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The door closed, leaving behind a silence that seemed peaceful. Benny stayed still, waiting for his heart to stop pounding. His eyes adjusted to the dark again. Only, this time it wasn’t so dark. Not so dark at all. He shifted on the mattress, then rolled over so he could get up on his knees. Light seeped in around door, more light than before.
Holding his breath, he crawled toward the crack. Juice hadn’t closed it completely. It had stuck. Not locked. Benny couldn’t breath. He touched the crack. He could open the door. He could get out.
What if Mr. Juice caught him again? What if he hit him with the leather belt again? Benny quivered at the thought. He couldn’t stay here. If he could get out, he could get to Mr. Daniel in the hospital. He could go see him, help him get better. If he stayed here, Mr. Juice would kill him. Benny wasn’t stupid. Mr. Juice couldn’t be his dad. Mr. Daniel was.
* * *
Daniel opened his eyes. He had a fleece blanket in his mouth and his muscles felt like marshmallows, but his mind seemed clear for the first time in days. The hospital room was empty. He had no idea what time it was or even what day. He squirmed until he was upright and reached for a glass of water on the table next to the bed. A couple swallows and his horrible thirst eased.
Time to get out of here. He didn’t dare call Samuel first. His brother would sic Susana or Lily on him. Or worse, Mama. If he just showed up, there wouldn’t be a thing they could do about it. He’d go to the apartment first, then PD. No more laying around while Benny was out there in the hands of a drug dealing ex-con. He slid his legs over the side of the bed and stood. His head swam and the walls wavered for a second, then righted themselves.
Now, to find his clothes. One tottering step. Two. One more and he reached the closet, hanging on the wall, sweat trickling down his forehead into his eyes. How could he be so weak after only two days in this place? That’s what hospitals did to people.
Dressing took three times as long as it normally did, but he managed to pull on his socks and shoes before going through his pockets. His money clip and credit card were still in his jacket. Now if he could get down to the lobby without being seen.
Minutes later he eased through the double doors in the lobby out into the cool, wet night air. Breathing deeply, he surveyed the scene. He needed a taxi. A taxi and a cup of coffee. If he was going to find Benny, he had to get back to his car and he needed caffeine.
“What are you doing out here?”
Nicole stood on the sidewalk, blocking his exit.
Daniel stopped. “I could ask you the same question. Where’s your new boyfriend?”
“Stop it, Daniel. That’s enough. No more.” Her cheeks were pink in the crisp breeze. Rain drops spattered around them. Thunder rolled in the distance. “I was coming to tell you I will stop punishing you, if you stop punishing me. Did the doctor approve your discharge? Why isn’t someone with you—you’re not planning to drive yourself, are you?”
Daniel stuck a hand on the back of a bench to steady himself. “What do you care?”
She smoothed her jacket with both hands. “You’ve been my husband for a lot of years. I care about you. I couldn’t stand you being in there and Benny out there. It’s too hard.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her fingertips. Daniel teetered and sat on the bench. “I don’t have time for this right now. I have to find out what’s going on with the investigation.”
“I just talked to Ray.” Nicole sat next to him. Her tone sounded almost eager. “You need to go back inside and get in bed. Ray and Samuel have it covered.”
He shook his head. No deal. “What did Ray say?”
“They have a lead on the kidnapper. They went to his sister’s house on the west side. When they got there, they found the body of a man named Miguel Suarez. You know the name?”
“Yes, I know the name.”
“They found evidence that Morin had been hiding out there, and it’s likely he had Benny with him.”
Daniel wrapped his arms around his chest and tried to contain his shivering. “What kind of evidence?”
Nicole rubbed a hand on his back. “They found marbles in a closet.”
Daniel closed his eyes and tried to focus on the motion of her hand. Why was she doing this? Why was she here? Now wasn’t the time to get into it. His energy had to go into finding Benny. “What are they doing now? Did they find anything else?”
“The kidnapper called.”
And he’d missed it. Benny needed him, and he was passed out in a hospital bed. “Who talked to him?”
“Samuel did. He set up a ransom exchange.”
“How much?”
“A million.”
The amount was like a punch to his gut. All the air leaked from his lungs. “Where are we getting that kind of money?”
