Andrea's POV
I pushed open the door of the room and saw Tabitha on the bed, eyes shut tight and her brows all knitted.
I sighed helplessly, "What a poor child."
Derek inherited the paranoia from both Ambrose and me. It was hard to say whether the woman he loved was lucky or not.
"No!" Tabitha woke up from a nightmare.
When she opened her eyes, she found me there, not Derek. She was drenched in sweat and looked a bit flustered. "Andrea."
"Good girl, it's me. I came to see you. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Tabitha said, covering her head. "I just had a nightmare."
"What dream was it?"
Tabitha couldn't quite put into words what the dream was about, but from the way her eyes were wide with confusion and fear, I could only imagine it was a mess of chaos and violence.
She just mentioned that the faces of those people were blurry in her dream, but she could feel their blood on her face so intensely, so vividly, that it felt like something she had actually lived through herself.
But just imagining people lying all over the ground, with blood mixing with the rainwater and pooling everywhere, I could tell how gruesome that scene must have been.
Tabitha said that just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
She shook her head. "I don't remember, just that it was really scary."
Seeing her mood wasn't the best, I tried to cheer her up. "I heard you have a dog in Seattle. I could arrange to have it sent over. Having your familiar furry friend here might lift your spirits a bit."
"Thank you, Andrea," Tabitha said, looking at me with gratitude. She really was a sensitive person. In the past, she had ended up in tough spots because of a guy. I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret about my own history too.
"Hiss..." Tabitha held her stomach, furrowing her brows as if she was under the weather.
I just realized, with all the fright she had this afternoon, that she probably didn't eat much. Her stomach must be pretty upset right now.
"Did it hurt badly again?"
"Yes, I was feeling a bit hungry."
I immediately had someone deliver the food.
Tabitha drank a glass of water to relieve herself.
I was not sure why, but I was getting this uneasy feeling. Was she experiencing pain a bit too often?
It wasn't like this when she first woke up. These past few days, I had been noticing Tabitha frowning from time to time.
She also started taking some painkillers, but it was like the wound had gotten worse instead of better after taking the meds.
She should find the time to get a thorough check-up.
I could tell she was worried just by looking at her face, and I was also wondering if I should really push her to get checked out right away.
To keep me from worrying, she endured the pain and had dinner anyway.
I also found some patterns. Her pain wouldn't last too long. It was just a few minutes, and then it was gone.
"Andrea, where is Derek?" She tried to change the subject to distract herself.
"He went to find the murderer."
"The murderer? Did he know who it was?"
I wouldn't tell Tabitha what kind of trick Derek used but just glossed over it. "Yeah, he found some clues that someone tampered with the car. For now, you shouldn't go out. It's dangerous out there."
I couldn't let her know about Derek's risky plan, so as not to make her more worried.
"What about him? Is he in danger?" Tabitha asked with a concerned look, placing her finger on her chest.
"Don't worry. He knows what he's doing." I could only console her like this. Truth be told, I was a bit worried myself, but I couldn't let it show.
Third person's POV
Derek and Rolf met successfully at an abandoned warehouse by the seaside.
"How was it?"
"Alpha Derek, you can rest assured. Alvin tailed him all the way here. There's no doubt about it. I saw him go in with my own eyes, and we've got the place surrounded. He's not slipping through our fingers. We're just waiting to catch him like a fish in a barrel."
Derek cautioned carefully, "Be cautious. That person has a strong sense of counter-surveillance."
"Got it. We're just waiting for Alvin's signal, and then we'll move in and take him down in one go."