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“He’s okay?”

“He’s healing up fine, ma’am.”

“It’s Frankie, please.”

“I heard you saved his life, Frankie. Thanks for that. Even if I have to listen to the man’s complaining.”

I flushed. “Oh, thanks.”

“I’ll be out in the hall. I’ll try not to interrupt your work. Let me know if you need anything.” He started to turn.

“Axe?”

He glanced back and cocked a brow.

“Is there any word from Reath?”

The man shook his head. “Nothing yet. But trust me, Reath Fury always gets his man.”

I wasn’t sure if that reassured me or not. “Thanks.”

After Axe left, I tried to concentrate on my work. I knew Reath was trained and good at his job. It would take more than Auclair to hurt him.

I got busy, and soon I was lost in my experiments. When I realized my stomach was rumbling, I glanced at my watch. Wow, almost two hours had passed.

I nibbled on my lip. There was still no word from Reath.

“He’ll be fine, Frankie,” I murmured.

I hadn’t seen Trent or Axe for ages. I decided to find some food, or at least some coffee. There had to be a kitchen somewhere.

As I stepped out of my lab, my footsteps echoed in the long hall. It was creepy. The place was so empty.

I hummed to myself and turned a corner. I ran straight into a hard body.

“Ms. Parker.”

“Oh, Trent. Sorry.” I stepped back. His face looked like stone. “I was hungry and looking for the kitchen. And I haven’t seen Don for hours.”

“He left for a meeting in the city.” Trent cleared his throat. “I’ll see what I can find for you to eat.”

“No need. I don’t want to put you out.” I sidestepped around him. “I can find something if you point me in the right direction.”

“No.”

His clipped tone echoed off the walls. I blinked. As my gaze focused on his face, I realized he was sweating. I watched a bead of sweat slide down his temple.

My heart thudded. I glanced down the hall behind him, and that’s when I saw a pair of boots attached to khaki pants on the floor. The rest of the body was obscured by a wall.

I sucked in a breath. “Axe?” I recognized his pants.

I took a jerky step forward.

Trent grabbed my arm and held me in place.

“He needs help…”

That’s when I saw the spray of blood on the wall. My pulse went crazy.