Give Me Strength

by Kate McCarthy

“We put a roof over your goddamn head and now you’ve got yourself a job and friends in high places, you can’t repay what we gave you.” David shoved me backwards, and I went down hard on the pavement.

  “David. These people aren’t good,” I said, scrambling backwards and trying to regain my feet. “You can go to the police. Talk—”

  He gripped my biceps again and yanked me to my feet, backhanding me with a loud crack. My vision dotted and I swallowed down the familiar nausea and bitter tang of blood. “Don’t be stupid. If you can’t give them the money, I’ll just hand you over.”

  I turned, searching frantically for Travis and saw him across the road. Before I could call out, David kicked my feet out from underneath me and unable to brace myself in time, I went down hard on my stomach. My head slammed into the pavement with force. Dizzy, I lifted a hand to my head, feeling blood streaming down my face. I blinked and it pooled in my eye as my hand came away, red dripping from my fingers.

  “You’re stupid,” I whispered without turning around. I licked the blood from my lips. “The police are only moments from taking down the entire Zampetti crime group. You’re not immune. You’ll go down too.”

  I forced a chuckle and grunted when David jammed his knee in my back, pinning me to the ground. I turned my head from the blurred vision of waves and faced the street.

  “Travis,” I whispered.

  The click of a gun loading was loud in my ears and the cold press of metal in my neck sent chills twisting down my body.

  Casey stepped out of the coffee shop door at the same time Travis turned to search for me.

  I met his gaze, swallowing blood as fear swept across his face. He yelled my name as they both started to run.

  I tried to push up off my hands, but my arms were pulled behind my body, and I cried out when something tore in my shoulder.

  “Stay back,” David screamed as they got closer. “I’ll fucking shoot her, I swear it.”

  The cold metal pushed harder into my neck but Travis didn’t stop running. He was fast. So fast he was on David before I could even blink. The crack of his fist in David’s face was louder than the waves crashing in the ocean.

  Casey reached my side and ran his hands over me frantically. “Jesus, Quinn.”

  I winced and whispered, “I’m fine. Go help Travis. Please.”

  He shook his head, yanking his phone from his back pocket.

  Travis slammed David against my car, his eyes wild as rage engulfed his body. David grunted, his head cracking back before falling to the ground. Then Travis was on him, knuckles slamming into his face again, and again.

  My head pounded and I moaned, trying to struggle up from the ground, crying out when white hot agony ripped through my shoulder.

  “Stay down.” Casey put a gentle hand to my chest as he spoke into his phone for an ambulance.

  I struggled, moaning as the world tilted. I called out for Travis and in the split second he tilted his head to make sure I was okay, David grabbed at him and they were rolling and as daylight flickered out, a gunshot went off with a loud crack and my heart exploded with fear.

  ***

  I roused from unconsciousness to a hospital room and the blotchy tear-stained face of Lucy. My stomach pitched.

  “Lucy,” I croaked and swallowed. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  “Rubbish,” she replied angrily. “And ruin my beautiful face? You look like you’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson and lost. I warned you that you were no Rocky.”

  I struggled to sit up when my stomach pitched again. She started to lean back when my arm snapped out and grabbed her with panic. “Travis?”

  Her eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh,” I murmured and swallowed hard, but tears climbed my throat and spilled down my face before I could take another breath. I snatched my hand back. “No. Oh no.”

  My mind swam with the image of him laughing at me when we joined the other idiots swimming in the ice cold ocean. Travis had looked so beautiful in that moment, and I’d thought nothing could ever hurt him. Clinging to him in the water with his arms holding me tight against him, I’d thought he was infallible.

  “Quinn,” Lucy whispered.

  “No,” I shouted, holding stubbornly to the image of Travis brimming with life. “Shut up.”

  I swung my legs over the bed and screamed with pain, not knowing what hurt more, my body or my heart.

  “Quinn, he’s okay,” Lucy shouted as I panted past the pain, feeling sweat pop along my brow.

