Page 29 of Cooper's Command

Were those footsteps?

She pressed her ear against the door, cursing the steady tap moving toward her. Calm. Unhurried. Eerily familiar. She scanned the room, but there was nowhere to hide. And by the time she slipped behind the door, it would be open.

No other choice but to fight.

She shifted over so the asshole wouldn’t see her the moment he opened the door, readying the strap between her hands. A twist of the handle and a creak, then the guy appeared. Gaze focused forward on the couch. He inhaled, tripping a step at what she assumed was the empty cushions, then she was on him. A kick against his knee and a wrap of that belt around his wrist and she had him off-balance. A turn and a hip thrust and he was plastered against the wall. The gun in his holster within her reach.

Until the floor tilted out from underneath her, slamming her against the wall beside him. She managed one last move,snagging his weapon and dragging it free as the guy jumped back, hands at the ready. Lips turned into a frown.

Did she know him? Because there was something about the shape of his mouth — the way his hair teased his eyes that reminded her of someone. Not Cooper but adjacent. A friend, or maybe an enemy. Either seemed possible.

“Shit. Nova?”

Had he called her by name? Was he staring at her because she had the gun somewhat pointed in his direction or because he recognized her, too?

She blinked, nearly blacked out, but managed to maintain her grip on his gun — hold it steady as she slid down the wall until her ass hit the floor. Or maybe the room was moving in sync with her hand, giving her the illusion she had some semblance of control.

Had she told him to freeze? Because she swore everything had stopped. Just her sitting there, that gun in her hand as a clock ticked somewhere in the background.

Was he talking? Yelling? Or was she imagining his lips moving? Because all she heard was her own labored breathing — what sounded like more footsteps racing toward her.

A cold nose touched her cheek followed by the brush of a wet tongue. Nova blinked in an attempt to focus, staring at the dog standing in front of her. It looked familiar, like the guy, but she couldn’t quite place its name.

“Christ, sweetheart. What the hell are you doing?”

That voice. Even with her vision closing in on her, her pulse echoing inside her head, she recognized the man’s voice. The sense of calmness that eased the panicky feeling inside her.

Had he grabbed the gun? Or had she dropped it? Maybe given it to that dog because her hands were empty when he cupped them in his, looking at her as if he’d seen a ghost.

She inhaled at the thought, the image of a shadow dancing along a wall punching into her head like a damn train. Stealing whatever strength she had left. She couldn’t remember where she’d seen it but it was like her clothes. That same tether back to the truth.

Cooper tsked, tucking her hair behind her ears. “How the hell did you get vertical?”

She opened her mouth, but only a soft moan made it past her lips. All that pain from before bubbling back up. Cooper shook his head, reaching for her. She blinked, then she was in his arms, her body cradled against his chest. Her head on his shoulder. Was he walking? Because she felt weightless. Like falling only without her stomach lurching up into her throat.

Cooper sighed, gently placing her on the couch. “You weren’t supposed to wake up for a few more hours let alone walk across the room. And did you seriously jump Bellamy when he came in to check on you? For the five freaking minutes I was out of the room since we brought you in twelve hours ago?” He leaned in closer. “You’re making me look bad.”

She wet her lips. “I… thought…”

Talking shouldn’t hurt that much. Shouldn’t feel as if it took more strength than getting to the door had.

“I’m sure it’s all a jumbled mess. That’s what happens when you get shot and lose over a liter of blood. You need to rest.”

She’d been shot?

She shook her head, groaning when it set off jackhammers inside her skull. “Can’t… They’ll…”

Two words. That seemed to be her limit before her thoughts derailed. Just scattered like dust in the wind.

Cooper smiled, and it lit up the room. “We took care of the immediate threat. And anyone gunning for you is going to have to go through me, and my team. So… rest. We’ll be movingtomorrow and the ride isn’t going to be easy on all those wounds.”

All? She had more than one?

She wanted to ask, but the thought faded, nothing but Cooper’s face holding her attention. “Stay.”

He snorted. “Wild horses, sweetheart…”

She tried to motion to the couch. “With me.”

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