I can hardly hear him speak over the hammering in my chest. “Can’t I just go in and get you the supplies, and then you let me go? I promise I’ll get you everything you need for Ty. Please, just let me go.”
My pleas fall on deaf ears. Joe is completely unmoved by my suggestion, and my stomach sinks.
“You know that’s not going to happen.” He sighs, the smallest hint of sympathy in his voice. “And just in case you get any wild ideas about running, you should know that he has eyes on us right now. And he’s got men combing through every single detail of your past. Where you live, where you work. Where your family lives and works. Friends, boyfriends…there’d be nowhere for you to hide.”
There’s no winning this game. Even if I follow his rules. Even if I save Ty. Even if this plan goes absolutely perfect.
“He’s going to kill me even if I save Ty, isn’t he?” I nearly choke on the words, panic pulsing through me again.
“Let’s just get through this.” His avoidance is all the answer I need.
I take a deep breath.Come on, Maddie. You can do this. Just walk in there, lie to your coworkers, and steal thousands of dollars’ worth of medical supplies. Easy.
Maybe if I reframe this a little, I won’t feel so terrible. I took an oath, right? To help those in need? Ty is certainly in need, and if I focus on that, I can get through this.
Or maybe, I’m just as delusional as Roman is.
Regardless, it’s showtime. I force myself out of the car before I can change my mind and Joe follows close behind me.
I’m not even two stops in the door before I run into Dr. Bauer, the head of trauma surgery at the hospital and my boss.
“Madison! Thank goodness. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning. There was a shooting at the park and we’ve got eight victims. I need you in a trauma bay immediately.”
Anxiety prickles through my core at the mention of the shooting. With every spare thought consumed by Ty, I never considered the other victims. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Bauer. I can’t. I’m not working today. I’m just here to get a few things out of my locker.”
Dr. Bauer stares at me in disbelief. “What do you mean, you can’t? I know you’re not in, but it’s all hands on deck.”
Before I can come up with a good enough excuse, Joe interrupts from behind me.
“Dr. Bauer?” Joe sticks his hand out. “I’m Maddie’s cousin, Joe. We had a death in the family and have to go out of town immediately. That’s why she can’t come in today.”
I bite back a laugh at the way he calls me Maddie, like he’s known me my entire life, but I have to give him credit for committing to the act. The sympathy on Dr. Bauer’s face tells me he bought it.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. Take all the time you need, Madison. And please give my regards to your parents.”
He rushes away without waiting for a response.
Joe grabs my arm and pulls me to the side. “Your parents? I thought you said you didn’t know these people very well.” To be fair, I didn’t say anything when he asked me about it in the car because I was still spiraling on his casual mention of torture.
“Do I need to be worried about him talking to your family?”
“Relax.” I shake my head. “My dad’s in medicine. He and Dr. Bauer are acquaintances, but they don’t talk regularly.”
“You better hope they don’t, because that’s a loose end I can take care of real quick.”
The threat is a harsh reminder of what’s at stake here, and just how callous these people are. Now, I’ve put Dr. Bauer’s life in danger, too.
“Wait here,” I tell him, ready to get this over with. The longer we’re here, the greater the risk becomes of putting even more people in harm’s way, and I can’t stand the thought of it.
I duck inside a supply closet at the end of the hallway. Luckily, it’s fully stocked, and I start stuffing bandages and tubing and a few things into the bag that Joe gave me. It’s not perfect, but it will have to do.
Oh shit.
My knees nearly buckle when I realize that I’m going to have to get the rest of what I need from the pharmacy. Playing grab-and-go in the supply closet is one thing, but smuggling drugs out of here is going to be a lot more difficult.
Come on, Maddie. Think.
Joe is waiting for me when I come out of the closet, nowhere near where I told him to stay. “Are we good?”
