messages. Mateo tapped his thumb against the screen. Had Jamal gotten to Abigail? Was she safe?
He lifted his finger to dial his friend’s number when the main door to the lobby crashed open, the metal knob bouncing against the wall.
“Mattie!” His mother cried. Mateo lifted his head to find his mother, Parker, Nick and Abigail descending like a crowd of defensive warriors. He opened his arms to receive Abby as she flung herself against him.
“You jerk! Why didn’t you
