Tell Me What Is Priceless (Siren Publishing Classic) (14 page)

“You do not have HIV, Blaze. I’ve been living with you for six months, and I would have known.”

“Nancy, you are not hearing me. Zar’s doctor did a test on me, Zar, and Kale. They came up negative, and mine was positive.”

“Did you see the test?”

“No, I didn’t check the test. Why?”

“Because he was wrong.”

Stephanie came in with a man. “Bell, this is Dr. Gillette. He is going to do a test on you. We would like you to sign a waiver for the test to be done. It says that you don’t hold the hospital liable for the results. We have had people blame the hospital because they came up positive.”

“Nan, read it for me. Please.”

Nan scanned the paper. “It’s a waiver. No big deal.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking a pen and scratching out her name.

The doctor sat down next to her. “This will only hurt a tad. A little prick in the tip of your finger. Ready?”

Before she could answer, he stuck her finger and squeezed out a small amount of blood. He repeated the process that Jake had done earlier, using the solution to push her blood onto the test swab. Nan watched over his shoulder, checking his watch with him as they waited. When the test strip turned, Nan said, “Ha. It’s negative. I told ya.”

“You said that you tested positive? When?” the doctor asked.

“About four or five hours ago. I was told it was positive.”

“Well, you were told wrong. You do not have HIV. You might want to get checked again in six months if you have had unprotected sex, but you are negative right now.”

“How reliable is the test? How could it be positive and then negative in the same day?”

“Who did the test?”

“A doctor.”

“I don’t know what to say. The test is very reliable and almost foolproof to do. They have home versions that you could do yourself.”

“Thank you. You have made me a very happy woman. When can I go home?” asked Blaze.

“You need to hang out for a day or two. We want to make sure your eye doesn’t get infected. You had a nice-size chunk of glass in it. You should be fine in a few months. Your shoulder was broken in four places. We will need to change the cast before you leave. That one is only temporary and can be removed to check the stitches we put in your arm. You are a lucky lady, but you are going to take a while to heal.”

“How is Kale?”

“The man they brought in with you? We were under the impression that he was Zackery Russ. Who is Kale?”

“The man in intensive care is Kale Russ. He had Zar’s ID because Zar gave him his wallet to stop on the way home and get something to eat. It’s a long story, but that is Kale Russ. Not Zackery. They are twins. Did anyone call the house?”

“I don’t know. I believe that his sister was notified.”

Blaze turned to Nan and asked, “My palm. Did anyone find my purse? The number is in my address book in my palm computer. I don’t have HIV. Nan, do you know what that means?”

“That you can safely fuck the hell out of Zar?”

Stephanie gasped. “Young lady? That kind of language is inappropriate.”

Blaze began to laugh, the movement bringing tears of pain to her eyes. “I’m going to rock his world,” she said with a grin, her humor fading as something clicked in her mind. She suddenly remembered Jake’s comment about what his silence would cost. Just how greedy and dishonest was Zar’s doctor? “I don’t believe it. I know what this is about. I need to talk to Zar.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Nan.

“Nan, you have to find Zar for me. If he is not home, he may have gone to New York early. Russ Construction is doing a mall in Upstate New York. They are also doing a job here. The foreman is named Mason. He might know where Zar is. I have to talk to him. Can you also find out if anyone checked the brakes on the SUV? I have a gut feeling we didn’t have any.”

Nan stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t want to make accusations now. I need to talk to Zar. Please, Nan!”

“Yeah, his number is on the answering machine at home. I’ll access it and try his house. If he isn’t there then I will find out where Russ Construction is working here. I will find him for you. I wish you would tell me what’s going on.”

“Go. I can’t tell you yet. Nan, I love you, but go!”

“I’m gone. I love you, too,” Nan called as she scooted out the door.

Blaze lay back, sipping at the glass of water that Stephanie had brought her. Stephanie said, “If you need anything, just buzz,” as she and Dr. Gillette headed to the door.

