Page 43 of Babe's Bounty
“Forty-five minutes? They might not be done with the test by then. Call them and let them know. Tell them to come later.”
“They can just wait in her room,” the nurse argues.
“No. You should have told them to come later. There is no sense having them wait around. Call them and tell them to come later. You should have told them this when they called. What were you thinking? Nurses.”
“He’s such an ass,” the nurse says. I assume Blankenship has left.
“He is and he’s a nosy bastard, too. He’s questioned everyone about Colin and Vivian Chambers. You’d think they owed him money with the intensity of his questions about where they could have gone.”
I ponder Blankenship’s interest in the Chambers as I push open the door to Jessica’s room. Panic sets in when I see her empty bed. Where is she? Did they already sneak her out? I barely stop myself from jumping when the bathroom door opens and a pretty girl with damp brown hair steps out.
“Jessica?”
“Yes. I’m almost ready. Are my parents here?” She asks, glancing at me with a frown. “Where’s the wheelchair? You don’t look like a nurse.”
“I’m not a nurse.”
“Then who are you?” I see the first flash of fear and while I should feel guilty for putting it there, I know I’m about to make it worse.
“My name is Min Yan. I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, but I’m here to protect you.”
Her eyes widen. “Protect me from what?”
Taking out my bounty hunter’s license, I show it to her. “I’m a bounty hunter from San Diego. I’m after several men who escaped from prison. One of which is Dr. Blankenship.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Bishop,” I correct myself, remembering that he’s working her under his assumed name.
“Dr. Bishop escaped from prison?” Her eyes widening. “What did he do?”
“He’s suspected of killing several women. The police in San Diego caught him, along with his accomplices. However, he escaped with help from a cop. These men are working with a group who kidnap and hurt young women. I was able to rescue one the other day. She’s safe. I know they have others. I overheard Blankenship. Sorry, Dr. Bishop, making plans to kidnap you.”
She shakes her head. “No, you must be mistaken. He’s releasing me at three. My parents should be here any minute.”
“I overheard him telling the nurses to delay your parents. He told the nurses he scheduled you for an MRI for your headaches.”
“But I’m not having headaches,” Jessica protests.
“It’s a ruse. His accomplice will be the one with the wheelchair.”
“What do we do? Should I hide?”
I had hoped to get her out of the room and away from danger, but I’m running out of time. “Grab your stuff. There’s an empty room just down the hall. You can hide there until we have the men in custody.”
Jessica nods and grabs the bag she placed on her bed. I see fear in her expression, but also determination. And a touch of anger. Good. Anger is good. She follows me to the door, but I hear someone on the other side before I can open it. We’re too late. Shit.
“Hide in the bathroom. Don’t come out.”
While she does what I say, I move to the side and plaster myself against the wall, near the corner of the room. I’m hoping he doesn’t immediately spot me. If I can get behind him, I can incapacitate him.
Using the wheelchair to push open the door, Billings backs into the room with a bounce to his step. “Hello, Jessica, my name is Noah and I’m your ride.” He turns the wheelchair around, keeping his back to me. “Jessica?” When he glances toward the bathroom, I strike.
Springing forward, I jump on his back. Wrapping my arm around his neck, I wrestle him to the ground. Billings is a cop, so I know he’s had some self-defense training, but my attack caught him by surprise. He’s struggling to shake me loose, but I have a good hold on him. I feel him losing the fight to remain conscious as he claws at my arm. Luckily, I’m still wearing the leather jacket I wear when I ride on Babe’s bike. I wear it to protect me from road rash in case we go down. Billings can’t reach my skin. He’s just about unconscious when the door behind me opens.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
I don’t loosen my grip on Billings. Instead, I double down. I can’t let him up. I’ll be at a disadvantage facing off against both of them. However, I feel Blankenship move in behind me and grab my arm. He’s pulling on me, which dislodges my grip on Billings. I feel Billings gaining strength as Blankenship wraps his arm around my neck.