The day passed in a blur of tension. Dawn changed his dressings. She fed him soup. She fielded text messages from Catrina, who was demanding to know when "the hobo" was leaving.
Jennings spent the time on the burner phone, orchestrating a silent war from the guest bedroom. He was ruthless. Even in a hospital gown, with his leg elevated, he radiated power.
By evening, the fever had spiked. Infection.
Dawn was prepared. She had stolen antibiotics from the stable's vet supply. It wasn't human grade, but it was Amoxicillin. It would work.
She injected it into his IV line.
"You're enjoying this," he murmured, his eyes hazy with fever.
"Stabbing you with needles? A little," she admitted.
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. His skin was burning hot.
"Why me?" he asked. "Why did you save me?"
"I told you-"
"No bullshit," he cut her off. "The truth."
Dawn looked down at him. She could tell him the truth. That she'd spent two years mapping his vulnerabilities, his enemies, his assets. That he was the only one with the power to counter Dozier Buckley.
"Because you're the only one who can stop Dozier Buckley," she said.
His grip tightened. "Buckley? What does he have to do with this?"
"He's shorting your stock," she said. "He knows you're missing. He's spreading rumors that you're dead. By Monday morning, Stafford Capital will be in freefall. And he's going to buy it for pennies on the dollar."
Jennings stared at her. The fever seemed to recede for a moment, pushed back by pure rage.
"How do you know that?"
"I listen," she said. "People think I'm invisible. They say things around me."
He let go of her wrist. He lay back, staring at the ceiling.
"If he buys the company," Jennings said quietly, "he gets the patents. The new drug."
"The Alzheimer's drug," Dawn said. "Yes."
He looked at her sharply. "That's confidential. No one knows about that."
"I know," she said. "And I know it works. And I know Dozier will bury it because it's more profitable to treat the symptoms than cure the disease."
Jennings was silent for a long time.
"You're dangerous," he said finally.
"I'm necessary," she corrected.
She stood up to leave.
"Dawn," he called out.
She stopped at the door.
"Thank you."
It sounded like it hurt him to say it.
"Don't thank me yet," she said. "The bill is coming."
