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Matt
Matt sprinted up the steep slope with the heavy weight upon his shoulders, pushing himself to the limit. He felt better than he had in ages. He kept his body in peak physical condition, but knowing he would see Hayley again motivated him to step up his game.
He wondered what she did to stay in such great shape. Her body was a masterpiece of lean, toned muscle and womanly curves. Just thinking about it made his blood run hotter. The way she smelled. The way she tasted. The way she wrapped herself around him and welcomed him into her body ...
Yeah, Cage was right. He was smitten. Wholly, totally, and absolutely smitten.
Keeping his distance and giving her space was difficult. He was forced to call upon his discipline to remain at Sanctuary and out of her way.
She’d texted him earlier that morning, saying that she had a to-do list and asking if she could come up later. He’d laughed out loud over that one. As if he’d ever tell her no. He’d be at her side twenty-four/seven if she let him. At her side, on her six, wherever. Helping her. Supporting her.
Convincing her that her life was better with him in it.
She had a job to do, and she couldn’t do what she needed to with him tagging along. He got that even if he didn’t like it. She was a damn good DM. He’d help her in any way he could, but he had to respect her choices if he had any hope of a future with her.
He slowed as he reached the top of the incline, lifting the weighted pole over his head to place it back in the rack. Creating an outdoor fitness and obstacle course had been Michael Connelly’s idea, and Matt had to admit, it was a good one—even if Michael had been a Ranger.
He took a moment to catch his breath and rehydrate, appreciating the muscle fatigue in his back, shoulders, and legs. The new fitness center was state of the art, but some results couldn’t be achieved solely in a gym environment.
“Church.”
Matt looked up to see Heff running his way. There was no evidence of Heff’s usual laid-back, devil-may-care demeanor. Cold dread slithered down Matt’s spine. His feet were moving before Heff reached him. Judging by Heff’s complete non-expression, it was bad.
The two of them ran side by side back toward the main building.
“What happened?”
“A 911 call went out a few minutes ago, reporting an explosion at the B & B. Police and fire are en route.”
“Injuries?”
Heff didn’t look at him when he answered, “Two.”
“How bad?”
“No information on that yet. Mad Dog’s got the SUV ready to roll. Go! Cage and Ian are on it.”
Matt sprinted the remaining distance to the waiting SUV. Mad Dog was pulling out of the lot before the door closed.
Mad Dog didn’t know any more about what had happened than Heff had. They tore down the mountain at breakneck speed. Fourth Street was blocked off; the flashing lights of fire and police vehicles in the dark smoke rolling from the vicinity of the bed-and-breakfast created a macabre scene.
Matt was just about to jump out of the vehicle and proceed on foot when Cage’s voice came through the hands-free. “Martha and Hayley are en route to the hospital. No word yet on their condition.”
Without a word, Mad Dog hung an impressive U-turn and pushed the pedal to the floor, heading to the hospital. When Mad Dog slowed near the emergency room entrance, Matt was out the door.
* * *
The last time Matt had been at the hospital, it had been in the midst of a powerful nor’easter. Kate had been in an accident, and Mad Dog had been one step away from completely losing his shit because no one would tell him anything about Kate’s condition.
Matt was now experiencing that same frustration. No one would tell him a goddamn thing, citing patient confidentiality concerns. He didn’t give a shit about any of that. Hayley was lying back there somewhere, and he had no idea what kind of shape she was in or even if she was—
No! He shut that thought down, pronto. She couldn’t be. Not when he’d just found her again.
There were only a few others in the waiting room. A crying kid cradling his arm in a makeshift sling and a mother trying to distract him. A middle-aged guy with a bloody rag wrapped around his left hand. An older woman sitting in the corner, her face ashen, her lips moving slightly, as if in silent prayer.
He looked back to the young woman at the desk, laughing at something the security guard had said, completely oblivious to the pain and torment of those waiting. Waiting to be seen. Waiting for some word.
He eyed the doors leading to the treatment area and considered just walking through them. Who was going to stop him? The skinny, baby-faced security guard flirting with the pretty receptionist?
“Don’t even think about it,” Mad Dog warned in a low tone. “Don’t give Daryl a reason to lock your ass up.”
“He could try,” Matt growled under his breath.
Where the fuck was Daryl anyway? Surely he knew about the 911 call. It really chapped Matt’s ass that the nurse wouldn’t think twice about sharing information with Daryl simply because he was her brother. Daryl didn’t give a fuck about Hayley.
“I need to know what’s happening.”
“I know you do, man,” Mad Dog said. “Maybe your nurse friend’s around.”
Matt’s brows furrowed. “What nurse friend?”
“Shannon, I think her name was.”
Right. Shannon O’Shaughnessy. Matt might have exploited her obvious interest to get her to bend the rules and let Mad Dog back to see Kate when Kate had her accident, but that was a bridge he could only cross once. They’d had a pleasant chat over coffee in the cafeteria, and it was nice, catching up, but he’d been honest about not being interested in anything more when she asked him out at the end of her break.
“Have you seen her?”
“No,” Mad Dog admitted. “But I see someone else who might be able to help.”
The automatic doors opened with a whoosh just as Mad Dog’s hand came down heavy on his shoulder. “Wait here. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything stupid, yeah?”
Matt grunted noncommittally. He wasn’t making any promises.
He followed Mad Dog’s progress, watching as he approached a woman coming through the entrance with a large coffee in her hand. She looked vaguely familiar.
He heard Mad Dog ask, “Karina, right?”
Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Right. And you’re ... Chris? Kate’s fella.”
“You remember.”
