Page 21 of Caught in the Crossfire

Although she didn’t like his reasoning, Nicole understood. If their roles had been reversed, she would have watched over him all night, too.

Grace returned with a soft drink. “Drink part of this and go to sleep if you can, Nic. I’ll check on you in two hours.”

“I have to be at work by 6:30 a.m.”

“We both do.” Dawn smothered a yawn. “I hope one of you doesn’t mind dropping us off because our vehicles are parked in front of Riva’s house.”

Trent and Linc exchanged glances with Mason. “I’ll be your chauffeur,” Linc said.

Nicole frowned. Something was up. The men were hiding something. “What’s wrong, Trent?”

“At the moment, nothing. We’ll see what Rod and Ethan come up with overnight before we talk about further security measures.”

“Trent…”

“Give it up, Nic.” Grace nudged Nicole toward her room. “Mason is no less protective than Trent or Linc. Get some rest because I’ll be checking you periodically throughout the night.”

She leaned into Mason’s side, barely managing to put one foot in front of another. “One of these days, I’ll return the favor and keep you up all night.”

Her sister laughed. “Deal.”

Inside her temporary bedroom, Mason turned the lamp to the low setting. “Do you need help getting ready for bed? I’m sure Dawn or Grace will be glad to give you a hand.”

“I need something to sleep in. I keep toiletries here for the nights I stay over when Trent is gone on a mission.”

“I’ll let Grace know. Call for me if you need me.”

“Mason, I’ll be fine if you want to sleep for a few hours.”

The muscles in his jaw firmed. “I won’t be able to sleep anyway if I’m not sure you’re safe. Let me protect you.”

Tears stung her eyes. “You’ll always be my refuge in the storm.”

He brushed his lips over hers in a gentle caress. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. If you become dizzy, call out.”

“I promise. Go.”

Nicole held herself erect by sheer force of will until Mason walked down the hall. She braced her hand against the wall as she walked to the attached bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. By the time she finished her before-bed routine, she felt limp as a dishrag. Great way to convince the man she loved that she was healing.

A light tap sounded on the bedroom door and her sister walked inside with a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. “Figured you’d be more comfortable with clothes you could run in if necessary.”

“Better not be necessary.” She waved aside Grace’s concern. “I’m just tired. I guess the extra-long day and the encounter with Wrench Man is catching up with me.”

“Understandable. Need help changing clothes?”

“Nope. I’ve got it. Where’s Mason?”

“Working out night watch shifts with Trent and Linc. Dawn is in her room with a mug of tea.” Grace’s eyes twinkled. “Is she sweet on Linc?”

“She hasn’t said, but I have my suspicions. She blushes when he’s mentioned in conversation. It’s cute.”

“Reminds me of you when you first met Mason.”

“And now I’m going to marry that man in two months, six days, and,” a quick glance at her watch, “twelve hours.”

Grace grinned. “Not that you’re counting or anything. I’ll leave you to change. Open the door when you’re ready for Mason to return. He’s worried about you.”

“For a couple seconds before I passed out at Riva’s, I was afraid I wouldn’t live to walk down the aisle. Believe me, I don’t mind one bit that he wants to be close to me. The feeling is mutual.”

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