Suits & Aces (#3)

29 // Bargain Price

Money talks. That was what made the rounds in the rich and famous world, that you could get anything done with a few zeros.

But that was not the case, and Samantha Grayson knew better, secrets were the most valuable thing, and sometimes, no amount of money could buy them off.

However, if there was one other thing she knew, it was how to get her way.

"I'm begging you, please help me! I need to get out of here tonight before he finds me," she sobbed, clutching the helpless woman's arm. "The doctor said he is going to discharge me tomorrow morning, and if that happens..." Her eyes widened in panic as she shook her head. "This time he is going to kill me for real. I don't want to go back to my husband, please help me, please!"

The nurse looked torn. "Ms, I can't do that... I could lose my job! What if I discharge you and then something goes wrong?" She said hastily.

"Please help me, please. I'll pay if I have to!" Samantha blurted out, and the nurse opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish. "Just name your price."

The nurse stepped back and exhaled loudly, pulling at her hair. "Okay, I will help you, give me an hour to think about how I'm going to get you out of here. Is that okay with you?"

Samantha nodded. "Anything is fine, as long as I can leave this place tonight."

"Okay, I'll be right back!"

The nurse left in a hurry, and Samantha snorted, wiping away her tears. If anybody thought she was powerless while in here, they were mistaken, money was power.

While the nurse was out banging her head against the while, Samantha browsed through the internet and social media and gathered as much information as she could about the Beckers.

After what felt like an eternity, the nurse finally returned with clothes in her hands. "No one can know anything about this, my job is at stake here!" She said hastily. "There's an ambulance that's leaving in 15 minutes. The driver is my friend, his name is Gary. He is going to help you out." She handed Samantha a paramedical uniform. "Here, wear this. I'll be back to get you after 10 minutes."

Samantha climbed out of bed and changed into the clothes, and then she took her duffel bag and packed all her stuff. She picked the new handbag that Carmen and Demi got her, checking if everything was there.

"Are you ready?" The nurse returned after what felt like an eternity. "Listen, you will have to sign these discharge forms, otherwise, this might turn into a missing persons case or even worse."

Samantha frowned. "Oh!"

"Yeah, I just want to avoid drama."

"If I sign them now, when will you submit them?" She asked.

"I could even submit them now, but no one would notice until tomorrow."

But that was the problem, Samantha did not want anyone to notice. "Uhm... when are your visiting hours, again?"

"Between 12p.m. and 4p.m., listen, we don't have much time, let's go." She was starting to get annoyed by all the questions.

Samantha smiled tightly and then took out an envelope from her bag. They never discussed the payment, but the woman was desperate, she would take anything given. "That's R15 000, you can count it if you want."

Perhaps money did make the work go round and round at times, but it was true that it also made it stop. The poor woman looked like she had never held that much money on her without any tax deductions at hand. Samantha cleared her throat loudly to grab her attention. "This is more than enough, thank you. Uhm... let's go."

The escape from the hospital was a smooth one, no questions asked. Well, at least not from the paramedic's side.

"How long have you been working at the hospital?"

He gave her a quick glance, and then tore his eyes back to the road. "About five years now."

"Are you sure about this?" She asked. "I mean, won't you get into trouble for driving me all the way home?"

"No, don't worry about that. I'm off duty, and besides, I take the ambulance home with me sometimes, they won't even notice it's gone. Besides, they will call if they need it," he said without a care in the world.

She did not want to tell him how irresponsible his actions were, but his recklessness worked in her favour. The fact that he did not see a problem in gallivanting with an emergency vehicle said a lot about him, he was unreliable.

He was a popular guy at the hospital, it was clear that everyone knew his character, nobody would be shocked if they found his body laying in the ambulance in the middle of nowhere.

"Thank you for this, I really appreciate it," she said sweetly.

He waved it off. "It's nothing, any friend of Leah is a friend of mine."

Oh, so Leah was her name? Samantha thought, a subtle smirk on her face.

"We are almost there, I'm sure you must be exhausted." Samantha nodded wordlessly, reaching for her bag on the floor. A few minutes later, they stopped in front of the massive house. "Wait, I think I've seen this place before," Gary said, staring at the house in wonder. "Are you sure this is your house? I know the people who stay here, this is the Beckers' home."

Flip! Samantha thought. "Of course, it is! Caroline Becker is my sister," she said hastily, feigning offence.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Just that... I didn't know Doctor Caroline had a sister."

"It's a long story, she doesn't even know I'm here." She noticed a guard flashing his light at the get, stepping out and leaving the gate slightly ajar. The place looked unguarded at all, if anything, this was the only guard present. For someone rich and famous, and corrupt as this man, he clearly lacked some knowledge around security detail. "Wait here while I talk to him."

Gary turned to her in confusion. "What? But I've just dropped you off at your house, shouldn't I leave?" He asked. "Lady, do you realise how far I've come to bring you here?"

"I know that, but what happens if they turn me away? I'll end up wandering the streets alone, and probably get eaten by wild animals!" She said in a panic. "Just give me a minute to chat to her guard." She opened the door and hopped out of the ambulance with her bag in hand, and then she approached the security guard at the gate. "Good evening, sir."

The guard sized her up. "Can I help you?" He snarled.

"We received an emergency call. I'm not sure if we are at the right place, is this the Beckers residence?" She asked.

"Everybody knows this is the Beckers' house, it's all over the internet."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm sorry sir, I'm new in town, and besides, the houses around here look a bit similar to each other. Look, this is a matter of life and death, the longer we stand here and chat, someone is dying, can you let us in?"

He glanced at the ambulance behind her. "I'll have to confirm with the boss first."

Her heart pumped rapidly in her chest as if shot by an electrical charge. "I just told you that we are wasting time," she said harshly, failing hard to hide her agitation.

