Found Missing (Decorah Security Series, Book #14): A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel by REBECCA YORK Page A

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    To Lily’s dismay, Corker made it out of the door and into the lobby. Apparently the large, luxurious space was not what he was expecting. He stopped short and cried out in surprise, giving Mack the opportunity to catch and push him down to the marble floor.
    The man had been unconscious for several weeks, and although his status had changed in the VR, he was in no shape to fight a guy who worked out regularly in the real world.
    “Lily, can you get a hypo?” Mack shouted.
    “I’m coming. Hold him.”
    As she spoke, Lily crawled to the table next to the couch and fumbled in the drawer. When she found the other hypodermic, she pushed herself up, stumbled into the lobby and jammed the needle into his arm. For a terrifying half minute, he continued to struggle against Mack. Then he suddenly went slack, and Mack grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him into the greeting room, and eased him to the sofa, where he lay sprawled.
    “Thanks,” Lily said.
    “I guess he’s not in as good mental shape as you thought. You should ship him to that facility you have in reserve.”
    “We may have to,” Lily said as she crossed the room and hurried into the hotel lobby.
    She saw Paula Rendell and Anna crouched on either side of Shelly who was sobbing, tears running down her cheeks.
    Lily ran to her sister, knelt down and reached for the little girl who came into her arms, still crying.
    “I didn’t do anything to that man, but he wanted to hurt me,” Shelly sobbed.
    “No. He was scared of you.”
    “Why?”
    “He’s confused. But it’s okay. I put him to sleep. Everything’s okay,” Lily soothed as she gathered her little sister close, stroking her back. Shelly’s auto accident had been when she was eight. That was more than twenty years ago, but the girl’s mental development had been arrested at that age. She would never mature. She would always react like a child. And though her body had become a woman’s in the real world, in the VR she still looked like the youngster she had been when she was injured.
    Overcome with guilt for having put her sister in danger, Lily rocked the little girl in her arms. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”
    “That man scared me.”
    “I know. But he can’t hurt you now. Uncle Mack and I put him to sleep,” she repeated what she’d said.
    Gradually, Shelly’s crying subsided. She looked up at Lily, her expression troubled. “I didn’t know I shouldn’t go in there.”
    “Yes. It was a mistake for me not to tell Anna. But it’s okay.”
    “Why was he so mad?”
    “He was afraid. And he reacted by getting mad.”
    Shelly bobbed her head.
    Over her shoulder, Lily regarded Anna who looked like she wished she could sink into the floor. “I didn’t know that was wrong,” she said.
    “It’s not your fault,” Lily answered, feeling a little strange reassuring a woman who was only part of an elaborate computer program. “Next time we’ll make sure you know we need privacy.”
    “You were bringing in a new patient?” Paula asked.
    “Yes.”
    The travel agent kept her gaze on Lily. “And it didn’t go so well.”
    “Unfortunately.”
    “So he’s not coming in after all?”
    “I’m not giving up so quickly,” Lily answered.
    Mack, who had been standing back while she comforted her sister made a rough sound. “Oh please. He’s a menace.”
    “I don’t want to just give up on him,” she repeated. “I’d like to try again after using a tranquilizer. If I can convince him he’s not in hell . . .”
    “Yeah, and you have to wonder why he thought he should go there. I mean what did he do in life that was so bad?”
    “It could have been something very minor—if he belonged to a strict religious sect. Or his parents could have drummed the concept of sin into him.”
    Mack made a snorting sound. He looked like he wanted to argue. Instead, he pressed his lips together.
    “He was scary,” Shelly said.
    “I would never let him hurt you,” Lily said, then