Page 63 of Sinner's Sacrifice
The closest one, a woman, glanced up and smiled. “Sam, thanks for coming. Your friend is determined to leave. Some guy tried to force his way back here to get her, and it freaked her out.” Her gaze shifted to look over her shoulder. “Who’s he?”
“Taxi driver,” Sam said. “Dr. T, this is Baz. Baz, this is Dr. T, since most of us can’t pronounce her first or last name without butchering it.”
Baz nodded at the doctor, who nodded back.
“I wasn’t sure if Darlene could walk out on her own,” Sam continued. “So I brought some muscle.”
The doctor nodded, her tight expression easing a little. “She needs IV antibiotics for at lease another twenty-four hours. Can you manage that?”
“Yes, my employer has a contract with a ritzy clinic close to Times Square. He’s making the arrangements now.”
“In that case, I’ll write up my orders, a couple of prescriptions, and recommendations so the staff at this other clinic has her care history.”
“Thank you. What room is she in?”
Dr. T angled her head to the closest door to her desk.
Sam knocked on the door and opened it a crack. “Darlene? It’s Sam.”
“Sam?” Darlene’s voice sounded tired.
She pushed the door open just wide enough for her to slip through sideways. “Hey, how are you doing?”
Darlene was lying on the exam bed, covered by a couple of blankets, and with an IV pole standing next to her. “Okay. I feel a tiny bit better, but still wiped out.” Her face was pale, but etched with lines of stress, pain, and lack of sleep.
Her news might make a difference. “The cops arrested the man who cut you and Sharon.”
Darlene’s eyes widened and she angled her body toward Sam. “What? How? When?”
“A few hours ago.” How could she explain it, so it didn’t sound worse than it was? “I guess I asked too many questions. He had a room at the hotel I work at and asked for medical assistance. He made it sound like there was a second person in the room who’d injured themselves.” Sam paused. She didn’t want her experience to color Darlene’s or her statement to the cops.
“But he was alone, wasn’t he?” Darlene asked quietly.
“Yes,” Sam laughed. “He told me I was a special order. He had a knife...”
Darlene struggled into a sitting position. “Did he cut you?” Her voice was high and tight.
“No, hotel security battered the door in, caught him, and restrained him.”
Darlene closed her eyes and flopped back on the bed. “Oh, thank God.” She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Sam gave her a minute or two before she spoke again. “I’ve given my statement, but the police want a statement from you when you’re feeling up to it. After the IV is out of your arm.”
Darlene wiped her face with both hands and nodded. “Okay.”
“Who tried to get in here to see you?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know. I only know he wasn’t you or with you.”
A pissed off grunt came from behind her. Baz had moved to stand in the doorway.
Darlene’s eyes widened and she tried to slide closer to the wall. “Who’s that?”
“Don’t worry, this is Baz. He’s driving the taxi that will take us to the hotel and your new place.”
Darlene studied him for a moment, then suddenly relaxed. “I know you. You’re that guy who saved a waitress a few weeks ago.” A wobbly smile lifted the corners of her lips. “The word on the street is that you’re a straight-up dude.”
Baz’s mouth twisted as if he’d put something sour in his mouth. “Your new employer is my cousin,” he said. “If anyone tries to bother you, they’ll regret it for the rest of their very short lives.”