Page 11 of Caught in the Crossfire

A ghost of a smile curved her lips.

Amusement spurted through Nicole. She could almost see sparks flying between Linc and Dawn. Although having to be watched around the clock wasn’t something Dawn wanted, the benefit of spending so much time with Linc could be interesting.

Grace returned. “I found you a room. Follow me. Linc, Trent’s here to help with guard duty if you want to go to the cafeteria with Dawn. You must be starving by now. I imagine Mason might appreciate a meal, too.”

“I could eat. Anything you don’t like, Mase?” Linc asked.

He shook his head. “I’m not picky. Thanks for playing gofer.” Mason grimaced. “Lunch was a long time ago.”

“I hear you. I’ll see what I can find. What room do we bring the food to, Grace?”

“Room 3217.”

Linc escorted Dawn from the room as Trent entered.

“What did the doctor say about you?” he asked Nicole.

“I’ll live. Ten stitches and a massive headache.” She glared at Trent. “Dr. Anderson already knows about the headache. You can use the information for blackmail purposes.”

The operative grinned. “I’ll have to change my tactics. I’m becoming too predictable.” He looked at Mason. “You all right?”

“What do you think?”

“That the perp is lucky he’s not standing in this room or you’d pulverize him for what he did to your woman.”

Nicole tightened her grip on Mason’s hand. “I’m fine.”

“He could have killed you, Nicole,” Mason said.

“Let’s get Nicole into a room for a few hours.” Grace opened the hallway door and returned a moment later with a wheelchair. “Don’t argue, Nic. It’s hospital policy. If you want, I’ll let Mason push you.”

“This is embarrassing.” Nicole sat, surprised at how tired she felt. Must be the heavy dose of excitement after a 12-hour work day. Wouldn’t do to let Mason know, though. The knowledge would stoke his worry even higher.

By the time she was in her room, Nicole’s stomach felt as though she would barf at any moment. Not good. “Any chance this high-class establishment has a soft drink for upset stomachs?”

Grace eyed her sharply. “Nausea?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I’ll be right back.” Her sister thrust an empty plastic container into Mason’s hands and left the room. When she returned, Grace clutched a green can in one hand along with a straw, and an ice pack in the other. After positioning the ice pack behind Nicole’s neck, she held the can for Nicole to sip the drink. “If the nausea doesn’t ease up, let me know, and I’ll ask Dr. Anderson about an anti-nausea patch.”

“Only if he’ll still send me home with you. I don’t want to stay here, Grace.”

“Matt is ten minutes away,” Trent said. “He stocks those patches in his mike bag.”

Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. Good to know that Bravo’s medic was close if she needed assistance and Grace wasn’t available.

“Call him.” To Nicole, Grace said, “If your symptoms worsen, have Trent text me, Nic. I’ll be back on my next break. If you need more ice or soft drinks, send one of the men to the nurse station. They’ll take care of you. The nurse will bring your pain meds in a few minutes. Do yourself a favor and take the medicine. The headache will worsen before it improves. I’ll have your prescriptions filled by the time we leave tonight.”

“Thanks, sis.”

After she left, Trent said, “I’ll send Matt a text about the patch. Concentrate on your girl, Mason. I’m on watch. No one will get past me or Linc. Nicole and Dawn will be safe.”

Alone again, Nicole eyed the grim expression on the face of the man she loved. She scooted over and patted the bed. “Come here.”

“You need to rest.”

“I’ll rest better with you holding me.” Although reluctant to admit it, the close call had scared her. She didn’t know why the man didn’t finish what he started, but Nicole was grateful that he ran.

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