The Hunted Girls by Jenna Kernan (best book club books for discussion txt) 📕

her floor. Her nurse agreed to accompany her to his room, promising she wouldn’t miss her physician making rounds, because she’d receive an alert.

Nadine walked slowly down the hall in her underwear and hospital gown, one hand gripping the stainless-steel stem to the rack holding her IV drip.

From the hallway of Skogen’s room, she spotted several bright bouquets of flowers. Moving inside, she noted a Mylar balloon tied to his bedrail. Layah Coleman sat beside his bed, an eReader in her hand.

“Dr. Finch.” She sounded surprised. “You’re up.”

“I’ll be discharged today.” Nadine beamed.

Coleman rose and met her beside the bed, first offering her a hug and then the seat.

She turned her attention to Jack. The swelling at his face distorted his features. But his color was better. His lips were cracked and his chest bare except for the bandage that wrapped around his ribs. Above and below, the reddish purple bruises blossomed.

Beside him sat the usual monitors, IV drip and a medical dispenser for on-demand morphine.

“He been awake?”

“Axel spoke to him last night. He’s been out since I got here. He’s still in a lot of pain.”

“Demko told me he had surgery.”

“They removed his spleen. His kidneys are bruised.” She motioned to the bag of urine hanging at his bedrail. The blood turned the fluid pink.

“But he’s out of the woods. That’s what they say. Everything will heal with time.”

Not everything, thought Nadine, looking at his bandaged hands, recalling the sight of the raw wounds where his nails had been.

“The doctor said the soft tissue damage will leave scars and they don’t know yet if the nerve damage is permanent,” said Layah.

Nadine silently took it all in. The man in the bed had nearly lost his life because of her. But had she saved him, too?

“Did they find an engagement ring on Jack’s hand?”

“I don’t know. I can find out.”

“Thanks. And, Layah, could you please advocate for counseling? He’ll need to speak to someone.”

“He’ll be required to do that.”

Nadine exhaled a breath, feeling slightly better. Jack’s mental wounds would be less obvious but just as serious.

“What about you?” asked Layah.

“I already have a therapist. I’m sure this will keep us busy for years.” She tried and failed for a laugh.

“Dr. Finch, I have a question. Dr. Hartfield told us what happened on the boat. She said you knocked the barrel of his gun away, giving Detective Demko time to shoot.”

Nadine nodded.

“She also said that afterward, he spoke to you and you said something to him before running to Detective Demko.”

“Yes.”

“I’m wondering, what did you say?”

Nadine thought back to that moment, Decristofaro reaching for her and calling her name.

“I told him that natural selection also leads to extinctions.”

Coleman’s brows shot up and then she smiled.

Nadine stepped up beside Jack’s bed, moving in close to whisper into his ear.

“You did it, Jack. You saved me. Thank you for my life.” She stroked the hair back from his forehead and dropped a kiss on his forehead, forgiving him for lying to her and everything else.

He’d been the leak that had brought the Huntsman after them. He’d have to live with that. But had his actions helped them find Decristofaro sooner? Had he saved unknown victims a terrible fate?

She didn’t know. But she was happy to be free and safe and on the mend.

“I’ll see you at the office,” she said to Layah, and walked back to her room pushing her IV stand and accompanied by her nurse.

She was surprised at the visitor waiting there to see her.

“Dr. Crean?”

THREE DAYS LATER

Juliette Hartfield popped her head into Nadine’s bedroom office in the safe house. She and Tina had returned this morning to collect their belongings before heading back to Tampa and Nadine’s new assignment with the FBI field office there. Clint would be returning to his position in the Sarasota Police, Homicide department, and Juliette would be resuming her post as a medical examiner for District 12.

“How’s Skogen?” asked Juliette.

“Still on a morphine drip for the pain, but his body is healing.”

Juliette had told them that, although internal injuries would heal and so would the broken bones, there was some doubt that his fingers would ever recover from the torture.

“What does that mean for his career?” asked Tina.

“Well, if the scarring on his fingers causes contractures and permanent nerve damage, he won’t be able to continue in the field. It will be up to him to decide on reassignment or retire from the Bureau.”

“That’s terrible,” said Nadine.

“Not so terrible. He’s got a literary agent and ghostwriter lined up. Rumors of a major book deal.”

“And Crean’s book is out.” Tina spoke of their old supervisor, Margery Crean, who had been shot and recently delivered a signed copy of her book to Nadine’s bedside.

“Why don’t you write a book?” asked Juliette. “Everyone else is cashing in.”

Nadine smiled. She was no longer afraid of the publicity. No longer running from the limelight. But that didn’t mean she cared to turn it on herself.

“Someday, maybe. After I’ve put a few more bad guys in prison.”

“I’m keeping notes,” said Tina.

Both women turned to her.

“You’re what?” asked Nadine.

“Case notes, calendars and journal entries. To help you remember when you decide to write it all down.”

Nadine had thought she might start doing that, but it seemed she did not need to.

“Thank you, Tina.”

Her assistant beamed.

“Dr. Crean came to see me at the hospital,” said Nadine.

The two women gaped.

“What?” asked Juliette at the same time Tina asked, “Why?”

“She wants me to write the foreword for her next book.”

“No!” said Juliette. Though whether this was shock or her reply, Nadine didn’t know.

“I said I would.”

“That’s a surprise,” said Juliette. “I thought you were avoiding the limelight.”

“Time to accept that I’m out there and get a grip on the narrative.”

“Hurrah!” said Tina. “Our book will blow hers away.”

Nadine laughed. “Not so fast. I think I’ll start by accepting a few interviews from our Florida newspapers.”

“I can set that up,” said Tina.

“You’ll have to. I’ve asked Carter to make your position with me permanent.”

Tina rushed forward