Anyway, he kept his eyes down and forced his voice to be more nasally and high pitched than it usually was. “Uh, hi, Nurse Alcorn.”
“Alacron,” she corrected, drumming long fingernails on the counter. “Do you need something, and where are your badges?”
“We’re new. Interns in pre-med from App State,” Ron said, falling easily as always into his second in command role. When Derek couldn’t make up bullshit lines fast enough, he could always rely on Ron to be the pinch hitter and fill in. “The head of the program said there was a delay in that, but that he’d have them by the weekend.”
“Freaking perfect, that idiota is always shoving the new meat off on us as if emergency isn’t slammed. Frankly, we’re the last place anyone should be.”
“Oh,” Derek said, seizing the opportunity. “That’s good then. He, uh, wanted us to help file and organize the lost and found.”
Lizzy eyed him, and he kept his gaze averted, trying to play the nerdy, shy college kid stereotype hard even if he was a hell of a lot more muscular than any weasel-like whiner. “Do I know you?”
“I’d like you to know me, baby,” Ron said, winking at her. “I just got an apartment off campus. I’m also my frat’s beer pong champ. You know you want this.”
“Ugh, no, and I have a boyfriend,” she said, even as she spared Derek one more confused glance. “It’s two floors up in room 208B, and good luck. That place is a snake pit. They haven’t checked it over in two years.”
Perfect.
They made their hasty thank you’s and hurried back to the bank of elevators. As they waited, Ron pulled down his mask and smiled broadly. “So do you think she likes me?”
“Dream on.”
“Oh go fuck yourself, Grinder.”
Chapter Eighteen
“We’ve been through every inch of this stupid place,” Ron said, dumping out a cardboard box and grimacing when a plasticized, preserved brain fell out with an alarming thud on the floor. “I’m serious this is the worst.”
Derek wanted to join him in the frustration. They’d spent three hours going through every cupboard, drawer, and locker and they’d found more forgotten specimens than any person should have to deal with. They’d also found endless supplies of clothes, some with collars so wide that Derek assumed they’d been lost at Boon General since the seventies. There were even cellphones and I-Pods galore. Ron had set aside a pilfered duffle for them. He argued it wouldn’t hurt to resell those and finders, keepers.
All of that and not one trace of any blade that wasn’t an old scalpel. He thought he’d been close when he found a pocket knife but the dull blade was ancient and a quick inspection at the brand on the handle revealed it was an army knife circa WWII. While an heirloom, it wasn’t the linchpin in any murder case the state of North Carolina would try and mount against Spike.
“I don’t think it’s here,” Derek said.
Ron frowned and stroked his chin even as he used his left leg to kick the offending brain under a locker. “Gross, that thing is something no one is going to miss.”
“Organs bother you that much?”
“Sometimes they do, and today is definitely one of those times,” he admitted. “So if we’ve looked for it here and Tess didn’t have it in her car or house, then where the hell is it?”
Derek frowned and leaned against a locker with a particular pungent collection of old and yellowed (yes yellowed) lab coats. Some doctor on staff, once upon a time, hadn’t been a fan of the spin cycle. That much was for sure. “If the hospital found it, it would be here. If she found it, why not keep it on her person?”
“I think Smitty and Company answered that question for you, Grinder,” Ron said.
“Okay, then you hide it but not in a place that’s easily accessible and damn it!” he shouted, slamming his fist into the metal door of the locker. The force of his blow was hard enough to leave the locker shaking. “Her locker.”
“Huh?”
“Staff have a changing area to get out of their scrubs,” he said, slipping back on his mask and his head covering. “We have to go back to the emergency room and see where her personal stuff is stored. That’s the only answer.”
“Then I’m right behind you, and hopefully your girl doesn’t keep brains stashed somewhere.”
“She’s not my girl, not anymore, and I doubt she ever was.”
“Maybe,” Ron said as they headed to the stairs, taking them two a time in their haste. “Maybe when all this is over and you return to her whatever you fished out of the drink then you can actually patch things up. But let’s interrupt this soap opera in order to get our shit done. I like you, man, and I like you not riddled with bullet holes from Bones’s nine mil.”
“Gee, that’s touching,” Derek chuffed, trying not to let things get too heavy between them. Truth was, he felt the same way about Ron. Two of them against the world in foster homes, in juvie, and now as key members (damn it he still was) of the Blacktop Sinners. “Okay, slow down.”
They eased to a normal pace and caught their breath as they entered onto the emergency floor. Ron pulled down his mask and grinned broadly for Lizzy (that was her name, right?). Somewhere along the way with sweet butt and the hookers at the club sucking up to him, Ron had gotten the idea that he was charming.
He wasn’t.
Derek just hoped he could get the needed information out of the quick tempered Latina without getting them both kicked out for being too lewd. A man could dream, couldn’t he?
