Page 139 of Sunset Beach
“Sweet. Turn around, will you?”
He did as she asked and she quickly discarded the cut-offs and the hospital gown and dressed in the scrubs, which were two sizes too big.
“All done,” she announced. “Let’s go.”
“Take my arm,” he said gruffly, as they moved down the hallway toward the exit. The Crocs squeaked loudly on the linoleum tile with every step she took.
“Where’d you get the clothes and shoes?” she asked, as the automatic doors slid open.
“Money talks,” he said. He steered her gently toward the Mercedes, which was parked under the emergency room portico, with the flashers blinking. As they approached, a hospital security guard who’d been lounging nearby stepped closer.
“All set?” he asked.
Brice reached out and shook the guard’s hands, obviously passing him some currency.
“All set, thanks.”
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“Hey, you guys.” They turned to see Jonah Kelleher emerge from the shadows at the edge of the portico. He was still dressed for the date that Drue had forgotten about, although his necktie was long gone and his blue dress shirt was stained and wrinkled.
“Jonah!” Drue exclaimed. “I thought Dad sent you home.”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t just leave, not knowing if you’d be okay.”
She touched his arm. “That’s so sweet. I’m good. Thanks to you and Corey.”
His dark blue eyes took in her bedraggled appearance, skunk hair, oversize scrubs and all. “You don’t look so hot.”
“Flatterer.”
Jonah nodded at Brice. “It’s pretty late. If you want, I can take her home. I mean, we did have a date tonight.”
“You did?” Brice looked at Drue. “Really?”
“Really,” Drue replied. “But we’re not going home. We’re going after the guy who did this to me.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a long story, and I don’t have the energy to tell it twice,” she said. “You might as well hear it at the same time as Dad.”
Brice opened the back door of the Mercedes with a flourish. “Get in, son.”
As soon as everybody was in the car, Drue turned to her father and put out her hand. “I need your phone.”
He handed it over without comment. She gazed down at it and swore softly. “I don’t have Rae’s cell number. It’s on my phone, which I don’t have.”
Jonah snaked his hand over the headrests. “Here. I brought it with me.”
She turned around and flashed him a grateful smile, then scrolled through the recent calls on her phone until she found the detective’s number, grimacing when she noticed the time.
“She’s gonna kill me for calling her at one-thirty in the morning.”
Drue put the phone on loudspeaker. Rae Hernandez’s voice sounded distinctly pissy. “What?”
“Rae?” Drue said meekly. “I’m sorry, but this really is urgent. I’m just leaving the emergency room with my dad. Ben Fentress tried to kill me earlier tonight.”
“Wait. Who? Is this connected to the Jazmin Mayes thing?”
