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  Nancy stood on his door stoop. Peter flung the door open and stared at her in disbelief.

  “What the hell do you want?”

  “We need to talk.” Nancy looked shrunken, and her skin hung weirdly like ill-fitting clothing. She didn’t pet Brutus, who waited expectantly.

  “Are you wearing a wire?” Peter practically spat at her. “You have some nerve coming here. Get the fuck off my property.”

  Nancy positioned herself closer to the wood siding like she was waiting out a sudden downpour. “I’m coming in.” She stalked past him and turned off the TV.

  “I asked you to leave not come in. Get out.”

  Nancy sat down. “I shouldn’t be here, I know.” Her voice sounded breathy and weak.

  “Well since you barged into my house, how about telling me how you live with yourself. How could you betray me to Brock Saunders of all people and the Consortium?” Peter picked up his phone and shot off a text to Jeff. Nancy here.

  “You stupid bastard. You have no idea what you playing detective did to my life. Don’t even mention that asshole’s name. Believe it or not, I protected you.”

  “Uh-hunh.” Peter didn’t even bother to look at her. He checked his phone for a reply. “Smells like bullshit to me.”

  “I’m not leaving. You need to hear me out before you judge me. I want you to know exactly what happened. You owe me.”

  “I owe you nothing. Save the big reveal for someone who gives a shit. I’m not gonna ask you again—get out.”

  “No. Shut your trap and listen. I don’t have money or a farm or a family to fall back on. I’ve got me—that’s it.” Nancy looked at him defiantly. “So is the cavalry coming to save you? Anyone coming to your rescue? Stop checking your phone. No one gives a shit about you either.”

  “Wait just a fucking minute. Sherry is murdered by cold-blooded killers, the Consortium sells our water to the highest bidder, and you’re having a pity party? Boohoo, poor me.”

  “You’re the drama queen. Gotta be the big hero and center of attention. Everything’s all Peter, all the time, never mind the hell you bring down on everyone else. Well guess what—I’m not your collateral damage. Do you even know what happened to me?”

  “Cry me a river, Nancy. You have exactly two minutes before I call the cops. You’re trespassing.” Peter folded his arms across his chest and glared at her.

  “Oh, that’s rich. Me, trespassing. Your forte not mine.” She shifted uncomfortably. “They threatened me. That piece of shit said he owned me. They said I would go to prison, they’d take my job, my pension, everything. All because of you. And you’d rot in a super max somewhere.”

  “Prove it. Prove they threatened you.”

  “This is how you thank me? I took their best punches to protect you. They’ve got you in photos and videos.”

  “Show me the proof. There’s no way in hell you can justify throwing me under the bus. They threatened you? Please—they threaten everyone. Since when are you Brock’s bitch?” He stared at her defiantly, keenly aware that he might have crossed a line.

  Nancy recoiled as if she’d been struck. “What the fuck don’t you see? I saved your ass. They already had you, and I didn’t give them anything they didn’t have. You motherfucker. I’m not Brock’s bitch.”

  “Nancy—”

  Nancy started crying. “They’ve been spying on you since Zenergy. Where’s your gratitude?”

  “Gratitude, what a joke. Look, maybe you were deprived of oxygen during your surgery and are too brain-damaged to understand the consequences here.” Peter drummed the cocktail table impatiently, still stalling for time.

  “Fuck you. I did what I had to do.” Nancy reached slowly into her purse and wrapped her hand around something. “I’ve got the power now.”

  “What, you have a gun? Go ahead, shoot me.” He put his hands up in the air.

  “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Nancy left her hand where it was, and Peter couldn’t see what it held. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw flashing lights from an approaching cop car.

  “If you came here for forgiveness, you’re crazy.” Peter put his hands down and looked at his phone. He saw a text from Jeff that said BPD coming. His heart fluttered. Were they coming to save him or arrest him?

  “You’re fucking Carmen again.”

  “What?”

  “Do you remember when we fucked?”

  “Shit sex a hundred years ago isn’t worth remembering.”

  Nancy surprised him by standing up quickly, her fists clenched in fury. “I remember!”

