I stared blankly at him. “There’s a reason it took you three months to convince your wife to date you when you first met.”
He clutched his heart dramatically. “Ouch.” But he smiled as he walked off.
My eyes were gritty from a long shift and I was ready to go home, soak in my tub, and finish binge watching my favorite TV show before bed.NotStar Trek. Or any other old bad Sci-Fi show. No, for me it was a trashy reality show where women would screech at each other over equally trashy men. It soothed something in me to watch drama I didn’t have to be a part of.As soon as the shadow engulfed me in the parking garage I knew that was all going to have to wait.
Trying to keep my cool, I dug into my bag and grabbed one of the syringes I kept full and ready to go. Only with it securely in my palm did I spin around and confront the man who was following me.
A part of me was hoping to see Overdrive. Or Gary. Or one of the orderlies who always insisted on walking women out to their cars at night.
My luck wasn’t that good.
Rhino grinned down at me with a smug smile that said I was in deep shit. He wasn’t wrong, but at least this time I had more than my knife.
“How-” I broke off the pointless question and jumped back as he took a swipe at me, trying to grab me. The only problem with a syringe? You had to get close enough to inject the contents into your victim.
It was a risk. A huge risk. Because this guy could pop my head like a cherry tomato within seconds. Not to mention everything else he could do. If I wasn’t quick, then I was dead. But I also couldn’t run from him either.
“Couldn’t believe my luck when I saw you get out of that ambulance,” Rhino taunted. “I’ve been looking for you for damn near a week, bitch.”
I’d sort of hoped he’d forgotten about me. But then again Rhino didn’t seem like the kind to forgive and forget. Weighing my options, I decided to go with the risky one. He knew where I worked now. What I did. I’d never be safe from him. It would only be a matter of time before he found where I lived, or got the drop on me here when I wasn’t prepared.
He hadn’t spotted the needle I was holding yet. I needed to make my move before he did. Pretending like I was stepping in to punch him, I put my other hand forward, allowing him to graba hold of me and reel me in closer. His fingers were bruising my flesh where he grabbed me.
Just another inch. Wait for it.
I really didn’t want to be this close to him. The hairs on the back of my neck were raised. My body knew instinctively that I was in danger. And I struggled, but only half-heartedly. Only so he didn’t realize what I was doing. Using the nail of my thumb, I flicked the protective cap off the syringe and as soon as I was close enough, I swung my arm up.
The needle embedded in his neck and I wasted no time in depressing the plunger. He roared in shock, letting go of me long enough to grab at his neck.
I scampered out of arm’s reach and dug my gun from the bag slung over my body. Arizona was an open carry state, but I couldn’t do that while in the hospital or on the job. Too many chances of something going wrong, not to mention it was against policy. Pointing my weapon at him, I watched as he staggered around. I always put enough Ketamine in the syringe to knock out a moose, because I didn’t know who’d I’d come up against. I’d had to purchase vials of the medication illegally. But it was worth it.
Sedation medications helped even the odds. Drastically.
Rhino was staggering enough for me to know the meds were starting to take effect. I glanced down at my watch. Ninety seconds. He should be out soon-
His body hit the cement with a heavy thump. Letting out a relieved sigh, I looked around. No one was here. That didn’t mean this section of the parking garage was going to remain empty for long. Looking up, I was relieved to see that we were in a section of the garage where the security cameras couldn’t see well. If I was lucky I wouldn’t get a call from the cops. But I would need to figure out a way to make sure this wasn’t on the security feed.
If I called the cops and turned him in right now, then I could claim self-defense. The sedation meds I shouldn’t have outside the hospital would be harder to explain, but I could manage it. But I didn’t want to call the cops. This was my chance to find out what was going on. To track down my brother and drag him home. I couldn’t trust that the cops would do their jobs and find Ryan. They hadn’t done anything so far, why would they start now? No, Rhino would be out of custody in a few hours, a few days at the most, then we’d be right back here and he’d be even angrier.
Studying Rhino’s unconscious form, I considered my options. No way I could move him very far on my own. Testing that theory, I grabbed his arm and tugged. Nothing. Not an inch. Dropping his limb, I crossed my arms over my chest. Even if I could move him enough there was no way to transport him. And where would I take him? Not home. That was just stupid and would get me killed.
What am I going to do with him once I find out the truth?
That was a question for later. An idea came to me, but I made a face as I thought it over. I knew nothing about Overdrive. Except that he’d offered to help me if I needed it. Sighing, I pulled out my cell phone and hit his number.
“Yeah?”
“Overdrive?”
There was a brief pause. “Who’s this?”
“Um…this is Rue. We met the other-”
“Thought that might be you,” he said, interrupting. “What’s up, gorgeous?”
Ugh. Was I really going to do this? I looked down at the body at my feet. Yeah. Yeah, I was. “I need your help.”
I answered the questions he shot at me rapid fire. Then I asked one of my own. “Do you have a van, or something?”
