Page 60 of Cooper's Command

“The bastard’s still breathing.”

“You still shot him.”

“Trust me. I had every reason to make it a permanent condition.”

Emery gave Nova a once-over. “Then, I’ll just say thanks. Milligan’s already talking to some Director Shaughnessy? He’s lifting that warrant as we speak. Said he’ll be in contact once you’re back on your feet and that you’re to stay on the island in the interim. I figured that wasn’t going to be too hard of an order for you to follow.”

Nova nodded, her eyes drifting shut until Cooper brushed his hand along her cheek.

“Keep those gorgeous green eyes on me, sweetheart. At least until there’s not a needle stuck inside your chest helping you breathe.”

She blinked a few times. “Buzzkill.”

“I promise I’ll make it up to you later. Now, hold tight. Blake’s as crazy as you are, so this ride should be interesting.”

Nova satin the hospital bed, watching Cooper pace the length of the room, stopping every other trip to gaze out the glass wall. She’d been stuck in there for three days, and she had to admit, even she was starting to get a bit stir crazy.

“Coop. Baby, you’re making me tired just watching you. Emery said she’d be here once she had some answers, which she obviously doesn’t have, yet.”

Cooper stopped, turning to face her and damn, just taking in his sculpted frame and stunning blue eyes had her struggling to breathe. Not like before when her right lung hadn’t been able to inflate. This was more a sensation of falling without ever reaching the ground.

The man huffed, scanning the area, again before moving over to her bed. “How hard is it to compile all that evidence into one nice, neat package?”

“Apparently harder than we thought.” She motioned him over with a wave of her fingers. “It’s going to be okay. You already said Waylen and Bellamy were able to crack the rest of the ledger codes. But there’s nearly a year of entries. Drug logs to run the data against. It might not seem all that difficult, but it’s a lot of intel to get through. That takes time.”

“How can you be so calm when it’s your life they screwed with?”

She smiled. “That’s easy. I’ve got you, and that’s all I need.”

Cooper chuckled. “Talk like that is libel to get us kicked out of this place.”

“Good, then drop your pants, flip me over and pound into me because if I have to stay here another night…”

“Seriously? We leave you two alone for five minutes to grab food you can actually eat, and this is what we come back to?” Bellamy shook his head as he, Rusty and Ethan stood in the doorway. “I’m really questioning that claim of restraint, buddy.”

Cooper flipped him off, accepting the brown bag he handed over. “Please tell me this is a cheeseburger.”

“Extra cheese, hold the onions.” Bellamy waved at Nova. “Which, I get now.”

“Wiseass.”

Bellamy grinned, handing Nova another bag. “Veggie burger? We need to have a chat, sister.”

Sister.

They’d all been slipping that in occasionally since she’d woken at the hospital with a chest tube sticking out one side. They’d removed it this morning, though she’d likely be sidelined for at least a month in order for it to fully heal.

She scrunched up her nose. “You’re just sore because Octavia’s snubbing meat until she stops puking, and you’re only able to eat it when you’re out with your team.”

“It’s worse than watching you and Cooper eye-fuck each other.”

“Since that’s all I’m going to be getting for a while…”

“Says the woman who just begged my best friend to flip her over.”

“Is this a bad time?”

Nova skipped her gaze over to the door, groaning inwardly at Emery, Flint and Milligan standing in the doorway. Of course, they’d shown up now.

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