Page 82 of Sin With Me

I followed their nervous gazes to the truck and motioned with my gun to go to the back. “Open the trunk.”

“You don’t want to dothis.”

“I said, openit.”

The door rolled up. Rows of stacked pouches filled the van. Ten other coolers with what appeared to be organs, each one with a folder attached to its side, lined one of the walls. I wondered how many other people were waiting for their lives to be saved with these trades. I took the army knife from the holster at my thigh and cut through one plastic pouch. White powder spilled, and I swore under my breath as I realize that I stumbled upon a larger operation. My steady nerves began tofray.

The warehouse side door opened and a brawny man with a moustache came out. He stopped as soon as he saw us and reached behind him for thedoor.

“Don’t you dare even think about it,” I calledout.

“You chose the wrong people to cross, bitch.”

“Shut up and stand beside these two.” I motioned with mygun.

But he didn’t listen. Instead, his mouth opened like a dragon’s as he yelled, “Security!”

A jolt of panic electrified my veins. From that moment, I relied on my adrenaline and instinct. “Get in the car.” I pointed to the van’sdoor.

The surgeon threw his cigarette butt to the ground. Flames shot upward, their heat forcing me to step back. The fire reached the tank, and I grabbed the guy holding the cooler, pulling him off to the side. The explosion that followed threw us back a dozen or so feet. His arm caught fire and he dropped the cooler. I raced forward and grabbed it, keeping my gun pointed at the thug who’d ruined my plan to make a quiet escape and kept screaming, “Security!”

I might as well have been holding a squirt gun because he rushed at me with all his might, regardless of my weapon. Of course I didn’t fire, because I didn’t have any bullets – but I had something else he wasn’t expecting.

I set the cooler down, and I kicked him in the center gut as hard as I could. Winded, he fell back, then quickly got up and flew at me again. This time he grabbed my leg, trying to knock me off my balance. Grateful for my self-defense training, I somersaulted sideways, executing a perfect landing, and threw a jab at his nose. The crunching sound of breaking bone echoed. He yelped in pain and fell to his knees. The truck full of narcotics and illegal organs was ablaze. My heart ached for the recipients who wouldn’t get their transplants tonight. On the other side of the truck, beyond the flames, chaos ensued as someone yelled for an extinguisher. By now a few more men had come out with their guns around the van and were heading toward us. I grabbed the cooler and the surgeon by his arm and ran out of the warehouse, heading straight for mycar.

Shots were fired. Rounds of bullets echoed in my ears as I prayed that none of them would hitme.

“Getin!”

Holding the steering wheel with one hand and the gun with the other, I pressed my foot on the pedal without bothering to put on my seat belt or turn on the headlights. Thank goodness I’d parked away from everyone, behind a pile of scrap.

“They’ll find you, youknow.”

“They won’t. No one sawme.”

“They have ways. I promise youthat.”

His threat crawled up my spine in the form of fear, but it was too late to turn back. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting to my mother and making sure that she survived.

“You can do the surgery, right?”

“I’m going to needhelp.”

“I’ll doit.”

“You’re not a nurse.”

Fuck!

He wasn’t going to do it. If he did, he’d know that my friend had helped me, and I couldn’t risk any more lives tonight.

“You know what? You’re right. I don’t need you after all.” I pointed the gun at him. “Open the door and getout.”

“You’re driving.”

“You think the chances of survival are greater with a bullet in your head than jumping out of a movingcar?”

He hesitated for a moment and then opened the door. I gave him a nice push as I turned left to help him get out, and pressed my foot to the gas pedal again.

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