Part 38 (1/2)

”I'm sure,” she told him. ”I called her name, and she turned.”

Dan nodded, and exhaled hard. ”Well, okay.”

”We need to find her,” Eden said. ”Whoever those men are? They're serious. She's in trouble.”

”You and Zanella can do that tomorrow,” Dan said. ”Maybe take Ben with you. Tonight I need you to stay with him, because, well, Jenni and I are going to spend the night at a hotel, in the honeymoon suite.” He smiled.

Eden smiled, too, because it was so...odd. Her too-serious older brother was having a solid case of the goofies about the fact that Jenn was going to marry him.

So she leaned forward to ask, ”You really don't think you could have closed this deal with Jenn, just with a little dinner and moonlight?”

”I tried a few days ago,” Dan admitted, ”but I kind of screwed it up.”

”Wow, I can't imagine that,” she said. ”The Gillman curse, striking Captain Perfect.”

His smile faded. ”Jesus, Eden, I really hate when you call me that,” he said.

”I really hate that you think I'm a terrible person,” she said, and to her absolute horror, she started to cry. She stood up so that she could turn away, her chair screeching as she pushed it back across the linoleum floor.

”I don't think you're a terrible person,” Dan said. ”I think you've made...some really terrible choices. I think you're great with Ben. And I hope, whatever happens, that you stay close. To him.”

”Not you?” she asked.

”Well, I'll be living in the same apartment as Ben,” he said, ”so...”

”Maybe I'll visit when I get out of jail,” she said.

”You're not going to jail,” Dan told her. ”Izzy's on the phone with a lawyer. The rental-car company's looking like your biggest headache, but Izzy's already up in their grille-literally-about the fact that the car he rented didn't have working air bags. When the dust finally settles, I think the worst you'll have to deal with is a fine and an inability to get a driver's license without taking some kind of punishment cla.s.s. Driver's ed, you know?”

Eden turned and looked at him. ”That's...all? You mean, they really believe me? The police and the detectives and...You?”

”There were a lot of witnesses,” he pointed out.

”Ah yes, the witnesses,” she repeated. ”That's where I've gone wrong, most of my life. My very worst choice was that I didn't make sure, whatever I did, that there were plenty of witnesses.”

”Look,” Danny said, but then stopped. He looked up at her-he was still sitting at the table-and he sighed and shook his head.

”What,” she said, coming to sit back down across from him. ”Come on, Dan. Lecture me. We both know that's why you came in here. Because even though I'm apparently not going to be thrown in jail, the entire world now knows that I was working as a stripper and-”

”That's not,” he said, still shaking his head. ”Why I...Actually, I came in to invite you to my wedding. We're gonna go to the same place where you and Zanella...went. I've seen the picture and...You looked really great...”

Her mouth was hanging open and she closed it. ”When did you you see the picture?” Izzy had worn his dress whites, and she'd worn a rented gown that was designed for brides who were six months pregnant. Her b.o.o.bs had been humongous and the dress had been so low-cut that it was a costume malfunction waiting to happen, but the picture-a portrait taken as part of the wedding package that Izzy had paid for- see the picture?” Izzy had worn his dress whites, and she'd worn a rented gown that was designed for brides who were six months pregnant. Her b.o.o.bs had been humongous and the dress had been so low-cut that it was a costume malfunction waiting to happen, but the picture-a portrait taken as part of the wedding package that Izzy had paid for-had come out great. come out great.

”You're kidding, right?” Dan said. ”I mean, come on. Zanella carried that picture around with him, wherever the team went. He had it laminated. I have this memory of him, on a medical helo, b.i.t.c.hing at me for bleeding on the d.a.m.n thing while he wiped it dry.” He paused. ”You do do know what he did for me? The battlefield transfusion...?” know what he did for me? The battlefield transfusion...?”

Eden looked at him. ”What?” she said. ”The what what?”

”It's called a battlefield transfusion,” her brother told her. ”I was pinned down by a sniper. I was. .h.i.t-a bullet nicked my artery.” He pointed down at his right leg. ”I was dead. I was sure I was going to bleed out, because there was no way they could evac me out of there, not until the sniper was contained, and that just wasn't going to happen soon enough.

”So Zanella gets some medical tubing and some needles, and you know, when I say that, it sounds like he strolled to the local CVS, but this motherf.u.c.ker had a s.h.i.+tload of ammo and...The sniper motherf.u.c.ker, not Zanella, although he can be a real motherf.u.c.ker, too.”

Eden nodded. ”I get it. What happened?”

”So Zanella leaves the minimal cover that we've got to go get this s.h.i.+t, and then comes back with it and...” Danny shook his head in disbelief. ”Apparently-I was out of it by this time-he used himself as my own private blood supply. A needle in his arm, blood going out, and a needle in mine, blood coming in. He gave me so much of his own blood, Eed, he nearly died. He needed a transfusion, too, which is why we both ended up in the hospital in Germany.”

”Dear Lord,” Eden breathed. ”I didn't know. I didn't realize he was in the hospital, too.”

”Figures he wouldn't tell you. What a douche.”

”How could you call him that?” Eden asked. ”He saved your life.”

”That doesn't make him less of a douche.”

”I think you're you're a douche,” she said, laughing her indignation. a douche,” she said, laughing her indignation.

”Yeah, well,” he said. ”You're probably right.” But then he got serious. ”Some people just don't get along. He pushes my b.u.t.tons. He always has. He probably always will.”

”Have you asked him to stop?” Eden asked her brother. ”And not like, Jesus, Zanella, f.u.c.kety-f.u.c.k the f.u.c.king f.u.c.k! Jesus, Zanella, f.u.c.kety-f.u.c.k the f.u.c.king f.u.c.k! But more like, But more like, Izzy Izzy, please, don't do that right now, it's a hot b.u.t.ton for me, so I need you to give me some s.p.a.ce. please, don't do that right now, it's a hot b.u.t.ton for me, so I need you to give me some s.p.a.ce.”

Danny itched his ear. ”I've only done it, you know. The f.u.c.kety-f.u.c.k way.”

”He's really smart,” Eden told him. ”And he's really, really really a good guy, Danny. He had a kind of unusual childhood-” a good guy, Danny. He had a kind of unusual childhood-”

”And ours ours was normal?” was normal?”

”Good point,” she said. ”I just think he would really like to be friends with you.”

”Well, he's coming to my wedding,” Dan told her.

”Best man?” she asked.

Danny made a face. ”I...think I'm going to ask Ben to do that.”

”That's a great idea,” Eden enthused. ”Ben will be thrilled-and Izzy will, too.” She stopped herself. ”a.s.suming he's over his anger-and capable of being thrilled.”

”He'll be over it,” Dan told her. ”He's got the attention span of a-”

”Don't say it,” she warned him. ”If he's going to stop jumping on your b.u.t.tons, you have to give him something in return.”

Dan laughed. ”Zanella hasn't exactly agreed to anything yet.”

”He will,” Eden told her brother. ”All you have to do is ask.”

Ben's sister, Eden, saved her life.

Neesha had absolutely no doubt about that.

Todd had been ready to kill her. He'd told her as much during his visits. If you try to leave this place, we'll find you. We'll hunt you down and kill you, like the animal you are... If you try to leave this place, we'll find you. We'll hunt you down and kill you, like the animal you are...

He was the animal, having s.e.x with a powerless child.