“Gloves, needles, alcohol, and floss.”
“Floss?” he questions with attitude.
“Or sewing thread.” I hurry to throw in a better answer, even though I’ve never done any of this in a non-clinical situation before. Cinnamon floss might be a problem.
The van makes a hard left, causing me to brace myself against the cool metal side, and then we slow.
Two knocks on the back doors reverberate through the small van.
“Don’t try anything heroic. I can always find a new nurse.”
His words chill more than the cold December air. He’s right. There’s a whole hospital of nurses he could take after they leave me dead in a ditch somewhere.
A single door in the back opens, and Jimmy peeks around the corner, a gun in his free hand pointed at us. I almost roll my eyes as he scans the back of the van. What do they think I’ve done back here? Choked him to death with my scarf?
Actually, that wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
“Let’s go.” He uses his gun to motion for me to get out because no one around here cares about gun safety.
I slide out of the van on my butt. My feet hit the ground with a thud, and Jimmy grabs on to the shoulder of my jacket, tugging me forward.
“Get in the house,” he demands.
When I don’t move quickly enough, he tugs on my jacket again, sending me in that direction. “I’m going. I’m going. Geesh.”
“I’ll send someone out for you, Dominic,” he calls back to the van as he follows me up the steps to the house.
From the direction we turned leaving the mad rush downtown, we’re in the woods north of Pelican Bay proper. The woodland area is full of small hunting cabins built by families over the centuries. There’s no telling what family this dilapidated cabin belongs to, but from the hole in the front porch and sagging steps, it’s been a while since they’ve visited.
Jimmy kicks the door open with an outstretched boot. It swings and batters against the inside wall before closeing again. With a heavy push, he uses my body to force it open a second time.
“Someone help Dominic get out of the truck and find me some rope.” The door closes behind us with a hard slam of wood against wood.
My eyes blink twice to adjust to the lack of light inside the small wood cabin. Three men sit around a lopsided card table in the middle of the room. I watch my breath raise to the ceiling when I release a lungful. It explains why all the men are wearing thick coats inside. A stack of coins and bills in the middle with cards laid out around it. No one jumps up to help Dominic.
One of the guys in an open tan jacket and a black sweatshirt throws down his cards. They scatter across the table in time to his fist hitting the wood.
“What in the fuck is she doing here?” he asks.
Jimmy smiles. “Dom sliced his knee open on the box. I grabbed a nurse to patch him up.” His words are full of confidence, like he had the great plan on his own rather than me falling into his lap.
“Do you know who in the fuck that is, you moron?” The guy at the table stands, tossing his cigarette on the floor and stomping it out with the heel of his boot.
Jimmy’s face falls. “No.”
“You fucking dumbass. That’s Spencer Jamison’s new girl. You’ll have the entire security firm on our asses. Like we didn’t draw enough attention setting off a car bomb onfuckingMain Street.”
“What?” Jimmy twists me around. “You didn’t tell me that.”
I shrug. “You didn’t ask.”
“Real fucking great, Numb Nuts.” The leader lights a new cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke out in front of him. “What the hell am I supposed to do with her?”
“She needs to fix Dom’s knee.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about Dom’s knee. That’s his problem. I should shoot all three of you right now and be done with it.”
Nice to see there’s still no honor among thieves.
