Page 35 of No Cap

Getting in the car a little more depressed than I’d walked up to it, I started it up and began the trip to work after letting it warm up, not once glancing in my rearview mirror to see if the detective had followed me.

As always, even this early in the stupid morning, there were a shit ton of people out.

I had to drive like a maniac to get to work on time, but when I got there, like always, there wasn’t an empty parking spot in sight.

I circled the block all of four times before I realized I was going to have go farther out.

Except, the sight of a shiny blue truck that happened to have a near front row parking spot at the hospital’s entrance caught my attention.

I gritted my teeth and was about to turn left away from that stupid truck, when my phone beeped.

Annoyed enough to reach for it, I saw I had a new text message from a blocked number.

Blocked:

Get up here. I saved you a spot.

I blinked, then looked up.

I could just barely see him in the driver’s seat.

Frowning, I was contemplating turning left anyway just to spite him, but he flashed his lights at me.

And then I glanced at the clock and saw that it was about two minutes before my shift was supposed to start.

Gritting my teeth and swallowing down my pride, I headed toward that stupid truck, and its asshole owner.

When I got close, he pulled out of the spot, and I whipped into it.

When I got out with my bag, it was to see the window rolled down on that pretty truck with the owner’s face half hanging out of it.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“You’re not even curious why I was asking you where you were at three a.m.?” he asked.

Of course, I was curious.

But I wasn’t going to continue to entertain him.

“I am, but I’m late for work,” I informed him. “Thanks again.”

He watched me go, and I felt him until the wall blocked his gaze of me.

I hurried toward the elevator and got to the third floor with only seconds to spare before my shift started.

Which was, of course, par for the course with me.

I was habitually late. I couldn’t help it. I had time blindness.

My boss hated me for it.

And speaking of boss….

“Hello, Marla.” I grinned.

I was grinning because I knew it pissed her off that I was here not only on time, but that she’d caught me on time.

Usually, she asked the other X-ray techs if I was here on time, and they always replied with ‘I don’t know.’