Page 6 of Floodgates

“Breckin.”

“Breckin? Are you kidding? What kinda name is that?”

“Manners,” I scolded him.

Matt groaned loudly.

“Listen,” the doctor began. “I—”

“For the record,” I informed him, “I think Breckin’s a fabulous name.”

“Oh dear God, stop this shameful display of flirtation,” Matt teased me.

“That’s good,” Breck said, and I saw that he was really, really looking at me. “Now, I want to tell you both what’s going on out here.”

The upshot was that the doors were holding up the car. If they moved the doors to get us out, the car would basically cave in on itself with us inside.

“That’s a bummer,” I said to Matt, who nodded his agreement.

Breckin shook his head at us. “Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to raise the car up off the ground and pull Matt out first. You, Tracy, are wedged in pretty tight, but Matt we think will come out easy.”

“Groovy,” I told him. I was getting really tired all of a sudden. “Go ahead and get him out. I’m not pissed about being last or anything.”

“No, no,” Breckin barked at me suddenly, and my eyes snapped open. “You don’t get to fall asleep. Not even for a minute.”

I hadn’t realized my eyes had closed until I jerked back awake. I didn’t usually fall asleep so fast. Looking around, though, I realized that it really wasn’t so fast. Matt was gone. There was only the doctor and me.

“Is he okay?”

“Matthew will be fine.”

“You’re sure?” I prodded, looking him square in the eye.

“I am,” he said gently, and his eyes softened as he looked at me. “What import-export company?”

“What?”

“You said earlier that you worked for an import-export company. Which one?”

“Zhabin Daher.”

He squinted at me.

“Yes,” I teased him. “I work for Dimah Mashir.”

“Didn’t he go to prison?”

“In fact, he did not,” I informed him haughtily. “All charges were dropped.”

“Didn’t he put some guy through a wood chipper and use him for chum?”

“Oh dear God,” I groaned as he started laughing.

“Wasn’t there some informant that they found with a Columbian Necktie?”

I gave him the most pained look I could manage.

“What?” He chuckled at my irritation. “I heard he’s a very bad man.”