Page 11 of Near Miss

“It’s chilly out here,” she complained.

Trench, annoyed, shucked off his jacket and handed it to her.

She put it on, then pointed at his shoulder holster. “Why are you wearing a gun?”

“Because I don’t like being at the mercy of others,” Trench replied, “and I’d rather defend myself up front than wait for somebody else to make the first move.” He leaned over the parapet and saw the waiting Bentley. “You’d be surprised if all the men at this party removed their jackets.”

“I didn’t know paranoia ran that deep,” she said.

Trench resisted the temptation to slap her across the face. He didn’t need a scene that would cement his location at this hour into other guests’ minds.

They had been sitting there for half an hour before Trench saw Barrington and Matilda make a move inside. Barrington went to the spare bedroom and came back with their coats. Then they said their goodbyes to their hosts and walked to the elevator.

Trench pressed the button for the last number dialed on his throwaway.

“Where are you?”

“Out front.”

“They’ve just left the party and are on the way down.”

“I’m on it.”

Trench looked at his date and saw her reaction to the call, but she said nothing. He stood and rested his elbows on the parapet, looking down at the street. The Bentley was nicely illuminated by a streetlamp. He saw a movement in the doorway of the building across the street. Huff was ready.

“Can we go back inside now?” the girl asked. “I need to stand by the fire and warm my ass.”

“Don’t worry,” Trench said. “I’ll warm it for you in a few minutes.”

She stood up and looked into the street. “What are you looking at?”

“There’s a Bentley down there.”

“Yes, I saw it when we got out of the cab.”

“I’m thinking of ordering one.”

“Based on how it looks from ten stories up?”

Trench tensed. Barrington had just walked out of the building. The driver got out to open the door on the curbside for them.

“Okay,” Trench said, “let’s go back inside and warm your ass.” He took his jacket back and put it on. The police would be here soon, and he didn’t want to have to explain the shoulder holster to them.

Chapter 8

Stone approached the Bentley with Matilda on his arm and motioned for Fred to get back in the car. He put Matilda into the back seat and walked around the car to enter from the other side. He opened the car door and lifted a foot to enter. As he did, he saw a blur of motion in the corner of his left eye, and something solid struck him across the back of his neck. As he descended into unconsciousness, he heard what he thought was a single gunshot, which echoed in his head.

The echo was the first thing Stone heard when he opened his eyes. He took a moment to orient himself, then it became clear that he was in a hospital room, and a rather nice one. There was an IV running in one arm, and a vase of beautiful flowers on a table by the door.

“His eyes are open,” a woman’s voice said.

Stone focused on the face hovering above him, and as her features became sharp, her name did, too. “Matilda?” he said. “Mom?”

“He’s awake, and he thinks I’m his mother,” she said to someone.

“Only joking,” Stone replied. “Forgive me for asking the obvious question, but: Where am I? Is this a hospital or a mortuary?”

“It’s Lenox Hill Hospital,” Dino’s voice said. “And stop being a wiseass.”

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