Meant to Be Immortal (Argeneau #32) - Lynsay Sands Page 0,67

the pain eased, she simply closed her eyes again and said, “No.”

“You must be hungry, then. Do you want a sandwich or something?”

He didn’t have to ask twice. “A chicken wrap, honey cruller, mocha latte, and the bottle of water please,” CJ rattled off, her hand dipping blindly into her purse to pull her wallet out.

“Put that away,” Mac said with exasperation. “I’ve got this.”

CJ opened her eyes to scowl at him, but Mac ignored her and turned to the men in the back.

“Decker? Bricker? What do you guys want?”

“I’m good,” Decker said, but Justin Bricker rattled off a list of items that was three times longer than what CJ had asked for.

She was grinning with amusement by the time he finished, and not at all surprised when Mac said, “Yeah, well, open your window and you can repeat all that to the speaker when the server asks what we want, ’cause I’m not going to remember it.”

“Hell, Bricker, even you won’t remember all that,” Decker said with disgust.

“Will so,” Bricker responded at once.

“Will not,” Decker assured him.

“How much do you want to bet?” came Bricker’s challenge.

“Have those two been partners for long?” CJ asked Mac as the pair continued to bicker in the back seat.

“A couple of years now, I think,” Mac said, eyeing the two men in the rearview mirror.

“We aren’t partners,” Decker said, proving he had heard her question. “At least not all the time.”

“Are so,” Bricker countered.

“Not really,” Decker said with a frown in his voice.

“When is the last time you worked with someone else?” Bricker asked, and when Decker didn’t answer at once, said, “See? Partners.”

“Damn,” Decker muttered.

CJ smiled faintly and closed her eyes again. Keeping them closed seemed to ease her headache. Either that or the pills were kicking in. Although it seemed too soon for that to happen, so she kept her eyes closed and let the men’s conversation drift around her until they were through the ordering process and receiving the food at the window. She opened her eyes and sat up then to take the food and drinks from Mac as he got it from the cashier and passed it over. Neither Decker nor Mac had ordered anything, so CJ took what she’d ordered from the selection and passed the rest back to Bricker.

She drank the water first, opening the bottle and chugging down the contents so swiftly even she was surprised. But once the cool liquid touched her tongue, CJ couldn’t seem to stop drinking. It was lovely and so refreshing, and she had definitely been dehydrated.

Capping the empty bottle with a small satisfied sigh, she turned her attention to the chicken wrap. It went down almost as quickly, although she did take the time to chew her food so she wouldn’t choke on it. She was slowing down, though, by the time she finished that and started on the latte and honey cruller. Even so, she finished it off fast enough that she was popping the last bite of the sweet, airy donut into her mouth when Mac turned into the police station parking lot.

Twelve

Captain Dupree was waiting in the reception area when they entered the police station. The older man grunted when he spotted them, his gaze zeroing in on CJ.

“You missed your appointment,” he growled with irritation.

“I’ve been at the hospital,” CJ growled back with just as much irritation.

“Doc Pearson said as much,” Dupree admitted grudgingly. “Said you were the victim of a hit-and-run in the parking lot of the Sandford Pub and Grill.”

“Hmm.” CJ narrowed her eyes on him and pursed her lips before saying, “We must have missed the man you sent out to take a report on it.”

“You did. Doc said he had a bunch of tests to do on you and not to bother sending anyone for a bit, so Dandridge only left a few minutes ago. He probably isn’t even at the hospital yet. I’d best go call him and tell him to head back,” he added, and turned away to disappear from view.

CJ rolled her eyes at the man’s attitude and walked around the counter to follow him, aware that Mac, Decker, and Bricker stayed hard on her heels. CJ stepped into the bullpen and then paused. While it had been abandoned the night before with just Mrs. Dupree wandering the place like a ghost, tonight it was a hive of activity, with at least five officers that she could see, talking on the phone, doing paperwork, or moving around performing