"Excuse me. Are you next of kin?" a doctor asked, knocking on the door.
"I am," Bianca said, rising. She wobbled and balanced herself against the wall. They stepped into the hallway, and Dusty's gaze returned to Jonny. Jonny clutched his sheets, his gaze down.
"You know you fucked up," Dusty said. "Next time, you'll answer to me."
The young man's face paled even more, until he was as white as his bleached hair. He'd never be normal, not with what he'd done. Dusty knew the memory of killing in order to be initiated wasn't something even Bianca could take away from him. He didn't think the memory was enough of a punishment for taking the life of an innocent human, but he was constrained again by the primary mission of the Guardians to protect humanity against evil, deserving or not. Jonny was once again a human, albeit one that deserved a beating for dragging a sister as sweet and innocent as Bianca into Talon's grip. He dialed Jenn.
"Whatcha need, boss?" she answered.
"I need Travis at Mercy Hospital, room 515. You may want to talk to the occupant as well," he said.
"I'm on it."
He rose without another look at Jonny and intercepted Bianca on her way back from the nurse's station.
"We're leaving," he directed.
"Can I say good-bye?" she asked.
He stepped aside, waiting impatiently. She looked up at him as she returned, as enthusiastic as a man walking to his own hanging. He nodded for her to walk ahead of him.
The elevator door opened to reveal the massive form of Travis, one of Jenn's spies on the local police force. Clad in the dark blue uniform of the police, Travis gave a nod of recognition as he passed him. Dusty ignored Bianca's searching look and punched the button for the ground floor.
He sensed the incoming vamps before the elevator door opened. They were somewhere in the hospital.
"You know where the car is?" he asked her, holding out the keys.
"More or less."
"Wait for me there."
She took the keys a little too quickly. He expected her to ditch him and run, but the car was tagged and could be tracked. There weren't many places she could go where he couldn't find her, especially if Sofi kept interfering.
He watched her until she exited then remained in place long enough that he knew the vamps could pinpoint where he was. He exited through a different route, one that took him across a courtyard large enough for the vamps to see him as he crossed it, and between two buildings.
There were more than he expected, and he counted six. Talon's goons were coming for the kid.