by Vaughn, Ann
Shane stood. "I'm her husband."
"She came through surgery just fine. We gave her some blood and repaired the damage from the stab. She has a lot of scar tissue," the doctor began.
"She was injured in an IED attack in Iraq and further injured later in her career in the FBI," Shane explained.
The doctor looked a little surprised by that, then cleared his throat. "Wow, she's been through a lot."
"Yes, sir, she has," Shane confirmed.
"Ironically, it was that scar tissue that saved her life. Prevented the knife from nicking an artery or reaching anything vital. One of the plates in her face was knocked loose, we repaired that."
Lainey's eyes widened. Plates in her face?? What in the world had Tessa been through before?
"All-in-all, she was very fortunate. We'll be moving her into a recovery room in just a few more moments and then you can see her."
"Thank you, doctor," Shane said, shaking his hand.
Lainey looked over at Mike and Colt, who were both looking immensely relieved. They waited with Shane until he was taken back to the recovery room, then, promising they would return, left him to see to his wife.
"We forgot to call Coop and Whit," Colt said as they were heading out to the parking lot. "They're going to be pissed."
"They'll get over it," Mike said. "As soon as we get to Lainey's, start hacking the security system from that building. Let's see if we can figure out where the hell that jackass came from and where the hell he disappeared to."
"I'll find him," Colt vowed.
Chapter Six
The two men Colt referred to as Coop and Whit met them as they walked through the door at her house. They'd been all smiles until they saw the blood on Colt's pants and the dark scowls on both their faces.
"What happened?" the one Colt greeted as Coop asked.
"Tessa was attacked. She's in the hospital but she's going to be all right," Colt explained, "where's your office, Lainey?"
"Just around the corner," she told him. He thanked her then disappeared into the office.
"System is up and running," Whit told Mike.
"Thanks."
Lainey watched Mike with his men and saw that they recognized as well as she did that he was hanging on by a thread...a thread that was quickly unraveling. She knew that he'd wanted to go in after Tessa with Colt but that he stayed because he didn't want to leave her unprotected.
"Mike?" she said, turning his attention to her. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Not right now," he said, walking away.
She sighed, shaking her head. He was taking all of what happened on himself, which was the last thing he needed at this point. She walked past Coop and Whit and went toward the stairs. On the halfway point, she turned and looked down toward her office, saw Mike and Colt at their computers. Her heart hurt for them; for Mike for having to helplessly watch his friend get beaten, and for Colt who had to find her like he had, and for Tessa, who had already been through enough trauma to last ten lifetimes.
In her room, she paused, looking down at her bed, which was still messy from their quick exit earlier that morning. Stepping out of her shoes, she lay down on her bed, her hand going to the pillow he'd used for the three hours he'd allowed himself to sleep. She wanted to help him, to ease his mind so that he...
Her phone was ringing. Sitting up, she saw that it was from an unknown caller. For a moment, she debated on whether or not to answer, then decided to roll the dice.
"Hello?"
"Your lady cop friend packs a helluva punch," she heard her "admirer" say.
"Why did you have to hurt her? She was only trying to protect me."
"You don't need protecting from me, Miss Lainey. I told you. I love you. I would never hurt you."
"You didn't have to hurt Tessa. She's been through so much. And she has a baby boy. You nearly took her away from him. You could have stayed hidden. You didn't have to hurt her."
"I had to send your man a message. I know who he is. Mike Casiano. He runs Orion Securities with your cousin, Riley. I know who that big man who came after the lady cop was, too. Colt Harris. I could have taken him down, too; had my scope on him. Would have been easy. So you tell them, Miss Lainey. You tell them I can take them out any time, anywhere. You send them on home now." She got up and flew down the stairs, colliding with Colt as she burst into the office, her eyes locked on Mike.
"Don't hurt them, they're only doing their jobs," she said and she felt an instant change in the room as all four men went on full alert, gathering around her.