“Yeah, I will,” Blaze replied quietly, her mind lost to her thoughts.

The door from the hall opened, throwing light into the darkened room. Blaze tried to turn her head, but the cast on her right side was constrictive. She called out, “Nan?”

Jake appeared at the bottom of the bed, standing with his hands in his pockets. “How are you feeling, Blaze?”

“Oh, just ducky. Could you do me a favor and call the nurse? My buzzer seems to be out of reach.”

“I really need to speak with you alone, Blaze. I wanted to apologize for the mistake I made on your test,” he said, gauging her reaction.

Blaze wanted to leap out of the bed and wring his neck. Instead, she smiled sweetly. “Hey, accidents happen. It’s probably for the best anyway. Zar was really jealous of Kale, and it never would have worked between us anyway.”

Jake smiled. “I wish I could believe that, Blaze, but Mason called me. He said that you and Kale were in the hospital. I gather that your sister called him in a frantic search for Zar. He also said that you suspected something had happened to the brakes, and she was having the police check it out. Why would you think that?”

“I have a vague memory of Kale screaming something about the brakes.”

“You are a smart lady, but if Kale had screamed anything, it would have been that he had lost control of the steering. He was probably too stoned by then to consider screaming much of anything. This whole thing is being blamed on him because he was doped up.”

“So why are you telling me this?”

“Because I think you already know enough to be a problem. I suspect that you have connected the dots in your mind, and the moment Zar arrives, you will be telling him what you think. Zar will check it out, and I’ll be fucked. Without you around, there will be no one to put the pieces together. Zar would never suspect me, and he knows that Kale is unpredictable. You are the only link.”

“So are you going to tell me why, before you murder me in cold blood? It has something to do with the knife, doesn’t it?”

Irritation flashed on his face. “I’m not going to murder you in cold blood. I’m just going to start the process. Your body will be the one that kills you. There are an amazing amount of painkillers that you are allergic to. It would be incredibly easy for a nurse to make a mistake and give you the wrong thing. You will pass quietly into a drowsy, painless sleep. Not such a bad way to die. Zar will be heartbroken, and if I’m thinking correctly, he will no longer want the Queen’s Dragon in his collection. It will hold too many bad memories for him.”

“What’s so special about that knife? He said it was worth half a million, but that isn’t worth killing me over, is it?”

“I said you were smart. I see why Zar found you so intriguing. You’re correct. Half a million to me is pocket change. I am, however, deeply into a gambling dept. I have a son in college and a daughter who is about to be going to Harvard. My fourth child wants to be a doctor, and I have to think of her. The queen has the potential to offer me a very lucrative future, but I must possess it honestly to take advantage of it. You see, dear girl,” he said, walking around the bed and sitting in a chair. “The original owner of the knife was a woman named Lucinda Dragone. She was known for her beauty and grace and had many admirers. Two of her more well-to-do suitors were said to have showered her with jewels. There are two in particular that were never found after her death. One was a set of perfectly matched, flawless emeralds. They were estimated to be over three carats apiece. The other was a solid ruby, cut as a long, dangling pendant. If you shake the blade right, it has a slight rattle in the handgrip. Zar has always considered this an internal flaw in the craftsmanship. I have other ideas.”

“So you think she kept the jewels in the handle of the knife. They would be priceless on today’s market. So you are going to betray Zar and Kale and kill me for the jewels. Or are you going to kill Kale also?”

“I have no need to kill him. He will feel so responsible for your death that he will probably kill himself. Even if he doesn’t, Zar will hate him for it. He won’t listen to any excuse Kale gives him. As far as betraying them is concerned, Zar and his family owe me, beyond the boundaries of anything I’ve been compensated for. I have saved both of their lives far more times than I care to remember. They owe me.”

“You took an oath to heal. How can you sit here and tell me that you are going to kill me without even blinking an eye? I don’t owe you anything.” She had already witnessed his dishonesty, but this went far beyond anything she had imagined. Was he actually going to kill her because of some stupid jewels? Even if they were priceless, were they really worth more than her life. He was a damn doctor who had studied for years to save people. How could he even consider killing her?

