"Open it at sixteen hundred today and close it at seventeen twenty."
She set the parameters and waited for the approval screen. When it flashed, she showed him again. He took the micro and turned away from her. She released the breath she'd been holding and watched him, afraid he'd come back for something else.
He gave the coordinates to Dan and replaced the micro in his pocket. His request gave her an idea. She could survive on the ample amounts of supplies the emerops facilities contained if she moved from facility to facility towards the west. She only needed to regain the micro and vault.
The two men left. She prayed for Brady to follow. Instead, he turned and approached her again. She stared at his chest, not looking up until he stopped a couple feet from her.
"You know who we are?"
She shook her head, playing dumb.
"Appalachia Branch of the PMF."
Her mouth felt dry. She didn't want to face the futility of her situation, not yet!
"You're a smart girl. I think you understand how vulnerable you are here. Do as you're told, and I'll protect you." His voice sounded stronger today, and his southern drawl struck her as oddly familiar.
With his commanding air, he was accustomed to being in charge. She took some solace in knowing he had the power to protect her. What he wanted from her was a question she feared to ask. His gaze went to her wrist, and he closed the distance between them, taking it. His gentleness was unexpected as he examined the wrapped injury. She sensed his concern, the same she'd felt at the Peak when he walked her out of the medical bay. His kindness then made her stomach flutter. Now, she didn't know what to think.
"You know anything about bandages?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Is that why you hadn't changed it?"
"Yes."
"You're lucky it's not infected. It was a mess."
"Do you kill many people?" She couldn't reconcile the cold-blooded killer who executed a man in front of her with the man concerned over her wrist.
He glanced up at her and released her wrist. "Yeah, I do."
His factual response chilled her. There was no remorse in his face or tone. Her breath quickened again. He stepped away from her, retreating to the bedroom area.
"There's food in the cabinets," he said.
She watched him for a moment then crossed to the nearest cabinet. It was stocked with meal bars. Ravenous, she chose two and started to close the cabinet door, when she saw a small box tucked between the edge of the cabinet and the boxes. It was too delicate for such a place and such a man. Lana tilted it out far enough to see it was a box of chocolates with the nearby fed hospital's seal on the top. It was the same hospital she'd sent the Guardian to.