Page 139 of Brutal Knight

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She wasquiet for a long moment as we drove out of the parking lot. "Do you do that often?"

What? Visit sexy nurses in in the hospital?" I teased.

She made a frustrated noise. "You're not taking me seriously."

"And if I tried, you wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Hmm, you're probably right there," she agreed, staring out the window.

I sighed. "The cartel has been mixing fentanyl with ozone. People have died. We pay nurses to inform us of those things, and help hide the evidence."

She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. "Why aren't you doing anything about it?"

"Who says we aren't?"

She brushed her teeth over that freckle, thinking. "I think I know where they're keeping the ozone. Or I could probably help you find it."

"And how would you know that?"

She wouldn't look at me. "I just might know."

“Are you saying that the cartel took you?"

"I didn't say that."

"Tatiana, I already know it was the cartel. You may as well tell me the truth about what happened."

She jerked her face to me. "Why? What have you done?"

I pulled out the necklace I'd given her, the one I'd stolen back, and tossed it in her lap. "I took care of it. Or, at leastoneof them."

"Which one?" Her eyes were wide, her chest fluttering.

"Why does it matter?"

"Maybe I want to fix this problem all on my own."

"And maybe you want to take out your own brain tumor. Or would you trust a doctor to do it?"

"Of course I would."

"Then trust me, this is what I do."

"That's the point," she met my eyes, "I don't trust you."

I slammed on my brakes, steering my car off the side of the road to pull off into the parking lot of a bank.

"What are you doing?"

I got out of the car and walked over to her door. When I tried it, she'd locked it.

I scowled down at her. "Open the door, Tati."

She just grinned playfully at me. "Make me."

I pulled at the handle out of frustration. "Tati. I'm warning you."

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