“Hey, sweet thing.”
“Oh, great, I have not missed the college kid set,” she said, even as she eyed Derek again and shook her head. “God, I swear I know you.”
“Probably not, ma’am,” Derek said, forcing his voice to break like a pimply faced teen as he said it. If he held onto the fiction then they could get out of here with the switchblade before the cops were called.
Hopefully.
“What do you need now? I’ve seen the storage room. It makes Chernobyl look manageable. You can’t possibly be done organizing.”
“We did find all the missing specimen organs, though,” Ron said earnestly. “Look, that asshole who’s running our internship says we got switched to cleaning out the E.R. staff locker room. It wasn’t our idea. Can you just tell us where to grab mops and give us a card that can get us in?”
“That’s a terrible job, and I don’t see why Henderson would assign that. After all, we have professional janitors for that.”
“Uh,” Ron said, recovering quickly. “He might have caught us going long and tossing a preserved brain. It’s a punishment.”
“I’ll say, nothing’s messier,” she said, handing him a card key. Lizzy stared hard at Derek for interminable moments until she spoke again. “I wish I could shake the déjà vu, guys. Anyway, go serve your punishment.”
“Thank you, darling, and if you need to ever relax after a long day.”
She snorted. “I have a boyfriend, and I can get a restraining order. Don’t tempt me, Opey.”
“Ouch,” Derek said, snickering under his mask as they passed down the hall to where Lizzy was pointing. “I think you struck out, but way to keep her off balance. That helps a ton.”
“She was eying you pretty hard, brother. I suggest we just get the damn switchblade and get back to the roadhouse. Hospitals end up with cops coming in. Cops are bad luck, even with Albert at the public defender’s office on payroll.”
“Agreed,” he said as they scanned the card and slid into the women’s locker room. Derek breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the lockers were labeled with the last names of the nurses. “Oh man, let me think.”
“So you don’t even know your so-called soulmate’s last name? That’s weak, Grinder.”
“No, it’s just a lot has happened,” he said passing through a row of lockers and snapping his fingers when he saw the “Everhart” name. “I got it. She was talking about her adopted family and how great the Everharts are. It’s not that common a last na
me, so let’s pop it open.”
“Sweet, makes me think of that hot redhead actress Angie Everhart.”
“Great, I’ll let her know that key point if she ever bothers to talk to me again,” he said, reaching up and grabbing the combination lock. He’d been able to pick those since a helpful cellmate juvie had showed him how. The key was to put your head to the metal and listen for very quiet clicks. He eased the numbers into place and sprung the lock. “Let’s do it.”
He and Ron were shuffling through all of Tess’s crap, which amounted to a few pairs of scrubs and a spare pair of crocs along with a few medical terminology textbooks and two pictures of her family on the inner wall.
There was nothing else.
Groaning, he went through it again, shoving his hands on the top shelf as if it would make the knife appear. “The hell? Where could it be?”
“Tess must have stashed it in her bedroom or something. Shit,” Ron said as they both turned to her fast squeaking of rubber soles on the linoleum.
There was Lizzy and several hospital guards storming behind her. “I know where I saw you. You’re Mr. Tall, Dark, and Busted. You’re the motorcycle patient.”
“No, I’m not,” Derek said, wishing he weren’t so exhausted. Usually he was a better liar, but it was clear that Lizzy had made them and figured the ruse out.
“Oh you are. I called Henderson and he said they don’t even have new interns over the summer. Now, you all can go quietly or not, but I’m sure the guards have wanted to try out their tasers.”
Ron looked fast at him and gave a terse nod. It was enough for Derek to know exactly what his best friend was planning. He took one step back with his hands held up in the air so he was shoulder to shoulder with the redheaded enforcer. “You have us.”
One of the rent-a-cop guards pulled out a pair of riot cuffs, the kind made of just plastic, the ones that were guaranteed to cinch even tighter the more you struggled. Derek held out his arms flat to them and let them get close, all the while clicking his tongue. On the third click, both he and Ron spun around and slugged the first two guards. The men went down hard with a satisfying thud to the floor. One spit out some blood and a molar from his mouth as he lost consciousness on the linoleum. The other two rushed for them, and he had to give them credit. They were foolish but at least brave.
Derek easily side-stepped the rush and pushed that guard’s back hard. With the added momentum, the guard couldn’t stop and ran headfirst into the locker, falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Over his shoulder, he caught Ron wrestling the taser out of Barney Fife’s hands and jamming it into the man’s hip. He jolted about before falling down as well.
“We run!” He shouted as they started past Lizzy.
“You do that because my boyfriend?” she said. “He’s a cop, a freaking lieutenant who works with the S.W.A.T. team, and he’s going to be here in minutes. So you get your asses out of here, and you leave this hospital alone. We’ll be ready next time.”