  A nurse dashed in as I sat on the edge of the bed. Her cardigan was flapping in her rush, her brow pinched with harried irritation. She picked up my chart from the end of the bed and without looking up, asked, “What’s your pain level between one and ten, love?”

  My eyes were stuck on Lucy. “You mean he’s not…not…”

  “No!”

  “Then why—”

  “Because he’s—”

  The nurse cut Lucy off. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave the young lady to rest.” She directed her stern gaze on me. “Now, Miss Salisbury, what is your pain level?”

  I turned a glare on her. “A hundred.” My eyes found Lucy again. “Luce?”

  “He’s been arrested,” she told me.

  “What?”

  “Excuse me, miss,” the nurse said determinedly to Lucy, “but you’re going to have to come back.”

  “Arrested for what?” I asked breathlessly.

  Lucy ignored the nurse and reached out to take my hand. She gave it a squeeze. “Honey. Travis shot David. He’s been arrested for manslaughter. Casey rang to tell me you were here. He’d told me everything, about the assignment, the police handcuffing Travis and taking him away. Oh, Quinn.” Her eyes were sad. “How could you believe he didn’t love you?”

  I stared at her waiting for the words to sink in. I licked my lips. “David’s dead?”

  She winced and I realised my nails were digging in to her hand.

  “Lucy, that’s…crazy. David was…Travis didn’t mean… It was an accident!” I burst out, remembering their tussle with the gun. “Travis wouldn’t have done it deliberately.”

  “Are you sure about that? If it were me I would have shot him myself.” Her nostrils flared dangerously, and Rick walked in looking tired, his eyes red, as she said, “Have I told you how much I motherfucking love Travis? I’m glad David’s dead. He’s hurt you for the last time.”

  “But at what cost?” I whispered. For Travis to languish in prison for the rest of his life? “If I hadn’t taken off this morning in an emotionally induced panic, this whole mess wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Here.” Lucy shoved a cup of water under my nose. “Have a sip.”

  “Fuck water.” I smacked it out of her hand. “I need to get out of here.”

  The nurse bustled around my IV, and within moments I felt myself drifting, her capable hands tucking me back into bed. “What did you do?” I slurred in accusation.

  “Eased your pain, love. I’ll be back later.”

  “Rick,” I whispered. He stood stoically against the wall, and I tilted my head to watch him step closer to my bed. His eyes were sad as they raked me over. I indicated for him to lean close and he bent right down.

  “Listen to me carefully,” I slurred. “Go...car...bring...dammit.”

  “I can hear you clear as day, Quinn,” Lucy called out. “And we’re not helping you bust out of here.”

  “Travis,” I muttered.

  Tears rolled down my cheeks that I wasn’t able to wipe away. Rick reached out and wiped them with his thumbs. The touch was soft and a giggle bubbled out of me before I could swallow it.

  “Oh shit,” I sobbed.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Rick said. “It’s just the drugs. Get some rest.”

  “Mistake, Rick. Travis and David. Accident. I don’t have time to be high, dammit,” I growled.

  “Yes. You do,” Lucy snapped from over Rick’s shoulder. “God. You fight at
everything. Just this once will you bloody well be quiet and close your eyes.”

  “You can tell us what happened later, okay?” Rick said and patted my good shoulder.

  “Okay,” I lied. There wouldn’t be time for telling later. I needed to get hold of the federal police and get Travis out.

  I must have mumbled something because when Rick pulled back from my bed, Lucy snorted. “This isn’t Prison Break, Quinn. Besides, it took them a whole season to bust out. What are you going to do?”

  I ignored her and instead asked, “Where’s Casey?”

  I lost consciousness before anyone could reply.

  Later that afternoon I woke groggy to a commotion at the door. It flew open loudly, swinging back and clicking into the doorstop behind it with a loud thunk.

  “Mac, for God’s sake,” came Evie’s exasperated voice. “Can you just try for a little less force next time?”

  “Shut up, Sandwich,” she snapped. “If you didn’t decide you had to make a food stop on the way here, then I wouldn’t have had to rush.”