"Miss, I'm just following protocol," he said and turned away from her.

She quickly glanced at the ambulance behind her and back at him. "Okay, you asked for this." She quickly reached inside her bag and pulled out her pistol, gunning down the guard without hesitation.

Gary screamed in horror from the ambulance, and she quickly went to him. "You... you killed him!" He shakily pointed at the guards.

Samantha gave him a blank stare. "Do anything stupid and you will follow him." His eyes widened as if he had just met the devil. "You wait right here, and put your hands where I can see them. Give me your phone," she ordered, and he literally threw it in her hands and put his hands on the steering wheel. "Now, give me your car keys."

"Wh-what?" He stammered.

She pulled out the gun at him. "I won't ask again."

He handed her the keys, and she closed the door and locked him inside before going back to the gate.

Thank goodness the gun had a silencer, so there was no movement whatsoever. She reached the guard and squatted near him, searching him. She took his gate keys and gun, and then took off his bulletproof vest for herself.

She proceeded to drag his body into the yard, locking it up in the security house at the gate.

She quickly ran inside to scout out the place, and saw the couple sitting at the lounge. The only exit was either through the front door or the door in the kitchen, the only other way was through the emergency exit on the first floor that led down a steel staircase.

As she suspected, the place was unguarded. Hopefully, she did not find herself caught in a trap. His security team was probably out doing his dirty work.

She ran back outside and knocked on the driver's window with her pistol, causing Gary to skip in fear. "Move over." She gestured at the other side.

He moved over to the passenger seat, and she got in and started the ambulance, and then she opened the gate with the remote she stole from the guard and drove into the yard, closing the gate behind her.

She stopped a bit far from the house. "You might want to put on your seatbelt," she warned.

"W-what?"

To answer his question, she stepped on the car accelerator and then brake pads, sending him forward.

"Let's see why vehicles have to give this one way on the road, shall we?" She did not check to see whether or not he had buckled his seatbelt, she stepped on it and sent the car flying, until it crashed through the glass double door, into the house, and then quickly got out of the car and rolled under the ambulance.

As expected, within seconds, someone started firing, and the sound of Gary yelping filled the entire house until he took his last breath.

A tall figure appeared from around the corner of the lounge, a gun leading his way as he cautiously looked around. He stopped next to the ambulance, opening the driver's door.

"What the–"

Dammit! Samantha thought as she made an impulsive move and pulled his feet from underneath the vehicle, causing him to lose grip of his gun as he crashed on the floor.

She quickky got out into the open and grabbed his hair, roughly connecting his face with the tiles as he moved for his gun.

"f**k!" He groaned.

She leaped forward and got hold of his gun. "Hi there!" She said smugly, pointing the gun at him. "Doctor Becker, won't you kindly join us this side please?" She yelled into the quiet space.

"Who the hell are you?" Eric Becker sneered, blood oozing out of his crooked nose.

"Doctor Caroline Becker, I won't ask again!"

The woman slowly came out from the other room with her hands in the air. "Please don't hurt me," she stammered.

"Awww, why would I hurt an innocent baby? What do you take me for?" Samantha cooed, feigning offence. "Move to the other side and open the passenger door. Now."

The doctor scurried to the other side and opened the door as instructed, and a shattering scream erupted from her throat as she came face to face with Gary's corpse.

"Caroline, are you okay?" Eric Becker tried to get up.

"You move, I shoot," Samantha warned. "Sorry to have to put you through this, please get the body out of there and drag it to the back of the ambulance."

"Are you crazy, she's pregnant!"

Samantha snorted. "Why do you even care, it is not even your baby." Deadly silence sunk in like the cemetery at midnight. "Come on, we don't have much time."

"Let me do it instead– ah!" Screams echoed in the house as the gun went off.

"Eric!" Caroline screamed.

"f**k!" Eric groaned, clutching his shoulder. "Are you crazy?"

Samantha ignored him, turning to the doctor with steel eyes. "Doctor Becker, you are wasting my time. Get moving, or the next bullet goes to your head!" She bellowed.

The doctor did not waste any more time, it was comical watching her struggle to unbuckle the seatbelt, then pull down the body from the seat before dragging him to the back of the ambulance, only to have more troubles getting him into the vehicle.

"You won't get away with this, you will be dead before you get any far! My men are on the way."

"Is that what you think?" She walked towards him and stepped on his bleeding shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. "Here is how this is going to work, your wife and I are going to go on a little road trip. If you and your men follow me, I won't be held responsible for my actions. Who knows what might happen? Maybe I could tell the police that you murdered the man that made your wife pregnant, or maybe I could tell them that you murdered an innocent paramedic that was only trying to do his job. Or just maybe, I might just kill your wife with your gun and tell the entire world that you murdered her because she cheated on you with another man and fell pregnant."

Eric Becker was fuming, but there was nothing he could do. "You are not going to get away with this."

She snickered. "I already did. Doctor, get in the driver's side and start the ambulance." Caroline Becker shook her head, tears rolling down her face. Samantha fired a warning shot, and Caroline hopped into the vehicle and brought the engine to life. "Get up," she ordered Eric, kicking his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid, move." She shoved him with the gun, leading him to the lounge. "Pass me your wife's purse and phone." He did as she said. "It is a pleasure doing business with you, minister. You'll be hearing from me soon." Before he could turn around, she knocked him at the back of the head with his gun, and he crashed on the glass coffee table.

Samantha ran back to the ambulance and hopped into the passenger side. "I don't have the energy to hold up the gun all the way, so just drive and don't do anything stupid."

Caroline nodded and reversed the ambulance out of the house.

Samantha opened the gate and threw out the remote once they were far from the house.

This was only the beginning, better days were to come.