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Memories of the attack and seeing Kate in the OR while doctors struggled to save her and Sophie came back to haunt me and were motivation to keep enforcing the no-going-out rule.
I would make up for it on the weekend.
The day went fast, and I glanced at my watch and saw that it was nearing five thirty. I called down to George and he met me by the front entrance.
On my way out, I ran into Dane, who was still dressed in scrubs and a surgical cap after having just finished a surgery.
“Hey, Drake, how are you doing? You leaving for the day?”
“On my way home,” I said. “What about you?”
“Gonna walk down to the little Korean restaurant and get some noodles for dinner. Have you had them? They’re great.”
“No, I haven’t. I’ll have to try them sometime.”
“Lunch tomorrow,” he replied, walking me to the elevators, which we took down to the main floor. We walked out together, and I asked him how his week was going, and he asked me how plans were going.
When we got to the front entrance, I checked but George wasn’t there, so I stood on the sidewalk and spoke with Dane some more while I waited.
“You and your partner really have to come to The Club some night when you’re settled. Check it out.”
I turned to him and nodded. “Absolutely. We’d love to. Give me a couple of weeks and I’m sure Kate will be happy to come for a visit. We want to get back into the lifestyle again if we can.”
“It’s a really great place. Nothing too extreme.”
I glanced up the street and saw that there was a moving truck that was trying desperately to back down an alley, blocking the road. Dane and I stood on the sidewalk, talking, and I wondered if I shouldn’t just walk down the street and meet George where he was trapped in traffic.
“I’m waiting for my security to show up,” I said, keeping my voice down. “There was a threat to my family, so I had to hire a team to protect me.”
“Oh, no. That’s terrible. What kind of threat?”
I shook my head. “Someone too photos of my wife and daughter and sent them to me.”
“Damn,” Dane said. “You went to police about it?”
I nodded. “I have 24/7 protection. My limo seems trapped up ahead due to that moving truck. I guess I’ll walk to meet him, but he’ll give me hell for not waiting.” I checked my watch. Who knows how long they’ll be.”
“Well, you take care. There are some real crazies in this town. Sorry to hear you were targeted. Do you think it was because of what happened before?”
“Probably.” I shrugged. “Just have to live with it. See you tomorrow.”
“Take care,” he said, and we parted ways, with me going north towards the traffic jam and him going west toward the Korean restaurant. I got half a block down the street and could see that there were men on the street keeping traffic stopped to allow the truck to turn around.
I got beside a dark van, when the side door opened, and a man stepped out and blocked my way.
I recognized the man from my earlier trip to Manhattan. What the hell…
He stepped closer and bumped into me. He was the same man — older, tall, heavy set. A mask over his face. Straggly hair. It was then that I felt something hard jam into my side and glanced down.
A gun…
“Get in the van,” the man said, his voice a low hiss.
I held my hands up and tried to twist away from him, but he grabbed my shoulder and shoved me towards the van’s open side door. He was bigger than me, heavier, and I was caught off-guard. I fell into the van, hitting my head on the side of the door frame in the process. I fell to the ground beside the van, momentarily stunned.
“What the fuck,” I managed, blinking away stars in my vision. I felt something run down the side of my face and reached up.
Blood. I touched the wound. It was a cut, and deep enough to draw blood.
