Page 9 of Tesoro: Mayhem Makers

I watch as Angelo leans forward, twisting the ring on his middle finger. He was still getting used to having the thing, and I wondered if he was channeling the man who wore it before.

“Pull this shit again and I’ll crush the rest of him.”

Angelo’s voice is laced with seriousness. His words contain no warning, but a guarantee if Chuy does what I think he plans to, things will become deadly. My brother knows how to speak in a way the cartel will understand. Even someone as stupid as Chuy.

“I’ll expect what he stole plus the thirty percent within twenty-four hours.”

Chuy remains silent as he motions for one of the men behind him to collect Manny. As I watch the entourage exit the door, my gut tells me this is far from over as the entire interaction had been too simple.

“Come on, fuckers. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Angelo adjusts his jacket as he stands to his full height. Mimicking his actions, I move to retrieve my cell when the door flies open and the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rings out.

“Motherfucker!” Angelo screams a second before I watch him drop to the floor. My muscles flinch as I dive to the ground on top of him, a burning sensation filling my shoulder as the sound of gunshots continue.

“Don’t you die on me too, brother.” I shout in his ear as I reach for the gun at the small of my back.

Chapter

Seven

KATE

I inwardly cringe as the man on the television points to a map of the Dallas area and the back to back storms which are about to hit. The first will plummet the temperatures to record lows and the second will bring precipitation, most likely in the form of snow.

This news is both exciting for the kids as school has already closed for the rest of the week, and disappointing as the hospital has gone into storm condition one, which means all personnel have been recalled and told to expect to remain at the hospital until the all clear is given.

Securing my backpack over my shoulder, I survey the room to see if I forgot anything when my gaze lands on the stack of papers on the bar. My lease is up in a few months and, until my conversation with Andi a few hours ago, I’d been torn about whether to renew it or not. I’d come clean about my desire to move away, my relationship with Brady and the promise I’d made to my nona. I fully expected her to be upset, maybe accuse me of being a bad friend, however I was not prepared for the global meltdown I received. She called me a selfish bitch, demanded I never speak to her again, and then threw her drink in my face before stomping out of the restaurant. Whoevercoined the phrase the truth shall set you free, was an absolute idiot.

Parking my car, I made my way through the ER entrance. Once inside, I find a group of nurses surrounding one of the assignment boards, a blonde I didn’t recognize pointing at Dr. Raymond’s name.

“This is so stupid,” she huffs. “Texas is too far south to get any real snow.”

I’d love to agree with her, but she is blind to the overall picture. While Dallas isn’t famous for large amounts of snow, it also isn’t equipped to handle the harsh conditions this storm is predicted to bring. If ice forms on power lines it could cause them to snap, cutting off power and creating a multitude of issues.

“Romano?” Dr. Raymond bellows, waving a clipboard above his head. “You’re with me.”

I inwardly cringe as I approach. Working with Dr. Raymond had been brutal since he discovered his wife’s betrayal. The hospital board overruled his decision to suspend Adam from the program, citing personal issues are to be kept outside of the hospital doors.

“I need you as my nurse tonight.” Raymond has a thorn in his side when it comes to nurses. He assumed we were all too stupid to obtain a real degree. I was excluded of course, due to my current studies. To be honest, he didn’t care for the other doctors either. He felt the only true degree came from his alma mater, Harvard. Perhaps he will return to Massachusetts and find a better wife.

“Don’t triage any bullshit cases to me. If I have to leave my office, someone better be in serious condition.”

I don't bother to acknowledge him, he doesn't really care if I’ve heard him or not. Selecting a chair in the corner, I drop mybackpack to the floor. Not calling on Dr. Raymond will be more of a blessing to me than him.

“Can you believe how dead it is around here?”

My body stiffens as I slowly turn around finding one of the male nurses with his feet propped up, cell phone in hand. “Only patient we’ve got is some Karen with a splinter in his finger.”

It’s an unwritten rule in the healthcare field to never use the word dead or slow when describing the work load.

“You know that’s bad luck.” I say, the words barely leaving my lips when the trauma alarm sounds.

“See,” I point at him as I run across the room, before reading the message.

“We’ve got multiple gunshot victims five minutes out.” I allow my training to kick in as I shout to the room. “Get trauma one, two and three ready,” I point to the male nurse.

“Someone get Dr. Raymond out of his office. Get lab and radiology down here.” I call out as I round the front of the desk.

“Wait, who the hell put you in charge?” The male nurse questions from behind me.

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