A contingent of around ten guards trailed behind me as I navigated the intricate hallways of the hospital, following the nurse who was leading me to Barbara's ward. As I entered the room, her father rose from his seat, his expression a mix of anger and concern. Chad was the only one who ventured inside with me.
"How could you be so careless with my daughter?" the older man began, his tone seething with anger and accusation.
"Sir, please try to calm down," Chad intervened, attempting to assuage the distraught father.
"Sit down, Isaac," I commanded, my voice firm and authoritative. Taking purposeful steps toward him, I exuded an intimidating presence. Startled, he quickly complied, his eyes widening with a mix of fear and disbelief.
"You can't speak to me like that!" he protested, incredulous. He glanced at Chad, seeking confirmation. "Can he talk to me like that?" He directed the question back at me, his voice filled with indignation. "I am a Senator of the United States of America! How dare you!"
"Escort this man out of here," I ordered Chad, my voice laced with unwavering authority. Though Senator Isaac Blackwell bristled at my command, Chad urged him to leave the room.
Shifting my attention to the doctor and nurse who had silently observed the exchange, I inquired about Barbara's condition. "How is she?" I asked a mix of concern and urgency in my tone.
"She is responding well to the treatment. It's fortunate that she was found early; otherwise, the cold could have been fatal, along with the gunshot wounds," the doctor replied, providing a glimmer of hope.
"When will I be able to speak with her?" I pressed, eager to hear her account of what transpired.
"We will inform you as soon as she wakes up," the nurse answered with gentle reassurance.
"Very well," I responded, making my way to a corner of the room. A brief exchange of glances between the doctor and nurse conveyed a sense of understanding.
"It may take some time, Mr. Donovan," the doctor cautioned, aware of my impatience.
"I'll wait. She won't leave this hospital until she tells me what happened," I declared resolutely, determined to uncover the truth.
When Blackwell poked his nose inside the room again, flanked by his security detail, I brought my gold-plated gun and placed it on the seat beside me, settling in properly. “You either have to deal with me for as long as it takes or you wake her up,” I declared, giving Blackwell a level gaze before looking directly at the doctor and adding, “Your choice.”
“I - I will see what I can do,” the doctor replied, giving the senator a furtive glance.
“Great. It’s great we understand each other,” I replied with a smile that was nothing but a facade.
“You do know that I can have you arrested!” Blackwell growled.
"Let me give you something to arrest me for, then," I said abruptly, startling Blackwell backward and into the chest of one of his security details. Grinning at him, I strode to the side of Barbara’s hospital bed and pointed the gun at her temple.
Blackwell jolted forward in panic. "What are you doing, you lunatic!"
"I want answers as to why your daughter is here and I can’t find Mark! I want fucking answers now!" I growled.
He swallowed. “It was an accident, Donovan!” Blackwell stammered.
"I would like to hear that from her lips," I said.
Blackwell took a helpless glance at the doctor, who had stood frozen, watching my actions. "Please, help us," Blackwell pleaded.
The doctor nodded gingerly, giving me a cautious stare, and quickly hurried to her patient's side, instructing the nurse on what to do. The nurse hurried out and came back a few minutes later, handing something to the doctor.
The doctor held a small vial containing a clear liquid, carefully measuring the appropriate dosage. Taking a syringe, she drew the liquid into it, her hands steady and precise. "I'm going to administer a stimulant to help wake her," the doctor explained, her voice calm yet resolute. "This will accelerate her recovery and bring her back to consciousness." I nodded. Blackwell looked anxious and concerned.
The doctor gently tapped Barbara’s shoulder to ensure a response. With careful precision, she administered the stimulant intravenously, slowly injecting it into her bloodstream. The transparent liquid flowed through the thin tube, entering Barbara’s body. Minutes ticked by, and the room filled with anticipation. I watched intently as Barbara’s vital signs began to shift. Slowly, a flicker of consciousness registered on her face, a slight fluttering of eyelids.
I leaned in, my voice calm and resolute. "Can you hear me, Barbara? It is Archer. I need you to wake up, beautiful. There are questions I need to ask."
As if in response, Barbara’s eyes fluttered open, blinking in the dim light. The doctor carefully monitored her condition, ensuring her awakening progressed smoothly.
“Barbara, darling, it is Daddy. I am here, love," Blackwell said. Barbara’s gaze shifted, taking in the surroundings and the presence of everyone in the room. Confusion mingled with grogginess as her consciousness slowly returned.
"Can you hear me?" I repeated my voice firm but reassuring. "I need your help. It's important that you answer my questions."
Gradually, Barbara’s cognition sharpened, and she began to comprehend the situation. The doctor maintained a watchful eye, ready to intervene if any complications arose.
Struggling to speak, Barbara managed a hoarse whisper. "What... happened?"
I leaned closer, my voice filled with determination. "I need to know exactly what happened when your car was attacked. Please, tell us everything you remember."
As Barbara’s consciousness solidified, her memory seemed to slowly return, and it was evident in the play of emotions on her face. “Oh, God,” she muttered in anguish. Blackwell quickly went to sit on the other side of the bed, carefully taking her hand to hold between his. “I can’t believe I am alive. Where is Mark?” she asked in agitation.
