Page 83 of Sin With Me

In my rearview mirror I watched the warehouse burn, and then I didn’t look back again. Twenty minutes later I arrived at a private clinic.

A few hours passed, and I was standing in blue scrubs behind a glass wall as my friend and her co-workers did the transplant. When I first approached her about the surgery, she didn’t agree. But I begged her like a vagabond and then cashed in on a favor she owed me. She still didn’t agree, and so I cried until there were no tears left, and she finally gavein.

The surgery lasted five hours. Jules removed her scrubs and cleaned up after the surgery before coming over to seeme.

“The surgery went fine. I’ll need to observe her for a few days before she’s transferred to the clinic, though.”

“I owe you big time, Jules. Are you sure they won’t say anything?” I nodded to the other surgeon on her team and two nurses.”

“No. I trust them. Will you beokay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Once she’s at the clinic, I’m going to disappear for a while.”

“You know you can call me if you need anything.”

“Jules, I stole an organ from a cartel. I think it’s better for both of us if I stay away. At least until I can figure out what to donext.”

“All right. But Scar has access to people, and he can help. If you need a new identity or anything, just let meknow.”

What I really needed at the moment was luck. A lot ofluck.

“The fewer people involved, the better.”

“All right, you take care of yourself, Hope, okay?”

“Iwill.”

Once my mother was at the clinic, I submitted my request for a leave. The news of the warehouse fire spread quickly. The investigation would take a while, especially since I’d been right in the middle of it all. So far, though, there were no red flags. If anyone had seen me and recognized me, I would have already been arrested ordead.

“A year?” Mike, my boss asked. He’d only been at the precinct for two years, but he was a good boss. “We could use your help around here. There’s a good case the Feds want us to workon.”

“I’m sorry, Mike. It’s been tough with the house fire, and my mother’s not well, but I’ll be back. I promise.”

“I wish you well, Hope, and I hope you find the answers you’re lookingfor.”

I hoped that as well. I hoped that I’d find Jack Pace and could finally let my motherrest.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

I kept my lips sealed.

“All right, don’t tell me, but be careful. Please.”

“Iwill.”

We said our goodbyes, and I left to search for JackPace.

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