Leon whispered something in Spanish under his breath that sounded like imbécil desagradecido, which, loosely translated, meant “ungrateful moron,” James thought, though either Gus hadn’t heard Leon or didn’t understand the phrase because he just moaned and leaned against the window, the white towel wrapped over his hand now red.

Jardine was in too much pain to be making any sense, too scared.

Let him rant and rave.

Once they’d crossed the bridge, the town came into view, and Leon took a side street, turned two corners, and cut through an alley to avoid the clog of traffic in the middle of town.

The hospital loomed into view.

Gus moaned as Leon slowed to turn into the lane that stretched under the emergency room’s canopy. Gus opened the door while the Tahoe was still rolling.

“Hey, man, hold up!” Leon stood on the brakes. The Chevy jerked to a halt. “What the hell? You tryin’ to kill yourself? Dios!”

“Get me out!” Jardine ordered, seeming not to care about the injuries he could have sustained if his seat belt had failed and he’d tumbled onto the pavement.

“I got him.” James was out of the back seat in an instant. He attempted to help Jardine inside.

Gus was having none of it. “Didn’t I tell you to leave me the fuck alone?” he snarled, his face pale. Holding his bleeding hand, blood covering the towel and smeared all over his shirt and jeans, he walked unsteadily through the sliding doors of the ER to announce, “I need help. Now.”

“You sure do. Let’s get it,” said a woman behind a wide, curved desk as she picked up a phone.

Within seconds, a male nurse in his late twenties wearing pale blue scrubs hustled to the desk. He was tall, but rangy, his brown hair clipped to stubble, his hawkish eyes intense.

“Let’s get you back here,” the nurse said to Gus, then to James, “If you can see to the paperwork . . .”

“He doesn’t know nothin’ about me!” Gus sputtered and sent a hateful look over his shoulder as if James had personally harmed him. “I’m gonna sue you, you fuckin’ bastard,” he said again, and a smattering of people in the waiting room looked up from what they were doing to watch. “Ya hear me?” Jardine was bellowing. “I’m gonna sue your ass! Count on it.” With his good hand, he jabbed a blood-stained finger at James as he was being herded through a wide door by the nurse.