  They both halted simultaneously when they saw my face. Tears filled Evie’s eyes; anger narrowed Mac’s to slits.

  Evie came around one side of my bed, Mac around the other, and she put her bag down to take my hand in hers.

  “What happened?” Mac barked.

  “Mac! She’s tired. Save the inquisition for when she’s up for it.” Evie turned back to face me and nudged a small packet onto my bed. “Here,” she muttered. “I brought you a burger and chips. I’ve seen my fair share of shitty hospital food, so I figured you’d be hungry.”

  My stomach pitched terribly at the idea of food, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her considering she’d made such an effort.

  “Thanks,” I said and nudged the packet a bit further down the bed. “You two don’t know what happened?”

  “No. So tell us. All I got was some vague message from Jared saying shit had gone down and you were okay but in the hospital.”

  “Travis has been arrested for manslaughter.”

  Mac’s mouth fell open. “What?”

  “David’s dead.”

  I waited for the relief those words would give, but no matter how much I wanted to see him pay for his actions, it wasn’t this way. “We need to get down to where Travis is being held.” I swung my legs over the bed and bit down on my tongue to stop the whimper. “They said I could be released…” I lied “…so we really should get a move on to make sure this mess gets sorted out.”

  Evie gave me a doubtful look. “You don’t look like they should be releasing you.”

  I wiped casually at the sweat on my brow. “Are you saying I look like shit?”

  “Pretty much,” Mac confirmed.

  “Thanks a bunch,” I snapped. The pain and fear for Travis was making me irritable, but Mac and Evie appeared to be taking it all in their stride. “Help me find my clothes. I hate feeling naked in these hospital gowns.”

  “You’re a shitty liar, Quinn. What’s the plan—bust you out of the hospital and then bust Travis out of prison? Seems too easy. What’s the catch?” Evie asked.

  “There’s no catch,” I replied. I just couldn’t bear the thought of Travis being behind bars any longer than necessary. How could the police have arrested him? I didn’t like to think shitty thoughts towards the police, but their actions were stupid. I couldn’t understand how Casey, Jared, or Mitch hadn’t sorted any of this mess out.

  “The catch,” Mac said, rummaging through the little cupboard on the left of my bed, “is that you have to retract your resignation. In fact, it wasn’t really official and I didn’t accept it. So once you’re fully recuperated I want you back in the office.” She pulled out a plastic bag of clothes.

  Unfortunately they were the same clothes I was wearing earlier and covered with dirt and blood. Evie helped me dress while Mac went and collected a wheelchair. Soon after I was standing outside the busy hospital entrance with Mac while Evie went to get her car and bring it around. When a man came and stood beside me I thought nothing of it. The entrance was busy and it looked like quite a few people were loitering or waiting for their respective rides. That was until I felt something hard press into my side. The man leaned in a little and said softly, “Lose your friend. Now.”

  Without moving my head, my eyes shifted down and saw the gun. My heart hammered hard in my chest, and I closed my eyes.

  Shit.

  “Mac,” I croaked and cleared my throat. “I’ve just realised I left my phone on the counter where we signed the release papers. Would you mind ducking in to get it for me?”

  Mac rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you to forget shit, Quinn. Stay put. I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the automatic doors.

  They whooshed closed behind her as a black BMW slid to a halt in front of me. The driver got out, came around, and opened the back passenger door.

  “Get in,” the man beside me ordered quietly and nudged me forward.

  I stepped towards the door and ducked my head. What greeted me was a shock. In my limited experience, which was based mainly on action movies, the bad guy was never attractive. His face usually featured an identifying scar or a tattoo across his knuckles that said MOM while hatred blazed from his evil eyes. Whatever it was, it was a screaming beacon that told you he was the bad guy—avoid this man at all costs! The man sitting in the back of this car was none of those. His hair was short and light brown, his suit sharp and fresh—right down to the gold monogrammed cuff links on his shirtsleeves.