Karina laughed. “Pretty hard to forget you. How is Kate? She didn’t get into another accident, did she?”
“No, but someone else did, and no one will tell us anything.”
“Who?”
“Hayley Freed.”
Karina’s eyes went wide. She scanned the waiting room, her eyes growing even wider when she saw Matt. “Does this have anything to do with the sirens I heard a little while ago?”
Mad Dog nodded.
“Let me see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, Karina.”
Mad Dog returned to Matt. “Karina’s going to see what she can find out.”
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
Matt sank down into a chair and ran his hand over his face. He needed to get a grip, but the not knowing was eating away at him like acid. “How do you know her?”
“She was working here when Kate was in. Went to school with Kate’s older sister, I think.”
The waiting was excruciating. Seconds felt like hours.
Karina appeared about twenty minutes later. Matt was on his feet immediately.
“She’s alive and stable,” were the first words out of Karina’s mouth. “Got banged up pretty good and has some cuts from flying debris that’ll require stitches. Sounds like they’re going to keep her overnight for observation.”
“What about Martha?” Mad Dog asked.
“Pretty shaken. A few bruises and a sprained wrist but otherwise okay. Listen, I’ve got to go, but I’ll do my best to keep you updated, okay?”
“Thanks, Karina.”
She offered them a sympathetic smile and disappeared into the back again.
“Hey, Hayley’s strong. They’ve got this, man.”
Yeah, Matt knew that, but he wanted to be in there with her. Holding her hand. Telling her everything was going to be okay. Making sure they took good care of her.
The ER doors slid open again, and Lenny came rushing in and went right to the desk. The person manning the desk started to give him flack, too, but then he flashed his badge and was escorted back into the patient area.
Doc came in right behind Lenny and made his way over to Matt and Mad Dog. “How’s Hayley?”
Matt relayed the little bit he knew. “What the fuck happened?”
“Looks like a bomb,” said Doc quietly.
“What?” Matt shouted, rocketing to his feet.
The mother shot him a scared look, and Doc led Matt and Mad Dog over to the large potted plant in the corner.
“Cage has been monitoring the emergency response channels,” Doc said, keeping his voice low. “Smoke’s on site, but he can’t get close enough to get a good look. Daryl and Jerry have the place roped off. From what he can see, the blast pattern is consistent with a small explosive.”
Daryl was a damn fool. Smoke was an expert in explosives. He could take one look at the scene and provide more information than Daryl or Jerry ever could.
“The blind leading the blind,” Mad Dog muttered. “Maybe Smoke can get in there later tonight and have a look around.”
“Even if he does, chances are, he won’t find much. Those guys are marching around the place like fucking idiots, destroying evidence.”
“Maybe that’s the idea,” Mad Dog said grimly.
Lenny emerged from the patient area, his face set in grim lines. He didn’t even look over to where they stood, just made a beeline for the exit.
When Matt moved forward, Mad Dog reached out and curled a massive hand around his bicep. “You sure you want to do that right now?”
A second earlier, he had been, but Mad Dog’s quiet question gave him pause.
“He was back there less than five minutes. He doesn’t know any more than we do.”
“Mad Dog’s right,” Doc said. “And he looks shaken. Let him go back to the scene. Maybe he’ll get some answers for us.”
* * *
Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes like hours. Hours like days. People in the waiting room came and went.
It was late afternoon when Karina finally sought him out. He got to his feet the minute he saw her.
“Hayley’s been moved to a private room if you’d like to see her,” she told him.
There was no if about it.
“Go,” Mad Dog urged. “I’ll catch a ride back with Doc. Keep us posted.”
Matt nodded, already following Karina to the bank of elevators.
“How is she?”
“Cranky,” Karina said with a smile. “She wants out. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
His gut twisted. “It’s that bad?”
“More precautionary than anything. She’s spent the last several hours having shards of wood and glass painstakingly removed, but their primary concern is that a piece of Martha’s porch railing came dangerously close to piercing a kidney. They had to sedate her to remove it, so she’s out of it.”
“Shit,” he muttered.
Matt had prepared himself for the worst, but Hayley looked much better than he’d expected. Her face was paler than usual but unmarred. Her forearms, however—what he could see of them—were covered in bandages.
“Not too long, okay?” Karina advised before slipping out of the room. “She needs rest.”
Matt made no promises as he moved to the bedside.
Hayley’s eyes flickered open. It took her a moment to focus, but when she saw him, she offered a small smile. “Hey.”
“Hey. You okay?”
“I’ve been better,” she said, her words slightly slurred. “Who knew the tuck and rolls we learned in grade school would come in so handy?”
“What the hell happened, Hayley?”
She blinked, the tiny movement overly slow, as if it took tremendous effort. “Someone left a package on Martha’s porch. Had a bad feeling. Tried to get her out of the way. Is she okay? No one will tell me anything.”
“She’s fine, thanks to you.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Listen, Matt, I need you to get my laptop. It’s hidden. I was afraid Martha might go snooping. But you can’t let Daryl get ahold of it, okay? It’s important.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Good,” she murmured without opening her eyes. “I’m sorry. That stuff they gave me is making it hard to stay awake. It’s some good shit.”
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay. Rest.”
“Stay for a little bit?”
He pulled up a chair and wrapped his hand gently around hers. “You got it.”
She smiled, and then her face relaxed as she gave herself over to the pain meds.
Someone had hurt his woman. He wasn’t going anywhere.
When he was sure she was out, Matt pulled out his cell phone and relayed the information about the laptop to Doc and Mad Dog.
“Grab everything,” Matt told them firmly. “She’s not going back.”