by Cynthia Eden
His entire body iced. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
A throat cleared behind him. “Marilyn, you have patients waiting. I’ll explain things to Dr. Barrett’s…friend.”
He knew that prick voice. Devin Goddard.
Marilyn didn’t move. Her eyes narrowed on James. “You didn’t get a call about her? But you were supposed to be notified. I thought…” Her voice trailed away as she glanced back at Devin, then over at James.
His teeth clenched. “Something happened to Tess?”
Marilyn gave a quick nod. “She was attacked earlier. Someone knocked her out when she was cutting through the corridor under renovation, but—”
“But, luckily, I found her,” Devin cut in. “I chased off the bastard in there, and I carried Tess to safety. She’s quite all right now.”
He didn’t look at the guy, not yet. James pulled in a slow breath. Released it.
“You were supposed to be notified,” Marilyn mumbled. “Tess asked for you to be called.”
Yet he hadn’t been. When Tess needed him, he hadn’t been there.
Fucking hell.
“You have patients waiting, Marilyn. Are you going to neglect them all night?”
Marilyn’s gaze snapped toward Devin. She gave a little growl then stomped off.
James faced off with Devin. “Where is she?”
“Come this way.” Devin headed to the right, not even looking back to see if James was following him. He pushed open a door marked STAFF and his tennis shoes squeaked over the tile as he strode past two nurses and then took a left.
James followed right on his heels. Rage and adrenaline spiked through him. Tess had been attacked. Again? No way, no freaking way, was he going to buy that as coincidence. It just wasn’t going to happen.
When he took the left after Devin, James found himself in what looked like some kind of small break room. There was even a narrow bed—more like a cot with some folded covers—on the side of the room. James figured that must be where the staff crashed on long shifts, but there was no sign of Tess.
“We need to talk.” Devin crossed his arms over his chest. Tried to look tough.
He failed.
“The only thing you need to do is take me to Tess.”
Devin’s lips thinned. “She doesn’t need someone like you in her life.”
“You have no clue who I am.” With the danger stalking her, Tess needed someone exactly like him. No, not like him. She needs me.
“You’re a shady club owner who thinks he’s a badass. I’ve seen your type. The big, tough guys who strut around town like they can handle any shit that comes their way.”
“You’re wasting my time. Where is Tess?” He still had his phone gripped in his hand.
“She’s out of your league.”
Tell me some shit I don’t know.
“So you saved her once. Big deal. Anyone can be a hero once.” Devin’s chest puffed out. “You weren’t here today, and I was. I was the one who ran off the jerk who’d knocked her down. I was the one who picked her up. Who carried her to the exam room. I was the one who checked her for a concussion, and I was the one—”
James stood toe-to-toe with the asshole. “You are the one in my way right now. You don’t want to be between me and Tess.” Tess was hurt. That was all he could think about. She’d been hurt, and he hadn’t been notified. He should have been there and—
Suspicion slithered through him. “You attended her after she was hurt.”
Devin’s chin notched up. “Damn right I did.”
“And did you tell the staff not to notify me?”
Devin swallowed. “You’re not family. You’re just some guy she met at a club. She didn’t want you to come and—”
James felt his phone vibrate. A little ping filled the air. He looked down and a surge of relief rolled through him when he saw the text.
I need you.
He needed her, too.
Can you come to the hospital?
He fired out a fast response. Baby, I am already here. Where are you?
Devin cleared his throat. “You’re not the right person for Tess. You two have nothing in common. There is no possible reason for the two of you to continue—”
His phone pinged and vibrated. “Hold the thought,” James told him with a cold smile. “My best sex ever is texting me right now.”
“Your—what?”
James flipped the phone around so the dick could see. “Best sex ever.” Had he stuttered? James didn’t think so. “She’s looking for me. Seems she needs me. So this bullshit talk between us? It’s over.” He was done wasting time. Tess had texted back and said she was making her way to the ER waiting room. He exited the break area and strode back toward—
Devin grabbed his arm and spun him around. “It’s just sex to you. That’s all she is.” His voice was low and mean. “That will get old. She’ll stop getting off on the thrill that comes from screwing someone like you.”
Did it look like he had time for this crap? James leaned toward him. “Let’s be clear on one very important thing.” He smiled. Coldly. Lethally. “I’ll make sure she never stops getting off with me.”
Devin’s face mottled. He opened his mouth to reply.
“James!”
Tess. He forgot the asshole and whirled to see her coming toward him. Her hair was loose, sliding around her shoulders. She was too pale. And the smile she gave him didn’t reach her eyes.
She was the most fucking beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. James lunged toward her and pulled her into his arms. He lifted her up—
“Easy, dumbass,” Devin snarled. “She was attacked. She has a concussion. She lost consciousness for a moment, and the last thing she needs is to be manhandled by—”
“I need him,” Tess said flatly. Her arms curled around James. “I told them to call you, but I know you were busy and you couldn’t get here—”
He tightened his hold on her. “No one called me.” He tucked her against his side. Held her there. Wanted to keep her there forever. His head turned and his gaze pinned Devin with dark promise. “That’s a mistake that won’t happen again.”
