Future Threat

33

“Some papers from thirty years ago. I knew Brad would keep them because he’s obsessed with organizing things and never throws anything away, even at twenty-one. They prove he hired people to write his essays in college and that he paid for test answers. As soon as we get back, I’m using them to get him kicked out of USC. After I dump his sorry ass, of course.”

“You’re already dating him? In the present?”

“Yes, sadly.” She collapses dramatically on the bench in the lobby, her skirt flaring as she sits. “I met him a few months ago and thought he was the one. So hot and rich and charming. I was seriously in love, and then I saw him today with that…that…” She sighs. “No, I can’t call her anything bad. For all I know she’s a perfectly nice girl who got sucked in by his smooth talk and good looks and had no idea he was married. Well, okay, she probably knew he was married. There were pictures of us all over our bedroom. But she’s so young, and maybe she’s going through a really rough time right now and he took advantage of that, you know? He’s the jerk, not her.”

I have to hand it to Paige. She’s not anything like what I expected when I read her bio. I’m torn between liking her and wanting to give her a mild sedative.

“I’m sorry Brad turned out to be a d**k,” Zahra says, sinking onto the bench beside Paige.

“Thanks.” Paige rests her head on Zahra’s shoulder and sniffs. “Now tell me everything that happened to you today.”

Zahra gives Paige a quick rundown of our encounter with the Russian mafia, although she leaves out some of the parts about how we almost got killed along the way. I try to contact Chris again, but still get no response. As soon as we get Jeremy out of the hospital, we’re going after Chris next.

Adam returns a few minutes later, and we follow him up an elevator and to a numbered room. We slip inside and shut the door behind us quietly. There’s one bed in the room, and a young man I recognize as Jeremy is in it, his eyes closed. He’s covered by a blanket and wears a hospital gown, but a heavy bandage peeks out from under it on his upper chest and shoulder. There are no IVs connected to him, and no monitors showing his heart rate or anything else. He doesn’t respond to our presence at all, but his body moves with each breath he takes, so I know he’s alive.

“Jeremy?” Paige asks softly, approaching the bed.

He doesn’t stir. The curtains are open, giving us a view of the cars flying through the dark sky, their bright flashes reflecting off the side of his face. He’s handsome in that boy next door kind of way, with thick auburn hair and a strong, masculine jaw. He looks more like a jock who should be out playing football than a genius on par with Adam. There are only hints of his father in his face, mainly in the shape of his nose and mouth. I’m guessing he takes after his mother more.

“What happened to him?” I ask.

“According to the nurse, he was shot in the shoulder,” Adam says.

“He’s unconscious,” Zahra adds. “That must be why his flexi couldn’t pick him up.”

Could that be why Chris’s isn’t working either? I send Wombat a message asking him to look into Chris’s whereabouts, and he replies that he will. The car should be trackable, if nothing else.

“Poor Jeremy,” Paige says, brushing hair off his face.

I check my watch. “We need to get him out of here. We only have about ninety minutes before the aperture opens.”

“Can he be moved safely?” Paige asks.

“He’s coming with us one way or another,” I say. “Any ideas, Adam?”

He glances around the room with a frown. “I don’t see his chart or any other information.”

“It’s all computerized now,” Zahra says. “The doctors and nurses have access to all the files in their imbeds so they can monitor the patients from anywhere. Give me a second, and I’ll have access too.”

Her eyes go distant, just as Jeremy’s flutter open. He blinks slowly, then focuses on Paige. “Hello,” he says, his voice hoarse. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital,” she says. “Do you remember being shot?”

He closes his eyes and takes a few breaths before opening them again. Still drowsy, maybe from something they gave him. “Yes, I remember.”

“Can you tell us what happened?” Adam asks.

Jeremy’s gaze travels to Adam and then to me. “Who are you?”

“They’re from Team Delta,” Zahra says.

“You know who we are?” I ask, surprised.

“Obviously. One of the first things I did when they recruited me was find out what happened to the previous time travelers. I recognized you immediately.”

I scowl at her. “You could have mentioned that before.”

She shrugs and goes back to whatever she is doing with her imbed.

Adam gestures at us. “I’m Adam, and this is Elena. We were sent by your father to bring your team back to the present.”

“I’m surprised he cares that much,” Jeremy says, his hands tightening on the sheet.

Paige rests her hand over his. “Of course he cares. He’s your father.”

“He only cares because Aether’s stock prices would plummet if word got out that his son went missing.” He stares out the window, his jaw clenched.

I roll my eyes. “He cared enough to drug us and lock us in the aperture to make sure we brought you back.”