Page 27 of Cooper's Command

“Do you think she believes it was Simmons who shot Nova?”

“I think she was genuinely surprised that Simmons hadn’t mentioned it in his statement, off-the-record or not. But I also think this isn’t the first time she’s had suspicions about him.Which honestly doesn’t mean shit unless we can prove he’s dirty.”

“Hopefully Nova can fill in some details once she’s awake. Starting with why Paulin really wanted her to meet him.”

“I’ll settle for her waking up. Period.”

“You heard Kian. If she was going to die, she would have by now.”

“He said if the bullets were going to kill her, they would have. He didn’t make any promises about being able to pull her back from the brink. Did you see how much blood was in my truck?”

“It’s definitely going to need detailing.” Bellamy knocked his shoulder. “She’s tough. And you’re supposed to be the optimistic one.”

“It’s a bit hard when everyone’s gunning for the woman you lo—” He caught himself a bit too late when Bellamy just chuckled. “I can’t lose her like this.”

“Then, you’d best start trying to break that code.”

“Sorry, brother, but that’s your job. The perks of having some stupidly high IQ. And while you’re at it, have Waylen acquire Simmons’ police file. I want to know what cases he’s been involved with since Paulin showed up. No way it’s a coincidence he was suddenly playing nice with the DEA if they didn’t have some kind of deal.”

“Sure, give me all the easy stuff.”

“Then, stop bragging about how smart you are.” Cooper smiled when Bellamy gave him a shove, then headed toward the main computer room.

Rusty joined him a moment later. “While I don’t doubt Emery will do all she can, I have a bad feeling it’s not just cops who might come looking. Ethan and I will start patrolling the perimeter. Even if we somehow miss something, Soda and Mojo won’t. Then, we’ll take a quick drive past the station and that DEA office. Try to get a sense of what we’re truly up against.Because if we really will be facing every damn officer on the island…”

“It’s going to take a miracle to find anywhere to stash Nova while we figure it all out. Or at least until she’s strong enough to move on her own.”

“We’ll source that out, too. Apparently, Waylen has a buddy who’s a private investigator — Mano something. The man’s loaded and has supposedly constructed a few safehouses due to some of the crap that’s gone down here since Waylen’s team showed up. I’m not really sure, but it’s a good place to start.” He slipped Cooper a burner cell. “I had a few stashed away, just in case. The only numbers in there are the team’s. So don’t lose it, jackass.”

“You might want to tell Ethan that.”

Ethan flipped him off. “I misplaced the damn radio once.”

“Doesn’t make the story less true, brother.”

Ethan cracked a smile, giving Cooper’s shoulder a pat before he and Rusty headed out to patrol. Cooper forced himself to take a deep breath, glancing over at Kian. The guy had another bag of blood hooked up, was running that wand thing over Nova’s ribs.

He took the chance Kian wouldn’t immediately kick him out, again, and headed in, staying far enough back he wouldn’t get in Kian’s way. But he needed to be close, in case…

He gave himself a mental slap. Bellamy was right. Nova was tough. The fact she’d kept fighting after getting shot was case and point. Still…

Kian sighed. “You can stop hovering, Cooper. It doesn’t look like the bullets hit anything major. She’s going to hurt like hell, and it’ll take a few days to get her blood volume anywhere close to a reasonable level, despite my efforts, but she should recover. Normally, I’d insist on two weeks of rest before she was out challenging mercenaries, again, but I know time isn’t a luxury we have, so… Try and get me at least one week.”

“Whatever you need. I’ll make it happen.”

Kian chuckled. “So, the rumors about you and Nova are true.”

“Don’t even start, Kian.”

“You’re only fooling yourself if you think you’re not in love with her but…” Kian stood, leaving room for Cooper to shift over. “I need to restock some supplies, in case she has a relapse. Do me a favor and sit with her until I get back. And call my damn cell if she suddenly goes downhill. I won’t be long.”

Sit with her?

Best damn order he’d had in forever. “How will I know if it’s something I need to call you about?”

Kian grinned. “Easy. You’ll be shitting your pants. I’ll bring you some coffee.”

Cooper nodded, gazing down at Nova as she slept. Not that being unconscious was sleeping, but she had the same expression on her face as she had when he’d woken with her still in his arms. He leaned over her, brushing some of her hair back from her face. “You better come back to me, sweetheart, because we’ve got a score to settle, not to mention that talk. And I’ve got a lot I need to say. So, rest. You’re gonna need it.”

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