Chapter 21

The sound of my phone ringing woke me up with a start, accompanied by a splitting ache in my head. Sleepily, my hand tried to reach for my phone, which lay in my bedside drawer. The search took a while before I was able to lay hold of it, just in time before it rang off. Without glancing at the screen, I placed the phone in my ear and listened to whoever was on the other end.

Brian's husky voice wasn't one to miss, so I was able to deduce it was him the moment he said the first word. “You should consider returning to the center so you won't be in bed at half past nine in the morning, Iris.”

I yawned loudly into the phone and stretched my hand over my head as I shook the sleep off. “I had a long night, Brian.”

“Obviously. Anyway, I've got something else for you, but it can't be said over the phone. See you in an hour at an address I'll text to you in a jiffy."

I sat up straight on the bed and rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Of course. Sure.” I hurriedly got out of bed and ran into the rest