  She grabbed the beer bottle and hurled it at his face. He ducked instinctively, and it shattered loudly, gashing a football-sized hole in the wall behind his head. As she screamed curses, Officer Bill O’Leary flung open the door.

  “Stand still, and let me see your hands,” O’Leary yelled.

  Peter, speechless, did as told. But Nancy picked up anything she could find and threw it at Peter. A framed glass picture smashed hard into his head, staggering him. As the blood poured from Peter’s temple, O’Leary subdued Nancy but not before he threatened to use his taser.

  Peter numbly surveyed the broken glass and ruined photo at his feet. He was dimly aware of more police arriving. Hesitantly, looking through a red curtain of blood at O’Leary, he stooped to pick the frame off the floor, one Carmen had chosen, running his hand over the cracked glass. His great-grandfather and assorted relatives, fresh off the boat in uncomfortable formal wool suits, stared back solemnly in grainy black-and-white. Blood dripped and puddled over their faces as he stared at them mutely before losing consciousness.

  CHAPTER 61

  RACHEL GOT THE PANICKED CALL FROM JEFF WHEN she and her boyfriend were leaving the movies. He had also sent five texts.

  “Dad?”

  “Pete’s in the hospital. It’s bad. Nancy attacked him.”

  “What? No, no way. Is he gonna be OK?” Tears ran down Rachel’s face, and she clutched her boyfriend’s arm.

  “Get Marco to handle tomorrow with Paco. I can’t do it.” Jeff barked instructions as his phone buzzed with a text from Lori. Still on her honeymoon in Hawaii, she’d tapped Vic to get over to the hospital. They already had worked out a strategy.

  “I’m calling him right now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “No, it’s a zoo here. Focus on the truck. So many cops. I don’t know if Pete’s under arrest or what. Nobody’ll tell me.”

  Hours passed on the eighth floor of the Hatfield Medical Center, Peter, tossed and turned, chained to his bed. The handcuffs dug into his wrist. He pulled against them and his IV tape ripped.

  “Don’t do that.” He could hear a man’s voice.

  Peter fought against the fog of his brain. He battled to open his eyes, but their heavy weight defeated him. Somebody pushed him down, and he fell in deep water. He couldn’t surface no matter how hard he labored. He struggled to escape certain drowning.

  The police presence in and outside Peter’s hospital room seemed to grow hourly. Jeff paced outside the room, and button-holed Tomassi the minute he saw him trudging down the hall.

  “John, talk to me.” Jeff, unshaven and bleary-eyed, looked beat.

  “Just give me a minute with him, Jeff.” He patted him gruffly on the shoulder and went in.

  Once inside, Tomassi approached Peter’s bed. “Hey,” he said, pulling up a chair. He motioned for some space to the crowd in the room.

  “Wake up, Pete. Come on.”

  Peter moaned and tried to free his hands. Tomassi sighed and looked up at everyone still in the room.

  “Kenny, what are you doing here? You’re off shift now.”

  “I wanted to be here for Peter, Sarge.” Kenny stopped talking and pointed. “What’s he doing?”

  “Shit,” Tomassi yelled. He pushed the call button for the nursing staff. “Nurse, nurse. Anybody there?”

  A male nurse answered. “Yes?”

  “He’s pulling his IV out. There’s blo
od everywhere.”

  Two nurses rushed in and shooed everyone out. Tomassi took a call and walked around the hallway, trying to find good reception. Jeff went down to the parking lot to see Marco and Paco in the truck. In the elevator on the way down, Jeff texted Ian.

  Finally, Jade texted him back on Ian’s phone. Be there soon.

  Jade urged Ian to hurry up. “Don’t you want to see Peter?” At 9 A.M., now a frequent visitor to BIG, she sat cross-legged on the gym floor and stared impatiently at Ian as he entered the seventh minute of his plank pose.

  “I’m going for fifteen minutes,” he said, sweat pouring off his head. “Nothing’s going to change in that time.”

  “I think I’m more worried about him than you are.” She got up and started throwing a medicine ball against the wall. “Don’t you care?”

  Ian did his best to ignore her. “Not going to work. I have intense powers of concentration. And I don’t do manipulation.”

  “Ha.” Jade walked back over to Ian and quickly straddled him.

