Page 2 of Back the Blue

“Let me up,” I snap. “I need to get my patient on a stretcher.”

“He’s going to have to wait,” he hisses. “Your safety comes first.”

“My vest did its job.”

“And I need to do mine,” he says in a low voice.

Knowing he can easily keep me in place, I lay my head back on the ground with a frustrated growl. When I let my eyes close, I swear I hear him chuckle, but I let it go for now. Because I can’t do my job if I take a bullet, and I don’t really want to press my luck. Another thirty seconds pass and I hear someone call out another all clear. This time, when I move to sit up, the agent aids me. But before I can do anything else, he presses his massive hand over my vest where the bullet struck me. I immediately slap his hand away, and his eyes flash with anger and…something.

“I need my patient on a stretcher, now.”

Without breaking eye contact with me, he shouts out to someone and gets an affirmative response. Then he grips my elbow and helps me stand. Our eyes stay locked together, and before I can tell him something about himself and how he’s interfering with my job, he leans in close and speaks in a low voice that shouldn’t sound sexy in this situation.

“I swear I’m going to keep you safe,” he says. “I’m going to stay with you until you’re clear of this patient, and then some if necessary. No one else is going to take a shot at you on my watch.”

Despite the touch of Neanderthal possessiveness, which annoys me to no end, my breath catches in my throat at the sincerity laced in his tone. And for whatever reason, I believe him.

“Fine,” I rasp. “Let’s get this man on a stretcher and get him to the hospital.”

“You got it,” he grins.

And with that, another agent appears with my stretcher and the two of them help me do my job with an amount of effortless efficiency that belies some type of medical training. No sooner are we moving toward the ambulance, I shout back to Malcolm.

“What’s your status?”

“Gonna be a few minutes, but I’ll hitch a ride with another crew.”

He looks up and locks eyes with me. I give him a nod of acknowledgement and he does the same. But the small grin on his face as he looks at the giant agent who has his hand plastered against the small of my back annoys the fuck out of me. And I plan on giving him hell for his lack of personal space just as soon as I can.

Two

I know I don’t need to keep my hand on her, but I can’t seem to help myself. The second I opened the back of the ambulance and looked up into her gorgeous face with her piercing green eyes, I was a goner. A wave of possession washed over me like a tsunami and in that moment, I knew exactly how my father felt for my mother when they first got together.

Am I jumping the gun by already making us a couple?

Maybe.

But my desire to see that she was safe in this situation was real. And it increased tenfold after she took a bullet to the chest. Something that I never want to see happen to anyone, but seeing it happen to her did strange things to me.

In less than two minutes, I’m pulling the door shut and we’re on our way. While the medic goes about her job, I deftly secure the victim to the stretcher. I can feel her eyes on me when I do, but I ignore her. Because I don’t want to take any more chances with her life. So, when she’s finished and satisfied that the victim is secure, I step over him and settle beside her. I reach out to touch her vest where the bullet struck her, but damn if she doesn’t catch my wrist and grip it.

Hard.

My mind takes a dark turn and I smirk as I meet her eyes.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she snaps.

“Assessing the damage,” I say hoarsely.

“I’m fine,” she growls. “And I’d thank you to keep your hands to yourself from now on.”

“We’ll see,” I chuckle.

She frowns at this and takes a breath, but her attention is stolen by the victim as he suddenly comes to and starts to struggle. When she moves over him, I notice he’s managed to slip his left hand into his pocket. Before he can do something stupid, I lock my hand over his wrist. His eyes slide over to mine, and he shouts into the oxygen mask.

“Get off me, motherfucker,” he chokes out. “Both of you.”

“Mind your mouth around the lady,” I snap. “She’s trying to save your fucking life.”

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