In the Dark by Slater Jack

Author:Slater, Jack [Slater, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, thriller, Suspense
Amazon: B0BTMSCQD7
Goodreads: 105736315
Published: 2023-02-08T08:00:00+00:00

22

“Coffee?”

Blake nodded appreciatively. It was already mid-morning, and light was streaming through the cabin’s windows, but she felt sluggish. She’d barely slept the previous night, and her exhaustion had been compounded by the early start to meet Marci at the storage yard. “Yes, please. You’re a lifesaver.”

Ryan smiled. “Do I get a raise?”

He lifted the filter coffeepot and poured a second cup. “Black?”

“You know it,” Blake said. “And sure, you’ll get your raise right about the time I figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.”

Grimacing, Ryan said, “I was hoping it would be a little earlier than the heat death of the universe.”

Blake snorted out loud. In truth, she liked the teasing. Hell, just talking to another human being was nice. She hadn’t done much of that since she’d left the Army. “Jackass.”

“I try,” Ryan said, hiding a self-satisfied smile. But not very well.

“So how’s our girl?” Blake asked.

“Still fast asleep,” Ryan said. “I checked on her about half an hour ago. She looks a little pale, but at least she’s getting some rest.”

“That’s good,” Blake said as she took her first sip of coffee. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. Or at least the caffeine. She wasn’t actually completely convinced she liked the flavor of the drink she couldn’t live without.

Lowering her voice so that there was no chance she could be overheard, Blake voiced the concern that had occupied her dreams all night. “We need to get her something for the withdrawal. She’s been addicted to opiates for a long time. Years. Letting her go cold turkey is risky. The shock could kill her.”

“I was thinking about that,” Ryan replied, matching Blake’s tone. “A buddy of mine got hooked on OxyContin years back. I visited every day while they were weaning him off. I remember what drug they used. Codeine phosphate.”

“I’m guessing that’s not stuff you can buy over the counter,” Blake said.

Ryan shook his head. The corners of his mouth perked up as he said, “No. But as it happens, it’s what they prescribed me in the hospital for this piece of crap.”

He tapped his leg.

“I don’t suppose you kept any in your medicine cabinet, did you?” Blake asked, holding her breath.

“Never took a single pill,” Ryan said. “I’ve got boxes of the stuff still lying around. We’d have to do some research on the correct doses, but I’ve definitely got enough to get Ashley clean.”

“What did I say—lifesaver.”

Ryan turned away to refill his cup. Blake caught the hint of a smile on his face before it disappeared from her sight. She walked over to the couch and sat down, folding her knees underneath her.

Cupping her fingers around the coffee, she said, “We need to work out what we do next.”

After joining her, Ryan said, “I had some thoughts on that also.”

“Of course you did,” Blake muttered. No matter how hard she tried to turn herself into a morning person, nothing worked. And yet people like Ryan seemed to sit up in bed with a fully formed plan of attack for the day in their head.

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