Page 54 of Deadly Betrayal

After their talk outside the mess hall, Azitahad gone to see one of the doctors in the medical tent. When she’djoined them at the fence, she’d told him she was fine. Now he hadto wonder. “What did the German doc say?”

“I have a slight concussion, but the cut wasclean. He examined it with a magnifying glass and did not see anyforeign materials. He irrigated it and sutured it.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Except that now, the anestheticis wearing off.” The smile she gave him failed miserably. She wasin pain. Damn. He couldn’t leave Nic and Jake now. They still hadto call Rémi, and he and Jake needed to discuss what Jake haduncovered about the traitor in their team. “If I can get you someibuprofen, do you think you can last another hour?”

“Of course.”

Across the room, he spotted the female guardthey’d met at the gate. He signaled to her, and she came over.“Corporal Fischer, Doctor Azita needs some pain reliever for a headinjury. Do you have any?”

“They’ll have some at the medical tent.” Shetook in Azita’s drawn expression and pulled out a chair for her.“Sit tight, Doctor. I’ll be right back.”

Keeping an eye on Nic, Kaden crouched besideher chair and clasped his hands between his knees to keep fromtouching her. They’d gotten enough looks when they’d huggedearlier. No need to add to the rumors. “I’m an ass. What you neededtoday was rest, not all of this.” He waved a hand around his head,indicating the crowded bar.

She pressed the pads of her fingers to thedelicate skin at her temples. “I am glad we came. I like yourfriends, and I enjoyed the movie too.”

“Yeah, well, it was too much for you.” Hechecked his watch. Could they cut the meet and greet short? He’dtold Sergeant McAlister to give Nic’s security escort awell-deserved break while he was onsite. He could ask Nic and Jaketo join them at the guesthouse later, but he didn’t want to leaveNic with just one bodyguard, especially now that so many peopleknew he was here. No doubt there’d still be fans hanging aroundoutside the fence. He could talk to McAlister and get a team toescort Nic to the guesthouse. That might raise a few eyebrowsthough. Misuse of military personnel and all. And the guesthouseowner might not appreciate the show of firepower quite as much asKaden would.

Fischer showed up with a bottle of water andpain killers. Azita swallowed them with a grateful smile. When thewomen struck up a conversation, Kaden excused himself to check onhis friends.

After five minutes of him tagging along,Kaden felt an elbow dig into his ribs. “What the fuck?” He glaredat Jake.

“I’ve got him covered. You can go back toyour sexy doctor.”

There were so many things wrong with that.“First, I’m Nic’s bodyguard too. This is my job. Second, she isn’tmydoctor. And third, where the hell do you get off noticingwhether or not she’s sexy?” His volume had risen during his rantuntil he was by far the loudest person in the bar, and his finalword seemed to echo in a lull in the music, bouncing off the wallsof the large tent. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as all eyesturned toward him. Jake, the dead man, snickered, not even tryingto hide it.

Nic finished an autograph for an older man inhis fifties, then strode over to them. “Is there a problem?” Histone was serious, but his eyes were alight with amusement. If Nicweren’t his friend and boss, Kaden might have given in to the needto punch him. As it was, he clasped his hands behind his back andstood with his spine straight and his shoulders back. “No,sir.”

Nic sighed in exasperation. “Kaden, thisisn’t the army.” He looked around. “Okay, it is. Butwearen’t in the army. Relax.”

Kaden dropped his arms by his sides andexhaled sharply. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. When I’m withher, I want to be here guarding you, and when I’m with you—”

“You want to be with her,” Nic finished.

“Yep.” That pretty much described thetug-of-war going on inside him.

“You like her,” Jake said, direct and to thepoint as usual.

Nic laughed. “That was obvious when wetravelled over six thousand miles to come help her on the basis ofa single phone call.”

“She saved my life.”

“I’m sure she did. But this is more. Come on,man. You’ve been hung up on her for two years.”

Kaden crossed his arms. “I’ve had otherwomen.”

“Yeah, and you kept them as far away as youcould. Hell, I had to force you to go back to L.A. for Beth’sbirthday.”

“Hey, no fair. I asked her to come toMontréal with us.”

Nic shook his head. “You didn’t mean it, andshe knew it. You two weren’t forever material. Now, the littledoc…” Nic let the sentence go unfinished.

The little doc was fucking near perfect, buttheir situation was far beyond impossible. “I’m not ready to marryanyone.”

“Who says you have to? Can’t you just get toknow her?”

Jake snorted. “Not unless he wants to get hisass thrown in jail.”