Page 72 of No Stone Unturned

“No, thank God. It was a true miracle.”

“What about the policeman? The one who helped me get the manhole cover off.”

“He’s fine. How did you happen to see the fire?”

I blinked and got my memories in order. “I was waiting in line to get water and I dropped my money. When I bent down to get it, I spotted the flames underneath the food stand. I tried to warn everyone what was going on, but given my fluency in Italian, it was faster to remove the tank from the fire. But it got stuck and there were grease splats on the tank, so I knew it would keep burning even if I removed it.”

“You did good,cara. You saved many lives today, including those of a lot of children.”

“Not me.Wesaved lives,” I corrected him. “If I recall correctly, you were the one holding the tank.”

He perched on the side of the bed and held his hand to my cheek. I leaned into his hand, which had a sizeable bandage across his palm and some sort of ointment glistening on his wrists and forearms.

I pulled back. “Oh, Slash, how are your hands? How badly are they hurt?”

I looked down, realizing both of mine were bandaged, too. Thankfully my fingers were free, so I wiggled them and didn’t feel any pain. Another miracle, I guess.

“Not badly. Surface burns only. They will heal.”

“What about your head? Did you get knocked out, too?”

“No. I didn’t lose consciousness. But seeing you lying there, out cold, took another ten years off my life. At this rate, I have about a year left.”

“Don’t joke about that.” I frowned, wincing from the effort. His comment did, however, make me realize I needed to add a bombs/explosions column to my Little Black Cloud Spreadsheet—the same spreadsheet that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was a trouble magnet. It was clear to me that I absolutelyneverwanted to make another entry under the explosion column again.

“I’m not dying anytime soon. You won’t get out of marrying me that easily.” He smiled against my lips.

I suddenly gasped in panic. “Oh, Slash, my engagement ring? Do I still have it? I can’t feel it on my finger.”

“It’s not on your finger.” He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. “But it’s safe and sound.”

I exhaled. “And this is exactly why I don’t wear jewelry.”

“Because you’re busy diffusing potential bombs?”

I pursed my lips. “No. Because this kind of stuff happens to me all the time.”

“True.” He smiled and returned the ring to his pocket, then picked up my floppy hat from a small table. It was a bit smashed on one side and the ribbon had come a bit loose, but it was still wearable. “My badass woman. You were amazing,cara. Cool under pressure. Always thinking, never panicking. You saved lives.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you. You looked a lot like Superman, standing there with sunglasses and no shirt, holding a ticking time bomb while people screamed and ran in the opposite direction.”

“That was quick thinking about the manhole. I was out of ideas.”

“I happened to spot it on my way back to you. Thankfully it all worked out.” I wiggled my fingers again. “When can I get out of here?”

“As soon as you’re debriefed by the police and cleared by the doctors. You will need to take it easy for the next twenty-four hours. I’ve already spoken to the police, so it’s a matter of them completing their investigation to confirm it was an accident and not a terrorist incident. The policeman that helped us corroborated our story, as did the owner of the food stand. But they had to check us both out, and it took a bit longer than expected once they figured out who I was.”

“Oh, no. Any trouble?”

“No. I had to check in with the director, of course, but all’s well on that front. Italian-American relations are secure, and perhaps a little better. Oh, and Finn called to find out what the hell was going on. Gray saw an intelligence report and called him. I gave him a sanitized accounting of the events, and told him he could pass it on to Gray and the others. He says he’s not giving you any more time off if you’re going to spend it saving the world.”

I rolled my eyes, but it hurt. “Ha, ha.”

“When you’re released, we’ll head back to the hotel,” he said. “I was able to secure the same room here in Salerno for another night. Are you sure nothing else hurts? Now that you’re awake, they can give you additional pain medication for your burns. Trust me, it’s worth taking.”

I touched my fingertips to the knot at the back of my head. I folded my palms and felt the skin sting. It was painful, but manageable. “Other than the lump on my head, the splitting headache and medium-rare hands, I’m fine. But I’ll need new clothes before I can leave the hospital. My jeans and T-shirt are a complete loss and I am not wearing a hospital gown in public. Especially when I can never figure out whether the opening goes in the front or the back.”

“It’s good to see your sense of humor hasn’t been injured.” He walked over to a chair, picked up a white plastic bag and pulled out a plain white cotton sundress.

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