"You tell that Casiano to back off. I saw how he was looking at you. Send him away, Miss Lainey. I'll kill him if he touches you."
"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because I love you."
"That isn't love!!" she cried.
Mike reached for the phone but the Admirer's next words had her jerking away.
"If he takes that phone from you, I'll shoot the first man I see. You're mine, Miss Lainey. I'll be coming for you."
He ended the call and she dropped the phone as if it had burned her. Mike stepped closer as if to touch her but she scrambled away.
"Don't! He can see!" she said on a frantic whisper.
Mike's eyes shot to Whit and Coop, who held their hands up.
"We did a sweep, Boss. It came up clean," Whit said.
Coop crossed to the window, but Lainey grabbed his arm. "He can see! He said if Mike touched me, he would shoot the first man he saw. Stay away from the window. He said he could have taken Colt out when he was in there with Tessa. Said he had him in his scope. He knows you," she said to Colt, then shifted her gaze to Mike who was scowling down at her. "He knows both of you. Called you by name and mentioned Orion Securities."
"We need to get her out of here," Coop said. "Take her to a safe house."
"I can't just shut my life down," she snapped. "We have no clue who this guy is. I can't just go into hiding."
"You still don't recognize anything about his voice, the things he said?" Mike pressed.
She shook her head. "I don't. I wish I did."
Mike glanced over to Colt. "I need a clone on her phone. If he calls again, I want to hear it. Lainey, stay in here with Colt. Do not leave this room. Coop, Whit, gear up. Let's go see if we can find him."
"What?!" Lainey cried, "No! You can't go out there!"
"This is what we do. We'll be fine. Stay with Colt."
She placed her hand on his arm, and then screamed when a shot rang out, sending them all scrambling for cover. Mike covered her with his body, his eyes scanning his men.
"Everyone OK?"
"Yeah, Boss, we're good," Colt answered.
Whit and Coop were already scrambling toward the front door, guns drawn. Police sirens could be heard approaching. Lainey knew it was only a matter of time before her dad arrived. She saw Whit and Coop go out the front door, her heart in her throat. She glanced over to Colt who was still working on his computer, this time, on the floor under the desk; as much as his big body could fit under it. She was still on the floor under Mike's body, and he had one arm curled protectively around her head, the other around her ribcage. The hardness of his body, his muscles pressed against her back, sent shivers down her spine. He tightened his hold and she pressed closer to him, her entire body trembling.
Mike felt her begin to tremble and tightened his arms around her. She wasn't crying, which he was thankful for, but she was definitely in shock. Outside, he heard the police sirens growing louder, then heard Whit and Coop identifying themselves. He still held Lainey close, shielding her, when the front door burst open.
"Lainey!" they heard her father yelling.
"In here!" she called, scrambling up from under Mike when he released her. She launched herself into her father's arms, who quickly embraced her, then set her back at arms length to study her.
"You're bleeding, are you hurt?"
She shook her head, puzzled, then glanced down at her blouse
, seeing blood. Eyes wide, she turned toward Mike, seeing blood running down his arm.
"Mike!" she cried, rushing to him, touching his arm. "You were hit?"
He glanced down at his bicep. "It just grazed me."
"But you're still bleeding. Take your shirt off, let me see," she said, pushing his jacket off his shoulders, uncaring that Colt and her father were both watching, jaws nearly on the floor.
"Lainey," Mike said, cupping her chin in his hand and forcing her to meet his gaze. "I am fine."
"You're bleeding. It needs to be bandaged. Stop being stubborn and let me clean it. You may need stitches."
"May as well do it, Boss, she isn't going to stand down," Colt chuckled.
"That's right, I'm not. Come up to my bathroom, I have my first aid supplies there."
Mike scowled at her a minute longer, then gestured for her to lead the way. Leaving Colt chuckling and her father in stunned silence, they made their way upstairs to her bathroom. She pulled her vanity chair out and motioned for him to sit while she collected her first aid kit. He shrugged out of his shirt and held it in his lap, thankful he had an undershirt on so she wouldn't see his scars.
