Hurry Up And Wait (Owens Protective Services #24)

36. Shawn

36

SHAWN

“And you’re sure there was no one else on the roof with you?” Caparzo asked.

If you want to live, you’ll tell the police you fell off the roof. Got it?

“Nah, it was just me. Clumsy as always,” I chuckled, then winced as pain wracked my chest.

Caparzo looked at me questioningly. He didn’t buy it for a minute. He knew someone had done this to me, but if I told him who, I’d have to explain how someone from another state followed me home and beat the hell out of me, and why they had done it.

He shut his notepad and stuffed it in his pocket, then got to his feet. “If you think of anything else, you know my number.”

I nodded and sighed in relief when he walked out the door. Finally, I could get some sleep. I heard the door open again, but as I peeled my eyes open, I let them fall shut since it was just the nurse.

“We’re just checking your meds,” the nurse said, her voice sounding like Ms. Piggy. “How’s the pain today?”

I grunted. “Ten. Always fucking ten.”

“That’s because you don’t deserve pain meds.” My eyes flew open and I glared at the woman, who wasn’t a woman at all. He leaned in close and grinned at me maniacally. “Just remember, you’re never alone.”

His fingers snapped and a familiar tune left his lips in the form of a whistle.

Just like that night.

As he snapped my bones and broke my ribs, he sang and danced and ate his fucking Funyuns, ranting about how delicious they were and how there should really be a shawarma flavor.

Out of all the insane things he did and said that night, the smell on his breath was the one thing that stood out above all else. He wanted me to remember him, to haunt my dreams with the foul odor. And as he grinned at me again and pulled out the familiar yellow bag, I knew I was never going to get out of this alive.

“Nurse!”

Thank you for reading Hurry Up And Wait!

The story continues in Dear John .