Page 25 of K-9 Confidential

That was when the fun would really start.

“I imagine it’s nonstop around here, considering their line of work.” Charlie focused on the softness of the sheets rather than the fact her clothes had been taken from her.

“Pretty much.” Dr. Piel rolled to a built-in desk on the other side of the room. “You’d think they’d learn their lesson, but they just keep coming back. Concussions, stab wounds, gunshot wounds. I’ve seen it all.”

“What about Granger?” She shouldn’t have asked, but the words had already slipped out, the haze of exhaustion throwing her common sense out the door. “Have you seen him for any of those?”

“That would be covered under doctor-patient confidentiality.” Dr. Piel stood, her expression losing its humor from a minute ago. “But what Icantell you is that Granger and the rest have sustained a lot of wounds doing what they do. It’s admirable really. How hard they fight for the people they care about and some they don’t even know. I’m proud to be the one who helps them keep going.”

Silence seeped between them as Charlie considered her words.

“Try to get some rest.” The good doctor settled a hand on Charlie’s shoulder in an attempt to offer some kind of comfort, but how was she supposed to come to terms with what she’d gone through just a few hours ago? “I’ll bring you something for the pain and try to convince Granger he can wait a little longer before seeing you.”

“He’s out there?” A sliver of need charged through her.

“Has been this entire time.” Dr. Piel turned her tablet toward Charlie to show her the screen. The doctor scrolled through what seemed like a thousand small blue message bubbles. “Keeps messaging me, asking how you’re doing. Do you want to see him?”

“Yes. Please.” Her emotions were starting to show. She couldn’t hide how much she needed Granger in the same room as her. To convince herself this was real. That she’d survived. That this wasn’t some dream.

“I’ll send him in.” Dr. Piel gave her a knowing smile. Quick but warm. She headed for the door, pulling it open. “But I still want you to get some rest. No activities that take a lot of brain power. That means no TV, reading or general merriment in any shape or form. I’ll be right back with that pain medication.”

“Thank you.” And before she was able to sit herself up in expectation of company, he was there.

Every bruise and laceration stood out under the overhead lighting. He looked battle-worn and on the verge of collapse, but Granger had waited outside her room until given the all clear to come in. He’d gone to war for her—up against her father’s men and an entire cartel bent on using her for their own gain—and if he hadn’t pulled her out of that SUV, she would’ve died. “Hi.”

It was all she could manage in the moment, overtaken by the sheer sight of him. It’d been like that the moment they’d met. Having him here when she felt at her lowest was drugging and addictive and a relief.

“Hi.” His voice weighed heavy with exhaustion, but Granger managed to close the distance between them. He angled himself onto the edge of the bed. “What’s the diagnosis? Anything serious?”

“I’ll live.” Because going into detail was bound to send her into a tailspin if she wasn’t careful, and Charlie didn’t want to ruin this moment. She just wanted him. To feel something other than pain, to enjoy the fact they made it through one more day. Together. She brought her hand to his temple, where one of the soldiers from Acker’s Army had clocked him. “How are you?”

“I’ll live.” His laugh rumbled down her hand and into her chest. Granger slid his calloused palm over her fingers, leaning into her touch. “Damn, you feel good.”

“But I probably smell horrible.” The scent of smoke and dirt and gasoline combined into a noxious odor on her skin and in her hair. He had to have sustained brain damage not to pick up on it.

“I don’t mind.” He turned his mouth into her hand and planted a kiss at her wrist. Right where the rope she’d been tied with had scratched her skin. “Nothing about you is as bad as Zeus’s gas after one of his binge-eating episodes.”

Her laugh caught her by surprise and aggravated the bone-deep pain running throughout her body. A piece of her wanted this moment to freeze. She wanted to pretendSangre por Sangrehadn’t almost killed her, threatened her father and might’ve had something to do with her sister’s death. If it were up to her, she would ignore the pressure in her chest and stretch these precious life-affirming minutes out as long as she could. Because she deserved it. After a decade of isolating herself and looking over her shoulder, she just wanted a few minutes to remind herself she was human. But that wasn’t how she was built. “Did your team find anything at the site of the crash?”

Granger lost the softness at the edges of his eyes. Threading his hand in hers, he dragged her hand into his lap. “Our logistics operative got Fire and Rescue out there to take care of the fire before it spread. Two other members of my team searched the area, but there was no sign of remains once the fire was out. Hard to tell with the rocky terrain, but it looks like whoever abducted you escaped.”

“And they’ll try again.” She couldn’t bury the shudder running from the top of her spine to her toes.

“Hey. You’re safe here.” Gravel seemed to coat every word out of his mouth. “I give you my word the cartel will never lay another hand on you.”

“Except this isn’t your fight, Granger.” No matter how much she needed it to be. No matter how much she needed him at her side. “I came back to figure out who killed my sister. My father has plans to attack the state capitol, and a drug cartel wants to use me to put them back in power. None of this has anything to do with you. I’m the one who has to bring it to an end.”

“Who the hell said you have to do it alone?” he asked.

She didn’t have an answer for that. In truth, she’d simply taken it all upon herself. “You almost died out there in those woods. I just… I don’t want to have to go through the process of losing you all over again.”

It’d hurt too much the first time. She wasn’t sure she could make it through again. If she could tolerate the isolation, the lies she would have to tell, the pain.

“I’m not going anywhere, Charlie.” He stared down at their hands, intertwined. Ash and dirt and blood stained the fabric of his pants, and right then, Charlie understood it to be a perfect representation of their history. “You ran away from me once because you were afraid our relationship meant nothing to me. I’m not the kind of man who makes the same mistake twice.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the thin scratched skin along the back. Warmth speared down her arm and tightened her insides. His next kiss was at her forearm. He moved closer, following the length of her arm with his mouth. The coarse hair along his jaw tickled her neck as he buried his face between her shoulder and jaw. And still he didn’t stop.

Until he reached her mouth.

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