Page 79 of Under Fire

When he was sure they were clear, Matt activated his navigation system and drove toward West Fork. “You okay?” He glanced at Delilah, expecting to see distress or, God forbid, tears.

Instead, Delilah looked puzzled. “I assume Zane didn’t make a mistake.”

“No.” Z didn’t make mistakes like that.

“If my brother meant us harm, why didn’t he force the SUV off the road or shoot us when we were in the open? Zach has a rifle with a scope and he’s a good shot. Why is he following us around?”

“Good questions. We’ll have to catch up with him and ask. Since he doesn’t have a job, do you know where he hangs out during the day?”

“No idea.”

“Who would know?”

“Shane and Evan, maybe Randy.”

“Randy will be tied up for a while. Once I check on Cade, we’ll figure out what we want to do. Might be best to catch your brother tomorrow morning before he leaves home.”

“You’re right. I also think you should be on hand in case Cade has problems.”

Matt squeezed her hand, glad she understood his need to watch over his best friend. Cade had strong reactions to most pain meds.

In less than an hour, Matt swiped his card through the reader and opened the suite door, mike bag slung over his shoulder. Bravo was ranged around the room with Trent keeping watch at the French doors.

Simon inclined his head toward Cade and Sasha’s room. “He’s woozy and pukey.”

“One of you go find a soft drink with real ginger in it and bring back a bucket of ice.”

Liam got to his feet. “I’ll get it.”

“How can I help?” Delilah asked.

“Find a plastic bag and make an ice pack. If you can’t find one, I’ll make do with a hand towel.” He knocked on Cade’s door and walked inside. “Heard you missed me, Sunshine.”

Sasha laid a damp washcloth over his teammate’s forehead.

Cade narrowed his eyes. “If I wasn’t ready to hurl any second, I’d show you how much I’ve missed your ugly mug. Delilah okay?”

“She’s fine. No new injuries from the house explosion, thanks to your quick thinking. I owe you.” Matt set his mike bag against the wall within easy reach. “Pain meds going against you?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll try ice and a soft drink first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll use a nausea patch.”

Cade groaned, his face losing all trace of color.

Matt grabbed a nearby lined trash can and rolled his friend to his side. He held Cade steady while he threw up, careful to avoid his injured shoulder.

Delilah hurried into the room with a fistful of plastic bags and a bucket of ice with a green bottle nestled in the ice.

“Perfect. Fill one of those bags with enough ice to make a small ice pack. I’ll need another ice pack in a minute.” If Cade followed true to form, he would be nauseated for a few more hours. The trick was to make sure Cade didn’t become dehydrated. That meant an IV. Good thing Matt always traveled with his fully stocked med kit since he doubted he could convince his friend to make another trip to the hospital.

He helped Cade sit up to sip the soft drink. “Delilah, see if there’s a regular trash bag under the sink in the kitchen. If not, send one of Bravo to find some.”

She handed him the ice pack she’d made before she left the room again.

“What can I do?” Sasha asked, her gaze filled with worry.

“Keep the ice pack draped over his neck. The cold knocks back the nausea.” He created another ice pack and draped it over the side of Cade’s head and his forehead. “Other than that, the best thing you can do for Cade is take care of yourself.”

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