Sloan (The Protectors Series) Book #9

by Teresa Gabelman

  “Looks good.” She stared at the wall as she walked up to Don Baker of Baker’s Construction. “You finished?”

  “We sure are,” Don replied with a proud smile. “Just cleaning up. Come on in and look at the inside before we leave.”

  Becky followed him inside to check their work and all looked good. “You guys do a wonderful job.”

  Don chuckled. “Well, we’ve gotten a lot of experience with replacing walls with this group.”

  “I bet you have.” Becky laughed in agreement, handing him the check. “And I’m sure you’ll be hearing from us again.”

  “I count on it.” Don stared at their work with pride.

  “Looks good, Don.” Sloan had snuck in on them. He stuck his hand out to shake Don’s hand.

  Becky watched Sloan’s hand swallow the other man’s, who wasn’t small by any means. What in the hell was it about a man’s hands? Jerking her gaze away, she cursed at herself to get a grip.

  “Did Becky get you your check?” Sloan said, breaking into Becky’s stupid “man hand” thoughts.

  “Yes, sir.” Don raised the check. “You got a good worker there. I thought a few times to try to sway her to leave you and come work for me. She had my boys busting ass to get this done. Very impressive.”

  “Ah, now, Don, I was nice to those boys and even brought them lunch yesterday,” Becky teased. “I wasn’t busting anyone’s ass, but I may have bribed them with some fried chicken.”

  “Well, I don’t know what the hell you did, but it worked.” Don laughed, looking back at the wall. “Never saw them work that hard on a project. You sure you’re happy here?”

  Becky glanced up at Sloan who looked down at her with what appeared to be pride, but that couldn’t be right. “I think I’ll stay.” She turned her attention back to Don. “But thanks for the endorsement here today. That will come in handy during raise time.”

  “Anytime.” Don gave a nod then headed toward his workers, who kept glancing at Becky.

  “Looks like you won a few hearts here,” Sloan said, his voice tight.

  Becky glanced up at him. His eyes were narrowed toward the men. “Nah, it was the fried chicken. I make a mean fried bird.” She chuckled, a little confused about his sudden change of mood. “Okay, I’m off to get your tux. You need me to do anything else? Some food maybe? I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything. I can stop and pick something up real quick.”

  Sloan finally stopped glaring at the workers to look down at her. “They get home-cooked fried chicken and I get something quick from a fast-food joint?” He frowned.

  “Hey, you got your wall fixed in record time.” She laughed, giving him a shove as she passed. “I’ll fix you some fried chicken if it stops you pouting.”

  “I don’t pout.” Sloan growled as he followed her outside, walking her to her car.

  Don and his workers were just pulling out, but there was a car left by the entrance that they had just passed. Neither paid much attention to it. “Oh, I think that was definitely a pout,” she teased, but seeing the look on his face warned her something was definitely wrong. Before she could say anything else, she was in his arms as a loud explosion rocked them off their feet. Sloan shielded her with his body as they hit the ground hard.

  Her ears roared, her vision was fuzzy, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Even during all that, her head turned to see Don and his men running toward them screaming something. Something blue caught her eye, the sedan from the other day, and then it was gone as Sloan’s face appeared in front of her. His mouth moved, but all she could hear was the annoying roar in her ears.

  ******

  Sloan knew she was hurt. Motherfucker! Quickly grabbing his phone, he put it to his ear. “Get everyone to the warehouse now, and bring Slade!” he ordered into the phone before tossing it to the ground. His eyes never left Becky, who lay underneath him, her eyes appearing unfocused.

  “We called an ambulance,” Don yelled. “You better move. It might blow up again.”

  Turning slightly, Sloan watched the parked car they had passed burn, the heat so intense he felt it heating the bottom of his boots. He looked back down at Becky.

  “Becky?” Sloan leaned into her vision again. “We need to move. Can I pick you up? Where are you hurt?”

  She just stared at his lips for a few minutes before even attempting to answer. “I’m okay,” she finally managed. Her hearing was probably fucked from the explosion.

