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CHAPTER 7

“Kian!”

Cooper blew into Hawk’s office. Nova cradled in his arms, her blood already soaking through his shirt. She’d been in and out of consciousness since he’d called Hawk, not fully rousing in the last five minutes.

Kian was at his side a heartbeat later, directing him over to a makeshift trauma area in an adjoining small room. It wasn’t much more than an extra wide couch and a side table full of instruments — a couple of chairs off to one side, but it beat having to clear off one of the computer stations. Cooper placed her on the sheet covering the cushions, taking a step back when Kian moved in beside her.

Kian didn’t waste any time talking, just had all but her bra and panties cut off, and an IV and blood bag hooked up a few minutes later.

The man mumbled under his breath, glancing at Cooper over his shoulder. “Did she get shot during your pick up or…”

“At her office.”

“Great. So, she’s been bleeding for the better part of an hour. She’s lucky she’s still breathing.” Kian grabbed what looked like a portable ultrasound. “I’ll know more after I scan the area — see if this requires surgery. Not that she’d survive the trip as she is right now.”

“I couldn’t take her to the hospital. Not when I still don’t know who’s behind this.”

“Then, let’s hope this is something I can treat.” Kian nodded at the door. “Emery’s here, and she doesn’t look impressed.”

Emery stormed into the room, getting up into Cooper’s face. “What the hell, Cooper? You said you were going to pick her up, not start a freaking war. Zip in, grab her, zip out. That was the plan. No witnesses. No hiccups and sure as shit not a path of carnage. Did you seriously blow up a car?”

Bellamy leaned over Cooper’s shoulder. “Actually, we weren’t the ones who blew…” He inhaled when Emery simply glared at him, her arms crossed. Eyes narrowed. “Never mind. That’s not important.”

Cooper raked his fingers through his hair. “We tried to be discreet, but then a bunch of tangos showed up, and we weren’t left with many options.”

“You mean like calling for backup?” She stared him dead in the eyes. “From the officer who gave you so much rope you managed to hang yourself with it.”

“You know we couldn’t do that without risking your and Nova’s safety. And those guys were most likely cartel, so you’re welcome.”

“Which is the only saving grace. Apparently, they don’t want to be identified any more than Nova does, and they took their wounded or dead with them. Because I bet my ass they didn’t all walk away, did they.”

“Perhaps you two could take this outside? It’s hard to work when you’re yelling in my ear.” Kian motioned to Flint. “Flint? Do a brother a solid and give me a hand.”

Cooper disengaged, focusing on Kian. “I can help?—”

“Not this time, Coop. You’re too close. And you and Emery need to finish your chat. This way, you won’t feel like you’re outnumbered.”

“I’m not worried about talking to Emery with or without Flint standing beside her. I’m worried Nova’s going to die because I wasted what little time she had driving here instead of to the hospital, consequences be damned.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Kian waved off Cooper’s grunt. “If her injuries were going to be fatal, she’d already be dead. But she’s lost an obscene amount of blood. Let me get her stabilized, and I’m sure her vitals will pick up. Though, considering her blood pressure’s sixty over forty…”

Cooper closed his eyes, opening them when Bellamy nudged his shoulder, motioning toward Hawk’s main office. Coop looked down at Nova, praying Kian was half as good as Cooper needed him to be, then moved into the other room. He stopped just outside the door, stealing another glance at Nova.

“Kian’s pretty talented.” Emery nodded toward the other room. “Saved my life once or twice.”

“I remember.”

She sighed, some of the tension easing from her shoulders. “And I still owe you and Whiskey for helping to keep me safe.”

“We take care of our own. And that includes Nova.” He turned to Bellamy. “I left something in the front seat of my truck. Can you grab it for me?”

Bellamy arched a brow. “I assume I’ll know what it is when I see it?”

“Shouldn’t be too hard. It’s covered in Nova’s blood.”

Bellamy mumbled something under his breath then darted out, leaving Cooper and Emery standing in an awkward silence. The combined strain of their expectations weighing down the air until it was hard to breathe.

Emery glanced inside the room, again, then back to Cooper. “How about we forget about the shit show you just left behind. There’s nothing we can do about it now, anyway. What I need to know is if Nova said anything important before she passed out.”