“Unfortunately for you, Blaze, you are wrong. You owe me my third daughter. She was an inspired student and was going to study law. She began reading your fantasy tales and suddenly decided that exploring sexual anatomy was a better choice. She got pregnant at fifteen and is saddled with a child because of your books.”

“My books are sold for an adult audience. If she didn’t have enough sense to protect herself, that was not my fault. Didn’t you bother to teach her about the birds and the bees and what a condom is? If anyone should be knowledgeable about safe sex, it would be a doctor’s child. How can you blame that on me?”

“You are the one responsible for putting grand ideas in her head about how wonderful sex is. I don’t recall reading anything about contraception in your porn books.”

“Then you don’t read very well. They are adult fantasy, not porn. They use a little thing called a child block. Its magic is applied before sex, and of course there is no HIV in my fantasy. It’s another world filled with magic and evil. Doesn’t your daughter know the difference between fantasy and reality?”

Jake got to his feet, taking her intravenous tube in his hand. “She did before she got involved with reading your books. Then she met the baby’s father, and he introduced her to angel dust. My honor student is now lucky if she can feed herself and tie her own shoes. My wife and I are left to care for her and the baby. It’s another reason that I need the money. The right amount of cash would give us the chance to get her in a very special, very expensive aided-living facility. The way I see it, you owe me as much as the Russ twins do. If anything, you owe me more.”

Blaze watched him, her eyes growing wide with fear as he took a syringe from his pocket. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her shoulder, combined with the heavy cast, prevented her from moving. Jake ignored her attempts to fight as he slowly pushed the contents of the needle into the intravenous line. “Stop struggling, Blaze. It’s time to go to sleep. You won’t feel a thing. Just no more pain.”

Blaze’s arm went numb almost instantly, and she tried to lift it in a feeble attempt to dislodge the needle from her skin. They had her strapped down to a board for stability, and her arm dropped back down onto the bed. “You can’t do this to me, Jake. It’s murder, and they will lock you up you for it.”

“Who is going to know, Blaze? I will be back in a little while, and I’ll call for help. Unfortunately for you, you’ll be too close to death for us to do anything about it. Poor girl. What a tragedy, had an allergic reaction to the pain meds. Good-bye, Blaze,” he said as he put the syringe back into its holder and then into his pocket. Jake watched her for a few moments and walked from the room, satisfied that she was drifting into unconsciousness.

* * * *

Nan paced back and forth at the front of the hospital. She wanted to go back up and stay with Blaze, but Zar had asked her to meet him. He should be arriving at any moment, and she glanced at her watch again. “Come on, Zar. I have a really bad feeling about leaving Blaze alone.”

Nan ran the times over in her head again. She had gotten in touch with Zar just after he had arrived at his hotel room. He had said that he was going to call a limo and come straight home. That had been just under two hours ago, according to her watch. “Where are you?” she asked, dropping down onto the bench in the entryway.

A black limousine pulled up a few moments later, and Nan hopped to her feet. Zar stepped out, his face appearing haggard. “What the hell is going on, Nan? I’ve been watching the news clips all the way back from New York. They are saying that Kale was hopped up on some kind of high-grade painkillers. Kale drank constantly, but he was not into pills. He was fine when he left the house. I wouldn’t have given him my keys if I thought he was stoned. How is he? How is Blaze?”

Nan grabbed his hand and pulled him through the front doors. She hurried him to the elevator and stood glaring at him. “I’ve been waiting outside for you forever. Blaze was freaked about something. She said to get you back here and have the police check the brakes on the SUV for damage. I don’t think this was an accident, and she doesn’t either. Kale is out of critical care, and they were going to move him into a room last time I checked. Blaze is fucked up, but she should be all right. And guess what? The test your doctor did was wrong. She had a retest when she got here, and it came up negative. Something is seriously screwed here.”