“I told you.” Devin straightened to his full height. Sniffed. Looked all pompous and spoke with an arrogant edge as he continued, “You aren’t family, so I saw no need to notify you since you were not—”
“Tess is mine. I’m hers. You come between us again, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
Devin’s eyes turned to slits. “I was the one who picked her up off the floor. I was the one who took care of her!”
And that’s why you don’t have my fist hitting your face right now. Because I know what you are doing, asshole. You want her and you’re trying to cut me out of her life. Not happening. I’m not going anywhere.
“Thank you, Devin,” Tess said quietly. An edge of exhaustion had turned her voice husky. “I appreciate what you did for me.”
Over her head, James mouthed Fuck off at Devin.
Devin sniffed. “Anything for you, Tess. We are friends, you know that.”
They were? Since when?
“You can always count on me.”
The guy was going to be a problem. Good thing James was used to handling problems.
“Can we go home?” Tess asked as she leaned into James. “I really want to go home.”
“Absolutely.” He picked her up into his arms.
“No, James, I—”
“Baby, I just found out you were attacked.” Again. “I want details. I want to know how the hell this happened, and I want to carry you. Okay? I need to feel you in my arms.” He headed toward the exit, leaving Devin behind.
They passed Marilyn. She smiled.
Tess had her arm behind his head. “I am completely capable of walking.”
“Yeah, so are most people who leave the hospital, but I still see you docs always making people exit in wheelchairs. They have to stay in the chairs until they get to their cars—”
&nb
sp; “That’s a liability issue, just something hospitals require—”
“And carrying you is something I require. Because I’m barely holding onto my control. I just found out that you were hurt. I wasn’t close. I couldn’t help you, and I need to feel you in my arms to make sure that you’re okay.” Did she get that? Just touching her, holding her, calmed the savagery that was raging inside of him.
The exit doors slid open. His limo waited, with the driver at the ready.
“I need to feel you, too,” Tess whispered. “I asked for you as soon as I could, just because I wanted you close.”
And Devin hadn’t called him.
Sonofabitch. The guy was going to pay for that.
He eased her into the limo. “Take us home,” he told Ryley.
“Is she okay?”
Ryley wasn’t one for much conversation. The retired marine was usually a wall of silence. The fact that he’d asked about Tess showed that she’d managed to slip under his skin, too.
“I’m fine,” Tess called out softly. “Thank you, Ryley.”
He nodded.
James held his gaze. “If you notice any cars tailing us, alert me immediately.”
“Absolutely.”
The door slammed behind him as James slid in next to Tess. The car started a moment later, and they were on their way. He caught her hand in his. Threaded his fingers with hers. “Tell me everything.”
“There isn’t a whole lot to tell.” Her voice sounded so tired. Too weak. Tess wasn’t weak. “I was paged, and the patient was on the other side of the hospital. I knew I could cut through the renovation area to get there faster, and when I did, I was hit by someone. I remember the person slamming into me, and then…I think my head hit the floor.” Her free hand rose and slid under her hair. She gave a little wince.
He shoved down his fury. The car eased to a stop and sped up a moment later.
“When I opened my eyes—I swear, I don’t think I was out long at all, barely seemed a minute—Devin was crouched over me. He said he saw someone running away.” She swallowed. “He, um, thought it looked like Frederick Waller.”
Bastard. James had warned him to stay away.
“Frederick might have come back to the hospital looking to steal drugs. There is a storage area in that unit, and it’s possible I interrupted him. He slammed into me when he was trying to run away. I mean, maybe that’s what happened. It’s what Devin thought, what he told the detective who came to investigate—”
“If it was Frederick, he’s a dead man.”
“Don’t.” Her fingers jerked in his. “You don’t get to say things like that, understand? It’s not a joke.”
“It’s definitely not. It’s your life. I don’t joke about your life.”
She shivered. “With your past, you can’t say things like that. You can’t say things that you don’t mean.”
He brought her hand to his lips. Kissed her knuckles. The moment was tense and heavy, but it was time she realized something very important. “Sweetheart…”
Her head turned toward him. The faint glow of illumination in the back of the car let him see her delicate features.
“Do you think I wouldn’t kill for you?”
Her lips parted.
“Do you think I would hesitate? If someone was threatening you, I wouldn’t. So I’m not saying anything I don’t mean. I’m stating a fact. You are my priority. I will do anything to protect you.”
Tess shook her head. “I don’t want that. I don’t want you killing for me! I didn’t ask—”
“Something is off.” Every instinct James possessed screamed that truth to him. “The attack on you today. The break-in at your place. All of this stuff happening at once…”
“M-maybe…maybe Frederick did that, too. Maybe he broke in to my home.” Once more, the car slowed down. Turned. Tess cleared her throat. “Devin suspected he might have. That he could be locked on me, or something. That Frederick went to my place looking for cash. Or looking for me. The detective who came to the hospital thought Devin might be right.”
