Page 5 of Don't Bait Me (Nora Jacobs 3)

Director West follows him into the room, and her eyes widen. “What happened?”

I can only shake my head.

Forceps in place, Nick grips one of the arrow shafts and meets my gaze. “As soon as I get this out, I need you to press down on the wound with the towel as hard as you can while I remove the other arrows. He’s losing a lot of blood, and we need to stop it.”

I nod my head in a quick, jerky motion. I’m sure I’m going to freak out about this the moment it’s over, but right now the adrenaline in my system is keeping me focused enough to follow Nick’s orders.

My stomach rolls when Nick removes the arrows from Terrance’s back. I swear I don’t breathe the entire time. My only consolation is that Terrance remains unconscious so he can’t feel the way Nick digs into his back with the knife and forceps.

When the last arrow is free, Nick moves out of the way and Enzo immediately takes his place. I hadn’t even realized he was here. I pull my hands back to give him room to work, but I can’t bring myself to move away from Terrance. Enzo doesn’t make me. He places his hands over the wounds on Terrance’s back and meets my gaze. “He’ll be okay, Miss Nora. It’s nothing I can’t fix.”

I look down at the mess of blood all over, hoping he’s as good as he says he is. I’m not sure how anyone could survive such injuries. As if sensing my disbelief, Enzo gives me a reassuring smile. “He’s better off than you were after your vampire attack, and you turned out okay. Trust me.”

I do trust him, but I can’t stop worrying.

Enzo closes his eyes in concentration and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Goose bumps rise on my arms as the tingly sensation of magic fills the air around me. It only takes a few seconds for the blood to stop flowing, and then the holes in Terrance’s back start closing up.

I take a much-needed breath when Terrance regains consciousness. His groan is the most beautiful sound in the world. He’s alive. After another minute, Enzo removes his hands from Terrance and sits back, plopping himself on the floor and leaning against the side of the couch as if he’s exhausted. Terrance now looks to be sleeping peacefully, and a lot of the color has returned to his face. “He’s okay?” I ask.

Enzo nods. “He’s just resting off the healing magic. It really shocks the body to heal such serious wounds so quickly. He’ll wake up soon.”

I fall back, plopping down onto the floor beside the couch the same way Enzo did. Now that the crisis has been averted, I’m feeling the effects of the adrenaline and shock in my body. I need to calm my breathing, and my hands are shaking. I feel light-headed, so I close my eyes to wait out the dizziness. “Is this what you all feel like every time I get attacked?” I ask, voice shaking.

“Yes,”Nick, Enzo, and Ren all say together.

The forcefulness of their answers makes me crack a smile. Ren holds out a hand to help me to my feet. “Come here. Let’s get you cleaned up a little.”

I’m covered in blood. Can’t do anything about my clothes until I get home, but I wash my hands and arms up to my elbows in the small sink. After that, Ren lifts me up onto the counter. He wets a paper towel and wipes a couple of smears off my face. “Relax,” he says softly, and I can’t help but obey. His musical voice is hypnotic.

A shiver rocks through me when he releases a little of his incubus power. It’s not enough to really seduce me, but it does force my muscles to loosen up and makes my eyes flutter shut. I suck in a huge gulp of air and hold it for a count of three before slowly letting it go. Soon, I stop shaking. When I open my eyes, he gives me a soft smile. He has both of my hands in his and is rubbing his thumbs over the backs of them. “You okay now?”

I nod. “Thanks.”

He helps me off the counter, and Nick ushers me into a chair at the small table. “You did good today,” he says, taking the other chair across from me. “You kept your head and saved his life.”

His words bring back the image of Terrance slumped over his open trunk. I shudder at the thought of what could have happened. “I wish I knew why he needed saving.” Fierce anger ignites inside me. I clench my jaw and ball my fists as rage takes over. “If I ever find out who tried to kill him, I’m going to return the favor; only I’ll finish the job.”

Nick smirks. “Calm down, little spitfire. We’ll figure it out.”

“What happened?” Director West asks again.

My eyes flick about the room. Enzo is now washing his hands, but the rest of them—Director West, Nick, Ren, and Darla—are all waiting for me to explain. I’m not sure what to tell them. “I honestly don’t know.”

Nick pins me with a serious gaze. “Just tell me what you do know. Everything you remember.”

Helplessness washes over me. “He met me at the grocery store,” I say with a shake of my head. “The Whole Foods in Midtown. We shopped together. Nothing was out of the ordinary. We split ways at the door. He took the groceries to his car, and I hurried to mine. That’s when I called you. I didn’t see anything. Didn’t hear anything. I almost drove right out of the parking lot without noticing him at all. If that dumb SUV hadn’t cut me off, I would have—” I gasp. “The SUV!” I blink at Nick as the revelation sinks in. “It came from the aisle Terrance was parked on and was definitely making a getaway. That had to be who shot him.”

Nick’s lips quirk up into a small but proud grin. “Atta girl. That’s something. Do you remember the car? What type of SUV was it?”

“I don’t know. Not one I know off the top of my head.”

“If you saw a picture of one, do you think you could ID it?”

“I don’t know, maybe. Probably.”

“Gorgeous,” Director West says quietly. I don’t understand the warning tone in her voice. Or why she’s staring him down with a stern expression and her arms folded over her chest.

Nick continues to bombard me with questions, as if she hadn’t spoken. “Did you see how many people were in the car? Did you get the license plate? Even just a part of it would help. Every detail is important.”

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