Page 25 of The Chance

Then Justin would be able to breathe, to focus on what he wanted for his own career.

But the devil never died—that was an expression Justin’s grandmother had used when Justin had been just a boy. He hadn’t believed in the devil—until Dale hadchangedso much. “I think it was more complicated than that girl.”

“Whatever, just make sure that the cops won’t find anything. People have been asking questions.”

“You mean Dr. Fisher has been asking questions. I know…what you did last night.” Justin wouldn’t admit aloud, not to this man, but he was concerned for her. He had seen her the night before. After Doug’s attack. She had been covered with blood. Everyone could see how much she had been hurt. And how much she cared about her friend. And rumor had it someone in a big blue truck had been the one to break in her door and windows and spray paint her living room. Everyone was talking about it.

And Dale got his balls off scaring women now. He’d probably been spray painting all over Aubrey’s living room while she’d still been getting stitches after Doug’s attack. He wouldn’t put it past Dale at all. Just for the hell of it.

Because Dale hated women, and Aubrey was the woman about to discover Dale’s secrets. Ever since Dale’s wife had left, he’d been…horrible. Hate-filled.

Hell. Justin was concerned about Doug, too. The other man was a good man at heart. One who’d truly cared about his patients and his friends. Doug had been there for Justin when his grandmother had died. Hands down.

But a part of Justin was afraid to even ask how the other man was doing. Like people would think he was condoning what had happened. Was he supposed to not care about a man who had been friends with him since med school?

“Who else? Everyone knows she’s the one who really does Alvaro’s dirty work around here, now that he is busy sucking daddy-in-law-dearest’s ass.”

Dale Howard had a real problem with Caine Alvaro. And an even bigger problem with the woman who had beat Dale for the assistant COM position.

Ever since Caine Alvaro had gotten the COM position, and then hired Aubrey as his assistant, Dale had been pissed. Thepowerthose positions had represented had been what Dale wanted. Bad. Justin could understand that.

But he was glad it was Caine Alvaro and Aubrey Fisher running the hospital, honestly. Dale would have been a horrible boss to work under.

He’d seen that through Mandy all the time. Dale was horrible.

Alvaro would catch on to what Dale was doing behind his back eventually. It was just a matter of time. Justin was just going to have to make certain he wasn’t one of the ones who got caught up in the same net.

Movement behind Dale caught his attention.

Mandy. Looking perfect and perky and…pressed. She took a great deal of care in her appearance. And she knew what she did to members of the opposite sex.

“Boys, having a little chitchat?” she almost purred the question, deliberately brushing against Justin’s chest. The scent of her shampoo surrounded him. His body tightened. This woman did something to him, and she knew it. He was going to have to make a point of addressing that something very, very soon.

Hell. He should just marry her and get it over with. No other woman he had ever been with understood him as well as this one. Didn’t that mean something?

“Just giving your boyfriend here a reminder.” Dale wrapped his hand around Mandy’s forearm and pulled her into his own sphere. He ran a finger over her cheek. Justin didn’t miss the way she shuddered. In fear. Mandy didn’t like Dale, and she’d made that very clear to Justin in the past.

And Dale knew it. He enjoyed toying with Mandy when he could.

Justin deliberately pulled her away from the other man and sent him a warning look. “It’s not our asses on the line here, Dale. I don’t have anything to hide; neither does Mandy.”

He wasn’t going to say more. Not in front of Mandy. He was going to protect her however he could. And Justin wasn’t a fool. He knew who the fall guy would be in this.

He was just making damned sure it was going to be Dale, and not him. Dale was the one doing it, anyway.

“And keep your hands off Mandy. You won’t like the consequences if you don’t.”

Justin never wanted to see that kind of fear of a man in Mandy’s eyes ever again.

23

Aubrey was hurting,no denying that. She’d been asked dozens of questions by the staff since clocking in at ten, too. She’d expected as much—everyone in the hospital wanted to know what had happened—and to see if Genny was doing okay. Aubrey had checked Genny’s wounds herself that morning before she and Guthrie had left for the hospital.

Genny was healing well. She would be okay.

It took at least half a shift to get everything back to “normal.” Or as normal as it could be, with one of her ED doctors in jail on assault and attempted murder charges. She would have to find another physician to fill his spot quickly. Or at least a list of candidates she, Caine, and the board could discuss. It seemed like the ED always operated short-handed. No one really wanted just the ED—that was who she really needed, a physician who wanted just the ED.

They didn’t exactly grow under rocks. There was supposed to be a really good one about to finish her training at FCGH. Aubrey was going to look into her and make her an offer face-to-face. Sometime soon.

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