Page 53 of Mechanic

Following his gaze I see two of the men from the poker room gripping the rope from above me. When they ignore Tony, it only increases his ire. He lunges toward me, the torch aimed at the rope. My eyes widen in alarm as Roderick rushes up behind Tony, tackling him to the ground. The torch flies from his hand in my direction. As if he aimed, it hit the rope, causing it tocatch fire, along with my clothing. Pain like I have never known shrouds my entire body. The rope jerks as the men above me scramble in earnest to pull me up to safety.

The tightness around me is starting to lighten as the flame burns away the rope fibers. I am running out of time. Roderick is lying on top of Tony, holding him in place, watching helplessly.

“Antonia!” he yells.

“Give me your hand,” one of the men above me yells.

I open my mouth to tell him that I can’t, that the rope is wrapped tightly around my body, pinning my arms in place, when suddenly, they are free, and I am moving in the opposite direction of the men trying to help me. Without thought my arms shoot above my head.

Chapter 32

Roderick

The consistent beeping of the machines tells me things are okay.

Terror, like I have never known, washed over my body when I spotted Antonia dangling from that rope inside the empty elevator shaft. From what Chayce has been able to get out of Tony, he did some exploring of the hotel during his free time. Other than the rope, Tony gathered supplies from various places on the construction site in the second tower. His plan had always been to end Antonia’s life after he set her up for theft.

Research into his activity at both the Las Vegas and Padston casinos showed that he was already forging her initials, which wasn’t hard since they are both A.D. He had stolen quite a bit of money during the short time Antonia was a dealer. After hefound out she transferred he did everything he could to follow her to New York. Once he found out about the Whale’s private game and how much was at stake, he made his final move.

That move was his mistake since he counted on Antonia to be too scared to say something. Tony didn’t know that we were involved. He also didn’t know that players from that game consisted of the sheriff, both of his deputies, and several other town council members.

I squeeze Antonia’s hand again just to reassure myself that she is still here. Still not sure how Brody and Deakon, Chayce’s deputies and brothers, moved so fast. As the rope broke and Antonia started to fall, they somehow managed to catch her in mid-air.

Tavan Russell was close by and started to treat Antonia’s wounds as we raced out of the building and to a car. Once we reached the hospital, Antonia was rushed out of sight. The doctors put her in a medical-induced coma in order to treat the worst of her wounds. She sustained second and third-degree burns over her torso, three broken ribs, several cracked ribs, multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises, and a mild head injury.

Which brings us to our current situation. I haven’t left Antonia’s side. Shawna and Aymond have stayed in town to help with the casino. Rhodee is getting a crash course from Shawna. It’s been three days since Chayce arrested Tony. When he ran his fingerprints in the system, it flagged that he was wanted for a similar crime at a casino in New Orleans as well.

Various townspeople have stopped by to visit Antonia. She has been accepted in the short time that she has been here. After my adamant statement that I had no intention of leaving Antonia’s side, the hospital staff brought in a recliner for me. It is uncomfortable as hell, but a step above the folding chairs propped along the wall.

Antonia’s hand moves under mine, and I sit forward in the chair. Her eyes flutter as she tries to open them. I press the call button for the nurse just as I am greeted by the best sight in the world.

“Antonia,” I say with a reverent whisper.

Tears fill my eyes, and I quickly duck my head as the nurse comes rushing into the room. As soon as I have myself under control, my head lifts. The nurse is fussing over Antonia, checking to make sure she is okay.

“How are you feeling?” she asks my girl.

“Wa-ter?” Antonia croaks out.

“I can get you some ice chips. You will need to wait for the doctor to see you before I can get you anything else. You will probably be on a liquid diet for several days once he does give the okay,” the nurse says as she continues to check all of Antonia’s bandages, wires, and tubes. “Here if your pain pump,” she says, handing Antonia a button. “Don’t be a hero. If you need it, use it. And don’t let the pain get away from you,” she adds, wagging a finger at Antonia. “I’ll be right back with your ice chips.”

The door closes behind the nurse as she steps out of the room.

My gaze moves to Antonia’s face; hers is focused on me. I open and close my mouth several times, but no sound comes out. I know that I should probably let everyone know that she is awake, but our time alone will become nonexistent.

The nurse comes back in with a Styrofoam cup and a spoon. Her gaze focuses on me as she speaks.

“Give her a couple of chips at a time, slowly. I sent a page to the doctor. After he examines her and we know what tests he wants, we can move on from this.” Placing the cup down, she pats Antonia’s leg a couple of times before leaving us alone again.

I move forward, spooning up a couple of ice chips and placing them on her tongue. Antonia’s eyes roll back in her head, lettingout a soft moan. She opens her mouth again for more and I give them to her. We repeat this process slowly, stopping once the doctor steps in.

“How are you doing today, Antonia? You’ve been through a lot.” His questions seem rhetorical as he starts looking over her injuries. Antonia winces as he pokes and prods at her. She reaches her limit, hitting the button for her pain medicine. If the doctor notices, he doesn’t comment. The meds hit her quickly as her eyes begin to droop shut.

“I think you are wasting your breath, Doc,” I comment. He looks at me, confused, until I nod my head at Antonia’s face.

“She will be doing a lot of that. It’s really the best thing for her,” he starts to walk away before I call out.

“Hey Doc, is she going to be okay to eat? I know that the nurse said she will probably need to be on liquids only for a day or two. I would like to at least have her drink some water, maybe some broth?”

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