Page 50 of Claimed By Ruin

“You followed me back here?” Jack asked, his jaw set so hard I felt sorry for his teeth.

“Nah. You lost me. I’ve wandered around these parts for a day and a half looking for you. Was about to give up, but I guess I got lucky,” Dante said.

“I don’t know that I would say that.”

“Yeah. Cut myself up on some barbed wire,” Dante said.

Jack put his hand on the scabbard of his knife when Dante reached for his shirt.

“I’m sure you patted me down. I got nothing,” Dante said. He lifted his shirt as best he could with cuffed hands and revealed the angry-looking wound on his side. “Just a scratch, really, but it’s got some infection in it.”

I was no medical professional, but now that he mentioned it, his skin did look clammy and damp, and the wound was a throbbing red. Infection was clearly setting in.

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. “Sounds like you got a lot of problems on your hands, Dante.”

“Yeah. Maybe you can help me out. You got a doctor or something?” Dante asked.

“No,” Jack said, “but I’ll give you the chance to walk away from here and die peacefully.”

“Deal like that? Don’t know how I could turn it down,” Dante said.

“Don’t know that you have a choice,” Jack said.

Dante shrugged. “I thought maybe we could work out an arrangement.”

Jack quirked a brow, and I studied the man. “I know you,” I finally said.

The man didn’t look in my direction once, but I had no doubt he was more than aware of my presence.

“Where would you know this guy from?” Jack asked.

I ignored him and looked at Dante, trying to be sure.

“He works for Rubin Marku. Isn’t that right, Dante?”

“I do,” Dante said.

Funny how he didn’t seem too bothered by being associated with a man like that.

Then again, these weren’t ordinary times.

“You guys want to clue me in here?” Jack said.

“Rubin Marku is Albanian mob. Has—or had—a big presence in the Southeast. Before everything happened, he was a resident at the county jail right across the street from the courthouse. Still don’t know how he managed to pull that off, because his charges were federal,” I said.

“So what, you just know him because he’s infamous or something?” Jack asked.

“No. Dante here tried to extort me.”

Jack glared at him.

Dante didn’t deny it.

“‘Extort’ might be a strong word. I just suggested that it would be a great opportunity to build a client base,” Dante said.

“So extort,” Jack said.

Dante smiled and shrugged.