I know heâs here. He has to be.â
âUnless someone let him out while they were trying to break in.â Isaac saw little chance of that but persisted. âWhy donât you leave dishes of food and water in the usual place in here, then put others in the hallway, just in case? Iâll either stop by to check or have members of my team do it. Puddy will show up as soon as he gets hungry enough. The problem is, you canât stay here and wait for that to happen.â
She stared at him, her hands trembling.
He approached her slowly, hoping to keep her as calm as possible when he delivered the bad news. Stopping an armâs length from her, he looked deeply into her eyes, willing her to continue to trust him, at least enough to heed his sage advice.
Her eyes widened. âWhat are you not telling me?â
âThat call I just made? It was to our tech support. Terence Fagan has been out of prison for several years.â
âThatâs impossible!â
Isaac lightly cupped her elbow to steady her. âIâm sorry. Itâs true. His appeal was granted on a technicality.â
She swayed as if dizzy, so he continued to hold her arm, just in case. âNo. Your information must be wrong.â
âSorry. Our Fiona Fargo is the best computer tech in the business. If she says your father has been released, he has been.â
âWhy wasnât I told?â
âI donât know. When you get in touch with the marshalsâ office to arrange to be moved, you can ask them. It was probably an oversight.â
âOversight? This is my
life
weâre talking about.â
Isaac nodded soberly. âIâm glad you realize that.â He let go and opened her cupboards to locate usable dishes. âWill these do for your cat?â
She barely nodded.
âOkay. Iâll fill one with water and you put dry food in the other so we can be on our way.â
This time she not only didnât argue, she moved to comply as if in a stupor. That state of mind wasnât any better for her than her earlier panic, although it did make his current task easier.
Until they could coordinate with the US Marshals office in DC, his best option would be to take her home with him, as heâd already been planning.
There was more than one good reason for that choice, too. His injured leg was starting to really throb and the sooner he was free to take his prescribed medication the better heâd feel.
Reasoning that a nurse would be sympathetic and therefore more compliant, he decided to tell her. âListen, I hate to mention this but Iâm starting to feel awfully sore. I couldnât chance taking my morning meds and getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle so I havenât had any painkillers since what you gave me last night.â
That snapped her out of her doldrums enough to frown and caution, âYou should have kept up with them. Itâs not just for comfort, you know. Controlling pain will help you heal faster. Plus, one of those scripts was for oral antibiotics.â
âAfraid I didnât stop to look,â Isaac admitted. âWhen my captain called me, I didnât question his reasons.â
âWhat was he
thinking
? Youâre injured.â
Isaac chanced a slight smile. âActually, it was my decision. He told me he was worried because there was no record of your past and wanted to confer with me.â
âThatâs a lame excuse if Iâve ever heard one,â Daniella said. Hoisting a bulging tote bag, she sighed as she started for the door. âI wonât be responsible if you develop an infection. Letâs go.â
Following her out the apartment door and waiting while she carefully relocked it, Isaac couldnât help feeling relieved and more than a little glad. She was finally thinking more clearly. That was a definite plus.
Now all he had to do was take a small enough dose of painkiller to allow his own