Zeb…

“Right pain in the ass, that one,” I murmured to Tiff as the two cops got into their patrol car to leave. She shivered and nodded slightly, staring after them.

“The young one wasn’t so bad,” she said with a heavy sigh. “The shiny ‘defender of the world’ hasn’t quite worn off him yet.”

“You alright?” I asked and she nodded, somber. She paused for a moment, pressed her lips together, and as soon as the patrol car turned out of the lot, shook her head.

“I fell apart. The second I knew he was there, I just… I froze. I couldn’t do anything except hide and be afraid.”

“You did good,” I told her. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do, eh. You called me.”

She rolled her beautiful eyes at me and let out a plume of her breath into the icy air saying, “I was already on the phone with you.”

“Yeah, true, but you thought on your feet, hid, kept yourself safe. That’s what we want you to do. Just be safe. You brought us, me and my bros, in to handle the rest.”

“Yeah, well, it’s up to the cops now,” she said and her expression was as dispassionate as they got as she stared after where they’d been.

“Yeah, nah –“ I’d been about to say the cops weren’t going to do anything but my mobile rang. I pulled it, vibrating, out of my jacket pocket and answered it with, “Yeah, Bro, what’s up?”

“Your lady friend’s missing bestie… I think I’ve got her in my ER,” Doc said by way of greeting and I felt my heart sink.

“How bad?” I asked, taking a few steps from Tiffany, which of course, tipped her off that something was wrong.

“If you’re with her, I’d get her here five minutes ago. It’s bad, Zeb. I don’t know that she’s going to make the night.”

“Shit,” I said low and with feeling. “We’re on our way.”

“Meet me at the ER main entrance. I’ll be waiting.”

“Right.” I hung up and Tiffany narrowed her eyes at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“We have to go,” I told her and got on my bike, dropping my skid lid on my head. She didn’t hesitate and got on behind me. I started it up and turned it ‘round to head out of the lot before she even had her skid lid fastened beneath her chin.

“Nik, you’re scaring me!” she cried as I drove like a hoon through town to get to Doc’s hospital. She hung onto me for dear life, but I didn’t think she would want to miss any time with her friend that she could have. I knew they were close and it broke my heart what I raced her toward. Still, I could never forgive myself if we didn’t make it and a grim sort of resignation took hold.

I went flat tack down the main drag that’d been salted and it was scary even for me, but I had to get her there. Doc had sounded grim and he didn’t sound that way for nothing unless it was something. Dire, yeah, that was a good word for it.

I pulled up in the ambulance bay and off onto the sidewalk in front of a bench, making my own parking. I shut off my motorbike and heeled down the stand for it, leaning it over. She jumped off, her chest heaving and stared at me with real fear in her deep, dark eyes.

“Why’d you bring me here?” she demanded and I felt my shoulders drop. I took a breath to tell her when the doors whooshed open and Doc strode out in his white lab coat and pressed Dockers. He turned his bald head in Tiffany’s direction.

“I could get in a lot of trouble for this,” he said going to her. “Anyone asks you, you’re her emergency contact and that’s how we called and got a hold of you. Her mother isn’t answering her phone.”

“I don’t understand,” she said hollowly, but she did. It was written all over her face that she knew exactly why we were here now. She just didn’t want to know and I couldn’t say I blamed her.

“You have her info?” Doc asked me.

“Yeah.”

“Call Data so he can get to work and cover my ass. Come on, sweetheart, your friend is waiting and she’s in really bad shape.”

“Delia?” she asked and I could see the devastation in her eyes. Fuck me. I phoned Data but followed them up the hallway.

“Yeah, Zeb, I’m already in. Just give me her name, address, phone number.”

“Right,” I murmured and stood outside the hospital room door as Doc led her through.

Tiffany leaned over the bed, her shoulders hitching, a broken cry coming from her at the sight of her friend. Doc backed out and stood with me as I finished giving Data what he needed.

“Dragon there?” I asked.

“Nope, already here,” he said from beside me and I said into the mobile, “Never mind.”

“Later,” Data said. “I gotta go to work.”

I lowered the phone and shoved it into my pocket. Doc sighed.

“Beaten, raped, there’s too much damage. Even if we got her into surgery it’s a lost cause, but they’re prepping now,” he said low and soft so Tiff couldn’t hear.

“Jesus Christ,” Dragon muttered, tapping the filter of a cigarette on the web of his hand between index and thumb. “Couldn’t find her so went after her friend,” he muttered and sniffed.

I looked back into the room and relayed what had happened at the strip club.

“It’s on, now,” I said. “I’m going to kill him.”

“We are going to kill him,” Dragon corrected and I nodded, staring into the dimly lit hospital room at my girl, sobbing next to her dying friend.