Page 90 of Cold Hard Cash

Jimmy couldn’t breathe, and he had no idea whose blood he was covered in. It couldn’t all be his own. He could hear Dario and Jules talking, but they seemed so far away. He couldn’t make much out over the ringing in his ears anyway.

Jules grabbed his shoulder to help him up, but Jimmy’s legs wouldn’t work. They were too wobbly, too weak, and he panted erratically as he pushed Jules’ hands away. He couldn’t believe how much blood there was. His eyes rolled back in his head and then he was swallowed up by darkness.

The faint beeping of medical monitors greeted Jimmy when he woke up with a soft groan. His right arm felt tingly and sore, his head heavy with the weight of drugs. He tried to move, but his left wrist was trapped by something.

Blinking open his eyes, he stared blearily down to find he was handcuffed to the bed rail. He was in a hospital, Strassen Springs General if he had to guess. His right upper arm was bandaged, and he was wearing one of those ridiculous gowns that didn’t allow for a shred of dignity when the wearer was not lying down.

At least all the blood was gone now.

“Hey,” croaked a low voice. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”

Jimmy turned to see that the second bed in the room was occupied by Dario. “Hey!”

“You’ve been out for, like, an hour. They doped you up pretty good.”

Jimmy tugged at the handcuff. “What the crap happened? It’s all… fuzzy.”

“Luchesis,” Dario replied with a groan. “Hit the club. They attacked two other Gentleman properties. All at the same time.”

“Is Cold okay?”

“Yeah, come on.” Dario snorted. “He’s fine. I’m fine too. Thanks for asking.”

“You… you saved me,” Jimmy said with sudden clarity. “You pushed me out of the way.”

“Yeah.” Dario laughed a bit. “Bullet still grazed you, but don’t worry. I caught it with my shoulder.”

“Shit.” Jimmy saw now that Dario’s shoulder was bandaged and his arm was in a sling.

“Shit is right,” Dario scoffed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Thank you,” Jimmy said with a warm smile.

“Hey, let’s try not to make it a habit, okay?”

“What’s with the cuffs?” Jimmy noticed Dario was also locked to his bed.

“That’s the SSPD for you.”

“Are you serious?” Jimmy rattled the cuff in protest. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We’re victims, not suspects!”

“Witnesses,” Dario corrected. “Three people are dead, more wounded.”

Jimmy swallowed thickly, a flash of Vincenzo’s lifeless eyes making his stomach churn uncomfortably. “The ring. He was asking about the ring.”

“What ring?” Dario asked before throwing up his uninjured arm. “Nope, wait, never mind! I don’t want to fuckin’ know!”

Jimmy heard the discharge of radio static, and he glanced up at a large window that looked out into the hallway. The blinds were open, and he caught a glimpse of someone in uniform. “Cops?”

“Yup.” Dario popped his tongue. “Waiting for you to wake up to take our statements. Best thing to do? You didn’t see anything, you don’t know anything. Got it?”

“Got it.” Jimmy closed his eyes and let his head drop back against the pillow.

There was a sudden flurry of activity outside in the hallway, raised voices and cursing. Jimmy looked over to see the officer trying to keep someone back and sternly saying, “Sir, you need to wait out here.”

“Fuck you, dickless,” a familiar gruff voice raged. “I’m Jimmy Poe’s motherfuckin’ healthcare power of attorney! I got every right to be here! Get the fuck outta my way!”

Jimmy’s face lit up.