“Who do you work for?” I ask, voice dropping low. Dangerous.
She meets my eyes without flinching. “Myself.”
“Bullshit.”
“Think what you want.” She presses the gauze to my ribs harder than necessary. I grunt. “But I’m just a girl trying to make rent, and your little gang war almost got me killed.”
“You had a gun in your glove compartment.”
“This is America. Everyone has a gun.”
“Not like that. You knew how to use it. You didn’t hesitate.”
She’s quiet for a moment, jaw working. Then she sets down the gauze and picks up a scalpel from the kit.
“Drink or not? Because this is going to hurt,” she says.
“I’ve had worse.”
“I’m sure you have.” She positions the blade over the bullet wound. “Deep breath.”
Iinhale.
She cuts.
Pain explodes white-hot through my side. I grip the couch cushion hard enough to tear the fabric, teeth grinding so hard I taste blood. But I don’t make a sound.
Won’t give her the satisfaction.
Her fingers work quickly, digging into the wound. I feel the pressure, the burn, the wrongness of it. Sweat breaks out across my forehead.
“Almost there.”
The scent of marshmallows mixed with my blood is making my head spin. Or maybe that’s the blood loss. Hard to tell.
“Got it.” She holds up the bullet, slick with blood, then drops it on the table. “You’re lucky. Half an inch to the left and I’d be dragging your body to the trash.”
“Lucky,” I repeat, voice rough.
She cleans the wound again, then starts stitching. Her hands are steady, movements precise. I watch her face, the concentration there, the slight furrow between her brows.
“Where’d you learn to do this?” I ask.
“The internet.”
I laugh, then immediately regret it. Pain shoots through my ribs.
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Then don’t ask stupid questions.” She ties off the first stitch. “I learned because I had to. Same reason everyone learns anything in this life.”
There it is.Confirmation.
She’s in the life. Maybe not deep, but deep enough.
“The graze will be easier to stitch. I’ll do that then get out of here. You have anyone you want me to call?”
“Why were you parked there tonight?”
