Page 33 of Shadow Undercover

“Better.” Her cheeks turned pink as she straightened away from him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep on your shoulder.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t mind. We’ll land soon. Let me help you to the bathroom, then we’ll sit with the others until we land.”

“What’s the plan once we’re in Nashville?”

“We’ll go to your home in Freeport with my team as backup. They’ll scout the neighborhood to see if they can spot anything out of the ordinary.”

He came around to the opposite side of the bed and helped her stand. Trace walked her to the bathroom and straightened the bed covers while he waited for her to finish.

When she opened the door, he held out his hand to her. “Need anything to drink or a snack?” he asked as they walked toward two open seats.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just want to go home and see if Ruth is there.”

“Soon.”

Bridget sat on one of the empty seats as Sam moved toward them.

“Feeling better?”

“Except for my ribs. One of those thugs nailed me pretty good with his combat boot.”

“Where are you hurting?”

She indicated the area bothering her the most.

“Be right back.” Sam walked to her bag and pulled out a roll of tape. She laid her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Come with me.” The medic snatched up a blanket and returned to Trace and Bridget. “Trace, you and Joe each hold an end of the blanket and turn your faces away while I add more tape to Bridget’s ribs.”

“We’re on the final approach,” Brent said.

“One minute.” She motioned for Trace and Joe to do as she said. Once their faces were turned away, Trace heard the sound of the tape tearing from the roll. “Take a breath. Better?”

“Yes. That’s amazing. Thanks, Sam.”

“The tape will give you support while you heal and give you more freedom of movement without pain, especially considering we don’t know what we’re up against at your home. The tape is a great temporary measure. You’ll need help removing it, though, and the tape has to be soaking wet before you try. Otherwise, you’ll lose a layer of skin. If your sister can’t help, I’ll give you a hand.”

“You’re an angel, Sam.”

“Ha. I tell her that all the time,” Joe said over his shoulder.

“You can lower the blanket now, handsome.

When the spotter and the medic returned to their seats, Trace sat beside Bridget.

Brent moved to a seat across from them. “Tell us everything you can about your house and neighborhood. Details are important.”

“Ruth and I live in a colonial-style house. It’s actually our childhood home. Our parents left the house to us in their will. Anyway, the house has two floors. Three bedrooms are upstairs. The stairwell is in the middle of the house. Two bathrooms upstairs, a half bath on the main floor. No basement. We have a two-car garage on the right side of the house. The backyard is fenced in.”

“Trees, shrubs?”

“One tree in the front, a few along the property line at the back fence.”

“Shrubs?”

“Low-growing shrubs in the front. Nothing along the sides or back of the house.”

“Security lights?” Trace asked.

“Does a front-porch light count?” She sighed when he scowled. “Guess not.”

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