“Liam? Guys?”

Nothing. From somewhere in the house the aroma of breakfast cooking finally made its way into his consciousness. Another round of vomiting greeted that smell and he groaned, willing the floor to stop moving.

The minutes stretched on forever as he sat, weak as a baby, waiting for the sickness to pass so he could head downstairs. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been ill. Hadn’t had the flu in years. But that had to be the cause, with the allover pain, feeling like he’d been dropped from a high-rise.

After a bit, he pushed up and fumbled along, made his way to where he thought he’d left his cane. It had fallen on the floor beside his bed and he bent to retrieve it. When he stood, dizziness nearly toppled him.

He breathed through the waves and paused long enough to put on a pair of shorts, then lurched across the room and into the hallway. Deciding against the stairs, he took the service elevator Liam used for his rolling carts, damned glad it would put him out near the kitchen.

The doors slid open and he walked the remaining few feet with cement shoes, sicker than he’d been in his entire life. He knew he’d made the kitchen when he heard Liam call out his usual cheerful greeting. Jude just couldn’t understand the words.

“Liam,” he rasped. “I’m sick… I hurt so fucking bad…” His body folded and he couldn’t stop his fall. He heard Liam’s startled shout as he hit the floor, cheek on the cool tile. Felt strong arms cradling him.

And he slid into blessed oblivion.

Lily was hanging out with Liam in the kitchen, watching him cook breakfast, when Jude staggered in.

He looked like death.

“Hey, big guy! Ready for some bacon-” Liam turned and his eyes widened at the sight of Jude disheveled, white as a sheet.

“Liam,” he rasped. “I’m sick… I hurt so fucking bad…”

“Shit!” The younger man lunged for Jude as he crumpled to the floor, but he was too far away.

Jude’s head smacked the tile with an awful thump, cane clattering from his outstretched hand. Carefully, Liam pulled Jude into his arms, smoothing the long auburn hair from his face.

“Jude!” he cried, pressing shaking fingers to the side of the other man’s neck. “Oh, my God, his heart is racing. His pulse is too fast.”

Lily dropped to her knees beside them, checking for herself. “I agree. I think we should take him to the emergency room. I’ll drive.”

A safe bet, since the doctors wouldn’t find anything in his blood. They would be puzzled, but would say he’d picked up a bug and send him home, telling them to put him to bed.

Liam only nodded, face panicked. He stood, lifting his burden, practically carrying the larger man by himself to the Mercedes while she turned off the burners under their breakfast.

Between the two of them, they managed to get him into the back seat of the car, Liam cradling his head in his lap. Jude’s friend was inconsolable, widening the crack in her heart.

“Please be okay,” he whispered, over and over. “Don’t you die on me and leave me all alone. Not now.”

They arrived at the nearest hospital in fifteen minutes, Lily screeching to a stop outside the ER. The first dose had hit him harder than she’d thought it would; the third would probably kill him outright.

A doctor and a couple of nurses came running with a gurney and whisked their patient inside. Liam stared after them, devastated. Lost.

Only then did she realize her face was wet, too.

“Mr. St. Laurent?”

The greeting was strange. Distorted. He was underwater, struggling to the surface. Almost there, but not quite.

Blackness.

Next time, he was more aware. Heard them discussing blood tests. Heart rate. Other terms that escaped him.

“Mr. St. Laurent?”

He licked his dry lips. “Yes.”

“Good, you’re back!”

Whoop-dee-fucking-do.

“I’m Dr. Cline. How do you feel?”

“Chewed up and shit out,” he croaked. “What happened?”

“That’s what we’d like to know. Other than an elevated pulse and a bit of a temperature, we can’t find a thing wrong with you,” he said, sounding both positive and concerned at the same time.

How did doctors do that?

“Flu?”

“Nope. We did tests for types A and B, and got nothing. No infection, either. At this point, I’m leaning toward some sort of bug you’ve picked up that our tests aren’t catching,” the doctor said. “There’re so many different strains of things going around, it’s a process of elimination sometimes.”

“You gonna keep me here?”

“Honestly, I don’t see why you can’t go home. Get plenty of bed rest for a couple of days, drink lots of fluids, take ibuprofen. If you aren’t up to speed in two days, see your private physician and he’ll order a whole battery of tests to start narrowing this down.”

“All right. Can I go now?”

“Let us get your paperwork together. As soon as the nurse brings it, and if you can walk without getting dizzy, you’re set to go. I’ll send in your friends, too. They seem quite anxious.”

That news warmed him some. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it; just get well.”

Shortly after the doctor left, more people shuffled to his side. He didn’t have to wonder for long who was there.

“Jesus Christ, I thought you were going to die on me,” Liam said, obviously upset. A hand squeezed his shoulder.

Jude mustered a smile. “Nah, I’m too mean to kick it anytime soon.”

“We’re glad you’re better,” Lily said.

She sounded weird, and his smile faltered. “Me, too. I still hurt, but not as bad.”

“Think you can walk?” Liam asked.

“I’ll try.”

“Good, because you’re one heavy SOB.”

The checking-out process took ages, but finally they were on their way out, his friends on either side, guiding him. The dizziness and nausea had faded to a dull annoyance, and he was glad. But the aching in his bones was something else. He didn’t complain, though, saw no reason to worry them.

He dozed on the way home and it seemed seconds had passed before they pulled into the drive. By the time they got him inside, up to his room, and undressed, he felt like he’d run the Boston Marathon.

“Sorry, guys,” he said, settling under the covers with a sigh. “This isn’t the way I planned to spend today, especially after such an awesome night.”

Liam stroked his hair. “Don’t worry, boss. Just rest.”

Unable to do much else, he did.

Lily turned away from the sight of Jude lying there, dusky lashes resting on his pale cheeks, smudges under his eyes. She didn’t know if she could do this. Carry this out to the end.

One thing for sure-either way, this was her last assignment as an assassin.

The decision had been surprisingly easy. Watching Liam curled up in a chair in the corner of the ER, arms around his knees, sweet face wretched with worry, she’d known.

After this, no more.

Leaving the two men alone, she pocketed her cell phone and went outside on the pretext of taking a walk. The gardens out behind the pool would hide her well enough and afford some privacy.

She already had one message from Dietz and it wasn’t wise to disappear on him. Stalling him would have to be done another way-by lying her ass off.

Placing the call, she was numb inside rather than nervous.

“What do you have, Agent?”

Nothing but contempt for you.

“I administered the first dose, and it affected him more strongly than I’d believed. He’ll be dead by the third.”

“Excellent. What else?”

“I breached his war room, and it’s quite a setup. Looks like the cockpit of a frigging airplane. If he’s hidden one of the files there, I wasn’t able to locate it yet. It will take a few more days.”