“I’m sorry you’re mad at me for calling an ambulance. And that it meant they restrained you. But if you’d seen me going through what I saw you going through, you’d do anything to help. I know you would. Believe me when I say I couldn’t not call. I can’t believe those guys were just trying to pin you down and were gonna wait another whole hour for help. And I couldn’t wait another hour for your doctor friend to come. You really couldn’t either. And if you had, Jagger would’ve started with his reaction too by then and how would that Doc guy and those guys have taken care of both of you?”
He sighs.
“Right?” I ask.
“I know,” he whispers. “And that makes me fucking angry, too.”
I gulp, nuzzling into his warmth.
“So fucking angry right now.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“You’re getting so strong,” he adds.
I look up at his face.
“I’m in awe of you, Violet.”
I swallow down a lump of emotion.
“Hearin’ talk of you screaming in Tony’s face without an ounce of fear about gettin’ me to the hospital. He’s a tough fucker, that’s why he has the job he has with me. Tough and loyal and though people might not think he’s smart because of his size, he is. And he said you were a little scary.”
I laugh a little.
He kisses my forehead gently. “And you went after Jessa?”
“Not exactly,” I say.
“She came into my room after you left and I had no time for her shit, thinkin’ that’s what it’d be, but she came in to tell me that she likes you. That you’ve got a backbone. That anyone who’s tied to me needs a backbone.”
I snicker.
“I don’t wanna hurt you. I really need some sleep, so I want you to go and wait until I call you to come back. I’m gonna crash for a couple hours and then I think me and Tony’ll go to Tillamook. Make sure this shit is out of my system. He’s gonna have the means to sedate me if necessary. I’m still seein’ things out of the corner of my eye. The doctor would’ve had me stay another day if I leveled with him, but I couldn’t stand it in there another fuckin’ minute. Please tell Susanna you wanna stay there or go stay with your parents. Your Gramps. Something. Just tonight. Tony should be back any minute.”
I look into his eyes. “I wanna be here for you.”
“I need you to do this for me. Okay? Please? I need space, need time to sort my head out.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Call Wes. He’ll follow you. Go nowhere without him until I get my hands on that…” He growls instead of finishing. “She had to have done it after your shower. Or someone else got hired that’s in on it. Got no surveillance so can’t be sure. Maybe figuring we’d be up there on New Year’s Eve and we’d all OD or something. They’d be able to do whatever to rob us; don’t know. Hoffman was a mad scientist in his lab and concocted a bunch of bad shit that was hurting people. I’m having the entire stock of alcohol examined. Can’t chance that’ll happen with customers. Closed down the other three locations, too. Found out a friend of hers put in a job application at Law and Genesis. Have to do background checks on all newer employees now.”
“Why did they target you so venomously? Just because you fired Amber for stealing?”
He snickers. “Funny thing. Carlson MacDonald, the cop that I’ve been dealing with came to see me this morning. Remember with you I mused that the cops would think Iadanza and Hoffman could’ve been connected, coulda been plausible that Raymond offed him. Remember that?”
I nod.
“Cop told me they were acquainted when they came to the hospital. Haven’t said Raymond’s the suspect but it’s obvious they’re connecting dots.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah. They say they’re investigating Hoffman’s murder and have gotten surveillance from that bar near your old place of them talkin’ one night before he got arrested, while you were here for that first two weeks. Amber Buckley was there. This is that same sports bar where I met up with him that night we came back to your place that first night. That’s where Hoffman did most of his dealin’ through. This Stephanie chick was caught on tape there too, talkin’ to your Ass-wipe ex. And a couple more people cops are trying to ID. Said they got surveillance of them all in a corner chatting a couple weeks before Numbers even opened. No sound, just security camera images from the bar owner. Big, fat coincidence, right? Wrong. Raymond might’ve been in on the plan to rob me. Hung out at that bar and maybe started talkin’ to people he thought could help him fuck me over. Maybe they were all gonna get in on it the night Raymond brought the gun to Numbers. Maybe he tried to coax you out because the big heist was planned for opening night and our stopping him put it on hold.”