If they were right, and Frederick was targeting her…dead man. But James didn’t say those words again. Tess wasn’t ready for the darkness that he carried. Maybe she never would be.
But he wasn’t kidding. If someone threatened her, he’d do anything necessary to keep her safe.
“The detective—his name was Wesley Cade—he’s going to call me after he talks to Frederick.”
Once more, James kissed her knuckles. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“You can’t be with me twenty-four hours a day.” Her brow furrowed. “Devin handled it for me. He said he took care of the patient and that everything was fine. I guess I’ll owe him for that, too.”
“You don’t owe him a damn thing.” Wasn’t it so very convenient, all of these things that Devin was suddenly doing?
Or maybe I’m just a jealous bastard who needs to calm the hell down. He sucked in a breath. Smelled her sweet vanilla cream. Tess had told him that she used that lotion because her hands got dry. Since she washed her hands so often at the hospital, she always kept her lotion close. Anytime he smelled vanilla now, he thought of Tess.
I need to make things better for Tess. And he needed to smother his jealousy. “Tell me how to help you.” He wanted to help. “You have a concussion. What all do I need to do? What can I do?”
“I’m okay. No vomiting. No blurred vision. And I’m carrying on a normal conversation.” For the first time, humor slid into her voice. “So I’ll count all of those as wins.”
He wanted to hold her tight. To never let her go.
They drove in silence for a while, then Tess said, “You didn’t make love to me last night.”
Make love.
“Is it because of the way things ended? Our new, um, rules? I’m ready for the new agreement. I shared my past with you. I shared everything I had and—”
He kissed her. James leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and easy because that was what she needed. Tenderness. He savored her lips. Caressed her. Wanted to give her everything. When his head lifted, he rasped, “Let’s be clear about something. I always want you. Every minute. I look at you, and I need.”
Her breath caught.
“I want to be what you need, too. And last night, I thought you might want a gentleman. I can do that shit, too, you know. I’m not just a killer. Not just some criminal from the street.”
“I never thought you were.”
She hadn’t. Plenty of others had.
He stared into her eyes. “I know my past scares you.” It would give anyone nightmares.
“You don’t scare me.”
Baby, maybe I should. If she knew what all he’d do to protect her…
No, now wasn’t the time for that. In another life, he’d gone after the worst of the worst. He’d attacked. He’d hunted. He’d lost every bit of his soul.
But he could swear that Tess was starting to give it back to him.
Or, hell, maybe she is my soul. Because she made him want to do more. To be better.
To not be the bastard in the dark that the whole world feared.
Her phone gave a quick peal of sound.
“I tried to reach you earlier,” James heard himself say.
“I…think Devin had my phone. One of the nurses brought it to me, and I saw that I’d missed your texts.”
His eyes narrowed.
Her phone rang again.
He eased back. Tess lifted her phone. “It’s the detective.” She swiped her finger over the screen, turning on the speaker. “Detective Cade?”
“Dr. Barrett, where are you right now?”
“I’m on my way home.”
“I’m going to need you to come to the station.”
James didn’t like the guy’s tone.
“Why?” Tess asked. “Did you find Frederick?”
“Are you alone, doctor?”
“No, I’m not.”
A pause. “Who is with you?” There was a murmur of voices in the background. “By any chance, is it James Smith?”
“Yes,” James answered bluntly. “It is.”
A swift inhale. “Dr. Barrett, I need you at the station, now. Can you come to me or do I need to come to you?”
“I don’t understand,” Tess said. “What’s happening?”
“Come to the station—you and Mr. Smith—and I will tell you everything.”
***
It wasn’t his first time in a police station. Not even close. All the stations generally seemed to look the same, though. Not as clean and tidy as you saw on the cop shows that lit TV screens. More cramped. Filled with tired cops and detectives. And always noisy. Phones ringing. Voices rising.
James and Tess had been met by the detective as soon as they’d arrived. The detective—and a few uniformed cops—had been waiting on the steps. Hardly a good sign.
Another not-so-good sign? Detective Wesley Cade, a guy in his mid-fifties with a military hair-cut and a faded, brown suit, kept eyeing James with suspicion.
They were currently in a small interrogation room. Just like thousands of other interrogation rooms in the world. A one-way mirror was to the right. A wobbly table was in the middle of the space, and some crappy coffee had been poured into two mugs for James and Tess.
Tess didn’t drink the coffee. Neither did James.
And the detective still hadn’t told them why they were there.
James tapped his fingers against the table top. He’d pulled his chair close to Tess. The closer he was to her, the better he felt. The detective had lifted his brows at the movement but hadn’t commented.
The game of silence was getting way old.
James sighed. He wasn’t in the mood for this crap. “You gonna tell us why you demanded we appear here? Or do we sit in silence all night?” He inclined his head toward Tess. “She needs rest, not this BS, so I think—”
“I wanted her here so that I could be certain she was safe,” Detective Cade cut in. “How are you, doctor? Is there anything that you need?”
“I’m fine,” Tess responded. Her pale lips trembled. “Please, just tell me what’s happening. Did you find Frederick Waller?”