“That’s a shame, you were a cute thing,” Ron called back as they rounded out of the locker room.
“And you’re an asshole, well both of you,” she said, and, just for good measure, she added (faintly now to their ears). “Also leave Tess alone. She’s too good for you!”
Chapter Nineteen
The blaring ring of her cell phone woke Tess up from a troubled sleep. Easing her head up and wiping off the small string of spittle from her lips, she reached for her smart phone and turned it on. “Y’ello? It’s Tess’s phone.”
“Chica!” Lizzy shouted on the other line.
Tess shuddered and pulled the phone away from her ears. “Wait, breathe Lizzy. What’s going on? You don’t have to scream.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I’m so wound up. Dr. Malek said that I had to call you back ASAP. All staff are reporting this morning, so you need to get here as soon as you can.”
“I don’t understand. Was there some massive explosion or fire or food poisoning outbreak?”
“No, there was a break-in, and I am so incredibly sorry I ever pushed you to hook up with that biker. He and some friend of his pretended to be med student volunteers and tore through everything, including your locker. That’s how I caught them when I led in security. Everyone’s going bat shit, and the real cops are going to be here this morning for questioning. That’s why all employees have to be here.”
“Are you okay?” She asked, concern coloring her words. She and Lizzy had fought, but here her friend was apologizing for the mistake she’d made. Besides, Derek had fooled her too. It seemed to be something that he was exceptionally good at. “Jeez, did anyone hurt you?”
“They did a number on the guards on staff. Ned had his nose broken.”
“At least he has good coverage working for Boone Memorial,” she offered. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
“Are you going to bring the blade yet?”
“I have it hidden where no one will find it, but I can’t risk it yet. I hand it over after a police questioning and then they’re know for sure that I ratted them out.” She frowned and looked at the phone screen. Christ, it was already past nine. She wouldn’t be able to get there until ten-thirty. “Look let me power shower, and I’ll be there.”
“Cool.”
“And Lizzy?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
***
Tess swept her wet hair into a messy, loose bun at the back of her neck as she walked down the hallway. She was overwhelmed by the chaos she saw there. It felt like half the police force were there and in the corner by the nurse’s station was Ricardo and a few men far older than he and she assumed senior brass even if she couldn’t be sure. Every technician, janitor, nurse or doctor on staff with Boone General who could be spared currently were all milling about in a line, either waiting to be interviewed or actively pulled behind E.R. curtains and being spoken with. Rushing through the melee, she wrapped Lizzy up in a massive hug.
It didn’t feel real; her friend would feel safe until she had her arms around her curvy BFF.
“God, I was so scared. My heart was racing the whole time I was en route. I can’t believe this.”
Lizzy pulled away but she noticed the other girl’s eyes were bloodshot. “It’s fine. Ricardo slept over last night and held me a lot. It’s easier to feel safe when the best lieutenant in the county is watching over you.”
“I’m glad. So seriously? They broke in?”
“Well snuck and went through the lost and found first---trashed that place. Then, they made up some B.S. story about the locker room here. I thought the tall one seemed familiar, and once it clicked, the worst confrontation ever happened. Those guys seriously thrashed four people in about two minutes. I just…I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Tess thought about how fast Derek worked to disarm the three men from his own gang who had started hurting her. There was no doubt that he was not just lethally dangerous but fast and efficient. She shuddered again and threw an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “What’s the deal now?”
“They’re interviewing. Since it was your locker they were tearing apart, Ricardo and Chief Johnson want to talk to you stat,” Lizzy said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the nurses’ station.
“And what do I do with them?”
Lizzy glared at her and then stuck both hands on her hips. “Confess. I’d still tell the truth. I haven’t told it to Ricardo yet because I respect you and worry about your family too, but there has to be some way to get them what they need. Maybe if we just tell them, things will get better.”
“I’ll see,” Tess said, biting her lower lip.
Truth was she had no idea what to do. Nothing was safe between her work or her home, and she didn’t know when Derek and his gang would be back in her life. She just didn’t want to be responsible for some crazy, hardened bikers attacking Sarah or her parents either. Lizzy was lucky, but it was already clear she hadn’t escaped e
motionally unscathed, not with the vacant look on her face.
She smiled politely as the older man with salt and pepper hair and a slim, wiry frame that reminded her vaguely of Disney’s version of Ichabod Crane shook her hand. “Mrs. Everhart, you’re exactly the woman we wanted to see. I know you were taking a vacation week, but we appreciate you coming in.”
Tess kept the smile planted tightly on her face as she reached out to also shake Ricardo’s hand. His smile was bright and genuine and highlighted his dimples on both cheeks. “Glad to see you’re okay. These people clearly could be going to your place next, so I’m relieved you were already hanging out with your parents.”
Corrupted: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Blacktop Sinners MC) Page 11