  “The hell you are.” Sloan moved off her. Even though he had taken his weight off her, he shielded her from harm. “But I have to move you away from this.”

  When she didn’t answer, but just lay there staring at him, worry pulsed through him. He wished to hell Slade would get there. Kneeling, he bent down and gently picked her up. He slowed when she grimaced, but continued. Even for him the heat was intense. He knew he had some damage because his back was hurting like a son of a bitch, but he would heal. Becky was his only concern.

  Motorcycles and pounding feet hitting the pavement indicated that his team had arrived. “Where’s Slade?” he shouted, not once taking his eyes off her.

  “Jesus, Sloan.” Duncan stopped beside him, his eyes on Sloan’s back. “You’ve got metal in your back.”

  Sloan laid Becky down, ignoring Duncan and the pain in his back. Slade slid in on his knees and began checking Becky, who kept pointing at Sloan.

  “What is it?” Sloan leaned down, wondering why she kept pointing.

  “She wants me to check you first.” Slade touched her neck with his hands, but she kept pushing him away.

  “I’m fine,” she said loudly. “You’re bleeding.”

  Sloan knelt down, grabbing her hands so Slade could finish looking her over. “As soon as he’s done checking you, he can check me over.” Sloan leaned down, trying to calm her. “I’m vampire, you’re not.”

  That seemed to calm her, but he kept her small hands in his. “She okay?”

  “I think so, but she’s obviously lost some hearing, which should come back.” Slade’s exam moved down to her stomach. He pushed into her skin while watching her face. “How close were you?” When Sloan didn’t respond, Slade looked up at him.

  “A few steps away,” Sloan replied, anger forcing the words out.

  “I think we need to get you both to the hospital.” Slade leaned back so he could look around at Sloan’s back. “We need to make sure nothing is broken that could heal badly with you, and she should really get a CAT scan.”

  “No.” Becky must have either gotten some hearing back or she was a damn good lip-reader. “I don’t have insurance. I’m fine.” She went to sit up, but Slade stopped her.

  “She needs to go,” Slade told Sloan. “That was a hell of a blast at close range.”

  The ambulance had arrived, as did the police. Sloan had to get his anger in check. He would find whoever was responsible, but not today. Duncan and Damon stood close to him waiting for orders, while the rest looked for evidence. They all knew their jobs; he didn’t have to worry about that. The paramedics were waiting for Slade’s orders and Slade was waiting for Sloan’s.

  Looking down at Becky’s pale face, he knew she needed to go and by the stares he was getting at his back, so did he, and that pissed him off. Whoever had done this could have killed her, possibly him, but he was one hard son of a bitch to kill.

  “Make sure no one goes near that car until you Warriors have checked it over. After that, the police can do what they want,” Sloan ordered those around him, knowing that the rest would get word. “Whoever is behind this will be caught by us.” He looked them each in the eye.

  Duncan, who had received a phone call and had walked away, returned to the group, his face a mask of rage.

  “Looks like we weren’t the only ones hit.” Duncan cursed, his eyes going back to the car and then to Sloan. “Other training centers in a hundred-mile radius were also hit.”

  “Looks like someone doesn’t want more Warriors running about kicking ass,” Sid hiss
ed.

  “Was anyone hurt?” Sloan asked, his eyes narrowing when one of the paramedics made Becky moan in pain. Walking over, he knocked the guy out of the way and lifted Becky in his arms before he repeated his question to Duncan.

  “No, but one building was destroyed.” Duncan glanced at the car that was still burning, but the fire department was working on getting it under control. “The rest were like this. A car near the building. Like a warning.”

  Sloan nodded, then turned and headed to the ambulance with Becky in his arms. The paramedics had to run to get the stretcher back in place before he arrived with Becky.

  “Put me down, Sloan.” Becky frowned up at him. “You’re hurt.”

  Sloan glanced at her. “Are you calling me weak?”

