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“She’ll be fine,” Dr. Begay told Jonathan the next day outside Candra’s hospital room. “The knife didn’t penetrate any organs so she was very lucky.”
Jonathan smiled, lowering the bouquet of yellow roses he’d picked from his garden. “May I see her?”
Begay peeked into the tiny window of the room, batting her blonde lashes. “Normally only friends and family can see patients but she’s on her own.” She sighed. “Said she had no one to contact and that no one cared about her.”
Jonathan looked in the window.
Candra lay on the bed as if she were watching television but appeared distant.
“When can she leave?”
“About a day or two.” Begay checked her clipboard. “I want to make sure there’s no risk of infection.”
“She’ll be okay.” Jonathan touched the door. “She’s strong.”
“You can see her but don’t take too long. She needs her rest.”
Jonathan nodded, entering the room as Begay walked away.
Candra turned her head toward him with sterile bandages on her neck, arms and one of her hands. She jerked up as if seeing Jonathan resumed her strength. “Hey.” Her yellow-green pupils glowed underneath her heavy eyelids. “I’m glad you came.”
“Are you?” He inched toward the bed and held up the roses. “These are for you.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful.” She cleared her throat loud, the bandage bobbing on her neck. “Thank you.” She pushed her petite nose to the roses, her sensual features lifting as she sniffed. “I love roses. Why yellow though?”
“Yellow means friendship.” Jonathan gave a lopsided smile. “They’re from my garden.”
She sniffed them, parting her thick, uneven lips. “No one’s ever brought me flowers.”
Jonathan moved the table beside the bed to get closer to her. “I can’t believe that. What about your boyfriend?” He peeked into her half-empty bowl of red Jell-O. “You were leaving his place when Ro abducted you, right?”
She picked at a rose. “He kicked me out.”
“Why on earth would he do that?”
“We don’t have the best relationship. He wasn’t as kind as he could’ve been.”
“Abusive?” Jonathan held onto the railing of her bed. “How could any man hurt someone like you?”
A grin tore at her lips and her once-matted hair draped her shoulders with a silky sheen and bounce.
“Your hair’s pretty.”
“Thanks.” She touched it. “The nurse washed and brushed it for me.” She dropped her gaze for a second and then her eyes found his again. “I know who you are.”
He chuckled. “I hope so.”
“I don’t mean from rescuing me.” She gripped the railing in between his hand and he got the overwhelming urge to touch her but didn’t. “You’re Jonathan Wild. The leader of The Circle.”
He held his breath.
“That cop says you kidnapped her.” Her flat bosom rose under the sheet as she took a breath. “I saw it on the news. She says you drugged her and made her stay with you—”
“Candra—”
“I don’t believe it.” Redness swam through her pale cheeks. “You couldn’t do anything like that.” She touched his hand. “A man who’d do what you did for me couldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I love Deidra Quarter. She wants to be with me but she panicked. She’ll come back where she belongs.”
“The first time I looked into your eyes I could tell you were special.” She pushed her fingertips into his skin. “You’re an angel, Jonathan.”
He smirked. “Some would disagree with you on that.”
“Then they don’t know a good person when they see one. What’s it like in The Circle?”
“It’s wonderful.” He stroked her hair. “Peaceful and you become free of any worry or negativity.”
“I’d love to experience something like that.” She turned her body toward him. “I’d like to see The Circle for myself.”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea with the legal issues I’m going through right now.”
“I...” She lay on her back. “Have nowhere to go. My boyfriend was it.”
“What happened to your family?”
“Long story.” She laid her head on the pillow. “And, I don’t care to go into it right now.” A tear escaped her eye. “I’m scared.”
He caressed her forehead. “Don’t worry about what happens after you get out just concentrate on getting better. If you need a place to stay, you can come to Broadville Port with me.”
“You mean it?” Her face lit up. “Can I join The Circle?”
“It doesn’t work like that, Candra.”
“Why wouldn’t you want me to join?” She pressed her lips together. “Am I not good enough?”
He kissed her cheek, inhaling the strong aroma of hospital disinfectant. “You’re too good.”
****
Dee drove toward the beige, two-story house as a black Mitsubishi pulled out the driveway. “Hey,” she yelled out the window, honking.
A young, Asian male with a slender face and feminine features turned off the Mitsubishi. “Yes?”
An Asian female sat in the passenger’s side while another Asian boy and yellow-haired white guy sat in the backseats.
“We’re homicide detectives.” Dee jumped out her white Malibu, showing her badge. “We were told by Priti Yi’s mother we could find her here.”
Connie exited Dee’s car and gestured to the cute girl in the passenger’s seat. “Are you Priti?”
The girl glanced at the others as if she didn’t know what to say.
“Answer her.” The white boy lit a cigarette, his giant nose taking up most of his face.
“How old are you?” Connie asked him.
He took a drag, rolling his eyes. “Sixteen.”
Connie leaned on the backdoor. “How about you put that away?”
“Cigarettes are legal.” He scoffed.
“No teenager is smoking a cigarette in front of me.” Connie yanked it from him, threw it on the concrete and stomped on it.
“Hey,” he yelled.
The others laughed.
“You got no right to do that.” He opened the door. “That was my property.”
“Priti.” Dee walked to her side of the car. “We need to speak to you.”
The petite girl exited the car wearing a short, striped dress. Her straight, off-black hair stopped below her cheeks with a part in the middle.
“Yes?” Her loud red lipstick did her pale skin no favors.
“This is serious, okay?” Dee pulled Priti away from the car so the others couldn’t hear. “We need you to be honest.”
“Is this about Faith and her parents?” Her black eyes widened. “It’s horrible. Faith was like a sister.”
“Then you should help us catch who did this,” Connie said. “Since you’re her best friend, we figured you could set things straight. First, who are these guys?”
“My friends.” Priti looked back at the boys. “We were going to get something to eat.”
“You know them well?” Dee asked. “It can be unsafe for a young woman to be around a bunch of boys.”
“They’d never hurt me.” She put her small feet together, wearing black, wedged-heel loafers. “They’re like my brothers. They protect me.”
“Protect you from what?” Connie asked. “Someone been bothering you?”
“No. They’re there for me if I need something. I don’t know why someone would kill Faith and the Kengs.” She lowered her head.
“Priti.” Dee lifted the girl’s chin with her finger. “Are you lying to us?”
She fidgeted. “Did you talk to Donn Cho?”
Dee and Connie exchanged glances.
“Faith knew stuff about the K-Town Crips.” Priti lowered her voice. “She said Donn told her about the things they did. You know, like hits and illegal stuff.”
Dee poked out her lips. “That’s interesting.”
“She never told me anything specific.” Priti waved her hands left and right. “Said the Crips would kill Donn if they even knew he told their business. That’s all I know.”