“That’s what I would like to know, Barbara. Where is Mark?” I demanded, unable to keep my emotions in check.
“He saved me,” she whispered.
“How, and what happened?” I asked impatiently.
“Please give her a moment, damn it," Blackwell cursed.
I ignored him, focusing solely on Barbara.
“We were on our way home…”
“Yes?” I urged her to continue.
“T-then Mark noticed something and he asked me to get down and told Alfred… Oh my God, Alfred…” she started to sob.
“Barbara, please focus. What happened to Mark?”
“He… he told Alfred not to stop and to keep driving. We were shot at, and then another car h-hit us from my side… Mark forced his door open, there was nothing I could do, I was so scared…”
“And then what happened?”
“He made me wear his suit and slipped something in the inner pocket…”
“His phone, that was how we found you. He has a tracker on it,” Chad supplied.
Barbara shook with tears. “Then he said, don’t worry, Archer will find you. He held me and jumped out of the car, and then we fell into the water. I was so weak. I felt cold and pain, but I could still feel myself moving. I think he helped me, and I don't know anything after that…”
I couldn’t help but growl as I paced back and forth, still holding my gun. “Damn you to hell, Mark,” I muttered. “You don't fucking die.”
“Archer, I am so sorry... I am so sorry.”
"It's okay, baby, you can rest now," Blackwell said.
“Did you notice anything else? Did you see the cars? Did you see any of your attackers?” Chad asked.
“When we were falling and they were shooting at us, I - I looked up. I saw a man. He had a, um… a patch. An eye patch, I couldn’t be sure, but I thought he was at the auction….” Barbara said.
I froze and stopped pacing to look at her.
Chad quickly brought out his phone and hurried to Barbara’s side to show her a picture on the phone. “Was it this man?” Chad asked.
Barbara stared for about a minute, shut her eyes as if trying to recall the memory, then opened her eyes, looked at the picture, and nodded. “Yes. I think so.”
Chad looked at me. I felt like shooting myself in the head.
The man Barbara saw was Adolf. He sometimes used the patch as a fashion accessory to hide his facial scar and looked formidable.
So, Adolf had fooled my men and went after Mark while Venom led my men on a goose chase. It wasn't Barbara who was the target, it was Mark, and they might have him. It was my fault. I had provoked them. It was my fault.
Clenching my jaw, I took a step forward, paused, and took a deep breath. Turning to Barbara, I went to drop a kiss on her forehead. “I must go now. Please, take care of yourself,” I managed to say in a gentle voice and even smiled.
Her lips trembled. “I am so sorry, Archer. I know he is your best friend.”
“Don’t worry. If he is still out there, I will find him," I said.
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. Drawing back from her, I gave the doctor and the nurse a nod. Ignoring Blackwell, I headed to the exit.
Blackwell quickly came to stand in my way, stopping my strides. Lowering my gaze, I met his gaze. “You are going after the people who did this to my daughter?”
"She was my date," I said in jest. He nodded, his face hardening.
"Give them hell," he said. I nodded. He stepped out of my way, and I strode out. My men flanked me.
“They must have split. If Adolf had been the one driving that would have given them away. So they gave us a show, using that as a distraction,” Chad said, anger evident in his voice.
"Whatever ploy he may have adopted doesn’t matter. I am going to find him and kill him and every single person he ever loved."
When we got to the car, Chad said, "Boss, we um, need to let Mark's sister know."
My heart skipped a beat at the very thought of facing Adele and telling her Mark was dead. "Do you have her information?" I asked, a bit surprised.
"I have Mark’s phone," he said and gave me the broken device. "We can extract the information from there. He was texting her when we were at the auction."
"Um... H-how is she?" I asked.
"She sounded okay. She said something about being done with her project."
"That means her graduation is underway... " I said. "And I've taken her brother from her," I said.
"Boss, you can’t say that. There’s no way you could have known..."
"I know! I fucking know!" I yelled back at him. "Stop the car!" I growled. The car screeched to a stop.
Pushing the door open, I stomped out and started to walk on the sidewalk, still holding onto my gun, with my men following me in the cars. I know I must look like a lunatic, but the pain inside me was profound. It felt like I had lost both Mark and Adele permanently.
After walking for about a kilometer, Chad came down and started to follow me. "I want her house rebuilt before she comes back," I said.
"Rebuild? Boss, may I suggest renovation? The place might mean something to the two of them the way it is. Maybe that was why Mark left it that way."
"Fine. Renovate. I want the house perfect for when she and Mark get back," I said.
Chad gave me a side glance, but he didn't correct me about Mark. "He will be majorly pissed that you touched his house," Chad said, playing along.
I forced myself to swallow the lump forming in my throat, determined not to let the tears spill from my eyes. "That should teach him not to put himself in harm's way," I muttered, continuing my stride. "Also, make sure to find out about Adele's graduation. Arrange for one of my jets to bring her back home."
"Boss, we need to inform her about Mark," Chad interjected with concern evident in his voice.
"She'll know when you go to pick her up. In the meantime, intensify the efforts to locate Mark," I replied firmly.
"Yes, Boss," Chad acknowledged.
"And ensure her house is taken care of. Spare no expense," I added, emphasizing the importance of restoring Adele's home.