Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
“He had a GSW to the abdomen. It’s the kind of wound that can certainly kill a man, but it takes a while and it hurts like hell.” She felt better talking about the medical stuff. “The bullet lodged in his liver. I had to bisect it, but I thought I might have saved enough of it that he could survive. I suspect he had a massive stroke following the surgery.” She thought about what she’d seen while she was operating. “I would say he was in his mid- to late-forties. He was either American or European. Could have been Aussie, but he was Caucasian and First World. Now that I think about it, he was far smaller than the other men. He didn’t have their muscle. He was a bit on the soft side.”
“Well, soldiers of fortune tend to keep up their fitness routine,” Charlotte remarked. “They have to in case they need to run. So, we’re thinking this guy might have run afoul of this boss person, and then the boss worried he might get in trouble for killing him.”
Liam sighed and leaned against the table. “Have you thought about the fact that perhaps the boss made that threat and didn’t mean to follow through? What I mean is that he was trying to use the threat because he was scared of what would happen if the man died. That doesn’t necessarily mean he would compound the mistake by also killing you. Sometimes men like that don’t handle failure well and can say things they don’t mean.”
She prayed that was true. There was nothing in the world that would make her happier than finding out she’d completely overblown the situation. It would make for a good laugh if “the boss” was somewhere wondering where the hell the doc had gone and trying to explain to the police why the doctor had run away. “I hope so. Has anyone called the clinic? I had to leave my phone behind. Obviously. Even I know I can be tracked by my phone. I know he can track my credit cards, but that will only tell him where I’ve been. He might be able to find out where I’m going.”
“But the cell will tell him exactly where you are,” Charlotte agreed. “Yes, it was good to get rid of that. You’re playing this smart. If he’s actually after you. If he’s not, you’re going to have to buy a new cell, and that can get expensive.”
“All right, you keep looking at the pictures. I’m going to do some more research,” Adam said. “And I’ll see what I can find out about your clinic.”
“I’ve been afraid to call.” She was worried about her nurses and patients, but she had to protect her son. The boss had only threatened her, and she’d told the nurses to leave. Anya had stayed but she’d had her second nurse flee out the back with the small group of patients that had been waiting on treatment.
She hoped Alfi was safe. He’d left her in Guinea, his flight taking him in a different direction. She hadn’t called him either. He’d warned her that they needed to stay far apart until everything shook out, as he put it.
“I can ensure that no one can trace the call,” Adam assured her. “Don’t worry about anything but taking care of your baby. We’ll handle things now. Though you know I’m surprised you didn’t go to the London office. It would have been a shorter trip.”
“Why would she go to London?” Liam asked, his voice taking on that forbidding tone Steph was sure would one day scare the crap out of his son’s teenaged friends.
Adam didn’t seem fazed. “Well, like I said, it would have shaved eight hours off her flight. She might have been able to get a direct flight, and Brody’s there. I thought she had a… Oh, holy shit. How old is your kid again?”
She felt her skin flush. She should have known she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret.
Liam stepped in front of Adam. “Brody’s got nothing to do with any of this, and if I catch you gossiping about Steph and her kid, I’ll end you, and not in a pretty way. I know Ian’s always jokingly threatening you, but I don’t joke around. Not about me family. Am I understood?”
“It’s okay.” Brody already knew. There wasn’t a big worry about him stomping in and demanding to see his kid. He didn’t want his kid.
Adam frowned, stepping back from Li and straightening out his dress shirt. “I seriously doubt Brody had nothing to do with that kid, and I wasn’t gossiping. I was sleuthing, something we’re encouraged to do around here. And now I’ve solved the mystery of why our client didn’t head for London. You know, Li, the older you get, the more you sound like Ian, and that is not a compliment.”