  “No, but you have stuff sticking out of your back.” Becky’s worried voice did something to him, something he hadn’t felt in such a long time. “Slade, tell him to put me down.”

  “I did. He won’t listen.” Slade sneered, the doctor in him not liking what he was seeing.

  “Don’t make my redhead ’tude come out,” Becky warned Sloan, then cringed.

  Sloan slowed. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she replied, but he knew she was lying. “And I don’t have insurance. I can’t afford to go to the hospital. I’ll be fine. Lost my hearing for a minute, but it’s coming back already.”

  Quickening his steps, Sloan carried her into the ambulance and laid her gently on the stretcher. He then turned to the paramedics as Slade climbed in.

  “What the fuck are we waiting for?” Sloan cursed, not in the mood to fuck around.

  Slade banged his fist on the wall of the ambulance twice. The ambulance sirens started just as they began to move.

  Becky turned, looking up at Sloan. “Do vampires have a high pain tolerance?”

  “No.” A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m just trying to impress you.”

  “Well, it’s working.” Becky grinned back. “Here I am with a little hearing loss lying on the stretcher and you have glass and metal sticking out of your back.”

  “Just part of the job,” Sloan replied, then glanced at Slade who stared at him with an odd expression. He sent the doc a silent message, warning him if this conversation left the ambulance, he would be a dead man.

  Chapter 20

  Becky was done with the poking, testing, and the rest of the crap that went along with being in the emergency room. Her hearing was almost back to normal. She was just a little sore from Sloan falling on her. More than anything, she was bored to death and worried about Sloan.

  He had stayed with her, along with some of the Warriors, until Slade had collected him. She was since alone. She sat up in the uncomfortable bed listening to the conversations going on around her. She couldn’t see anything because the curtains were closed, but she could see feet walking back and forth.

  No one had been in for the last half an hour and she was ready to get dressed and find out what was going on with Sloan. Glancing down at the IV port they put in the top of her hand, she frowned. Ripping the tape off, the pulled it out and cursed. “Damn, that hurts.” As soon as it left her hand, blood squirted everywhere. “Ah, shit!” She frantically reached around to find something to stop the blood. Coming up empty, she used her bed sheet. Using that to put pressure on the small hole, she looked for her clothes.

  Once the bleeding had stopped, she hopped out of the bed, waiting for a second to make sure she really was okay and not going to fall flat on her face. Taking a step, then another toward the chair with her clothes, she felt triumphant as she hurried and dressed.

  Peeking out the curtains, she glanced around. If she was going to make a break for it, now was the time. It was clear. Quickly she walked out, then slowed, wondering where the hell Sloan was. Turning up another hallway, she watched Slade walk out of a room. She pushed herself against the wall, then peeked to make sure he was gone and saw the Warriors standing around at the end of the hallway, talking. Katrina spotted her. Putting her finger to her lips, Becky warned Katrina to shush, then pointed toward the room Slade had exited and mouthed “Sloan.” Katrina glanced around at the Warriors, then nodded.

  With a sneakiness that would make the Warriors proud, she crossed the hallway to the wall and plastered herself against it. Easing herself along, she reached out, grabbed the knob, and snuck into Sloan Murphy’s room. With a satisfied smile, she turned, her eyes falling on Sloan’s back.

  “Oh, my God!” Her hand went to her mouth in shock.

  Sloan lay on his stomach on a bed. He pushed himself up to see her. “What in the hell are you doing up?”

  “Your back!” Becky cried, heading toward him to see it closer. The wounds were jagged, long, and very deep. Blood seeped out, streaking down his side.

  “Becky, did Slade release you?” Sloan narrowed his eyes.

  “No, he didn’t.” Slade entered the room, answering for Becky, and he was not happy. “Dammit, Becky, I don’t have your results back yet. You shouldn’t be up walking around.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” Becky was past caring about herself. The man lying before her with huge gouges in his body from protecting her was who she cared about at the moment. She was absolutely fine.

  “He’s a vampire,” Slade reminded her. “He’s fine, but I need to staple some of these closed so they heal right. Some of them are already healing incorrectly.”

