Hard Line - Pamela Clare Page 0,34

took over, opened the door for her, and followed her inside, the fairy lights still on. “Why don’t you lie down?”

She kicked off her shoes, climbed into bed, and sank back onto her pillow. “You aren’t leaving, are you?”

“No.” He called to Malik and Lev on his radio. “Meet me at Samantha’s room. Segal, bring a surveillance kit. Jones, bring Kristi.”

Someone here—someone they all trusted—had killed Patty.

It was almost too much to absorb.

But the next thought sent ice through her blood.

What if they killed again?

10

Thor stayed with Samantha while Kristi took her vitals and asked her a few questions, Jones and Segal standing outside her door. His priority was getting Samantha settled for the night and making sure she was safe.

“I’m fine. Really, I am. I’m just upset about Patty. I packed her things.”

“Your blood pressure is still a bit low. Have you ever fainted before?”

“I didn’t faint. I just...”

“Uh-huh.” Kristi clearly wasn’t buying that.

Thor had told Samantha not to give Kristi the whole story—not yet. He wanted to check in with Tower and the Deputy US Marshal at McMurdo and meet with Hardin before letting the news out. Until then, all anyone needed to know was that Samantha was upset after packing up Patty’s things and that she’d had a dizzy spell.

“I think you’re exhausted and grieving and have had a tough day, but if you have any other symptoms—headache, chest pain, difficulty breathing—I want you to buzz Decker or me right away.” Kristi reached into the medical bag she’d brought and pulled out a blister pack of pills. “Here are a few Xanax. Take one at bedtime. They might make you dizzy, so don’t take them during the day, okay?”

Samantha nodded. “Thanks.”

Kristi turned to Thor. “Are you staying with her for a while?”

“Yeah.”

“Call me if you need anything—or send Malik.”

Thor waited until Kristi was gone. “I’d like your permission to set up surveillance in your room—the same kind of surveillance you saw in mine. It’s a motion-activated camera, so if anyone enters while it’s on, it will alert you—and us.”

“You think the killer will come for me?”

She looked so shattered at that moment that Thor wanted to hold her. Instead, he took her hand. “I’m not saying that anyone’s after you. I just want to keep you safe.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Sure. Just tell me how it works.”

There wasn’t room for Jones and Segal in the room with him, so he took the surveillance kit from Segal and set it up. “I think I’ll put the camera here. That way, you can have it on at night without setting it off every time you roll over. I want you to feel safe so that you can sleep.”

“Someone killed Patty. I just can’t believe it.”

“It’s a lot to take in.” He couldn’t blame her for being overwhelmed by it all. “We’ll do our best for her—I promise.”

He showed Samantha how to arm the camera and deactivate it, and then he synced it with her phone and theirs. “Remember not to tell anyone about this—not Kristi, not Lance, not even Hardin.”

“Okay.” She sat there, smartphone in hand, as if she didn’t know what to do next.

“Why don’t I step outside so you can put on your pajamas? You go brush your teeth and do whatever else you need to do before bedtime. I’ll get water for you, and you can take that Xanax. How does that sound?”

She got to her feet, looked up at him, a sad smile playing on her lips. “Somehow, I don’t think this is part of your job description.”

“Keeping you safe is absolutely part of my job, but the rest of it…” He reached out, ran a knuckle over the silky curve of her cheek. “I hate to see you hurting.”

He left her to change, joining Jones and Segal in the hallway. “She’s getting ready for bed. As soon as we get her settled, we need to talk.”

“And then you’ll tell us what the hell is going on?” Jones asked.

Segal answered for him. “That’s the idea.”

Looking exhausted, Samantha stepped out of her room wearing a white cotton tank top and pink pajama bottoms with red hearts on them, slippers on her feet, a small bag of toiletries in her hand. “Hey.”

“Dr. Park.”

“Ma’am.”

It was the first time Thor had seen her wearing something other than bulky sweaters. He’d been right—she was willowy, just like a dancer. She had gentle curves in all the right places, her nipples pressing against the fabric of her shirt, her waist narrow,