Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,62

she saw the blood and remembered how scared he’d been. If all went well, she would call his dad, tell him she thought he was kidnapped … although he was a bit confused about that part. Why would JJ think someone had taken him? He hadn’t had a chance to set the scene with a story.

Dante was still pondering that dilemma when Marcus returned to the room wielding an enormous chef’s knife.

“What’s that for?” he demanded, coming to stand to block JJ.

“Don’t worry, you big sissy. I ain’t gonna cut her.” Marcus sidestepped him, then grabbed the syringe. “I’m gonna give her this so she’ll sleep till morning. The longer the better.”

“Why the knife?”

Marcus glanced at the shiny blade then back to him, smirked. “Just felt like the thing to do. Now get outta the way.”

As much as it pained him, Dante kept his eyes on JJ the entire time, watched as Marcus jabbed her in the arm with the needle, right through her sweatshirt, then pushed the plunger and filled her with the drugs. Not once did it cross his mind that she might not wake up from that. Not until after it was done.

“What now?” Dante asked, hating that his stomach was churning. What he needed was another hit, something to get him through the rest of the night.

“Now you leave.”

Turning, Dante walked out of JJ’s room, into the minuscule hallway. He didn’t make it very far when Marcus started laughing.

When he turned, it was to find Marcus standing with his hand on the door, gearing up to close it so Dante was on the wrong side of it.

“Why don’t you go wait in the car,” Marcus said with a snort. “I’m just gonna be a few minutes.”

Instinct took over and Dante slammed his hand on the door, pushing it open. His other hand went to the jamb, allowing leverage to keep Marcus from closing himself in the room with JJ.

“I can’t let you do that,” Dante growled. “Let’s get outta here. Now.”

Marcus’s eyes were a little wild when he said, “You’re not gonna let me?”

“You’ll screw up the whole plan,” Dante warned, wanting to get back on track. He knew better than to push Marcus. The guy was a lit fuse as it was, but no way was he going to allow Marcus to assault JJ. No way.

“Ain’t nobody gonna be the wiser.” Marcus glanced over his shoulder to where JJ lay unconscious on the bed. “Certainly not her.”

“I said no,” Dante demanded. “Not part of the deal.”

When Marcus’s eyes met his again, that sense of foreboding returned. Only this time, there was good reason.

“Fine. You win.” Marcus let the door swing open as he stepped forward.

Relieved, Dante gripped the doorjamb to keep himself upright. “Now can we get outta here? I need another fix.”

That was the moment Marcus took advantage, swinging the knife like a heavy hitter, the blade severing Dante’s finger clean off before lodging in the doorjamb.

Slouching back on the couch, Dante cradled his arm to his chest, willing the throbbing in his hand to abate. The white bandage he’d fashioned around the missing digit was showing blood again, but surprisingly, it was a lot less than he’d thought. What he needed was a doctor, but Marcus was right when he’d told him their plan would fail if he sought medical treatment, because they would realize he hadn’t been kidnapped.

If the fucking idiot hadn’t hacked off his finger, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Dante watched through drug- and pain-hazed eyes as Marcus paced the floor, his eyes continuously sliding from his phone to the clock on the wall and back again.

“Why aren’t you calling them? Making demands?” Dante asked.

After all, that was the plan. Stage the abduction, let JJ warn his family, then call with the ransom demand. Maybe not exactly smart, but it sounded foolproof. And as much as Dante hated to do it, he knew there weren’t a whole lot of options. Since he was eyeball deep in debt to both his bookie and his dealer, and Marcus had been sent to collect for the failed bets, Dante didn’t have much of a choice. He damn sure wasn’t waiting for the next collector to appear.

Marcus smiled down at his phone, then tucked it into his pocket. “We’ve got to be patient,” he replied, his hands wringing as he continued to pace. “I figured the drugs’ve worn off at this point. She’s probably awake.” Marcus glanced his way. “Such a shame you had