Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Loki?” I swallowed.
“Yeah?” He asked from in front of me.
I reacted before my brain could come fully online, swinging my fist around in an arc, and connecting with what I guessed was Loki’s chest.
My hand hit something sharp before it made contact with the meat of his chest, and I knew instantly that A, my hand was broken. Two, I was pretty sure that my knuckles were sporting a cut because I could feel the trickle of hot liquid running down my hand and dripping off my fingers. And eleven, I was going to kick Loki’s ass.
As soon as I could stop seeing double from the pain in my hand.
“Owww,” he whined. “What was that for?”
“I think it’s broken,” I wheezed.
“How do you know?” He asked as a light lit up the small area surrounding us.
He had a Mag Lite in his hand the size of a baseball bat.
“Where the fuck were you hiding that?” I asked in surprise.
“I keep it in a holder on the inside of my coat. Never know when a 6-cell Mag Lite will come in handy,” he muttered as he shined the light down at my hand that was indeed bleeding.
“Huh,” he said in amazement. “You’re bleeding.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I snapped.
Chapter 11
How do you know a girl’s true feelings? Get her drunk.
-Life Lesson
Loki
I watched as Channing made her mouth thin into a deep slash as she gritted her teeth.
The physician’s assistant, Ronnie, one of the men I played poker with once a month, was putting a needle in the gash that spanned from her knuckles to the base of her wrist. She’d received it when her hand had struck my badge, splitting open and filleting her hand like one would when they skinned a fish.
“You know,” he said as he tied off another stitch. “You can say whatever you want.”
On the next placement of the needle, she screamed.
“Your mother is a whore!” She screeched.
Ronnie froze, and then looked at Channing in disbelief for all of five seconds before he burst out laughing.
“You’re going to have to keep me from laughing. You can say anything as long as you don’t make me laugh,” he wheezed.
Her outburst had attracted what looked like half of the ER, all of them waiting to hear what she’d say next.
“How many stitches is this going to take?” Channing asked as she eyed the needle about to go into her hand.
Ronnie eyed the cut for a few seconds before answering. “Probably fifteen or so, but we’ll see. The more I put in there, the prettier it’ll be.”
“Will this effect hand movement?” She worried her lip.
“Possibly, but we won’t be sure until after it heals,” he muttered.
This time when he placed the needle into her broken skin, the bottom dropped out of my stomach. Not because I felt bad for causing her the injury, but because her knee lifted up and to the side, effectually kneeing me in the balls.
I backed off as shooting pains radiated from my balls to my stomach and lower back.
Vomit threatened its way up my throat, and I panted to get back under control.
Instinctually, one hand went to my balls as the other went to my hip as I doubled over in pain.
“Oops,” Channing said. “Sorry about that.”
I lifted my head with great effort and glared at her. “For some reason, I don’t believe you.”
“What’s wrong with you, Loki?” A familiar voice asked from behind me.
I stood up as straight as I could, which wasn’t very straight, and turned to find Sebastian and Kettle standing behind me.
They were wearing the bottom half of their bunker gear, which meant they were working.
They were both firefighters for the Benton Fire Department, so it didn’t surprise me to find them here. They brought patients to the hospital all the time, and a lot of times I met them here when I was interviewing eye witnesses.
That, and it was a small town, so it wasn’t unusual to see them quite a bit while I was driving around.
“I knocked him in the balls with my knee. He can’t talk right now,” Channing said through clenched teeth.
“Is that right? And who are you?” Sebastian asked suspiciously.
“He was my John for the night and we had a little accident with the knife play. He had to bring me to the ER, and when they tried to cut my panties, I jerked away from them and accidentally kneed him in the balls. I couldn’t help it though, those panties cost me 500 bucks, and this one didn’t pay me for the night yet,” Channing slurred.
Sebastian and Kettle were standing there looking at her with large, rounded eyes, not sure what to think of her comments.
“What’d you give her, Ronnie?” I asked when I was finally able to stand completely.
“A sedative,” he murmured as he finally started to stitch up her hand. “She was white as a ghost, it was only a matter of time before she passed out completely. I just nudged her along a little.”
Sebastian and Kettle flanked me as we watched Ronnie stitch up Channing’s hand with the expertise of a man who’d been doing it for so long he could do it with his eyes closed.
“So you were her John for the night, eh?” Kettle gave me a sideways glance.
I ignored him, fascinated with the way Ronnie pulled her skin closed with the black thread. I’d always been interested in trauma, hence why I got my paramedic’s certification.
Although seeing it happen to someone I truly cared for gave me a feeling in my stomach that I hadn’t experienced since my mom was diagnosed with cancer.
It was a feeling I didn’t much like, and one that I refused to examine too closely.
“Yeah, he gives great head,” Channing garbled.
Kettle and Sebastian both burst out laughing, and Ronnie was smiling like a loon, but he didn’t say anything.
“Is this the chick?” Kettle asked once he regained his composure.
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“She’s the reason why you keep bugging out?” Sebastian asked.
I turned to him, regarding his impassive face for a few long moments before answering. “Not really. There’re some things going on with this case that I should probably bring you up to speed on. It most likely won’t affect you, and I can’t tell you all of it, but I’d like you to know...just in case.”