Who would have thought riding around in a limousine would become tiresome, but Abbie was over touring through Illinois. “When will we get to Chicago?”
“By two o’clock. About twenty minutes,” Hunter answered politely. He’d been nothing but accommodating since leaving the cemetery. She didn’t think he cared much for her “You’ll never trust anyone” comment, but if he wouldn’t let her meet his friend’s widow Hunter clearly would never trust anyone.
Including her.
“Can I call my brother again?” she asked.
“It’s not quite two o’clock yet.” Hunter handed over his phone.
He had a point. “I’ll call Hannah to see how Mom’s doing then.”
“Go ahead.”
She wanted to shake him out of his granite-tough reserve and see something alive in his eyes again. But she had the feeling that one call he’d taken on the way out of the cemetery hadn’t gone well. Hunter had told the caller he was tracking down a lead from the Kore center, not that he was playing keep away with his people to give Abbie a chance to find her brother.
How much trouble was Hunter getting into by not bringing her in and not going to meet with his people? She didn’t know and he wasn’t going to confide in her.
Not in a prisoner.
No matter how he might color it, she was headed for some form of incarceration. She had to make the most of her mobility while she could. Punching the speed-dial number he’d programmed in for the medical center, she kept pushing buttons until she reached her mother’s room.
A woman who had been moved into her mother’s room answered the phone.
“May I speak to Mrs. Blanton?” Abbie asked.
“She’s gone.”
“Where?”
“To ICU. She’s not doing so good,” the lady told her.
“What happened?” Abbie clutched her throat.
“I don’t know. Your mama was gone when I came back from having an X-ray. Nurse just said she had a bad spell.” Abbie thanked her and hung up, then called the ICU desk. She inquired about her mother and found out Hannah was in with her.
When she ended the call, Hunter asked, “What’s happened?”
“Mom’s heart is beating irregularly. Her liver hasn’t gotten worse, but it’s not improving either. She had a bad night and ended up in the ICU.” Abbie lifted the phone and pressed the buttons for her brother, waiting through two rings.
This time someone answered before the third ring. A shallow male voice said, “Hello?”
“Hi.” She was so unprepared to hear a voice she didn’t know what to say. “Is your last name Royce?”
“Yes. Can I help you?”
That encouraged her. “I’m Abigail Blanton. I, uh, am calling because we’re related. We have the same mother.”
“Really?” He sounded surprised and curious but pleasant.
“Do you know who your mother is?”
“Sort of. I have photos. She died when I was born.”
He’d been as lied to as Abbie had. Was their biological father some kind of heartless bastard or what? He might be worse than she suspected. “Your mother’s not dead.” Yet.
When her brother didn’t speak, Abbie rushed on. “None of us knew you existed. I just found records of your birth. You and I were born-”
Hunter touched her arm. She understood the warning to share as little as possible and nodded before going on. But she was desperate. “We were born at the same place. I never met our father. Did you?” She still didn’t hear her brother. “Are you still there?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just in shock. No, I never met my father. I was told my mother died in childbirth so I ended up in an orphanage.”
All she’d learned about her biological father from the Kore files was that his initials were S. J., but she didn’t need records to figure out she’d been lucky not to know him. That didn’t erase a bazillion questions she had for her mother. “I’m so sorry. You have family, more than you realize, and-”
“I hate to cut you off, because I’d really like to talk to you more, but I’m due to take a conference call in a few minutes. I work out of my home. I’ll be around this afternoon. If you’ll give me your number I’ll call you back.”
“Are you in Chicago at…” She gave him the street address Hunter showed her on the handheld computer.
“Yes… how did you know that and how did you find my phone number?”
“It’s a long story and I’ll be happy to answer questions if you’ll let me come by to see you.” Please say yes.
“You don’t have a cold or anything, do you? My resistance to germs is not the best, which is why I work out of my home. I have weak lungs and have to be careful not to expose myself to a lot of people.”
“No, I’m perfectly healthy.” She tried not to sound like a panicked stalker, but she had to see him today. “I can be there in thirty minutes. Just a short visit, okay?”
“I suppose that will be all right. Call when you get downstairs and I’ll clear the security so you can come up.”
Abbie hung up feeling like a huge weight was beginning to lift from her chest. Hope was taking the place of fear. She handed the phone to Hunter, so excited she wanted to hug him and hating the fact that she hesitated. “You heard. He’s going to see me when I get there.”
Hunter pocketed his phone. “I hope he agrees to help your mother.”
She knew the word “today” was at the end of that sentence in Hunter’s mind. She understood that he had an important job of some sort to do, but she had to get her brother to help.
No matter what it took to convince him.