Abby woke with her face pressed firmly into Joe’s chest, his cedarwood scent wrapping around her like a blanket. She tried to burrow closer, only to freeze when a sharp, searing pain shot through her shoulder.
Right. Stitches.
Memory returned in scattered flashes. The warehouse. Arnie’s manic grin. The flash of silver. The hospital.
Joe’s arms tightened around her instinctively, even in sleep. He murmured something into her hair, his voice rough and low, but the words were lost against her skin.
Gradually, the outside world filtered in. The steady hum of machines. Muffled voices in the hallway. The squeak of wheels rolling past.
And beneath it all, in the back of her mind, she felt it.
A faint, steady hum.
Marli.
Abby’s lips curved into a small smile. The connection was still thin,
