Page 25 of Protecting Gina

He grabbed Gina and dragged her around the corner of the building, getting her to safety. More shots rang out as the men ran to the truck. They were going to get away, but he had Gina. That’s what mattered. They’d saved Gina, and she wasn’t badly injured.

After the truck took off, Wolf and Cookie stepped out of the building. Wave told them where he was, and they met up with him. Gina seemed out of it and needed to see a doctor.

“She doesn’t look great,” Wolf said.

“No. We should take her to the hospital. She needs to be treated.”

Cookie shook his head. “Damn, the guy was ready for us. He already had Gina by the door by the time we made it inside.”

“Or maybe they were planning to transport her somewhere else,” Wolf said.

“Where were they going to take her?” Cookie asked.

“Maybe her apartment,” Wave said.

Wolf gave a sharp nod. “After we drop you two by the hospital, we’ll swing by her place. Maybe they are looking for something there.”

Cookie moved to Gina’s other side and helped Wave get her to their vehicle. She was mumbling something, but he couldn’t understand her words. They would have to come up with a good story when the police got involved, but they were good at covering their bases.

Pete needed to go down. Wolf and Cookie would do a sweep of her place, but that’s as far as they could go. They couldn’t hunt the guy down, not here on US soil. They’d have to leave it to the police. Now he just needed to convince Gina she couldn’t stay here, not with Pete on the loose. Pete had already hurt her. Next time, he might try to kill her.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Gina was cognizant enough to realize Wave had saved her, but she couldn’t communicate properly. It was like her mouth wouldn’t form the words she wanted to say.

She heard them voice their concern about why she’d been taken. She wanted to tell them it was some key and a thumb drive that had something to do with money.

“What was that?” Wave asked her.

She must have said something, but she wasn’t sure what. She tried again, not sure what words she said that were decipherable and what was junk.

“You said key and thumb drive.” Wave’s voice seemed far away. “What kind of key would be with a thumb drive?”

“Crypto,” Cookie said.

She nodded, or she hoped she nodded. Everything was foggy and swirling, and she must have passed out for a moment because suddenly she was on a gurney being rolled into the ER. Cookie and Wolf were gone, and it was only Wave with her. He looked concerned.

Talking seemed impossible, then she saw a nurse pushing a drug into the IV drip that had been connected to her at some point, and everything seemed to feel much lighter as she drifted away.

When she came to, Wave was standing next to the bed, relief evident on his face. “Hey, glad you are back. The doctor had to do a procedure. You’ve been out for a few hours.” Then Wave lowered, moving his lips to her ear. “The cops want to talk to you. Figure out how we found you. Just give vague answers until we have a chance to talk and you’re more awake.”

She understood what he wanted from her. Had they done something illegal? Maybe they’d killed Pete. She hoped they had. If he was dead, she wouldn’t have to deal with his bullshit again. Pete was convinced she had something, but she didn’t have anything of his.

The next few minutes, or maybe it was an hour, passed by in a haze. The officers came in, and she talked, but played up the drug and pain-ridden angle, making sure not to give good answers.

She apologized multiple times, telling the officers she was in too much pain to think clearly. They seemed mostly satisfied by the time they left.

Wave came back in and told her that everything would be fine. He told her to sleep and that he would be back later. He needed to make sure Cass was okay. Mention of Cass made her clasp his hand tighter.

“Is she okay?”

He nodded. “She’s a bit shaken, but she’s fine.”

“I hope I get a chance to see her again.”

Wave leaned in and hugged her gently. “We’ll talk about that in the morning. I think you need to come to California with me when we leave.”

His suggestion shocked her, but she was thinking of leaving this hospital. She didn’t fit in here. It was a weird vibe, and she hadn’t made any close friends.