Page 13 of Nightcrawler

“So, you two didn’t know about the gun?”

“No, and trust me, that oversight almost cost him his life.” I pointed to the sleeping man in my bed.

“Everyone makes mistakes, Huerta. I have no doubt in my mind, this was one.”

I nodded. “Yeah…we thought we were good to go. She’d run into the bathroom, and he was pounding on the door, trying to get her to open it. Besides, they were both stark naked when we left the bedroom. Neither of us knew he had a gun.” I looked at the ground, speaking to my feet. “I almost got him killed, Vonne.”

“Or blinded or both,” my best friend said, shaking his head. He waited for me to respond but I already felt so bad, I didn’t want to explain anything further.

“I fucked up and this time Jamie’s gonna fire me,” I said instead.

Vonne frowned and poked me in my chest. It hurt and I stepped back. “No, he’s not and if he tries, you’ve got a real good lawsuit against him.” He poked at his own chest. “I got lawyers who’d help get you a lot more than a stinkin’ bounty.”

“What grounds do you think I’d have for something like that?” I asked.

“Did Jamie tell you the guy had a gun in his house?”

“No, but—”

“Because if you’d known somethin’ like that, you’d have never done anythin’ so stupid as to go in there when you knew the guy was home, Huerta. We both know you don’t leave that kind of thing to chance, or did you forget we’ve taken a few doors together?”

I hadn’t forgotten. How could I ever forget how every single guy in my unit had saved my life more than once. Then again, I’d saved all their lives too. It’s how our recon team worked. We relied on each other to stay safe. Without that, we would’ve had nothing. “I haven’t forgotten but I’m not suing Jamie. I am, however, going to read him the riot act. The fact that Passantino had a gun nearly got me killed.”

“Anyway, I’m gonna go.”

“You can stay,” I said, thinking about how empty my refrigerator was and instantly feeling bad that I didn’t even have a soda to offer my friend. “The stew won’t be ready for a while but I can make some coffee.”

“No, man, I’m good. Really. I have a shift at the V.A. at eleven and I’m gonna have to sweet talk that pretty, little nurse I’ve been datin’ to have her restock my kit.”

“She gives you drugs?” I was surprised. With Vonne’s job as a technician in the Cath lab at the Sylmar V.A. Hospital, I knew he didn’t have access to drugs.

He shook his head. “She doesn’t give me any controlled substances. She gives me supplies that won’t be missed and the odd vial of tetanus vaccine and antibiotics they keep locked up in the employee’s health center now and then. I’ll be back in the mornin’, Huerta. You need to change his dressin’ tonight and call me if he spikes a fever.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I mean it, Huerta. If he spikes a fever or if that wound looks nasty when you change the bandage, you need to call me.”

“You’ll be at work.”

He pointed to the bed before frowning back at me. “And he could go septic or get very sick if the wound gets infected. Understand?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Good.” He held out a hand which I ignored, hugging him instead. He chuckled against my shoulder, patting my back. When he stepped back, his expression was grim. “Take care, my friend. I don’t want to hear how some cops showed up here and dragged you off. Got it?”

“I got it. Thank you, my brother.” I did get it. What we’d done had been stupid and reckless. Had I not had rent coming due and no way to pay it, I wouldn’t have gone through with it. Maybe the life of a bounty hunter was all wrong for me. I just didn’t know what else I was fit for. As I saw Vonne out of the apartment and stood there looking across the room at the man sleeping peacefully in my bed, I felt completely lost…and not for the first time in my life.

Chapter Six

TRIGG

Book title: To Kill or Not to Kill a Mockingbird

Author: William Blake

Publisher: Self-published

Genre: Paranormal legal drama

---