Page 212 of A Matter of Time

“Toss that asshole in the ravine, but don’t forget to put Jory’s coat next to him.”

I watched him wipe my thigh with the coat, and only then did I see that my pants were torn and I was slightly bleeding.

“Don’t worry, J, it’s only a flesh wound. I just needed to cut you a bit so I could smear some blood on Roman. You’re not gonna bleed to death or nothing.”

So odd that he was talking to me like we were buddies. He tossed the coat to a guy wearing gloves and then slammed the door of the van shut after he got in with me. He sat down as the van started moving again.

“You’re wondering why the hell you’re not in the ditch too, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, because I still need you to show to Roman’s old man. Once I tell him that you killed his son, he’s gonna gut you, and I’m gonna get out from under all this bullshit.”

I just stared at him.

“Do you have any idea how pissed Maggie is at Sam?”

It was a weird segue, but I went with it and shook my head.

“She’s so mad that she agreed to call him for me and get him over to her place.”

I was silent, just keeping my eyes on him.

“You know, with you dead, J, Sammy’s gonna go back to being the way he was. With Roman gone, all evidence of my involvement goes with him. They suspect me now, but without witnesses, I get my life back, my partner back—everything with just you and Roman turning up dead.”

What did one say to that?

“Your ankle hurts, huh?”

I nodded.

“Sorry. I’ll untie you when we get to the warehouse. I’ll get you some blankets too. I don’t want you to freeze before you see the old man.” He studied me. “You know, just so you’re prepared, the old man, he might not kill you fast. He’s got some old-world ideas about revenge, and with you being the one that killed his kid an’ all…you might be in for a long night.”

I felt my stomach heave.

“I won’t be around for that, J. It’ll be weird, though, to know for the rest of my life what happened to you and never tell Sam. He’s gonna be so happy to get me back when all they find is pieces of you.”

Hard not to break down, but if I did, I was afraid of what would happen. It seemed like he got off on seeing others suffer. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction…at least not until I absolutely had to.

“Sammy’ll be all devastated, and I’ll be there to see him through it. I’ll even find him a new girl.”

My eyes filled instantly. It hurt my heart just thinking of Sam ever loving anyone but me.

“Faggot piece of shit,” he snarled at me before he leaned forward and drew back his fist. I never even felt the punch.

My whole body hurt. I felt cold even through two blankets, because the wall I was lying beside was like a block of ice. I could hear things scuttling around in the darkness and knew it could only be rats. I tried to calm down so I wouldn’t hyperventilate. I felt the rope between my hands and saw that it ran behind me to the wall. It was knotted over my head to a pulley. Looking at it, I realized I could be strung up by my wrists if someone wanted it that way. Moving my legs, I felt my ankle throb with renewed pain before I felt in my pockets for my phone. It wasn’t surprising that it was missing. What kind of cop would Dominic be to miss my cell phone? I lay back down because my head was pounding and I was dizzy. I didn’t want to throw up. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t faint. It didn’t work.

I was nudged awake, and when I looked up, Dominic was standing over me. He had a gallon of water and a bucket. When I lifted my head up off the floor, he squatted down and put both close to me.

“Drink this and use this to piss in.” He smiled lazily. “Don’t mix ’em up.”

I just looked at him.

“Are you hungry?”

I shook my head.

“You will be. And I have something to ask you. Did Sammy meet with IAD?”