Chapter 1
Prologue
911
Lyn
I can’t deal with anymore nouns—people, places, and things.
After working a 12-hour shift at St. Sebastian’s Hospital ER, I was bone tired. My clothes were wrinkled. My hair looked like I’d been in a fight with Ronda Rousey. Untraceable stains decorated my scrubs. My feet felt like they were about to fall off.
Not to mention the fact that I had to jump in between two nurses about to fight. Extensions were all over the place.
I was using a week of my 30-day leave time to moonlight at the local hospital for a few nights.
I couldn’t wait to get home to see my son, Brayden, and kiss his sweet face. At six, I felt like he needed me the most, but sometimes I had to make these sacrifices to give him the life that he deserved.
As I approached the parking lot, suddenly I heard muffled voices, and then a loud pop.
Were those gunshots?
I quietly ducked for cover and kept myself hidden behind a car. My heart raced, and my fingers shook.
Then, there was silence.
What the hell is going on? I just want to get home to my son and a glass of red wine.
Slowly I peeked around to see if the coast was clear.
About ten feet ahead of me, near my Yukon, a tall, dark figure stood. I could only see a little reflection of the guy’s face, but I did notice a unique tattoo on the right hand holding a 9mm Beretta.
I tensed, patted my bag for my weapon, and realized it wasn’t there.
He aimed and squeezed the trigger twice.
Oh shit!
The next thing I heard was the loud thud of a body hitting the ground. Quickly, a black sedan with no plates pulled up, and the tall, dark figure jumped inside.
I pulled out my phone and ran to check on the poor victim while dialing 911.
A man appearing to be of Latin descent, laid on the pavement. His crisp white shirt was now covered in blood. His starched jeans appeared to be high-designer and now covered in grime.
The blank, shocked look on his face was staring back at me. The whole in the middle of his head was now leaking blood on the ground in the garage. Placing my phone to my face, I decided to check for a pulse for confirmation of what I already knew.
No pulse.
No rise and fall of his chest.
Yep, he’s dead-dead!
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” A gruff male voice on the other end answered.
“I’m in the Employee B parking lot at St Sebastian Hospital; a man was shot close range. Twice in the chest and once in the head.”
“Do you need an ambulance?”
“No… he’s dead. Just the cops and the ME are needed. I will alert hospital security.”
After hanging up from 911, I got up and walked over to the north facing wall. There a silver stand with the emergency button stood. I pressed the blue emergency button and waited, while I contemplated my wonderful day.
Chapter 1
No Good Deeds
Lyn
Several minutes later, security arrived on the scene and began asking questions.
After giving my statement to what seemed like hundreds of people, they escorted me home and had a police car posted outside.
Pulling into the two-car garage of my two-story house, I let out a long sigh. This day had not gone as I had planned. Grabbing my things, I walked to the mud room door, shredding my not so clean clothes in the laundry room.
I slipped into my waiting cozy sweats, left by my housekeeper-slash-babysitter, Rita. Ever thankful for her assistance on days like this. Walking into the massive entertainment room, I found Rita asleep with the TV watching her.
Waking Rita up, she went to warm my late-night snack before heading home to her own family. I texted Mhel, my best friend and play sister, that I was home. I told her about my day including a small encounter with a dead body.
I know I will have to give her more information later.
Eating my noodles, I walked up to Brayden’s room to see my sleeping little angel. Sprawled over the bed with his covers nearly falling off, I went to tuck him and his stuffed animals in. Kissing his sweet cheeks, I was thankful to be safe at home.
After a hot shower, I collapsed in my lonely king-sized bed. Times like this make me miss my dear husband the most. Sleep finally took over my exhausted and tense body.
The dead man’s body and that tattoo on the killer’s hand kept showing up in my dreams.
Around 6:00am, there was loud banging at my front door.
Who the hell is at my door?
Trudging out of bed, I ran downstairs preparing to curse somebody out.
This better be about a fire or somebody better be bleeding to death.
I opened the door to find my bestie Mhel, looking frantic. Her normally smoothed down ponytail was in a half bun on top of her head. She was even wearing sweats over her PJs. This was not her normal put together self.
“Turn on your TV.” Mhel handed me my favorite cup of Frappuccino.
Still waking up, I stared at her. “Good morning to you, too! What are you doing up so early. And more importantly why are you here so early?”
Mhel turned and looked at me as if I had grown three heads. “The shooting last night at St. Sebastian was the Mali Cartel.”
I blinked. “What?”
She rushed inside and turned on the TV.
Gripping my coffee, I followed after her.
The TV came on.
Mhel flipped through channels and then stopped on the news.
A blonde woman looked into the camera. “Officials believe Mali Cartel’s enforcer, Javier De la Cruz acted in retaliation for the brutal murder of Juan Salvador-Llano last week.”
Sitting down in my recliner, I looked on in disbelief. I stared at the TV and listened. I no longer needed my coffee to wake me up.
I am wide awake now.
The news person continued, “The Mali and Cruz Cartels are at war with each other. We will keep you informed with updates as there is an eyewitness to the shooting. Check our website for up-to-date reporting until our 6 P.M. news report.”
Tension rolled over my body. “Shit! Shit!”
“Yeah ‘shit’ is about right. Sooo… what happened at work last night,” Mhel inquired while quirking up an eyebrow.
“Work? Work was uneventful.” Rolling my shoulders, I attempted to release some of the tension building up as I replayed last night’s events.
The shit that happened afterwards was a different story. The doorbell broke my thoughts to what I had witnessed last night.
Now who is it?
Getting up from my recliner, I went to the door to peak out the peephole.
What the hell?