  A frantic nurse entered the room saying, “Dr. Buchanan, the girl in triage four is missing.”

  “No, she’s not,” Becky responded. She then sat down in a chair next to Sloan’s head. “She’s right here and not moving.” Her eyes pleaded with Sloan.

  He had rested his head on his bare muscular arm, his golden eyes staring at her.

  “Please don’t make me go,” she whispered to him.

  “Doctor?” the nurse asked. Slade looked toward Sloan, who shook his head.

  “She’s fine,” Slade said, but didn’t sound happy about it. “Check on the results of her tests and see if they’ve come back, please.”

  The nurse backed out, leaving them alone.

  “If you feel dizzy or weak, you need to lie down right away,” Slade warned before he started working on Sloan’s back.

  Becky watched as Slade stapled Sloan’s back. She wasn’t squeamish—her son had broken bones and bloodied many parts of his body in the past—so the stapling didn’t really bother her. She looked back at Sloan, who was staring at her.

  “Novocain is the shit, isn’t it?” Becky gave him a small smile.

  “I wouldn’t know,” Sloan replied, adjusting his head. “It doesn’t work on us.”

  “Holy crap.” Becky cringed, biting her lip as she looked back at Slade stapling the wounds closed without any numbing medication.

  It seemed like forever before Slade was done. She did all the grimacing, hissing, and ouching for Sloan.

  “Give it about two days and then I’ll take the staples out,” Slade told him as he walked over to wash his hands.

  “Hey, you didn’t wear gloves.” Becky frowned at Slade.

  “We don’t get infections and can’t give infections,” Slade responded, still sounding a little peeved about her escape from triage.

  “Must be nice.” Becky watched as Slade walked out of the room without commenting. “Guess I made the doctor mad. Story of my life.”

  “He only has your best interest in mind. And he takes this shit very serious.” Sloan pushed up off the table and stood. He turned to grab the shirt Slade had brought him since his was torn all to hell, but stopped when Becky placed her hand gently on his lower back.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, tears in her voice. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  Silently, Sloan turned and stood before her, his gaze tracing a single tear that had escaped her eye.

  “I know you’re fast and could have gotten away without being touched, but because you were shielding me….” She tilted her head, swallowing hard. “Ju
st thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he finally said as he reached up and swiped another tear that had escaped.

  “Near-death experiences always make me emotional.” Becky sniffed, rolling her eyes.

  A small smile tipped his full lips as he cupped her chin with the large hand she had admired on many occasions, then slid it to the back of her head. Leaning down, his eyes never left hers. She placed her hand on his arm to help herself rise.

  So many times since seeing this man she had imagined this, but that was nothing compared to what she was experiencing, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet.

  She placed her free hand on his neck, her thumb creasing his strong chin. Finally, his mouth met hers as his hand left the back of her head, moved to her waist, and pulled her against his body. Her feet actually left the floor. She didn’t care; she was safe in his embrace.

  His tongue dipped in, tasting her, and she happily let him inside. The kiss was demanding and she gave freely. She moaned, not caring. Never had she been kissed so thoroughly. She knew if this man demanded anything from her at that moment, she would have done it. She was in deep shit and she didn’t care.

  Sloan pulled away, causing a disappointed groan to escape Becky’s lips. He set her down on her feet as her gaze met his. His eyes were as black as night. Turning, he put his shirt on right before the door opened. Slade walked in, but Sloan stayed turned away, cracking his neck back and forth.

  “Your test results are negative.” Slade handed her the release papers. “But next time I put you in a room, if there is a next time, I will tie you down until I release you.”

  “I’m sorry.” Becky signed the paperwork and handed it back to Slade. “I was just freaking out and didn’t want to be alone.”

  Some of the anger left Slade’s expression before he headed toward the door. “You’re both released,” Slade informed them. “I signed yours, boss.”

  “Thanks,” Sloan answered, his voice deep. “Tell the guys I’ll be there in a minute.”