Page 21 of Relentless

Home sounded great. Would Liam think her home was safe now?

As soon as the doctor left, Delilah tapped on the door and walked inside the room with a bag in her hand. She hugged Piper. “You look good considering what you went through last night.”

“Thanks for bringing a change of clothes.”

“No problem. Do you want to shower before you go home or after?”

“Now. I still feel Rock’s hands on me.”

“Rock?”

“The kidnapper who grabbed me and threw me in the van.” She scowled. “He was the creep who hit me.”

Delilah gave her a sympathetic look. “I understand. I’ll wait here in case you need anything. I put your favorite toiletries in the bag along with the clothes.”

“You’re an angel.”

Her boss laughed. “I keep telling Matt that. He doesn’t believe me. Get moving, Piper. A certain operative’s pacing the hallway like a caged tiger, anxious to be at your side again.”

Holy cow. Liam was more invested in their relationship than he’d let on. Piper hurried into the bathroom and started the shower. While the water heated, she pawed through the bag’s contents, thrilled with the supplies Delilah included. Shampoo, conditioner, brush, shower gel and body lotion in her favorite orange blossom and vanilla scent, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant plus a change of clothes.

Her fingers brushed against her purse, nestled at the bottom of the bag. The urge to check her cell phone rode her. After the shower. If she checked before she showered, and Gavin had left a fear-laced message, Piper would want to meet him immediately. She longed to wash the feel of Rock off her skin.

Piper raced through her shower and the rest of her after-bath routine, then dragged on clothes in under ten minutes. She sighed, grateful to be wearing something besides a drafty blue and white hospital gown. She finished tying her tennis shoes before checking her cell phone.

Piper scanned six messages from Gavin, each one more frantic. Anxiety increasing by the second, she listened to two messages on her voice mail, both from Gavin.

A brisk knock on the bathroom door. “Piper, the nurse is here with your discharge papers.”

Piper swept toiletries and the clothes she wore yesterday into the bag, grabbed her purse, and opened the door.

Delilah frowned. “You look pale. Are you okay?”

“Not really.” As Delilah left the room, Piper listened in silence to the nurse’s spiel, her mind half on the signs for potential problems and half on the danger her former boyfriend could be facing.

“Come back to the emergency room if you have any of the symptoms I mentioned,” the nurse instructed.

She forced a smile to her lips. “Got it. Thanks.”

After the nurse left, Liam returned, concern in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Piper and held her close. “Delilah said you’re upset. What’s wrong?”

“Gavin’s on the run. He says he has information to prove Matteo’s dirty.”

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