Lainey turned back to him, seeing him sitting in her tiny vanity chair, head down. A slight smile touched her lips, seeing him in the dainty little chair, but she quickly focused on his arm before blood started dripping on the floor. Once she cleaned the wound, she studied it, wondering if it would need stitches. It was about a three inch gash, fairly deep.
"Can you see it?" she asked, drawing his eyes to hers in the mirror. "Do you think it needs stitches?"
"Call Colt up here. He was our medic."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"
"You were so insistent on playing Florence Nightingale, who was I to stop you?" he said, deadpan.
"Oh!" she huffed, tossing the rag she'd used on him into his face as she stormed out. She went directly into the office where all the guys and a few cops were now gathered and went straight to Colt. "You could have told me you were the team medic."
"And ruin your moment?" Colt chuckled.
"Go see if he needs stitches."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And stop laughing at me!" she called after him, making him laugh harder.
She shook her head then turned to see all the rest of the men in the room staring at her.
"What?"
Gavin chuckled, kissing the top of her head.
"Nothing, baby. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. That's two of Riley's friends this creep has hurt today."
"We need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere this guy isn't going to find you."
"I can't put my life on hold because of this guy."
"I'm not saying that you do that, baby. But, he just shot through the front window of your house, with four Special Forces guys inside. He's either stupid or he thinks he's invincible."
"Or both," Coop said, "but I agree with your dad. You can't stay here."
"So, I let him drive me from my own home now?" she asked, exasperated.
"At least for now, until we can get your window fixed and investigate where he could have been hiding to fire that shot."
Mike looked up when Colt came into the bathroom, carrying his bag. Colt was chuckling, which let Mike know that Lainey most likely unloaded on him as well.
"She is something else, Boss," Colt said, placing his bag on the counter and squatting down to examine Mike's arm. "Yeah, this needs to be stitched," he proclaimed, standing to remove a suture kit from his bag.
"She still hanging in there? No hysterics?"
"She wasn't crying. She was plenty upset that I didn't tell her I was a medic, though. Before she came down, her dad was talking with us about moving her to a safe house."
"That won't sit very well with her," Mike said, gritting his teeth when Colt began sewing him up.
"Didn't figure it would. We gotta look at the possibility that this guy is either law enforcement or former military."
"My money is on military," Mike replied, then looked toward the bathroom door when he heard Lainey approaching. She stepped inside, hugging her arms against a chill as she watched Colt stitch Mike's arm.
"My dad and Coop and Whit think I need to leave here; go to a safe house."
"We'll talk about it," Mike said, eyes on her, seeing that she was a little pale.
"I just got back into my house," she said, her voice soft.
Both men looked at her then, Colt pausing in his stitching. Mike knew that Colt, like him, was responding to the vulnerability they heard in her tone. She may not have been crying but she was scared and trying really hard not to show it. Colt finished up Mike's arm and quietly left the room. Mike stood and crossed over to Lainey, cupping her chin in his hand to get her to look up at him.
"We may have to leave, at least for a day or two. Just to give us a chance to get the window replaced and check the neighborhood out, find where he was hiding to fire the shot."
She rubbed her upper arms and looked away from his face, focusing on the bandage on his arm.
"He keeps saying he loves me...that he'll kill anyone who touches me. I just reached out to touch your arm and he shot you," her voice gave out toward the end and she tried to turn away, but he reached out to stop her.
"Look at me," he said, hands on her shoulders. "You have a really bad habit of not listening. Look. At. Me," he said, as he'd said a couple times before to her.
She didn't want to, but she forced herself to meet his gaze, her eyes skimming his bandage on their way to his. He saw that her eyes were bright with unshed tears, but watched her blink them away. She was so strong, he thought, admiring that about her.
