Page 79 of Fast Vengeance

“She’s holding up as well as can be expected.” Taggart’s pale turquoise eyes swept over him, coming back to his face to watch the surgeon put the last few stitches in.

The doctor cut the last suture and sat back to study his work. “You won’t look like new when it’s healed, but the scars shouldn’t be too noticeable.”

“Thank you,” Brock said.

“You’re welcome. Rest if you can.”

Taggart straightened and crossed his arms as the doctor left. “How you feeling?”

“Fantastic.”

One side of that hard mouth lifted. “You gave us all one hell of a scare, Cap. Pull a stunt like that again, I’ll kick your ass.”

Brock snorted out a laugh, winced as it pulled his ribs. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Roger that. I’ll make sure no one lets Maka or Granger in here.”

“Good idea.”

“What’s the prognosis, any idea yet?”

“Mostly just soft tissue damage. They put my shoulder back into joint. Not sure yet if I’ll need surgery. I haven’t talked to an orthopedic surgeon yet, so I don’t know what kind of recovery I’m looking at.” He just prayed this wasn’t a potentially career-ending injury.

“Don’t worry about all that right now. We’re all just glad you’re still with us.”

“Me too.”

“I know you’re supposed to be getting some sleep, but I brought someone I thought you might want to see. You up for another visitor?”

Brock focused on him, wondering if maybe Taggart had called his parents. He could just picture his mom out there, wearing a hole in the hallway floor outside his room right now. “Who?”

“Hang on a sec.” Smiling to himself, Taggart got up and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

The door slid shut behind him, then opened a moment later, and his heart did a crazy cartwheel at the sight of Tori stepping into his room. “Hey,” she said softly, a wobbly smile on her face as she rushed over to him.

For a moment it felt like his chest might explode. Emotion closed off his windpipe, making it impossible to breathe, let alone speak. “What are you doing here?” he finally asked, overwhelmed as she bent and kissed his forehead, then brushed her lips over his.

She scanned his face with worried brown eyes. “I threw a tantrum, basically. Yelled and swore at people in both English and Spanish. Refused to cooperate or be reasonable until someone brought me here to see you. Taggart finally took pity on me.”

His throat thickened. God, he loved her. But he still wouldn’t say it. It would only hurt her more when she had to leave this time. That was the only thing holding him back. “I want to hug you so bad but I can’t move my arms.”

She sank into the chair the plastic surgeon had used and cupped the side of his face gently, running her tear-drenched gaze over him. “God, look what they did to you.”

Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. “There goes my modeling career,” he said dryly.

She gave a watery laugh. “No. You’ll still be as heart-stoppingly gorgeous as ever when you heal up.”

Not even close, but he didn’t care because he was alive and she was here. “You’re biased.”

“Maybe.” She stroked his hair. “I saw the video they sent. I think I died a little.” Her voice wobbled and his heart squeezed.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

She nodded. “You heard about Nieto?”

“And Oceane.”

“Did you also hear he told her who el Escorpion was?”

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