Protecting Rose (2 page)

His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed at the thought of her restrained in such a cruel fashion. “Who tied you up?” His gut screamed danger.

Nate lifted his head to scan the area. A loud thunderclap shook the air. The temperature dropped sharply when the storm rolled in.

Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and dirt flew up next to him.
What the hell!

Someone was shooting at them.

Brett cursed when the first shot missed. He took aim again and pulled the trigger. The man shielding her returned fire, and rain started to fall. The shot went wide. With a curse, he ducked behind a tree.

Who was that guy? The last thing he’d expected when he sabotaged her car was some guy with a hero complex and a gun getting in his way.
Shit.
The sound of sirens grew near.

That bitch was going to pay! Although, if he hadn’t been playing with the target, she would already have been dead. But damn, she was such a sweet piece of tail. What was a man supposed to do? It seemed wasteful to off her without first having a taste.

When the guy fired a succession of rapid shots in his direction, Brett grabbed what ammo remained and sprinted toward his car. They would have to finish this game later, and next time she wouldn’t be so lucky.

Nate shielded the woman’s body with his and took aim in the direction of the shooter, emptying his clip. He reloaded and scanned the tree line, but saw nothing. When there was no returning fire, he rose to his feet and lifted her into his arms to run deeper into the woods.

She clung to him. Her soft whimpers of fear filled him with remorse. “Sshh, sweetheart, it’s okay.”

He tensed when her body went limp. Her head lolled backward off his shoulder, eyes closed. Nate stopped. Seeking the shelter of trees, he placed the unconscious woman on the ground to check her pulse. His tension eased when he found it strong, although a little rapid.

What the hell was going on here? He stood to scan the area for any signs of movement in the trees, but saw nothing. He turned back to the woman and knelt next to her to check for injuries. No broken bones, but she had cuts and scrapes from the accident and a deep gash at her temple. She appeared pale and fragile. He took off his jacket to offer her some protection from the cold rain.

He tore a strip of material off his shirt and held it against the wound at her temple to staunch the blood flow. With a scowl, he studied the dark bruises on her face and arms. The suspicion that she’d been beaten sent his protective instincts into high gear.

Mindful of the danger that surrounded them, he glanced toward the hill. Who was the shooter? Angry husband? Ex-lover? Possibilities. However, the wounds to her wrists and ankles pointed to something far darker.

The sirens stopped at the top of the hill. He saw Officer J.D. Bauman with the paramedics as they started to make their way down to him. He had worked with Bauman in the past and, on an occasion or two, lifted a beer with him.

“J.D., we have a shooter.” His shout gave warning they weren’t alone. “Shots were fired from the north side of the road, near the tall weeping willow. Although I think he’s gone now.”

“I’m on it”, J.D. replied. He turned and took his gun from his holster to search the area. The paramedics stood near the top until J.D. gave them the all-clear.

Nate stayed with the woman while the paramedics checked her over and placed her on a stretcher. “What’s her condition?”

“She’s stable for the moment,” the larger of the two paramedics said. He took out a blanket and covered her before they lifted the stretcher. Heavy rain turned the hillside into a muddy, slippery slope that made the trip difficult. By the time they reached the top, additional squad cars had arrived and the police had marked off the area.

J.D. sealed evidence in a plastic bag and tossed it into the paper sack he held. “We found a couple of casings and tire tracks that headed east. Unfortunately, most of the tracks were washed away. And there’s no sign of the shooter.”

“Damn!” Nate ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m going to the hospital with the woman. I’ll try to find out what the hell’s going on when she wakes up.” He headed to his car. “I think those bullets were meant for her,” he yelled over his shoulder. “Until the shooter is found, she needs to be protected.”

When the ambulance reached the hospital emergency entrance, the paramedics rushed her inside. Nate exited his car and followed them into the building, flashing his badge at the security guard. He got as far as the emergency room doors before a nurse stopped him. “You’ll have to wait out here.”

With a scowl, he turned to take watch, determined to keep her safe. His overwhelming desire to protect her surprised him...but, there it was. Not only had someone tried to shoot her, from the looks of it she’d been beaten as well. Under the circumstances, he wondered if her car had been sabotaged.

An hour later, a young nurse in a dark blue uniform approached him with an update. Her name badge read Stacey Miller.

“She’s stable and resting comfortably,” Stacey said with a weary sigh. “Her vitals are good, but we’ll know more in the morning.”

“When can I speak with her?”

“Not tonight I’m afraid. She’s sedated and expected to sleep through the night. They’ll be moving her to a room in a few hours. My shift is almost over, so if you have any more questions, ask Michelle.” She tilted her head toward a bright-eyed young woman who pushed a cart of medicine through the hall. “She’s the night nurse.” Stacey gave him a brief smile before turning to walk over to the nurse’s station.

He didn’t intend to leave his victim unprotected until morning. He grabbed an empty computer chair from the nurse’s station, wheeled it over, and settled down for the night outside the entrance doors. The digital clock above on the wall showed just past ten p.m.

