Page 54 of Bozo

“I won’t tell,” Antoine pleads. “The moment I’m out of here, I’ll be gone. No one will ever hear from me.”

“That’s not going to do,” the dark-haired man growls. “You’ve displeased Dragomir,” he snarls. “There’s no escaping for you. No leaving.”

I watch as Antoine trembles. “You’re going to kill me—here?”

I pull in a ragged breath. I have no idea what the hell is going on.

The air turns static as everyone turns to face me. I take a step backward, my heart pounding. “Sorry,” I stumble. “I have to check Mr. Dubois’ vitals.”

The blonde man watches me carefully, his eyes narrowed, before he steps closer to me. “You like eavesdropping?” he accuses.

I swallow hard, plastering on a fake smile as I skirt around him. “I didn’t eavesdrop,” I assure him as I move toward my patient. “If you wouldn’t mind giving us some privacy,” I say, not looking at them, my gaze focused on Antoine. “I’ll check on him and once I’m done, I’ll call you back in.”

“If it’s all the same to you, Doc,” the blonde growls, “we’ll stay where we are.”

I spin around and face the two dangerous men, my heart pounding, my hands trembling. “I’m sorry,” I tell them. “But every patient has the right to privacy.”

I’m so distracted by the two men that I forget that my patient is also dangerous. While my back is turned, he surges up from his bed. His hand wraps around my neck, and I still as I feel a sharpness at the base of my throat.

“I won’t go with them,” he stammers. “I won’t.”

“Antoine,” the blonde man snaps, his eyes wild as he stares at us. “You can’t escape what’s about to happen.” He edges closer to us.

"Stay back!" my captor hisses, his arm tightening around me. "I'll cut her if you come any closer!"

"Let her go, Antoine," the blonde one says, his voice cold. "You know how this ends."

"No!" Antoine grunts, pressing the blade harder against my throat. I feel a warm trickle of blood and try not to whimper. "I know too much. You'll kill me the moment I surrender."

My mind races, trying to find a way out of this nightmare.

I can hear sirens in the distance–the gardai are on their way. I wonder if someone knows that I’m here, that I’m trapped in this nightmare?

"Listen to me," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "This isn’t the way you’re going to get out of this."

Antoine's breath is hot on my ear as he considers my words. For a moment, I think he might relent, but then the dark-haired man takes a step forward, and Antoine tenses.

"Back!" he snaps. "Back now, or I swear I'll kill her!"

The smirk on the blonde man’s face is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. “I do not care,” he states. “She’s heard too much as it is. You did this. You know what the repercussions are, Antoine. You knew that but you still came here.”

Antoine’s grip on me releases slightly and I try to push away from him, but he’s too strong. I feel Antoine's grip tighten again as he pulls me back against him. The blade digs deeper into the skin on my neck, and I can't help but let out a small gasp of pain.

"You're bluffing," Antoine says, but his voice wavers with uncertainty.

The dark-haired man steps forward once again, his hand reaching inside his jacket. "He's not bluffing, Antoine. We have orders. No loose ends."

Time seems to slow down as I realize that these men truly don't care if I live or die. I'm just collateral damage in whatever game they're playing.

I hear a commotion outside the cubicle, followed by Sandra's raised voice. I hear her tell someone that I need help. My heart hammers against my chest. Oh God, I hope it’s the gardai.

The men glance at one another before shooting Antoine with a dark, warning look. They quickly flee, no doubt realizing that the gardai are here. They leave me alone with Antoine, his blade still pressed tightly against my throat.

“We’re going to get out of here,” he growls, pressing the blade harder against my throat. More blood trickles down my neck.

The sound of heavy footsteps grow closer, and within seconds, the curtain is ripped open, revealing two uniformed gardai.

"Garda! Drop your weapon!" one of them shouts.

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