“I’ll hand the gun that killed the man from the parking lot over to the police with your fingerprints on it.”
“I didn’t kill him.” She lowers her chin and glares at me.
“Evidence would say you did. You might be able to fight the charges, since you have a wound to prove it could have been self-defense, but…that wouldn’t explain how that gun was tied to several other unsolved murder cases.” I’m bluffing. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to walk around with a hot piece, but she doesn’t know that.
Her lips pinch. If she could kill me right now, I bet she would. There’s some fucked-up part of my brain that likes it and sees her as an equal. I rise slowly to my feet, knowing being here right now is not smart. I don’t trust myself with her, not when I can imagine her as a broken little girl everyone took advantage of and see her now as a gorgeous woman who would sooner slit a throat then let it happen again.
“Cheryl will help you get ready. Don’t fight her, or I will be forced to help you, and neither of us wants that.”
CHAPTER12
MAXINE
Iwould scream if I weren’t worried it would give him satisfaction to hear it. I scan the room quickly, looking for anything I could use as a weapon or an escape. There’s a window, but the curtains are drawn, not allowing me to gauge if it would make a good getaway route. There’s also the matter of my stomach.
It fucking hurts. I have no idea if I need more medical attention or not, but it seems pretty asinine to run from here and end up in a hospital, where I would have to explain what happened to me, and even worse, if he makes good on his threat to turn me and the gun over to the police. He’s right about me possibly getting away with it as self-defense, but that’s the easy part. They would probably take my DNA as standard procedure, and it could be traced back to one of my scenes. I’d also need to explain where the gun came from. I could say it was my assailant’s gun, but who knows if they would buy it, especially if it only had my prints.
What a fucking mess. I knew trailing him was going to get my ass in trouble. I should have just walked away, or better yet, killed him when I followed him home. Shit,another revelation hits me. He knew I was following him. I let my eyes go unfocused on the soft dark blue blanket over my lap and legs. Did he set this entire thing up?
For all I know, the dead man in the parking lot was working for him and keeping me busy until Winger showed up, or maybe he was supposed to get me in the car and take me somewhere so his boss would question me. He probably just panicked when I pulled my gun and Winger shot him for running off without finishing the job.
I knock my head back against the wall. I don’t know if I should be relieved that the sickos on my list still might not know about me, or frightened that I’ve apparently put myself in the way of a man who could make all the others look like small change in comparison.
I drain the rest of the water the woman left behind and bide my time. I might as well let them see how extensive my injury is before figuring out a way to escape.
There’s a soft tap on the door, even though it’s open. The woman pokes her head into the room with a wad of fabric clutched to her chest. She flattens her lips in a mockery of a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got stabbed in the stomach,” I deadpan.
She ignores my jab. “How’s your pain?”
“Painful.”
“Do you need something to help with the pain?” She gets more direct but still doesn’t lose her polite professional mien.
I probably shouldn’t so I can stay alert, but taking the edge off sounds fucking marvelous. “Will it knock me out again?” I sound like a brat, but I can’t really help it. I’ve learned that no matter how nice you are to people, they will treat you how they want no matter what.
“No, that was to help you rest.” She sets the bundle on the end of the bed. “If you’re at all concerned with my professional opinion, I would say to take the meds. It will help you get through the next couple of hours.”
“What’s happening in the next couple of hours?” I’ll take any information I can get. I feel like I’m out of control and in the dark.
“We need to get you cleaned up a little, and then I have you scheduled for a CT scan at nine, which means you’ll be moving around quite a bit.”
“What about after that?”
“You’ll have to ask Wi—him. I’m just here to make sure you’re okay.”
“You do this for him often?”
“Can you take your shirt off on your own, or do you need help?” She ignores me. Is she smart or loyal? I don’t know which.
“I can do it.”
“Here you go. These will probably be big on you, but they are clean.” She picks up the bundle of clothes and extends them to me from a distance, as if she thinks I’m the dangerous one.
“Clothes, medicine, full setup… You guys must do this kind of thing often.” I take the clothes and immediately regret leaning forward. My breath catches, and I grunt when I feel a tight pulling sensation in my lower stomach.
“Let me go grab you those pills.” She wanders out of the room.
