Page 33 of Pirates in Calusa Cove

Keaton slipped off the bed. “Before I go, mind if I check your hospital badge?” He waved his finger at the young man.

Oh, my. “Is that necessary?” She glared, though, when she glanced at the man and didn’t see a badge, which was standard hospital practice, it did give her pause.

“It is.” Keaton rested his hands on his hips and looked the poor man up and down.

Trinity groaned. This was an aspect about Keaton that if they were going to have a go at it, he would have to tame. Not the action, because she appreciated that, but how he went about it.

“No problem. I understand.” The man patted his chest. Then his waist and hips. “Crap. I must’ve left it at the nurses’ station when we had a changeover meeting.”He hung the chart on the bed and reached for the near-empty IV bag. “This needs to be changed out, and she’s already late for her antibiotics. That’s important. Let me do that first, and then I’ll go grab my badge.”

“Nope. I’m sorry. I need that before I?—”

“Mr. Cole, there are bubbles in this line, and infection after surgery is a real thing.” He pulled out a vial. “If you’d like, you can snag my badge from the station around the corner.” The man turned and took a bag from the tray he’d pushed into the room. He reached up and hung it on the metal hook, untangling the line.

“Please stop what you’re doing,” Keaton said with a harsh, dark tone. “I know enough about IVs to know she’s got a couple of minutes. I want to see that hospital ID before you do anything else.” He pointed toward the door. “Don’t make me put my hands on you.”

“Keaton, that’s uncalled for.” Trinity narrowed her stare.

“Really? Then why is he making it such a big deal, and how does a man I’ve never met know my name?” Keaton asked.

“Mr. Cole.” The man let out an exaggerated sigh. “Calusa Cove is a small town, and everyone on the floor has been talking about you and how you found this one.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in an angry shake.

Trinity didn’t blame the poor guy.

However, considering the recent events, she could also see Keaton’s point. He was simply trying to protect her, and she appreciated that. Her father would be grateful. The reality was that if she were in his shoes,she would have pushed for him to find his badge. She might have been a little less aggressive, but she would have wanted to see it, too.

Ifshe’d thought to look for it, and that was the part that scared her more than anything.

“Right now, talk is cheap,”Keaton said. “I’m sorry if you think this is all one big inconvenience, but if the whole floor is gossiping, you know what she went through and why I might be a little overprotective of my girlfriend.”

The word girlfriend rolled off his tongue quickly and easily. Perhaps a little too easily.

But it felt right, and that was strange.

“All right. All right.” The man ruffled something on the portable tray. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’ll be right back with that badge.” The man stared at Keaton as he strolled by the edge of the bed.

“Why don’t I walk with you?” Keaton said.

“Now, that’s really overkill, dude.” The man lunged toward Keaton, pulling something sharp and shiny from his pocket.

The small scalpel nailed him in the biceps. “Motherfucker,” Keaton mumbled with a groan.

Trinity gasped.

Keaton slammed the asshole up against the wall, but the jerk managed to yank the knife from Keaton’s flesh and stab him higher in the shoulder. He gritted his teeth, jerkedhis arm, and kicked the man’s ankle, sending him crashing to the floor. “You fucked with the wrong man.” He held him by the throat. Not too hard. Not enough to cut off all the oxygen, but enough to put pressure on the windpipe and make it incredibly uncomfortable for this idiot. He pressed his knee into his chest before gripping the knife and giving it a good yank. He glanced up. “Are you okay?”

Trinity nodded. “But you’re not.”

“I’ll be fine. Just a few scratches.”

“What the heck is going on in here?” Doctor Emily Sprouse skidded to a stop at the door, followed by one of the female nurses. “Why are you holding that man down? You’re going to hurt him.”

“Please call the chief of police, Dawson Ridge. Tell him that someone tried to attack?—”

“I’m here.” Dawson sidestepped the two people at the door. “Jesus, man. I leave you unattended for five minutes, and this happens.”

“He doesn’t have a hospital badge, gave me shit for asking for one, and then stabbed me. Twice.”

“Let him go.” Dawson took over, restraining the man. “What’s your name, son?”

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