Looking back at the closed door she had left through, he sighed, then turned back to his friends. “I stink with this shit right now. I’ve been living it and stink with it.”
Matt got right in his face and said, “Get that outta your mind, man. You did what you had to do.”
“Maybe,” Shane replied. “But it cost. And it cost me fuckin’ huge. And when this is over, I’m going back to get her. And hope to God, she gives me a chance.”
* * *
Annie ran out of the station, heedless of the pouring rain, right out into the street. A car honked, and she heard cursing.
“Lady, what the fuck? You gotta death wish?”
Pushing on through to the other side of the road, she continued to run several more blocks until soaked and breathless, she stopped under a shop awning. Tears mingled with raindrops. Shivering from cold or anger or heartache, she wasn’t sure, but she knew she needed to pull herself together.
Looking up, she saw a taxi drive up letting its passenger out. Racing toward it she hopped in, giving the address of her clinic.
The driver looked in his rear-view mirror at the wet, bedraggled passenger in the back. “You okay, miss? You need me to take you to the hospital or the police?”
Barking out a rude noise, Annie leaned back in the seat, aware that she was dripping water all over the inside of his cab. “Thank you, but no. I think I’ve had enough of the police to last me a lifetime!” With that, she closed her tear swollen eyes and tried to still her racing thoughts, unaware that she was being followed.
* * *
“Well, I think it completely sucks!” announced Suzanne. “Jesus, they haul you out of here like some criminal when they knew all along you didn’t keep the drugs. What the hell was that all about anyway?”
Annie and Leon looked at each other, shock plainly written on their faces. They were all sitting in the lab area on stools trying to process what Annie had divulged.
“Girl, that is the most emotion I have ever heard come outta your mouth since you been workin’ here,” Leon announced as Annie tried not to grin.
Patting Suzanne’s arm, she said, “Don’t worry. I haven’t felt like grinning since this nightmare started, so that felt good.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes, then wrapped her fingers around Annie’s as well. “I’m just upset. I can’t believe you had to go through that.” A grimace crossed her face. “And Stoney. Or Shane. Or whoever the hell he is. I just knew he looked like trouble.”
Leon stood and walked over to Suzanne and kissed the top of her head before heading over and doing the same to Annie. “Doc, what do you need us to do? I know this mess is hurting right now, and I can’t fix that. Well, I could go try to find Shane’s bad-ass and kick some sense into him. But then since he is a big badass, I don’t know that I could.”
Annie looked up at Leon and smiled a slow, soft smile. “Shirley’s lucky, you know?”
Smiling his dazzling white smile, he laughed. “Yeah, well. I think I’m the lucky one.”
Annie and Suzanne shared a look before turning their attention back to him. “And that is exactly why she is so lucky,” Annie said as she rose from her stool and wrapped her arms around him. Suzanne joined them in a group hug, and Annie felt the familiar sting of tears returning.
Sucking in a deep breath, she pulled away. “Guys, go home. I’m fine. It’s Friday, and we have two days off. Don’t worry about me. I’m just going to eat junk food, pull myself together, and come Monday morning it will be business as usual.”
“You sure? ‘Cause I can call Shirley, and we’ll hit up some bars and get totally smashed, if it would help!” Leon offered.
“Nah. You guys head on out. I’ll lock up after you and then head up to bed. Truthfully, I am exhausted. Bed is exactly what I need.” She thought for a second and then amended, “Well, copious amounts of wine and then bed.”
She walked them to the front door, watched as Leon made sure that Suzanne was in her car safely, and then locked the door. Making her way toward the back, she caught a glimpse of herself in the glass window of the lab. Her coppery hair had dried from its earlier drenching and now was frizzing out of control from her ponytail. Green eyes, still red-rimmed, stared back at her.
I am such a loser. I gave myself to man I didn’t even know and actually starting falling for him. In a week. What the hell is wrong with me? I never do that. Determined to go back to her well-ordered life she drew herself up, wiping the last of her tears. At least the last of them for now. She had no doubt that more would follow once she hit the wine.