“Chauffeur,” I correct.
“Whatever. You ready to stop sobbing, Tits?”
January doesn’t answer, at least not in words. She gasps, fresh tears running down her face. Her eyes are already puffy from crying. I squeeze her as tightly as I dare. “Are you hungry, Jay? Do you want to lie down and get some sleep?”
She shakes her head, staring without seeing. “What… what’s happening to me?”
“You’re in shock,” Doc says. “Grit your teeth and let it pass.”
But January just sobs all the louder.
“We should stop,” I tell Doc. “Get her some food.”
“No fucking way. Parker could have tortured that idiot’s clone. He could already be coming after us.”
January shifts against me.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Bill wouldn’t tell,” she says in her sweet voice. “He and Archie want to leave Mr. Parker more than anything.”
Doc finds her gaze in the rearview mirror. “Parker’s planted subdermal trackers in his guys before. He could have turned Archie’s on and traced you.”
January moans.
“Jesus, Valente,” I say. “Is now the time to be telling her shit like that?”
Doc has the decency to look away. “Go to sleep, Tits. Let us deal with everything.”
But January doesn’t go to sleep, as the miles pass she starts shaking and her skin goes icy-cold.
“Turn up the heat,” I tell Doc, but even once the car’s a sweatbox, January’s teeth still rattle. Eventually, I can’t take it anymore. “Doc. We need to pull over.”
“Fuck,” Doc hisses, but does what I ask.
The second the car stops, Doc is outside, pulling a pack of Marlboros from his pocket. I stay in the back seat, cradling January. She’s still crying, the big sobs racking her body. I think of my sisters and how when they’d get like this, my dad would bring them warm cups of milk and honey. I wish I could do that for her.
Doc pounds on the roof. “Basher, we need to talk.”
“Give me a bit.”
“No. We need to talk.”
January wipes under her eyes. “Go. I’m fine.”
“No chance,” I say, holding her tighter.
“Seriously,” she says in a watery voice. “You know how Doc gets when you make him wait.”
I do, but it’s funny that she does too. I get out and see Doc smoking by the side of the road, a second cigarette waiting in his free hand.
“What’s up?”
“We can’t stay pulled over like this. Even if Parker’s not on us, cops could come past. Anyone could call us in.”
“What are you saying?”
Doc points his cigarette at the back seat. “I can sedate her. Knock her out.”
