Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 69836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
We’re halfway there when a woman with short dark hair steps out with a key in hand. She stalls, takes us in, then shakes her head.
“I’m so sorry, we’re closed. Besides, it’s only me now. The doctor already left. I can provide you with the address of the nearest Emergency Department.”
“You’re an X-ray technician. That’s all we need,” I say, continuing on my way. She takes a step back inside, squeezing one hand on the door handle, as if she feared I’m here to rob her.
“I’m sorry but how do you—”
She doesn’t know me, but I was one of the men who beat up her husband to force him into paying his debt to Mr. Sullivan. And I know the way she ended up obtaining the money was far from legal.
I did not pick this particular place just because of there not being that many cameras around.
“I worked with the man your husband borrowed money from, and I know how you covered his debts,” I tell her simply, because all I want is the X-ray. I’m not here to mess up her evening.
She straightens, and I can see her going pale. I wouldn’t want to meet me at night either.
“Can I never move on from this? I thought it all ended with that Festive Fugitive guy. Sullivan’s dead. What do you want?” The jingle of keys in her hand tells me they’re trembling even though she’s holding them behind her back.
“As I said, I just need to know if his bones are whole,” I say, approaching her calmly. “I will pay you for your trouble. All I want is discretion.”
She takes a deep breath, reassessing the situation with a frown. Her gaze lands on Eli’s leg. “Okay, let’s just be quick.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eli mumbles through his mask, but she shakes her head and leads us in.
“Don’t tell me anything. I don’t need to know why you can’t go to a normal hospital, or what your names are,” she says as we step into the tight space featuring a desk, chairs, lots of storage, and the mobile X-ray unit at the back. Considering the size of the trailer, I can only assume there’s another room that can be entered from the back, but just like her, I don’t need to know everything.
The procedure goes very swiftly after that. Eli’s ankle is whole, and the swelling is due to a bad sprain. Nurse Patch recommends we purchase a support brace, and I already know that will be the first thing we do once we’re out of here. The supermarket should stock them, actually. If it’s closed, I can probably break in without much trouble. Maybe even get Eli snacks while I’m there.
We’re about to leave when Eli stops both me and the nurse. “Wait. While we’re here, real quick, could we please take an X-ray of his chest?” He pats my shoulder.
After a stunned second, I know what this is about, and while he’s being thoughtful, I break out in a cold sweat.
“Why?” the nurse asks, picking on the reindeer pin attached to her scrubs, but she must have realized this unexpected visit will be over faster if she does what we want her to, so she approaches the machine to shift things around.
For a moment, I say nothing, eyeing Eli with an uncertainty I rarely feel. “There is no need,” I whisper.
“You’d finally be certain.” He strokes my face, his eyes so soft and full of compassion I could drown in them. “And if it is there, you’d know to extract it in the future. If it’s not, you’d be free.”
I know he’s right, that this has been going for far too long, but agreeing feels like jumping into a dark cavern without anything to keep me safe. My brain is pounding as if it’s grown too big for my head, and I can’t think. “Sullivan will know. He will punish me,” I tell him in a low voice and lick the sweat from above my lip.
Eli’s cold fingers trail over my hand. “Sullivan’s gone, Wolf. You’re free to do as you wish.” He’s probably not using my name in case the nurse is eavesdropping, but it feels so tender and personal when he calls me that. He knows I’m dangerous, yet has no fear around me. He trusts me. Cherishes me. Wants what’s best for me.
And when he looks at me from behind the mask that hides his identity, I know I can’t stand disappointing him.
He’s the one I live for now.
“So… you want me to do it?”
Eli nods. “If not for yourself, would you please do it for me? I need to know what we’re up against.”
‘We’. As if my problems are his to handle. As if he’s the one who ought to take care of me, not the other way around. A part of me wants to correct him, but he squeezes my hand, and it’s clear to me then that my obedience will make him happy.