"I am fine. He's either a lousy shot, or he grazed me on purpose. Either way, I am fine. I've been shot worse than this. I've been cut worse than this. This is nothing."
"But you were shot because of me. Tessa was beaten and stabbed, because of me."
"Stop. This could have happened to me or to Tessa on any number of our jobs. This is the line of work we are in. We know that and we accept that. Do not blame yourself for any of what happened today."
"But Tessa..."
"Tessa is tough. She lost some blood, but no other major damage was done to her."
"Her husband wouldn't agree," she replied.
"No, he wouldn't," Mike agreed. "I honestly don't know how he can stand for her to do what she does...but he loves her and supports her in what she chooses to do, even though it's killing him."
"I'm sure Jenna feels the same about Riley...and that Colt's wife feels the same about him. Doesn't make it any different that they send their husbands out and Shane sends his wife out."
Mike gave her a small smile. "It shouldn't be any different, but trust me, it is."
She shook her head and offered him a weak smile, and to her astonishment, found herself wrapped into his arms, his big hand cradling the back of her head and holding her against his chest.
"Everything is going to be all right, Lainey. I promise."
She tilted her head so that she was looking up at him, marveling at the paleness of his eyes. This close, she could see tiny darker blue flecks closer to his pupils. They were absolutely stunning. He raised his hand and stroked his thumb over the apple of her cheek and she couldn't help leaning into his touch. They didn't speak. Lainey didn't even think she breathed. He was being so...different with her now. What had changed? Had the blood loss gone to his head?
His thumb trailed from her cheek to trace her jaw, then to stroke her lower lip. Lainey could only watch, mesmerized, as he started to lean down, and she knew that it was only a matter of seconds before his lips touched hers, and then...
"Hey, Boss!" Colt called from her bedroom, breaking the spell that had fallen over them.
Mike cursed low under his breath, again in Italian, and Lainey took a step back from him. Her eyes were huge and she looked a little shell-shocked as she turned to leave the room. Mike follow
ed her out, hands shoved in his pockets as he went to see what Colt wanted.
He saw Colt's brows raise as Lainey walked past him, then turned his attention to Mike, brows still raised in question.
"Did I interrupt something?" he asked.
"What did you need?" Mike countered, avoiding Colt's question.
Colt eyed him skeptically for a moment, then nodded. "Riley called. I guess her dad called him. He'll be home in just a couple more hours. Said you could take her to his brother Jack's place if you wanted."
"I would, but I'm afraid this guy may have staked out her family's places. I've got a place here in town we can take her to."
"I thought you stayed with your mother."
"Only because she's hovering right now...and I feel like I owe her."
"Do I need to install security at this place you have?"
"No, it's taken care of."
They went downstairs and listened to the police officers updating Lainey's father on their search of the area. Coop and Whit were standing just behind the cops, shaking their heads. Obviously, they didn't agree with what was being said. He scanned the room for Lainey and realized she wasn't there. Frowning, he went in search of her...and kept coming up empty.
"Where is Lainey?" he asked, coming back into the office, interrupting the officer who was speaking.
Everyone stopped and looked around, just realizing that she wasn't there.
"Lainey!" her father called, stepping out into the foyer. "Lainey!"
A few tense moments passed, and then Lainey stepped out of the downstairs guest room, her phone to her ear, looking absolutely carefree. Mike clenched his jaw and stepped forward, getting right in her path, scowling at her. Lainey looked up at him, glanced around him at everyone gathered in the foyer and rolled her eyes.
"Let me call you back. Yes. Everything is fine, I promise." She ended her call and put her phone in her pocket. "What?"
"You ever disappear like that again, I will handcuff you to me and throw the key away. You hear me?" he said, his voice soft and low so that only she heard him.
"I was talking to Riley and they were all being too loud for me to hear."
"You didn't hear me when I opened the door and called for you? And where were you? I didn't see you."