Page 18 of Pitbull
“I don’t know.”
“What’d I say about lying to me, Deniz? I thought we had an understanding.”
“No, really. I haven’t seen Slim since the last time you busted up my organization.” Deniz reported, his voice cracking. “Ask Mark! She stopped coming around which is good because I don’t need her kind of trouble. You’re her brother. You’re GSG 9—I don’t think I have to tell you, having you bust up my operation is bad for business.”
“How about you stop selling drugs?” Anke asked. “I mean, you’re obviously bad at this.”
“No, Deniz. I need you to focus on me. I’m the very short fuse right now.”
Deniz glared at her but Anke didn’t care.
That brought Deniz’s eyes back to him.
“Let’s say I believe you.” Daniel continued. “What’s the ground telling you?”
“There’s a price on her head.”
“What?” Anke asked. “What do you mean?”
Deniz looked over at Anke.
“Answer the lady.” Daniel barked.
“I don’t know why. But the word on the street is, someone very powerful wants her gone.”
“How much?” Pitbull asked.
“One million Euros.”
Anke and Pitbull exchanged glances. With Anke by the door, she watched as Daniel walked over to the woman and hunched down beside her. He tapped her cheek but instead of sitting, the woman moaned and shoved at Daniel’s chest weakly.
“Is she hurt?” Anke asked.
“High,” Daniel said. “What’s she on?”
“E,” Deniz replied.
“What else?” Daniel asked.
“That’s all I got, man, I swear.” Deniz was once again shaking.
The anger on Daniel’s face spoke volumes as he pushed his arms underneath her and picked her up. Without a word, he rose to his full height and marched toward the door.
“You can’t just—” Deniz began but clammed up when Daniel turned a fiery glare toward him.
They continued out the door with the woman no wiser as to what was happening. She rested her head against Daniel’s chest. Without thinking, Anke pushed her hand into Daniel’s pocket and picked up the key to open the door for him. He set her on the back seat and Anke climbed in beside her.
“Where are we taking her?”
“I have a friend at a nearby hospital.”
Anke remained quiet as they drove toward the hospital. She turned her attention to the woman and knew in a previous life she had been beautiful. Her face was covered in scabs as she trembled against the seat. Her brows wrinkled, her lips chapped and her dark hair looked as though it hadn’t been washed in weeks. There was a smell as well but Anke merely opened the window to let fresh air in.
At the hospital, they climbed from the vehicle and Anke stopped to grab Daniel’s badge as they hurried inside. Someone rushed out with a wheelchair and a nurse quickly fell to their side.
“She’s high—they said she’s on E but we can both agree that’s not true,” Daniel explained. “Is Dr. Causda here?”
“She is. I’ll have her paged.”
