The Mountain (Ryan Decker) by Steven Konkoly

Author:Steven Konkoly [Konkoly, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Decker sat upright in his hospital bed, inspecting the breakfast on the tray in front of him. A shrunken-looking sausage-and-cheese biscuit sat alone in the middle of a white Styrofoam plate. A small bowl of canned fruit cocktail, half drowned in a sickly sweet liquid. Orange juice cup with the foil top. Plastic utensils—because he’d been caught during his first meal trying to use the tines of a metal fork to unlock his handcuffs. That incident had also earned him a cuffed ankle.

He picked up the biscuit, took a less-than-enthusiastic bite, and tossed it back on the tray. Lukewarm and tasteless like everything else. Decker punched two holes in the top of the orange juice container with the plastic knife. The four ounces of bitter liquid went down before he could officially register his disgust. Another bite of the biscuit rounded out breakfast. He had no intention of touching the fruit cocktail. He hadn’t eaten or even seen the stuff since he was a kid.

A radio squawked in the hallway, followed by brief conversation. Deputy Shea popped into the room a moment later, brandishing a set of keys.

“Looks like someone’s finally here to claim you,” said Shea, before unlocking his ankle cuff.

“Removing the evidence of my incarceration?” said Decker.

“The sheriff told me to tell you hell hath no fury,” said the deputy. “And no hard feelings.”

“He didn’t taste this breakfast biscuit,” said Decker.

The deputy finally cracked the faintest trace of a smile. “I told you to go with the breakfast burrito. I thought we had established some trust.”

“Good point. You never steered me wrong about the food,” said Decker. “Just locked me to a hospital bed.”

“For your safety,” said the deputy. “And my job security.”

“No hard feelings,” said Decker. “But you better get going. The woman scorned is on her way, and she’s not so forgiving.”

“In that case, I’m out of here,” said Shea, before disappearing into the hallway.

Decker moved the metal tray stand out of the way and swung his feet over the left side of the bed, slowly testing his legs on the floor. His thigh ached around the site of the gunshot but took the weight just fine. He walked back and forth to the door a few times, the pain resulting in a slight limp, which was to be expected. His worst problem right now was a touch of vertigo from lying on the bed for so long.

“Looks like someone hasn’t been trying too hard to escape,” said a familiar voice. “I expected you to be under guard and cuffed to the bed.”

He turned to find Brad Pierce standing in the doorway holding a small backpack.

“Funny,” said Decker. “Where’s Harlow?”

“Great to see you, too,” said Pierce. “She’s waiting by the nurses’ station with the rest of the entourage. I figured you might need some clothes.”

“Good call,” said Decker. “The only thing standing between you and my birthday suit is this paper-thin gown.”

“No thanks.” He tossed Decker the backpack. “Just some basic street clothes and sandals. We’ll get you geared up back at the compound.

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