  He maintained his perfect form until she sat on him. Surprised and teetering on his arms, he yelled. “Get off me. What are you doing?”

  She started tickling him, and he collapsed onto the floor. No longer in a peaceful frame of mind, he tried to flip over but she had much better leverage and resisted him for as long as she could. When he could finally pin her on her back, he was lying on top of her, and they were both laughing.

  Suddenly shifting gears, Ian disengaged his limbs from hers, stood up and shook out his track pants. Chagrined at his obvious erection, he turned away. “This shouldn’t happen. Sorry.”

  “Sorry for what? You’re apologizing for biology, for being a healthy male. You’re apologizing for finding me attractive. Now you’ve hurt my feelings.” She reached her hand out for him to help her up. Her hard nipples pushed out from her shirt. Saying nothing, he pulled her up.

  His face flushed scarlet and accentuated the bright blue of his eyes. “I just failed spectacularly—I’m supposed to be guiding you. Let’s press restart.”

  “Let’s not.” She stepped in close, releasing his hand and slowly moved her face towards his. He reached out with both hands towards her waist to deflect her from getting any closer. She spoke softly as if to soothe a skittish colt. “I come in peace.”

  “I can’t handle this,” he said, riveted to the spot, lowering his hands.

  “Yes, you can. No touching, Ian.” She got so close she could count his eyelashes.

  Staying within a nose of her face, he dropped his hands. “No touching?”

  “No,” she murmured. She paused and locked eyes with him.

  He bent over, drawing impossibly closer, until their lips imperceptibly brushed against each other. A drop of sweat dripped from his forehead onto her lips. She tasted it with her tongue flicking over her lips and said nothing. She held his eyes.

  Slowly, Ian found her open lips with his own. He kissed her again, the softness of her tongue and mouth astonishing him. Struggling not to touch any part of her body, he almost lost his balance. He half-expected her to slap him. Instead, she gently bit his lower lip and held it between her teeth, before releasing it slowly.

  Ian placed his warm hand on her shoulder and traced her tattoo down to where her shirt began, breathing hard. She could feel the blood pulsing in his veins.

  “I think it’s time to go now.” His voice sounded thicker, and his hard-on was unmistakable.

  Jade moved her palms against his chest and felt his heart pounding. She tilted her head to the side as if assessing its rhythm. Dabbing a rivulet of sweat from his chin with her fingers, his stubble bristled against her touch. The scratchiness held her attention, and she smiled. “I’m more than ready.” She took his hand and placed it on her left breast. “You feel my heart?”

  Ian nodded. He swallowed hard and slowly removed his hand. Jade turned him around and guided him towards the door like he was a lost child.

  “Peter needs us—let’s go.”

  Ian, still not talking, followed Jade into the hospital. They found Jeff furiously shaking the vending machine as they exited the elevator.

  “Jeff, what’s happened?” Ian asked anxiously. “Is it Peter?”

  “No, it’s my Doritos, dammit.”

  “But what’s going on with Peter?”

  “Nobody’s telling me. Tomassi’s here. Carmen’s on her way from the airport.” Jeff gave up on the vending machine, but not before one last kick. “Jade, you still hanging out with this character?” He nodded his chin at Ian.

  “Jeff, let me handle this.” She took two singles out of her pocket and carefully smoothed them before inserting them into the vending machine. When she pressed the tab for Doritos, the new bag came out forcefully and pushed the stuck one to the bottom. Jade retrieved both of them and handed the bags to Jeff, who tore one open on the spot.

  “I love her.” Jeff addressed Ian, his mouth teeming with neon orange crumbs.

  “Easy, Jeff. Chew.” Ian took the second bag away from him for safe-keeping.

  “If you two really want to help, can you smuggle Brutus in? Not kidding.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Ian said. “Put a vest on him, and he’s an emotional support dog, right?”

  “OK. Wait, what’s that smell?” Jade sniffed the air.

  The elevator pinged its arrival. The doors had barely trundled open before Vic stepped off in a cloud of eye-watering cologne.

  “Hey, what’s with all the socializing?” Vic grabbed a Dorito out of the open bag that Jeff held loosely in his hand. “So, take me to my client already.”

