Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
I nod, knowing exactly what she means.
I’m not sure how much time passes before a white SUV comes down the drive, parking behind the black one I’m currently seated in, but I’m colder than ice. I’m not sure what I expected when Julius called for a nurse, but this wasn’t it.
A very short, very plump mature woman with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth approaches. Her shock of bright purple hair is short and styled, and she wears blue scrub bottoms with a pink floral scrub shirt. She waddles over to us. “What kind of shit you get yourself into this time, Mr. Carter?”
He smiles down at her. And I feel it all over. My gut churns.
I wish I were the type of person who had smiles like that reserved for them.
He kisses her cheek. “I missed you, Aida. Gotta make excuses to see you is all.”
She snorts out a disbelieving laugh, spits out the cigarette then steps on it. Turning to me, she takes a look at my heel then over to Julius. “This needs to be cleaned. I need salt and water, quite a bit of it. Can you get that for me, dear?”
Julius looks over at me. His eyes narrow in warning before he nods and heads into the building. As soon as he’s out of sight, I lean forward and hiss, “Please, they’re going to kill me.”
A bright light suddenly shines, illuminating the entire front of the loft, and Aida ignores me. “The hole is deep. The salt water is going to hurt like hell, missy. I hope you’re a tough one, because I don’t tolerate bullshit. Especially the self-inflicted variety.”
My voice hoarse, I utter, “If they don’t kill me, he will. Please help me. All I need is for you to find my brother—”
Aida’s eyes turn sharp as she cuts me off. “I would shut that pretty mouth of yours, girl.” My lip trembles and I turn away, fighting the grief I’m feeling.
Will no one help me?
That’s when Aida sighs. She inspects my other foot, and utters quietly, “You think someone who planned to kill you would call a nurse to make sure you didn’t die of tetanus?”
That…
My brow furrows in thought.
That is a damn good point.
I open my mouth, but she places up a palm, stopping me. “If I were you, I’d behave. Dealing with men like Mr. Carter can be harmful to your health.” She glances up at my bruised temple. “But something tells me you already know a little something about that.”
Julius comes out of the building carrying the things Aida needs.
I don’t have much time. I ask desperately through a whisper, “What do you suggest I do?”
She responds immediately, clinically. “Keep your head down and your mouth shut. This is not a game. But if it were”—her hard eyes meet mine—“Julius Carter would win.”
Julius brings over a bucket of water and a container of salt. As he walks, his eyes find mine and don’t leave them. His eyes speak full sentences, yet, I can’t make any of them out. I wish I knew what they were saying. Making his way to Aida, he places the bucket by her side. Without even looking at him, she holds out her hand, and he places the container in it.
Aida reaches out to my hands and removes the tape before cutting off the cable tie. I rub my sore wrists as she mutters, “You’re going to need those hands in a minute.”
The familiarity between them does not calm my sprinting heart. In fact, it has the opposite effect. My heart beats harder, faster.
They’ve done this before.
Aida takes some salt in her palm and drops it into the water. Pulling out a wooden tongue depressor, she stirs it a while before taking my injured foot and placing it in the warm water. But I’m not ready for it. The salt in the water stings my open wound almost as badly as the warmth of the water does. Gasping loudly, I grip the sides of the passenger car seat and bite my bottom lip as my entire body shakes.
Aida glares at me. “Perhaps the pain will be a lesson to you.”
I bite my lip so hard I’m afraid I’ll puncture it. And Julius… he watches me. His hard gaze burning holes through me, I close my eyes to keep myself safe from those harsh blue eyes.
Ling smirks cruelly. “Payback’s a bitch, bitch.”
My body trembles and I begin to sweat. I feel it trail from my temple down my jaw, dropping at my chin. Wetness runs down my nose, over my lips. The saltiness of the perspiration is so harsh it burns my eyes. I try to blink it away to no avail.
Then Aida places a gloved hand in the salt water and proceeds to torture me in the form of a deep clean. She runs her hand over my heel, and it hurts so bad that my mouth opens in a silent scream. Pulling out a large cotton swab, she lifts my foot out of the water and peers closely into the hole in my heel. I expect the cotton swab to graze lightly over the wound, not to be placed directly into the wound, and none too gently.