Since Claire had agreed, Dane didn't argue.
He climbed into the car with them and ordered Brooks and River to drive his vehicle to the hospital to wait.
Norris drove straight to the nearest hospital.
Claire was forced to undergo a full-body examination.
She was in relatively good condition, just exhausted from the struggle with the operative.
There was a bloody graze on her cheek from the bullet, but to Claire, a minor scratch was nothing.
She also had a few bruises on her face and body from being jostled inside the trash
can.
Quinton and his crew certainly hadn't handled her gently when they dumped her in there.
Claire hadn't expected to come so close to disaster this time.
It was a single misstep in an otherwise flawless plan.
Although she didn't want to be admitted, Dane forced her to stay in the hospital for observation.
Even Padgett rushed over to visit her.
Claire comforted her grandfather. "They were just incredibly bold this time. I really didn't see it coming."
"But don't worry, Grandpa. Silas's security detail and rescue operation were very prompt."
"See? I'm perfectly fine."
She knew she had given the old man a terrible scare.
But she couldn't just stop going to school because of one incident.
Since those people were specifically targeting her.
They would come after her no matter where she hid.
Padgett wanted to take her home to stay for a while, but Claire refused without a second thought.
"At least come home for a bit. When you go back to school, I'm assigning bodyguards to you. They need to be with you twenty-four hours a day this time. No more being stubborn!"
Padgett recognized the severity of the situation. Those operatives from Sundara wouldn't rest until they achieved their goal.
Was this how they had treated Melissa and Agassi back then?
Could their disappearances be connected to this?
Even if they were truly working in a classified unit, the government was
likely concealing their where outs
to keep them hidden from these people.
These operatives were so deranged that they didn't even hesitate to expose The
Serenity Grand Hospital just to kidnap Claire.
What would they do next?
"I'm not being stubborn," Claire
sighed. "Grandpa, think about it. They just pulled this massive stunt. Even if they plan to send more people they'll need time to come with a foolproof plan."
up
"I'll just stay in the hospital for two days, and then I'm going back to class."
"Don't worry, I promise everything will be fine!"
Padgett shot her a look but remained silent.
He thought to himself, 'You won't listen to me, huh?'
'Just wait!'
He stepped out, and a few minutes later, Dewitt walked in holding a phone.
"It's Aunt Pandora," Dewitt said. He hadn't originally planned on reporting the incident to her.
The crisis had been averted, so telling her would only cause unnecessary worry.
Yet, somehow, the highly resourceful Pandora had heard the news through other channels.
Padgett scoffed quietly outside. Resourceful nothing he was the one who tipped her off!
Claire took the phone and heard Pandora's anxious voice. "Claire, how are you? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. I was just knocked unconscious and got a few scrapes."
"I'm staying in the hospital for a couple of days to recover, and then I'll head back to school."
"Grandma, you don't need to worry. The enemy suffered heavy losses this time. They won't make a move against me again anytime soon."
Pandora fell silent. "Your parents dragged you into this."
If she hadn't been so desperate for news of her son, she never would have put her granddaughter in harm's way.
"Grandma, what are you talking about? How is this their fault?"
"These people have been trying to get close to me for a while. Even without what happened before they would have made a move eventually."