Caught in the Act

Mick grunted, as much from the pounding in his head as in reply. “Where the hell is she?”

Exasperated, Zack sighed. He didn’t need to ask She who? “Josh has been keeping a close eye on her, since right before you passed out and bashed your damn head on the ground. Yeah, that’s why your head feels like it’s splitting. I’m surprised you don’t have a concussion, as hard as you hit. If you didn’t have to be so damn macho, if you’d just tell someone when you were ready to faint—”

“I did not faint.” Mick’s voice, his words, were gaining strength, and he grumbled, “I passed out from blood loss.”

“Yeah, well, they look about the same when you drop right in the middle of a crowd.”

It hurt, but Mick narrowed his eyes and said, “Zack? Come closer.”

Zack, filled with new concern, leaned down close.

“Where the hell is she!”

Zack jerked back and grimaced. “All right, all right, you don’t have to bust my eardrum. You said, all ominous cloak and dagger, ‘Don’t let her get away.’ Neither Josh nor I knew if that meant she should be arrested, or if she was the lady you’d been watching for.”

Mick jerked—and the sudden movement squeezed the breath right out of his lungs. Damn, he’d forgotten how badly a bullet hurt. Through clenched teeth, he snarled, “You didn’t…?”

“Turn her over to the cops? Nope. They questioned her, of course, but Josh followed them to the station and then picked her up afterward. She’s fine, just shook up and babbling about you being a hero—no surprise there, I suppose. She claims you took that bullet for her, and she wants to see you, overflowing with gratitude and all that, but, of course, since we didn’t know what the hell was going on…”

“I’m going to kill you.”

Zack grinned. “We collected her for you, but she’s none too happy right now. Josh is more or less, er, detaining her. No, don’t look like that. You know he wouldn’t hurt her. But he’s taxing himself; it’s been over four hours, after all.”

Four hours! Mick wanted to groan again, thinking of her waiting that long, Josh coercing her into hanging around….

“No,” Zack said, correctly reading his mind, “she didn’t want to leave, she wanted to see you. And she’s not happy when she doesn’t get what she wants. She’s actually—” Zack coughed. “She’s a very determined lady.”

Zack looked at Mick’s IV and added, “Evidently, she wants you.”

That was a revelation, one he could easily live with. His head pounded, but Mick held back all wimpy sounds of distress and said, “Get her for me.”

“Don’t be an idiot! You’re hardly in any shape to start getting acquainted.” Zack stood, towering over the bed. “I assumed once you came to, you’d explain what the hell’s going on, we could then explain it to her, and then we’d let the lady go home so you could get some rest.”

“Do not let her leave here alone.” Mick had awakened with a feeling of panic, again seeing that gun aimed at her—just her, no one else, and for no apparent reason. Until he figured things out, he wanted her watched. He wanted her protected.

It pissed him off royally that he had to ask others to do that for him.

“Mick, we can’t just refuse to let her leave.”

Giving Zack a sour look, Mick said, “Get her.”

“Damn, you’re insistent when you’re injured.”

“And I’ve heard more ‘damns’ from you in the last five minutes than I have since your daughter was born.”

Zack shrugged. “Well, Dani isn’t here to listen and emulate. Besides, it’s not every day I see a friend shot.”

“You say I need to recoup, Zack?”

“That’s right.”

“So how is it going to help my recuperation when I get out of this bed and kick your sorry ass?”

Zack hesitated before giving in with a laugh. “I can’t fight you now, because you’re already down and I feel sorry for you. If I let you get up and attempt to hit me, you’d probably start bleeding all over the place again and rip your stitches, and I’d have to let you win.” He held up both hands. “Stay put. I’ll find out how soon you’ll be moved to your room and when Delilah can join you.”

Pain ripped through his shoulder as Mick did a double take. “Delilah?”

Zack stared. “Don’t tell me you didn’t even know her name.”

“So?” Learning her name hadn’t been his top priority. Touching her had, and he’d accomplished that while also protecting her. A nice start, except for the fact that someone wanted her dead, and had shot him trying to accomplish the deed. But he’d figure that one out eventually. In the meantime, he had no intention of letting anyone hurt her.

“So you took a bullet for a complete stranger?”

Very quietly, Mick asked, “Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

And because Zack already had once, long ago, he turned and walked out.

The second Zack pushed aside the curtain and left, a nurse stepped in, ready to check Mick’s vitals and reassure him. She lingered, and Mick couldn’t help but smile at her, despite his discomfort and his current frazzled frame of mind. She was about five years older than he, putting her in her early thirties. She was attractive even in sensible white shoes and a smock. She smoothed his hair, her fingers gentle, while she explained that he’d be there overnight, but would likely leave in the morning, and that they’d put him in his own room very soon.

Still being polite, Mick was careful not to encourage her. He wanted to meet Delilah, wanted to talk to her, hear her voice when she wasn’t frightened, see her smile again. She was the only woman he wanted at the moment, and he was relieved when the orderly showed up and announced it was time to take Mick to his room.

Any minute now he’d meet her, really meet her. And he promised himself that not long after that he’d kiss her…and more. He didn’t know how he’d manage that, all things considered, but he would. He had to taste her, had to stake a claim in the best way known to man.

He discounted his wound. It wouldn’t slow him down; he wouldn’t let it slow him down.

He needed her.

“I’M CAPABLE OF WALKING on my own.”

Josh, the man “escorting” her to Mick’s room, gave a disgruntled sigh and removed his hand from her arm. He’d been pushy and demanding, a total stranger insisting she follow his orders. She’d done so, once she realized he was a friend of the man who’d protected her.

But she didn’t like him, and she definitely didn’t like the distrustful way he loomed over her. He pretended gentlemanly qualities, but she knew he held on to her so she couldn’t get away. She’d already told him a dozen times that she had no intention of leaving.

Not that Josh paid any mind to what she had to say.

He had “slick” written all over him, from the way he held himself to the way he noticed every single female in the vicinity. She understood his type. Josh was one of those men who felt superior to women, but covered that nasty sentiment with charisma and a glib tongue. No doubt, given his good looks and outrageous confidence, women regularly encouraged him.

Del just wanted to get by him so she could meet the other man, the one who’d risked his life for her.

Josh slanted her one of his insulting, speculative looks. “I hope you don’t go in there and give him any grief.”

When she didn’t answer him, he added, “He did save your sorry, ungrateful little butt, after all.”

She could hardly ignore that! Del whirled and stuck a finger into his hard chest. “I know. I was there,” she snapped. Her control, her poise and any claim to ladylike behavior were long gone. Today had been the most bizarre and eventful day of her life. “You’re the one who doesn’t seem to understand that I need to see him, that I should have been there with him all along, to thank him—”

He glared at her, rubbed at his chest and walked away. Del had to hurry to catch up to him. A few seconds later they turned a corner, and Josh pushed a door open. “Here we go,” he said. And then under his breath, but not much under, she heard him mutter, “Thank God.”

Through the open doorway, Del could see the occupied hospital bed, and she drew up short. Heavy emotion dropped on her, making her feel sluggish in the brain—which was a first. Her breath caught. Her stomach flipped. Her heart fluttered.