  He grinned, showcasing a dimple that would melt any woman’s heart and winked at me with his light blue eyes. “Hop in, Quinn. I don’t bite.”

  “Sure you don’t,” I muttered under my breath and slid inside the car.

  No matter how friendly or how good looking he was, my stomach still rolled when the door slammed shut behind me.

  The car accelerated smoothly out of the hospital zone and into traffic, stopping soon after at a red light. Being high on painkillers, the decision to take a leaping dive out of a moving vehicle might possibly be the best option in this scenario. My hand reached for the door handle as we began to accelerate, but no matter how many times I yanked on it, the damn thing was determined to see me fail.

  The man chuckled before saying, “Put your seatbelt on.”

  “Fuck you.” I folded my arms, not without a measure of pain. “Who are you anyway?”

  “Nice of you to offer…” he looked me up and down “… but you look a little too sweet for my tastes. Now put your seatbelt on,” he enunciated clearly. “If I have to tell you again, I promise you won’t like the way I do it. I hate having to repeat myself.”

  My eyes narrowed but I slid the seatbelt carefully over my aching shoulder and fumbled awkwardly as I clicked it in place.

  “Happy now?”

  “I am, thank you. I have a vested interest in keeping you alive. It wouldn’t do to see you harmed before we arrive at our destination.”

  “Who are you?” I ground out.

  “No need to be rude, Miss Salisbury, it doesn’t suit you, but I’ll answer your question. My name is Luka Zampetti.”

  My eyes went wide. “You...you’re…”

  “Oh.” Luka’s eyes crinkled in pleasure. “You know of me then?”

  “David was the one that sent the Zampetti crime group your way to either get the money in cash or get their use from you some other way. They went for the cash option first.”

  “I-I don’t have any money.”

  “Quinn.” He tutted. “You could have gotten the money if you tried hard enough, but as it turns out, I have another use for you.”

  “Quinn, this isn’t just about drugs. It’s exploitation of the worst kind. Women forced into prostitution.”

  I shivered in horror. “I won’t… I won’t do—”

  “No, no, I wouldn’t be so horrid as to subject you to that distastefulness, even though you would fetch a good bit of
money. I leave all that with my father to deal with. No, Quinn, you’re like a little diamond in the rough that has fallen into my lap. I have a much greater use for you than that.” He waved his hand as though dismissing the subject. “You’ll find it all out later. First I want to talk about this morning.” He grinned and it was almost childlike in delight. “Did you like what I did for you?”

  My brow furrowed. “What you did?”

  “Wow, you’re a bit slow, aren’t you? Never mind. You have been in the hospital and a bit out of the loop I suppose. I got rid of David for you. The stupid bastard. Kept attacking you at every turn. So predictable. Once we realised who you were, we couldn’t have him go off on one of his rages and accidentally kill you. You’re far too important. So I had him shot. How bloody marvellous it was that your cowboy happened to be in the way. The police who arrived on scene were so daft they arrested him for it. Soon enough they’ll work it out, but it got them out of my hair long enough to get to you, didn’t it? Bloody Jamieson and Valentine getting their fingers into every pie in Sydney. It’s not good for business.”

  I was completely lost. “You realised who I am? I don’t understand?”

  My phone vibrated from my back pocket and I froze, having forgotten it was there.

  “Quinn, I really don’t like repeating myself. As I said, you’ll find it all out soon enough. Now hand over your phone.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  The slap was hard and fast, and I cried out as my already pounding head copped another round of agony.

  “Hand over your phone, Quinn.”

  I used my right arm to reach behind me, struggling to get to the back left pocket of my pants as tears smarted my eyes. The phone stopped ringing, starting again only moments later. I could only hope that if it was Travis and he was still locked up, he wasn’t wasting his one phone call on me.

  Luka snatched it from my hands, looking at the display before answering with a smile.

  “Mr. Valentine.”

  I swallowed, wondering which Mr. Valentine it was.

  The voice on the other end was loud and forceful, but I couldn’t make out the words over the rumble of the car engine.