Medical Center. Outside the Ward.
Adam caught the sound of a very distinct British accent—a woman's voice, dripping with sass.
"You just had to come to the States, huh? Wanted to ditch us? Look at you now—screwed over by this 'happy education' nonsense, turned into a total idiot!
A real man should be like Deck—playing with guns, fast cars, talking with his fists, saving the world! And here you are, messed up over some chick. Aren't you embarrassed?" 😏
"You flew all the way from England just to laugh at me?"
Owen's voice cut in.
"Of course not!"
The sharp British voice fired back. "I'm swamped right now—way too much to learn. Waste my time laughing at you? Not worth it!
I'm here to meet someone. Checking on you? That's just a bonus."
"Who?"
Owen's curiosity perked up.
Right then, Adam strolled up to the ward doorway and peeked inside. There she was—a gorgeous blonde with curly hair, standing by Owen's bed, roasting him like it was her job.
Adam's steps were light, but this woman's ears and instincts were razor-sharp. The second he glanced over, she turned her head and locked eyes with him.
In Adam's mind, she looked a lot like G.E.M. from his past life. She flashed a sly grin and pointed right at him. "Him!"
"Dr. Duncan?"
Owen's jaw dropped. "You know Dr. Duncan?"
"Didn't before, but I do now!"
The curly-haired blonde strutted over to Adam, sticking out her hand. "Let's get acquainted. Hattie Shaw—Deck Shaw's little sister!"
"You sure about that?"
Adam shook her hand with a teasing smirk. "You two don't exactly scream 'siblings.'"
"Everyone says that!"
Owen, who'd been stewing this whole time, couldn't help but jump in. "I've always thought he was adopted!"
"You're the adopted one!"
Hattie shot Owen a look. "Deck and I? We're practically identical. No doubt we're blood…"
Mid-sentence, she moved. With a quick yank on Adam's arm, she twisted hard!
But to her shock, Adam's arm didn't budge an inch. Solid as a rock.
"Guess you're right—you are Deck's sister," Adam said, shaking his head. "Both of you love a good fight."
"Oh, really? You haven't seen my kind of violence yet!"
Hattie, realizing she couldn't twist his arm, dropped low, grabbed it tighter, and launched herself up—legs swinging through the air to clamp around Adam's neck!
"…"
Adam's mouth twitched.
He knew this move all too well.
Whether it was Black Widow pulling it off in his past life or Juno showing it to him in this one, it was the same deal.
The classic "death scissor legs."
But Black Widow and Juno? They rocked leather pants or workout gear.
You, though? A skirt? Really?! 😳
A million snarky thoughts zipped through his head, and for a split second, even his super-brain and bullet-time reflexes lagged. Before he knew it, Hattie's legs were locked around his neck.
The chokehold snapped him out of it—her grip was strong. Adam blinked, totally thrown off.
Wait. This twist in the move—maybe the skirt was on purpose!
Her big bro Deck was an elite agent, and she idolized him, all about that violence life. Probably an agent too.
Agents play dirty like that—tricky, but it tracks!
"Okay, that's enough."
Adam grabbed one of her feet, his raw strength prying apart the legs choking his neck. With his other hand—the one she'd been using as leverage—he snatched her by the throat, hoisted her up, and slammed her against the wall.
Hattie dangled there, pinned by the neck, tapping his arm to signal surrender.
"This is a hospital. Cut it out."
Adam gave her a warning glare, then let go. She dropped to the floor.
"You're as good as they say," Hattie said, rubbing her throat and eyeing him. "No wonder you trashed Deck without him even fighting back. Think I'm tougher than him?"
"How should I know? You're both the same to me," Adam said flatly. "Want a real answer? Go fight him yourself. Winner's obvious then."
"We haven't seen each other in ages," Hattie said, shaking her head.
"Oh yeah?"
Adam glanced at her. "He didn't send you here?"
"Nope!"
Hattie caught the chill in his tone and casually flicked her golden locks. "We fell out a long time ago. The 'beat each other to death if we met' kind of falling out."
"Heh."
Adam just chuckled.
He didn't dig deeper. Fine, maybe she'd just heard about him—some guy who'd whooped her big bro and saved her second bro—and got curious enough to swing by.
Whatever. He wasn't planning to deal with her after this. If she got clingy, he'd just assume Deck couldn't keep his word.
It's not like he was some dude who lost his mind over every pretty face.
Emmm.
He'd seen it all!
A honey trap?
This?
Please. 😒
Sure, he'd been baffled for a sec—caught off guard by the sheer randomness. But if that daze stuck around? That's not baffled—that's just dumb!
"Owen, I'm out," Hattie said, rubbing her neck and giving it a twist. She shot Adam a quick glance, then called to her brother before heading for the door.
As she passed Adam, she paused, tilted her head, and grinned. "Like what you see?"
Before he could answer, she slipped a card into his pocket and sauntered off with a laugh. "That's my room number. My flight's at ten tonight—I'll be there 'til nine~"
"Dr. Duncan…"
Owen watched his little sister pull that stunt, his face a mix of emotions.
"Get some rest," Adam said, fishing the card out of his pocket. Without even glancing at it, he handed it to Owen with a small smile. "I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
Owen forced an awkward laugh.
He liked Adam—guy saved his life, after all—but he wasn't thrilled about watching his sister flirt and Adam bite right in front of him.
Plus!
She might look all mature and sultry, but he was only 17—and she was even younger!
In the Hallway.
Hattie strutted off in her heels, cool as ever. She passed a stunning woman and couldn't help but sneak an extra look.
The woman noticed, flashing her a smile.
They grinned at each other and brushed past.
Not far off, a short, handsome doctor caught sight of Hattie walking by. His eyes went wide for a sec.
"What're you staring at?"
A gorgeous female doctor next to him followed his gaze to Hattie and frowned.
"Nothing," the short guy mumbled, forcing his head down to hide his slip-up.
But as those heels clicked closer, he couldn't resist looking up. When his eyes met Hattie's—pretty and sly—his heart skipped a beat.
Hattie raised an eyebrow at him, then glanced at the female doctor with a smirk before sashaying away, all charm and swagger.