Page 51 of Sinners' Appetite
“Thank you,” she replies. “For everything. I mean it.”
“Anything for you, baby girl.” I wink, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her forehead before getting up to leave. When I walk out of the room, I peer into Sammi’s room and see Jeremy fast asleep in the chair beside the bed. Her eyes are wide open, but she’s just staring mindlessly up at the ceiling.
As I turn to walk away, she moves her head to the side and stares right at me. My heart jumps into my throat as she opens her mouth to speak, mouthing the words with no sound coming out at all.
I walk into the room, slowly making my way over to her bedside. “You need to get some sleep, Sammi,” I whisper as I lean over her to pull the blankets up.
“Tell him to go home…” she’s able to whisper.
“I don’t think he’ll listen.”
“How’s Nikki?” she asks.
“She’s okay.”
“Good. She’s not blaming herself, is she?”
I shake my head. “I think it’ll take some time for her to get past those feelings.”
“It’s not her fault. I’m glad she wasn’t alone this time.”
I think back to what Jeremy told me. “I’m just glad Jessica was able to track Nolan.”
“That’s how you found us?”
“She seemed happy to help.” I smile.
“That’s surprising. She never liked me very much.” Her voice starts to crack, so I reach for the glass of water on her bedside table, handing it to her.
“You should get some sleep,” I whisper, trying not to wake Jeremy.
“I felt everything,” she says as I stand to walk away.
I stop and turn back toward her. “I’ll find him, Sammi. I promise.”
“I couldn’t move…” the tears start to stream down her face as she keeps her eyes held on mine.
Rage starts to set in and I can feel the sweat start to break through my pores. “Do you remember anything about what he looks like?”
She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. “The tattoos. I remember the tattoos. His whole face is tattooed.”
“Anything else?”
“If it helps any, I remember him saying that he didn’t know how to drive a standard. He and Nolan argued over it for a good five minutes.”
I let out a faint laugh. “So—a guy with a tattooed face that can’t drive stick.”
“Pretty much.” She grins.
The tattoo detail is actually quite helpful. The city might be big, but there’s only so many tattoo shops.
I’ll question all of them.
“Nikki—Nikki,you’reokay,wakeup…”
I shoot up in the bed, and when I open my eyes, I see a nurse hovering over me with a concerned look in her eyes.
“You were having a nightmare, I think. Are you feeling okay?” she asks.
