Page 14 of Rescuing Josiah
Damn, she was one hell of an actress.
Wide gray eyes turned to look up at him, before returning to the doctor. “Does that m-mean you think I-I need a t-transplant?”
“Please, come and sit, Mrs. Fleet, and we can discuss everything in more detail,” Dr. Wood said, oozing fake charm as he once again reached for Chelsea’s hand.
This time, Josiah had to force himself not to rip the man’s arm right off.
Nobody touched Chelsea without her permission.
If she hadn't darted out her free hand to grasp his, he might very well have done something stupid, but her touch grounded him, soothed the roughest edges of the rage that boiled constantly inside him.
“I know you're scared, Josiah, I am too, but we should listen to the doctor before we panic,” Chelsea said, her voice like a cool wave crashing over him, subduing a little more of his red-hot fury
Not trusting himself to speak without growling at the doctor to get his hands off Chelsea, he merely nodded and placed his hand in the small of her back to guide her toward the desk.
They were halfway there when she wobbled.
Josiah was already reaching for her when it happened.
Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed.
May 13th
10:03 A.M.
They had him.
Chelsea was positive of that.
This Dr. Wood guy was here to feel them out, see if they might be willing to purchase an organ from the trafficking ring. If he was involved in the ring, they needed to get this office bugged. The more intel they could give to Prey, the better theirchances at getting to Desiree Tilly and dismantling the entire operation.
What better way to get a few moments alone than to fake faint?
As she knew he would, Josiah’s arms caught her before she hit the floor, and he scooped her up, cradling her with a gentleness that might have surprised anyone else, but not her. She’d always known, under the layers of anger he’d covered himself with was a big heart hidden away.
“Put her down here,” Dr. Wood said, and Josiah carried her a few steps before setting her down in what was likely one of the chairs at the desk they’d been heading for anyway.
Someone picked up her wrist, and she knew it was the doctor checking her pulse.
A growl rumbled from Josiah, who still had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Leaning into him was the easiest thing in the world, and she had to fight against a smile at the protective vibes he was giving off.
He could pretend all he wanted not to care about her, or the rest of their team, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he cared about them more than he was comfortable with.
Caring about people meant opening yourself up to the potential pain of losing them, and that wasn't something Josiah could handle.
“What's wrong with her?” Josiah demanded.
“Looks like she just fainted,” the doctor replied.
Because she didn't want to be admitted to the hospital, it was vital she spend as little time being examined by anyone as possible, Chelsea gave a small moan and opened her eyes slowly, as though they were heavy.
“Josiah?” she mumbled, making her voice sound faint, thankful for the years of acting classes she’d taken as a kid. Her parents had been older by the time they had her. After trying alltheir married lives, they wound up getting pregnant with a late-in-life baby, right before her mom hit menopause. Because they were older, they weren't able to be as active with her, but they made sure she had every opportunity to try out anything she wanted. One of those things had been acting classes, and she’d taken them through middle and high school.
Now she was eternally grateful that her parents hadn't denied her anything.
“Yeah, Chels, I'm here.” Fingers swept across her forehead, then smoothed a lock of hair, tucking it behind her ear.
“What happened?” she asked, keeping her voice small.
