Page 64 of Sinner's Sacrifice

“Oh,” Darlene’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s...nice.”

Nice? Sam wasn’t sure she agreed with that. Then again...Darlene had been kidnapped and nearly killed. Maybe nice did fit.

“We’re going to take you to your new place,” Sam told her. “Yvgeny has a doctor coming in to check on you and continue your antibiotics.” She looked around. “Where are your clothes?”

“The nurse threw them in the garbage. She was going to find me something to wear, but she hasn’t come back yet.”

Sam turned to Baz. “Could you find out if they have anything?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Sure, because I’m so in demand as a personal shopper.” He backed out of the room and closed the door.

Sam checked Darlene’s wounds, most were covered in bandages, but some of the shallower ones didn’t look as inflamed as before. A good sign. She was only wearing one of those disposable paper gowns, which wouldn’t do at all.

She made sure Darlene’s purse was close by, then waited for Baz to return.

It didn’t take him long. A soft knock at the door, had her opening it to see him with a bundle of clothes in his hands.

She took them from him and closed the door.

There was a used, but clean pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and socks. No bra or underwear. Either they’d been donated or were from a lost and found bin.

Darlene wasn’t steady on her feet, so Sam helped put the clothes on. They were able to get the bags of saline and antibiotics through the shirt sleeve, so the IV tubing didn’t get twisted or kinked.

By the time Sam opened the door and gestured for Baz to come inside the room, Darlene was wobbling on her feet.

He took one look at her and said, “You need a wheelchair.” He left the room and came back a few seconds later with a wheelchair that had one squeaky, slightly warped wheel.

Darlene sat down in the chair with a grateful smile, while Sam held her IV bags high enough for the drip to continue.

The three of them maneuvered out of the room. Sam stopped at the doctor’s desk and picked up Darlene’s after-care instructions, plus a prescription for the antibiotic. She folded the papers and stuck them inside her shirt, where the waistband of her pants held them in place. They headed down the long hallway, Baz pushing the chair while Sam walked next to it, holding the IV bags at about shoulder height.

The front facing windows, with their view of the dingy street and Baz’s cab outside, got closer and closer.

A blast hard enough to push Sam back a step, along with a wave of heat, rolled over them from out of nowhere, shattering the front windows. Smoke billowed into the building along with flames and the sound of multiple car alarms.

The clinic’s fire alarm pealed, and people screamed.

Was that a bomb?

Duh, idiot.

Some of the people in the waiting room had to have been injured, and the building might be on fire. Sam took one step toward the chaos, but someone grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

“I know you want to help them,” Baz yelled over the noise. “But I can do more than you can. Darlene needs you to get her out of here. Yeah?”

Sam stopped and allowed herself a moment to consider his offer. Yes, he was bigger and stronger. She could triage whoever made it outside, away from the fire. “Okay,” she yelled back.

“Assuming this place has a back door, take her out that way,” Baz said. “I’ll help whoever I can up front and join you after.”

“Sounds good.” She moved to take control of Darlene’s chair.

“Call Yvgeny,” Baz said. “Tell him what happened here.”

She nodded, turning the wheelchair toward the back of the building.

Baz strode forward and disappeared into the smoke.

Chapter Nine