Page 112 of Garrison's Creed

“We’ll deal with that later.” Cash called over her shoulder. “Hey, Beth. C’mere.”

Nic heard Beth bounce into the bathroom, her mouth running highway speed before she could make out the words. “—believe that? I just knew it. And how much did I save your life with that cayenne shot. I told you, pack the pepper. Next time one of those boys shows up, knocking each other out—no offense, Cash—you can put them in place. When I gave you that box of ammo, it was a joke. A joke. And then those creepy-assed, drunk calls from Jackson. My timing pretty much rocked—”

“Beth.” Cash coughed to hide a laugh. “Take a breath girl.”

“How did Jackson find me?” Nicola asked Beth.

“I don’t have all the details, but Jackson found out that two Titan guys disarmed a bomb at your parents’ house. I don’t know. Maybe the bomb-disarming crowd likes to chat? And from all Jackson’s ramblings, I’m pretty sure he’d triangulated your burner phone and monitored your location. That’s how I found you. Throw that thing away. You sure as hell don’t answer it. I called you a million times today.”

“You’re the best, Beth.”

“They should put me out in the field. I’m a rock star.”

Nic smiled again, ready for the sting. “I know. I love ya, you know that?”

“Of course. God, Cash. She looks awful. Take her to the doctor.”

If Nic’s eyes had been open, they would’ve rolled. Cash threw Beth some version of, “yes, ma’am.”Nicola seriously loved both of them.

“Angel?”

“Nicky?”

Her parents replaced Beth who left, babbling. Nicola felt like a blind spectacle, but didn’t shy away from her parents. “I’m sorry.”

“So it goes.” Her dad clapped Cash on the back. “Roman’s got your vehicle ready and running. Nice looking car, by the way. Is that new?”

What a week.

Her mom smoothed her hair. “We’ll see you two here for dinner again soon. I packed a bag of food. You both need to eat. Had Roman put that in your car too, Cash.”

Cash lifted her up, they said their goodbyes, and she was in the passenger seat of his car again.

The door was still open, and Roman walked up. She knew him by the cadence of his gait. “You know how to make an entrance and exit. Don’t ya, Double-Oh-Seven.” He had stolen that from Cash, but she still loved it. “Anyway, Jared just called me back. He said if she could stand the extra thirty-five mile drive, he’d take care of everything through Titan’s docs.”

She shrugged.

“I got the feeling he wanted to talk to you two,” Roman continued. “Prepare yourself for the dickhead version of Debbie Downer.”

Roman shut her door, patted the outside twice, and Cash backed out the driveway. She didn’t need to see to know he flew down the highway, passing cars right and left.

“I’m not dying, Cash. No need to get a ticket.”

“Sweet girl, unless the speed limit is enforced by sniper fire or an air assault team roping down from a screaming helo, we aren’t slowing.”

***

Dr. Tuska waited for their arrival and had her with a surgical ophthalmologist and ocular trauma specialist doing a thorough onceover before she could shrug them off and ask for a saline wash.

The nurses marched into action, cleaning her up. All in all, Titan’s medical team took an hour and fifteen minutes to get Nic seeing again.Not bad.

Now, she waited. No had one checked her in, per se, so she didn’t know what else to do besides wait for Dr. Tuska’s discharge instructions and the tube of antibacterial ointment she was promised.

The room looked normal enough, but the sheets weren’t standard hospital linens. They were smooth and felt like high thread count. Even the pillow was soft, given that it was probably one of those plastic, liquid resistant types. But it was still a hospital bed, and the place still smelled like cleaner. She hated hospitals, and the only reason she didn’t push the button to call her nurse was Cash. Leaning up against the bed, he calmed her with his large hand covering hers. Despite the trauma and drama of the evening, she relaxed against him.

Dr. Tuska rapped on the open door and joined them. “Jared just arrived. I can hold him off if you need time before you see him.” He chuckled, flipping through her chart. His knowing smile spoke volumes. “Like I mentioned before, dab this in your eyes three times a day. Any other scratch, give a smear of Neosporin. You’re good to go. Want me to tell Jared you’re tied up for a few more minutes?”

The doctor was quickly climbing the ranks of Nicola’s favorite people, and definitely worth his weight in gold. Dr. Tuska must know howpleasantJared could be when things didn’t go according to his plans. Nicola laughed to herself. She was getting to know the old bastard. Jared wasn’t actually much older than Cash. He just acted like it.

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