He’d need to find another way in. He’d need to track down exactly where this asshole was, what room he was in, and then bypass the staff that might see his face and know it.
Phoenix paced while trying to think of ways around the situation; the less people who knew what he planned to do, the better. He couldn’t drag anyone else in. He wouldn’t risk their lives in his vendetta. He didn’t care what happened to him, as long as he knew Lily would be safe forever. He’d sacrifice himself if he had to...whether that meant jail or getting shot by an overly reactive security guard. Whatever it took. Lily would never have to worry again.
What he should do was take his time, think things through, and come up with a solid plan. But his primal beast wouldn’t allow it. He wanted the asshole dealt with now. He wanted him to feel more pain than he’d ever felt. He wanted to… Phoenix shook his head. There was no time like the present. Just get in there, find him, and get out.
His human thoughts were getting crowded out. His predator wanted to hunt. He wanted to take out the man that hurt his angel. He’d never felt so much vengeance raging inside of him. Nobody would recognize him. They had hundreds of patients. He was only one of many, and that was a long time ago.
Phoenix walked straight through the front doors and kept his head down. He found the volunteer at the admissions desk and asked for the man’s room, saying he was a good friend. She warned him that in ICU he’d only be allowed one to two visitors at a time, so if somebody was already there, he’d have to wait in the ICU lounge.
Phoenix gave her a warm smile. “That’s not a problem; I’ll wait as long as I need to. It will be worth the chance to see him.”
The older lady smiled at the handsome man and gave him directions to the elevators.
Phoenix thanked the woman for her time, and gave her a schoolboy grin. He could be charming when he wanted to be. The older woman tilted her head and smiled back. She was probably somebody’s grandmother, probably a gentle and sweet woman. She had no idea that she’d just given a killer the room number of his prey.
Phoenix lowered his head and watched the ground as he walked, not wanting to make eye contact with anybody. Blend in, old boy, blend in. It was hard to do when you were his size, but he’d damn well try. Everything was riding on this. For Lily, he recited over and over, deep in the crevices of his mind.
As he approached ICU and signed in under a false name, he walked the hallway to the room. There were beeping and whooshing noises coming from the monitors and respirators. He found the room he was looking for, and peeked around the corner. The man was hooked to oxygen, and looked like his body had crumbled. His heart monitor beeped in regular intervals. Not for much longer.
He went in looking for a monster; what he found was a broken man. It didn’t matter how broken he looked, he was a monster in disguise. He saw what he did to Lily. Now he’d have to pay. Phoenix figured it wouldn’t take long to smother him with a pillow. He’d be in and out as quickly as he could, though the beeping of the heart monitor would give him away. He’d kick the plug so it didn’t make any more noise. He knew they’d be monitoring, so he’d wait for the nurse watching them to get called to one of the rooms. It wouldn’t take long in the ICU wing.
He watched the reflection of the nurse’s station in the hospital window. It was aligned so that he could see half of it. He’d have to peer out to catch a glimpse of the other half. It would be swift, but he realized the moment it was done, his own life would be over too. They’d have security on him so fast that his head would spin. He’d either end up in jail or dead. He took a deep breath. Either was acceptable if it kept Lily safe. He’d jump through the window if he had time, but he didn’t expect the ICU to be on the 4th floor. That would be too far to fall. He’d simply splat, with no chance of survival.
Phoenix inched in closer, pulling a chair to the man’s bedside, making it look to the average person that he was there for a visit. He was taking in his surroundings, the tubes, the monitors, and studying the man’s face. He’d never felt pure hatred toward anyone before. Sure, he’d felt dislike. Sure, he’d been dismayed. People had rubbed him the wrong way, but what he was feeling now was a fire that wouldn’t go out. It burned as if someone was throwing gasoline on it, forcing it to grow.
The moment snuck up way too soon, but not soon enough. He slipped the man’s pillow out from under his head, ready to smother him. The man’s eyes flitted opened and fear laced through them, realizing the man over him wasn’t there to help. He didn’t have the strength to react. Maybe he deserved this. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.