“Listen, I can tell that guy, Jimmy, really has a thing for you, but between you and me…you can do a lot better. Maybe we could grab something to eat later? When do you get off?” Creed leaned over the counter and let his eyes smolder at the impressionable young nurse. He may have only been eighteen, but he had an aura about him that was edgy, rough and experienced. He easily could pass for twenty-five. He didn’t have much more time to waste with the girl, so he was laying it on thick.
Her hesitation was gone as she rounded the desk with a flirtatious sway to her hips and made her way Margo’s room. Creed ran his fingers through his hair, flashing a crooked grin at the nurse. Her fingers quivered as she typed in the code that unlocked the door. After peaking in at the patient herself, she stepped back out to the hallway and whispered, “My shift is over at seven-thirty.”
Creed smiled widely at the girl and said, “I’ll see you then, Susan.”
He turned and closed the door softly behind him. That’s when he heard the growling start.
13 The Third Degree
I was hopping mad. By the time the crowd dispersed and we were out of ear-shot from passersby, I was ready to scream, but, so were the boys.
“What do you mean you met someone?” Alik dove right in.
“What part of that sentence are you too dumb to understand?” I growled back.
“Who is he, Meg?” Evan asked simply. His face was tight with worry.
“He’s just a guy I met here at the hospital. He was visiting a sick friend. We started talking. It’s not big a deal!” I shot back.
“Not a big deal?” Alik’s sky-blue eyes flashed with fury. “What if this guy is a spy sent by Williams?”
“Listen, you two. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. He’s just a nice guy. They do exist, you know.”
“How do you know he’s a nice guy?” Evan asked.
“How do you know he’s not?” I yelled a bit too loudly. Lowering my voice I added, “Isn’t it possible a nice, normal guy would think I’m cute and want to get to know me better?” I felt angry tears welling up in my eyes.
“Well, of course. Cole’s crazy about you,” Alik said softly.
I felt the bitter sting of guilt in the pit of my stomach at the mention of Cole. Then a flash of resentment welled up. “I will not be made to feel guilty for allowing myself to experience some modicum of normalcy.”
“Let me put it to you this way, Meg,” Evan said calmly. “How would you feel if you found out Alik was keeping secret a relationship with a girl he just met here?”
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. How would I feel? I would feel furious at him for not staying focused on our life-and-death situation. I’d feel scared for him that he was going to get hurt when he has already been so hurt by life. And I guess I’d be wary of any girl who put a wedge between me and my brother when I needed to be able to lean on him the most.
I looked over at Alik, understanding more clearly why he reacted this way. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I said softly, trying to figure out a way to make things right. “Would it help if you met him?” I asked my brothers. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them. Did I just invite my brothers to come chaperone my twelve o’clock meeting with my dream guy?
“Yeah, actually. It would help,” Alik said smoothly.
Rolling my eyes in unrestrained frustration, I began walking and my brothers followed right behind me.
“Look, he’s just a regular guy; completely harmless. He’s been at the hospital visiting a friend who was in an accident,” I explained as we walked around the hospital to the front lawn where I was to meet Creed.
“Let us decide how harmless he is,” Evan muttered while chewing thoughtfully at the inside of his cheek.
14 The Scent of Death
The dim light from the window’s curtain only partially drawn was enough for him to see the coyote’s eyes and teeth. Maze was standing protectively at the foot of the woman’s bed, crouched and ready to attack. No amount of charm would affect this creature—Creed knew that. Animals were smarter than people in so many ways. He let the gun slip down to his hand and in the same fluid motion pulled the trigger. Maze yelped, jumped back and fell to the floor in a furry heap.
Excellent, he thought to himself.
He looked over at the bed and for the first time looked into the face of his target. Dr. Margo Winter lay motionless, save the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She was completely asleep. This couldn’t be any easier, he thought to himself as he grabbed a pillow that had been lying on a neatly folded blanket in the chair beside the woman.