Page 48 of Devil's Own: Roughneck

“Where are we heading?” Gillian asks.

“The airport,” Danni answers.

“Knoxville?” Gillian asks next.

“It’s the closest,” Dusty says. “Don’t worry about gas. We’ll get that.”

“I’m not worried. I just wish I were coming with.”

“I don’t think you do,” I answer.

“Girl, you don’t know me, but I want to join the FBI one day. Trust me when I say I do.”

“That’s up to you if you buy a ticket when we get there,” Danni says, which means she wants her friend to come along. And really, the woman is planning to apply to the FBI. It probably couldn’t hurt to have her in our girl posse at this point.

Suffice to say, Gillian buys a ticket when we get there. The four of us catch a red eye down to Miami.

Once we land, Dusty calls Greer. She’s surprised but not angry we didn’t invite her along. She has small kids. Greer gives us directions to the former Raiders underground hospital. She’d had a thing when she first got together with Sarge. They ended up at the hospital for treatment.

Before hanging up, we make her swear not to tell anyone where we are. Not even Nic. The fewer people who know, the safer we’ll be. We tell her about the snitch in the club. Just like a man, her husband never informed her about that.

Rough is going to be pissed.

And I don’t give two shits.

15

They just get me back to bed after forcing me to walk, purposely putting weight on my wounded leg as part of my rehabilitation. Not lying, that shit hurts, and I’m so over this damn hospital gown. They gave me one where my ass doesn’t hang out, but it looks like I’m wearing a fucking muumuu.

I just get settled when my nurse walks in. She looks like a hard bitch. Former army nurse, she’s seen a lot in her life, but swear to Christ, she’s sweet as sugar. “You have visitors,” she says. “You feeling up for that?”

“My brothers can visit any time.”

“It’s, well,” —She looks at the floor and the wall, but not at me— “it’s not any of your brothers.”

And just like that, I’m on guard. “Who is it?” I ask slowly.

“A woman.”

A woman?

“Her name is Gia Fredricks. She says she’s your partner.”

What the actual fuck? How did Gia know I was here? How did she get here? Why the fuck did she come? I grit my teeth. “Yeah, she’s my woman.” She has a lot to answer for. “Send her in.”

She steps out and a moment later, Gia walks in and I see red. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I explode.

“Calm down.”

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down. I can’t believe thisshit—how did you know?”

“Carter called me becauseyoudidn’t. Shot three times and you don’t bother to let me know? That’s not how this works between us. I get shot, how would you feel if I didn’t call you?”

“That shit’s never going to happen. I take care of you.”

I swear a mushroom cloud erupts over her head. Gee’s never been this angry with me. “Fuck you, Rough,” she snaps. “Fuck you if you think I’m staying away. You wanted an old lady—you got one. Part of that job ismetaking care ofyou, too.”

“This doesn’t have—”

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