  CHAPTER 62

  “LET’S WALK AND TALK,” JEFF SAID. HE, VIC, IAN, AND Jade moved down the hallway in a tight beehive cluster like scheming schoolchildren.

  “Who’s here?” Vic asked. “And I talked to Lori already. We’re both on it.”

  “Like half the Bridgeville PD. It would be a great time to rob a bank,” Jeff said.

  “Tomassi?”

  “Yeah, John’s in with Pete.”

  “I don’t like it. Get in there and yell ‘Fire.’ I want to see Tomassi, but not with a crowd.”

  “You should announce free donuts, instead. But if we were back in the UK, I’d advertise chips, aka French fries.” Ian smiled knowingly. “They call it the blobby bobby.”

  Jeff laughed, the first lift in his mood since Peter’s attack.

  “Where’s Carm—she here yet?” Vic checked his phone for any information about Carmen’s expected arrival.

  “No.” Jeff shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t seen her.”

  “So, listen. Ian—this your girlfriend? Honey, he’s all talk, no action. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I gotta find Tomassi.” Vic ducked into a nurse’s station to grab a cookie from a plate.

  “Hey,” Tomassi marched towards them. “Didn’t I just see the big V?”

  Ian pointed to the nursing station. “Cookies.”

  “Come on. Vic, stop stuffing your face. We got business to discuss.” Tomassi walked to one side of the station as Vic left out the other side.

  “Give me a sec. Nature calls.”

  Jade walked over to Tomassi and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Jade.”

  “Nice meeting you, and I hope to God you’re Ian’s girlfriend and not Vic’s. Lie if necessary—I’m delicate.” He winked at Jade and leaned against a pillar.

  “Actually,” Jade called out, “we met at the wedding.”

  “Right,” Tomassi brightened, his worry lifting momentarily. “Jade on a journey. You’re a helluva dancer. Now I remember.”

  “Stop with the flirting, John,” Jeff said. “Your long-suffering wife will kick your ass. Plus, you suck at it.”

  Vic walked purposefully towards them. “Sergeant, I’m going to see my client now. Then we’ll talk.” Vic waved two fingers in the air as a salute.

  “What’s his problem? Like I don’t know he and Lori got a back-channel going with the Consortium. Please. Hope Lori�
�s not too pissed about her honeymoon getting interrupted.”

  “Back channel about what?” Jeff asked. “And Lori won’t be pissed, she’s family.”

  “Affirmative on the back channel,” Ian said to Tomassi, who nodded appreciatively.

  Tomassi cheered when he saw Carmen walking down the hallway.

  “The cavalry is here.”

  “Where is he, John?” Carmen grabbed Tomassi’s hand. “Take me to him.” She hugged Jeff and whispered something to him.

  Ian and Jade said brief hellos and trailed after them towards Peter’s room. As she entered, Carmen did a double-take at the sight of Peter.

  “Oh, my God. No. Can I talk to him, John?” The horrified look on her face mirrored Jeff’s.

  Tomassi glowered. “You can try. Jesus, it’s a tight fit in here. C’mere.” He tried to go in at the same time as Jeff and managed to slide past the bed but crashed into the sink with his lower back. “Fuck,” he yelled. “Watch it, Jeff. Sorry, Carm.”

  “I’ve heard the word before. You OK?” Carmen sat at the edge of the chair next to Peter’s bed and blinked back tears. Gauze bandages and twenty staples adorned his head, the handiwork of the ER doctor. Blood seeped through the gauze. Ugly bruises bloomed around his eye and cheek. “Why is he restrained?” She gently touched his non-IV arm. “Pete, it’s me. Wake up, please wake up, baby.”

  Jade watched the proceedings solemnly. “Excuse me, I’m going to try to find a bathroom.”

  “I’ll help you,” Ian said.

  “I don’t think so.” Jade walked away with Ian right behind her.

  “Wait, Jade.”

  CHAPTER 63

  TOMASSI AND VIC BOTH WAVED JEFF AWAY AS THEY finally shared air space.

  “We need a minute. Just go see your brother,” Tomassi said. “Maybe he’s conscious.”

  “I’ll be back to find out what the hell you’re doing. And for the record, you’re both killing me.”