“Not much, which we’ll get to in a second. But first… Do you have any more details about what Simmons said happened?”

Emery cocked her head to the side, looking as if she was deciding how much to tell him. Maybe what she could tell him without feeling as if she was betraying the cop side of her. “I couldn’t exactly go to the DEA office and investigate when I was supposed to be searching the ranch. Even Simmons would have picked up on that. But I did call my boss.”

Emery snorted. “Milligan still owes me for all that crap that went down several months ago. He told me, off-the-record, that Simmons stated he arrived at the office for a meeting but heard Nova and Paulin arguing over something to do with a supplier. He was apparently in the hallway just outside the room when Nova drew her weapon and shot Paulin twice in the chest. She turned on him but he managed to retreat into a storage room, then shot his way outside through a window. He was making for his vehicle when a bunch of cartel showed up. Being outnumbered and outgunned, he maintained his cover until they all left after some massive gunfight. Milligan said there was at least one mercenary dead at the scene from a head shot, and a lot more blood.”

Cooper nodded. “And Simmons claims Nova fired on him.”

“That’s what I was told.”

“So, one of the DEA’s best agents, who has spent the past ten years entrenched with cartel and mercenaries, pegs some tango in the head amidst heavy resistance, but she missed Simmons when he couldn’t have been standing more than several feet away?” Cooper arched a brow. “When she already had her weapon drawn and the drop on him.”

“I know. It’s not sitting well with me or Milligan, either. But until Nova can give her side of the story…”

Emery paused when Bellamy returned, the blood-soaked book in his hand. She frowned when Cooper motioned for Bellamy to give it to her.

Cooper nodded. “I’m not an accountant, but I know a coded ledger when I see it. Nova made me promise not to lose it, so you can take photos, but it stays with me until she can shed some light on what went down.”

Emery flipped through some pages. “Is this Paulin’s?”

“She didn’t elaborate. In fact, all she said was that Simmons shot her.”

Emery fumbled the book, nearly dropping it before she glanced into the room then back. “Simmons did what?”

“Nova said she was giving Paulin CPR when Simmons came through the door, guns blazing.”

“And she’s sure?” Emery pointed toward Nova. “That it was Simmons?”

“She was pretty clear.” Cooper crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess he neglected to mention that part in his statement.”

“I’m starting to think he’s neglected to mention a lot of details.”

Cooper shuffled closer when Emery pursed her lips. “I understand how hard this must be for you. That ultimately, you’re a cop, and Nova’s technically a fugitive. And I know I’m asking you to put your career — hell your ass — on the line. Just give me and my team forty-eight hours to gather some intel. Determine if that ledger is why those mercenaries were hellbent on killing her and if Paulin was dirty or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He rolled his shoulders, shoving down the jumpy feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Assuming Nova doesn’t die on that couch.”

Emery huffed out a breath, pacing away for a few moments before turning and shaking her head. “You’ll have to move her someplace far more remote. If Simmons is part of this, it’s only a matter of time before he’ll come knocking, regardless of whatever I report. And you’ll all need to use burner phones and stay the hell off the grid as much as possible. I can run some interference but unless we want to bring my boss in on this…”

“That might be an option once we have more intel. But right now, all we have is her word and a book full of code.”

“Then, I suggest you start hunting. I’ll call in a few favors — try to get some advanced warning before more officers come calling. But you need to be prepared to bug out on a moment’s notice. And don’t tell me where you’re going. It’s easier to lie if half of it’s the truth.”

Cooper snagged her arm when she went to dart past. “Thank you. I know I’m not wrong about her, and I promise I won’t let you down.”

Emery snorted. “We take care of our own, right? Besides, I’ve never trusted Simmons. The guy’s an ass. Text me your burner number. I’ll be in touch.”

Bellamy moved in beside Cooper as Emery left, passing Rusty and Ethan at the entrance. “Call me crazy, but I have a feeling Emery knows more than she’s letting on.”

“Of course, she does. Though, I’m surprised she shared that much.”

“Do you think she believes it was Simmons who shot Nova?”

“I think she was genuinely surprised that Simmons hadn’t mentioned it in his statement, off-the-record or not. But I also think this isn’t the first time she’s had suspicions about him. Which honestly doesn’t mean shit unless we can prove he’s dirty.”

