Sin City Assassin (The Bill Dix Detective Series Book 3) by C.L. Swinney Page A

to help us. You’ve got to get out there and solve this one ASAP. I’ve had a bad feeling about this since it all started. I need you focused to put this group out of business, permanently,” he looked back at Dix, then over to Michelle, “Besides, you really think anyone, let alone another female, is getting past my wife?”
    Dix chuckled and looked at them. “I suppose you’re right. Listen, anything weird starts happening around this hospital I expect you to disappear.” He pointed at Petersen. “No funny business, you got it?”
    The couple laughed. Petersen looked Dix in the eye. “I got it, now go get these bastards.”
    “Okay, I’ll keep you posted. Heal up quick so we can head back to Florida with all this behind us,” Dix said as he left the room.
    Petersen gave Dix a thumb up as he exited.
    When the door shut, Michelle stood up and walked to the window. She pulled the curtains shut.
    “Hey, what’re you doing?” Petersen asked her.
    “Relax. I’m trying to safeguard your room until I can get you to another one. I know Dix said the killer was wounded, but I’m going to assume she survived and really is coming for you.”
    Petersen shook his head. “You honestly think that? I think Dix is just emotional about this whole thing. I mean come on, a female assassin named the Praying Mantis?”
    “I’ve never known Bill Dix to overreact or be wrong about something. Never. This time it has to do with you, and I’m not taking any chances.” She tucked him in and kissed him passionately. “Now, relax while I convince the nurses to move you. If this assassin is as good as Dix says she is, she’s gonna know where you should be. I’m going to make sure she has no damn idea where you are.”

 
    Chapter 22:
     
    Blass looked at Marie lying peacefully on the operating table with bandages wrapped around her arm and leg. A glass container next to all the accoutrements recently used by the doctor contained fragmented pieces of a bullet. The doctor had dressed the wound after stitching it. He’d cleaned out and sutured her leg wound too. Marie’s fever was beginning to break as the morphine and antibiotics aggressively attacked the infections from the bullet.
    The doctor finished washing his hands and walked over to Blass.
    Blass looked at him. “What’s her status?”
    “Well, she’s lost a lot of blood, but we’ve handled that. The bullet splintered in her arm. I had to dig around quite a bit to get all the pieces. It’s gonna hurt like hell for awhile.”
    “What about her leg?” Blass was hopeful she’d recover fully. He needed her skills, and even though he didn’t want to admit it, he was falling for her.
    “Just a graze wound. Cleaned it out and stitched it up. She’ll be able to walk in a few hours.”
    Blass rubbed his chin. He was impressed with Marie’s ability and strength. He was aware that she’d killed the undercover agent. The manhunt for her was enormous, and he was certain her work would cause Dix to jump into the investigation with both feet. Blass assumed Dix would have briefed his partner about Marie killing the UC, and every available resource that could be spared would be used on protecting Dix’s partner. Even so, he needed to be killed too, as did Dix.
    Blass looked back at the doctor. “What’s the treatment for her now?”
    “Lots of rest, antibiotics, and some pain killers. Other than that, she should be okay to move around in a few days.”
    “You’re confident you got all of the fragments of the bullet out of her arm?”
    The doctor nodded. “Yup. I did some very good work on her arm. Made sure she’d be able to use it again and tried to leave minimal scar tissue.”
    Blass smiled. “You’re a good man. I’ll wire the money to your account in an hour. Hang out in Las Vegas in case there’s complications.” He reached into his pocket and threw the doctor a cell phone. “If that rings, you better answer it.”
    “Understood.” The doctor left the