Page 31 of Hell of a Mess
Mal chuckled and shook his head before taking a drink from his cup.
“I don’t want to have to go back to fucking Ocala to try and save your ass this time,” Hale said.
“Me neither. Considering it wasn’t any of you who saved Ransom’s,” I replied. And it hadn’t been.
Blaise hadn’t given a fuck that we were all there. It was his wife who had saved Ransom. Well, her and his woman for having the balls to go there in the first place.
“They aren’t here to control you,” Linc said, sounding annoyed. “We are dealing with a delicate situation that the boss wants handled with care. The more witnesses, the better.”
“She wants to go, right?” Mal asked. “Should be an easy delivery.”
Linc said nothing, but his eyes stayed on mine. The silent warning didn’t go unnoticed. He knew I wasn’t okay with this.
When the doorbell chimed, Jayda left to go let Doc in. Why he was here I didn’t know, unless Linc had brought him to inform Thaddeus of all Lace’s injuries so that could be passed on to her father. As if the bastard cared. He hadn’t even made it public that she was missing. He’d wanted it quiet. That in itself told mehe had something to hide.
“You think her father cares what injuries she suffered?” I asked acidly.
Linc’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve already had Doc send me the paperwork on her injuries and treatment. I don’t know why he’s here. I didn’t call him.”
It would be nice if he sided with me on this, but I knew better. Burl wasn’t going to piss off Linc. He’d disagree in silence. Maybe he was just coming to check her injuries before she left. That sounded like something he’d do.
I shifted my gaze to the arched entryway, waiting on Jayda and Burl to appear. It was better than looking over at Lace. That only made me more enraged, and I had to remain calm. She wasn’t mine to protect. Hell, I didn’t want some female to protect. The truth was, when she was gone, it would be better for me. Get her out of my sight.
I should start looking at it like that and not focus on her refusal to save herself.
“Burl,” Linc said when he walked into the room.
Doc’s gaze drifted over the room nervously before he stopped on Linc. He swallowed hard, causing his Adam’s apple to bob.
Why was he acting odd? Maybe he had come to try and convince them not to send Lace back. If so, then he’d grown some fucking balls. Ones he needed to chop off because that was a bad idea. I’d have to step in and save him if that was the case.
“I, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to come unannounced, but this was time sensitive.”
Linc raised an eyebrow, as if to challenge him. He didn’t like the thought that something might hinder his plans to get rid of Lace. “Okay,” he replied.
Burl took a deep breath, and then his gaze swung to Mal before moving back to Linc.
Had Mal done something? Why the fuck had Doc looked athim? I’d assumed this was about Lace.
“I, uh…do you want to discuss this in private?”
Linc’s brows drew together this time. “Other than Miss Halsten, it’s family. If this is something that doesn’t concern her, then, yes, we can go to my office.”
Doc pressed his lips together for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. “It concerns her.”
“Burl, if this is concern for her safety, then you should turn and leave.” Linc’s tone was laced with warning.
Yep, I was going to have to save the damn doctor.Fucking hell, Burl.
“It’s not her safety—well”—he paused—“it is, but not the way you’re thinking. I’m not questioning your decision. I…I got back something on her DNA.”
“You said her DNA didn’t come back with matches. That she wasn’t in the system,” Linc snapped angrily. “And that doesn’t matter now. We know who she is. She has her memory back.”
The doctor glanced back at Lace, who was silently watching the scene. There was sympathy in his gaze. What the hell was that about?
“I’m aware. But,” he said, turning back to Linc, “before she got her memory back and you were informed of her identity, I sent out a DNA test, thinking it wouldn’t come to anything, but…” He paused.
If he’d looked nervous before, he looked ready to shit his pants now.