Nate grimaced. It was going to be a very long night. He reached into his pocket for his mint case and popped two mints into his mouth before flipping open his cell phone to call headquarters. He needed to bring his partner, Rick Smyth, up to speed.

Nate had to find out who she was and why someone wanted to harm her. But he’d need Chief Mitchell’s approval. And no one was better at swaying the Chief than Smyth. If Rick wanted to, he could smooth talk his way out of hell from the devil himself.

Rick answered. “Hey, Stone, bored already, buddy?”

“Rick, we have a situation here.”

Rick sobered. “What’s the deal, man?”

“I pulled a woman from a burning car right before some asshole tried using us for target practice. I’m at the hospital with her now.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Nate said wryly. “She also appears to have rope burns on her wrists and ankles, and I’m pretty certain she’s been beaten.”

Rick swore. “What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing tonight, I just wanted to give you the heads up. But tomorrow, let Mitchell know that I plan to make sure she’s kept safe until the shooter is caught. If he has a problem with that, I have some vacation time coming.”

“Don’t get your shorts in a bunch, buddy. I’ll talk to him in the morning. After taking down Davis, you’ve earned some brownie points.” Rick chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll be able to swing it.”

“Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”

“Not a problem. Talk to you tomorrow, Stone.”

Voices echoed in the background as she drifted in and out of a nightmare. One particular voice stood out over the others. A deep male voice penetrated her subconscious with its soothing tone, calming her.

Comforted, she slept more peacefully.

She slowly awoke to the sound of steady beeping. The low drone of voices and activity surrounded her. The astringent smell of lemon and disinfectant permeated the air. Her head pounded with pain, and a sense of danger weighed her down. She fought the urge to wake up, reluctant to leave the warm glow of sleep and face whatever awaited her. But her mind and body left her with little choice as it forced her into full consciousness.

A familiar voice and a soft touch on her shoulder chased away the last remnants of sleep. She forced her eyelids open and looked into the piercing gaze of an intensely attractive man. His clear blue eyes reminded her of the color of the ocean on a calm summer’s day. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to sink into his calm ocean depths.

She dragged her gaze past him and glanced around the room. Stark white walls surrounded her and a small TV hung from the wall near the foot of her bed. Confused, she struggled to clear her clouded mind and make sense of her surroundings.

A wall of windows, framed by dark brown drapes pulled back to one side, allowed bright sunlight to shine into the small room. She attempted to raise her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light and discovered her right arm attached to an IV. She was in a hospital.

The man touched her shoulder again. “Miss, are you awake?”

Her mind froze, struggling to understand what was happening. Why was she in a hospital?

“Hey, relax. You’re safe now.” His gaze held a gentleness that belied his tough-guy appearance. His low deep voice seemed familiar.

Safe? Confused, she tried to remember what had happened. She brought her attention back to him. Who was he...other than gorgeous?

He appeared to be around thirty. Tall and ruggedly handsome, with short jet-black hair and a strong square jaw covered by a five-o’clock shadow. He wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans that gave him a Johnny Depp-dangerous, bad boy look.

Before she had a chance to form a response, a doctor with thinning gray hair and a nurse with a short, fashionable haircut came into the room. “Hello, Officer, I’m Dr. Anderson.” He turned to her with a smile. “I see our patient is awake.”

A police officer? Why was there a police officer in her room? Her heart raced and her breath came in shallow gulps as she struggled to fill her lungs with air.

“Nate,” the man replied, although his eyes never left her face. “You can call me Nate.”

He gave her an easy smile of reassurance when the doctor checked her pulse and began to ask questions. The doctor spoke to her, but she didn’t hear his words. Her mind filled with questions, blocking everything else out.

Her stomach twisted in apprehension when she noticed the bandages at her wrists. What she needed was to understand what was going on. The air grew thick, and she found it hard to catch her breath. Her eyes darted toward the door, looking for escape.

Nate took her hand and leaned forward to capture her gaze. His warm breath whispered across her face with the sweet hint of cinnamon. “Hey, it’s all right. You need to relax. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try,” she croaked. Her own voice sounded strange. She took several deep, calming breaths. The nurse spoke with the doctor, but her attention was on Nate and his calming presence.

Her panic subsided, her breathing slowed to normal.

He gave her hand a soft squeeze. “That’s my girl.”

Startled, she stared at him.
His girl
?

He brushed her hair away from her face as he continued to reassure her. A dimple at his cheek deepened when he smiled, totally in contrast with his tough guy demeanor. Distracted by that sexy dimple, her tension faded.

“Better now?” he asked.

“Y-yes, I...I think so. Thank you.”

He gave her hand a soft squeeze, before glancing at the doctor. “Can I ask her a few questions?”

“In a moment. But first, I would like her to answer a few questions for me.” He smiled at her. “If you feel you’re up to it?”

She nodded and pushed unruly hair from her face.

The doctor smiled. “Great. Can you tell me what day it is?”