“Hopefully Nova can fill in some details once she’s awake. Starting with why Paulin really wanted her to meet him.”

“I’ll settle for her waking up. Period.”

“You heard Kian. If she was going to die, she would have by now.”

“He said if the bullets were going to kill her, they would have. He didn’t make any promises about being able to pull her back from the brink. Did you see how much blood was in my truck?”

“It’s definitely going to need detailing.” Bellamy knocked his shoulder. “She’s tough. And you’re supposed to be the optimistic one.”

“It’s a bit hard when everyone’s gunning for the woman you lo—” He caught himself a bit too late when Bellamy just chuckled. “I can’t lose her like this.”

“Then, you’d best start trying to break that code.”

“Sorry, brother, but that’s your job. The perks of having some stupidly high IQ. And while you’re at it, have Waylen acquire Simmons’ police file. I want to know what cases he’s been involved with since Paulin showed up. No way it’s a coincidence he was suddenly playing nice with the DEA if they didn’t have some kind of deal.”

“Sure, give me all the easy stuff.”

“Then, stop bragging about how smart you are.” Cooper smiled when Bellamy gave him a shove, then headed toward the main computer room.

Rusty joined him a moment later. “While I don’t doubt Emery will do all she can, I have a bad feeling it’s not just cops who might come looking. Ethan and I will start patrolling the perimeter. Even if we somehow miss something, Soda and Mojo won’t. Then, we’ll take a quick drive past the station and that DEA office. Try to get a sense of what we’re truly up against. Because if we really will be facing every damn officer on the island…”

“It’s going to take a miracle to find anywhere to stash Nova while we figure it all out. Or at least until she’s strong enough to move on her own.”

“We’ll source that out, too. Apparently, Waylen has a buddy who’s a private investigator — Mano something. The man’s loaded and has supposedly constructed a few safehouses due to some of the crap that’s gone down here since Waylen’s team showed up. I’m not really sure, but it’s a good place to start.” He slipped Cooper a burner cell. “I had a few stashed away, just in case. The only numbers in there are the team’s. So don’t lose it, jackass.”

“You might want to tell Ethan that.”

Ethan flipped him off. “I misplaced the damn radio once.”

“Doesn’t make the story less true, brother.”

Ethan cracked a smile, giving Cooper’s shoulder a pat before he and Rusty headed out to patrol. Cooper forced himself to take a deep breath, glancing over at Kian. The guy had another bag of blood hooked up, was running that wand thing over Nova’s ribs.

He took the chance Kian wouldn’t immediately kick him out, again, and headed in, staying far enough back he wouldn’t get in Kian’s way. But he needed to be close, in case…

He gave himself a mental slap. Bellamy was right. Nova was tough. The fact she’d kept fighting after getting shot was case and point. Still…

Kian sighed. “You can stop hovering, Cooper. It doesn’t look like the bullets hit anything major. She’s going to hurt like hell, and it’ll take a few days to get her blood volume anywhere close to a reasonable level, despite my efforts, but she should recover. Normally, I’d insist on two weeks of rest before she was out challenging mercenaries, again, but I know time isn’t a luxury we have, so… Try and get me at least one week.”

“Whatever you need. I’ll make it happen.”

Kian chuckled. “So, the rumors about you and Nova are true.”

“Don’t even start, Kian.”

“You’re only fooling yourself if you think you’re not in love with her but…” Kian stood, leaving room for Cooper to shift over. “I need to restock some supplies, in case she has a relapse. Do me a favor and sit with her until I get back. And call my damn cell if she suddenly goes downhill. I won’t be long.”

Sit with her?

Best damn order he’d had in forever. “How will I know if it’s something I need to call you about?”

Kian grinned. “Easy. You’ll be shitting your pants. I’ll bring you some coffee.”

Cooper nodded, gazing down at Nova as she slept. Not that being unconscious was sleeping, but she had the same expression on her face as she had when he’d woken with her still in his arms. He leaned over her, brushing some of her hair back from her face. “You better come back to me, sweetheart, because we’ve got a score to settle, not to mention that talk. And I’ve got a lot I need to say. So, rest. You’re gonna need it.”