“I’m at work. I can’t leave.”
“I don’t give a shit what you’re doing. One hour. The usual spot.”
The phone clicked in my ear and I screamed inside. I hated that old bastard so much. I put the phone back in my pocket and felt it slide against the vial I had hidden there.
Looking around to make sure the nurses weren’t paying any attention to me, I walked into Cherry’s room. Her sister was fast asleep in the recliner near the window, just as she usually was every night at this time. Quickly, I pulled out the vial and injected the mixture into her IV. I was done in seconds, and I stood for a moment, staring down at her copper curls, laying wild and unruly on the white pillowcase. Her eyes were closed and I wondered what she was dreaming about.
I hoped, at the very least, that they were good dreams.
She deserved to have a few good ones before they were gone completely.
Chapter 20
SLADE
I passed out in my clothes. The booze had done me in, and I’d drank a little too much too fast. I slept like a rock for a few hours, then woke up in a cold sweat in the dark.
I stumbled to the bathroom without turning on the light, trying to gain stable footing as I stood in front of the toilet and peed.
My head was throbbing and the alcohol-induced cobwebs had only slightly been reduced by the small amount of sleep I’d gotten.
I was just beginning to button my fly back up when I felt the distinct slap of a hand on my ass.
I screamed like a little girl and jumped forward, turning around with wide eyes. With the exception of my reflection in the mirror, I was completely alone.
“What the fuck?” I growled, walking out of the bathroom. The faint smell of perfume hung in the air, a light rosy scent that I’d not noticed when I’d woken up.
My ass still stung from the slap.
Unnerved, I quickly pulled on my boots and grabbed a leather jacket and my key, leaving the darkness of the room as fast as I could. The fresh air outside felt like absolute heaven and I breathed in big gulps of it.
Shaking my head, I walked back across the street where I’d talked to the man earlier. The park was empty of people at this late hour, the streets lined with parked cars. I sat down near the fountain, the sound of the splashing water and chirping crickets the only thing breaking the silence of the night.
The moon had traveled to the other side of the sky, but it still lit the park up with an eerie golden glow. I lit a cigarette and leaned back on the bench, inhaling the sweet tobacco deeply. I would have killed for a fat joint right about then, but the last thing I needed was to get busted for weed in fucking Georgia. The cops most likely weren’t quite as forgiving as they would be in a legal state like Oregon.
I missed Oregon. I missed my wife, my quickly growing son.
I had no idea how long we’d be here, and that was the hardest part of my job. Never knowing how long we’d be gone. I hoped like hell Cherry woke up soon, so this whole ordeal could be over. But more than for me, I just hoped Cherry woke up. If anything happened to her, Ryder would be beside himself.
I knew she reminded him of his past. Of his father, who was the president of the Gods before he was. She’d always meant a lot to him, even if it wasn’t really romantic for him. Before he’d met Grace, he went through women like water. Cherry might have been one of many back then, but they were good friends, before and after Grace came along.
My gaze turned up at the buildings surrounding the park and Zelda’s story came rushing back to me. I looked up at the balcony the man had pointed at and for a flash of a second, I thought I saw a white billowing figure in the window.
I shook my head, trying to shake away these thoughts. Had someone — something — really smacked my ass up there? I brought the cigarette to my lips and realized my fingers were trembling.
Whatever was up there couldn’t hurt me, I reminded myself. If I fled now, it would only give Riot a pleasure I wasn’t willing to give to him. I’d stick this out and if I had to endure another smack on the ass, so be it.
I’d just do my best to drink enough to sleep through it, and spend the days working elsewhere.
I took another drag and watched as a sleek, black Porsche pulled up at the edge of the park and cut its lights. A moment later, a Rolls Royce rolled up behind him, its lights illuminating the inside of the Porsche for a flash before going dark. The door of the Porsche opened and I saw a man slide out and walk back to the passenger side of the Rolls and hop in. Still deserted, the park was quiet and dark and I stayed put, trying not to move as I watched carefully.
The two men inside were talking animatedly, their voices raised in anger, but I couldn’t hear their words. Three or four minutes later, the first guy got out and slammed the door before getting back in his Porsche and squealing away. The Rolls followed shortly, not nearly as rushed as the other car, driving off and leaving me alone in the square again.
I finished my cigarette and eyed the hotel warily as I walked back across the street. Quietly opening the door, I couldn’t help but stop and look up at the portrait of Zelda as I passed by the bar this time.
I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and broke the seal, taking a big gulp right there.
“Don’t fucking hit me again, woman!”
