Page 46 of Gabe (Blue Team #2)

I was unsure if I wanted to laugh at my current situation or roar with frustration.

My head was pounding with a blinding headache. I was in a hospital bed wearing a goddamn gown. I had an IV stuck in my arm and a blood pressure cuff that was irritating the shit out of me on the other.

My woman’s father was standing next to my bed, I was meeting him for the first time after his daughter had saved my life and it was worth the repeat—I was in a thin gown.

Especially noteworthy—I was meeting him while wearing a fucking dress and when I shifted my legs to push myself farther up the bed, I felt something tug my cock.

Fucking perfect .

I either had a tube up my cockhead or a plastic sleeve taped to my dick. I couldn’t tell which as I was thankfully a little numb down there. What I did know was there was a piss sack hanging from the side of the bed.

And I was meeting my woman’s father for the first time.

In a dress with my cock caged.

Goddamn wonderful.

Fuck it.

I lifted my arm with the annoying-as-fuck cuff and went for it .

“Gabe Harris,” I introduced myself and offered my hand.

Evette’s dad hesitated a moment before he stepped forward and clasped my hand. Surprisingly—that was, a pleasant surprise—he didn’t shake my hand weakly like I was some invalid. Nor did he crush my hand in an ill-attempt to show his dominance.

“Joe London,” he returned.

“I’d get up but…I’m afraid I’d fall on my ass, hit my head, and slip back into a semi-state of awareness that would cause Evette to lose her mind.”

“You have no idea,” Zane mumbled. “The woman is scary with a gun. Not once but twice she threatened to shoot me. In the future, do not under any circumstances give her a weapon.”

I dropped Joe’s hand and slowly slid my gaze to Zane. Thankfully, the trails of stars and flashes of light dissipated quickly and he came into focus.

“Come again?”

“Brother, the woman was holding me at gunpoint. Wouldn’t let me close to you even after I spoke to her.

She made me prove my identity by shining my flashlight…

on my face. No one was getting near you without going through her.

And make no mistake, she would’ve shot me.

Then we get you here and no one but no one gets near your bed without her okay.

So my suggestion, you better keep your ass in that bed, follow your doctor’s orders to the letter, and do not piss her off.

She will not lose her mind, she will lose her fucking mind and probably cuff you.

Luckily for you, she loves you, so she won’t shoot you.

But I’m warning the team not to go against her wishes. ”

Zane was being his normal sarcastic self. He was joking, even if I heard more than a hint of pride in his voice. When we were in the woods she’d promised not to leave me. I knew she wouldn’t, but hearing her state of mind was concerning—very.

“What. The. Hell.”

All humor fled Zane’s features when he said, “You were out. It was my call. Nothing I was going to say was going to make her leave your side. I gave her that play because that’s what she needed.

You’re awake now and once she sees you’re okay, she’ll be okay.

Don’t push her on this, Gabe. You give her time—as much as she needs.

I found her in the woods, essentially alone in the dark, with her shirt ripped into shreds tied around your head.

She was running on instinct and adrenaline.

I wasn’t going to have a coming to Jesus with her after what she’d gone through. ”

“What the fuck? You think I’d push her away?”

“No. But I’m sensing you think her not leaving your bedside is unhealthy.

That we left her to it to deal. We didn’t.

I didn’t. But I did make the call not to force her to do something she didn’t want.

The same way that if it was her lying in that bed and not you, nothing would’ve taken you from her side.

So what I’m telling you is, her reaction was healthy, it was normal, but more—it was goddamn beautiful.

I’m pleased you found a woman that’s not only capable but loves you so damn much she’d use her body to shield yours. ”

Fucking, fucking , hell.

Use her body to shield yours .

Flowery words from Zane Lewis. Perhaps I was still unconscious or my concussion had caused delusions. I was thinking it was the first until Joe coughed then cleared his throat.

“Anaya told Jenn and me that Evette found trouble when she was investigating what happened to their friend, Kalee and she went to you for help.”

“That’s correct,” Zane answered.

“And what trouble did she find?”

“She uncovered a defense contractor’s bid to lease land in Timor-Leste,” I told Joe.

“That’s the country where Kalee was working with the Peace Corps.

This company wanted to lease the land not only to mine the silicon but manufacture a computer chip they needed for a new radar they were producing.

Someone inside that company figured out what Evette was doing and decided to help Evette and started sending information. ”

I stopped and thought about Delilah Watts. She meant well, but in reality, she’d fucked Evette.

“Abrams didn’t know Evette was looking. Not until Delilah started sending those emails,” I said to Zane.

“That’s Garrett and Tex’s thought, too. Garrett went over the emails again. Delilah was careful, but she sent one from her work computer and didn’t erase all fragments. She made a mistake and Abrams found out about Evette.”

“So none of this was Evette’s fault. She was under the radar until Delilah figured out who she was and what she was doing.”

Zane remained silent, his face impassive, which said everything.

Fucking hell .

“Who took us?”

“Jacko Yaffe and Mario Newman. They work in the security department of BZ Systems, a competitor of Abrams. They wanted Delilah. Jacko was the one that you and Evette took out, copped to everything—only with a twist. He told the cops he and his buddy Mario took you and Evette for ransom. It was all his idea and Mario was just along for the ride. BZ Systems has terminated their employment. However, Tex already tracked down new accounts set up by BZ in Mrs. Jacko Yaffe and Mrs. Mario Newman’s names.

It’s shady as fuck, but since Jacko already confessed and Mario corroborated the bullshit story, as far as the police are concerned it’s open and shut. ”

“And Evette’s no longer in danger.”

Zane jerked his chin and with his best social mask firmly in place he answered, “Yes. It’s over for Evette. The threat has been neutralized.”

That may have been the truth but there was a hell of a lot Zane wasn’t saying.

Before I could work out if I was pissed as hell I was out of the loop, or if I was angry because my head was throbbing like a sonofabitch while wearing a dress in a hospital bed, Joe decided he had more to say. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to lie there and listen.

“Obviously, I know my daughter. I know when she gets something in her head there’s no stopping her.

I can also see you’re there in that bed and she’s not.

That counts for something. I would like to know more about what happened but not now.

After I’ve seen to my family and you’ve rested.

I hope you understand that while it counts for something that my daughter is unharmed, it’s still not enough for me to approve of this situation.

I can do the math. I know Evette has only been in Maryland a short time so unless you knew her before she came asking for help I know it is too soon for her to be living with you.

I also know she’s stubborn and my opinion on this matter is unwelcome.

So I’m hoping that you will see where I’m coming from and not have my daughter move in with you but instead convince her to move home with her mother and me.

If you love her the way she thinks you do then this shouldn’t be a problem.

A long-distance relationship while she heals from a traumatic experience would be in her best interest. I’m going to call the police barracks and confirm the men who kidnapped my daughter are in custody and there’s not a possibility they’ll get out on bail. ”

“I’ll save you the call and trouble, Mr. London. Chief Carson is personally seeing to this case and she’ll be interviewing Gabe as soon as he’s up for it. I’ll make sure she has time to meet with you.”

“That’ll be fine, Mr. Lewis. And, Gabe, I hope you think about what I said.”

It didn’t escape my notice that Joe referred to Zane as Mr. Lewis and he simply used my given name. He was the authority figure. I was just the shmuck in the hospital bed who he didn’t want for his daughter.

Not gonna fucking happen.

“With all due respect—”

“Gabe,” Zane cut me off. “Let’s let Joe go take a walk. I think he’ll find that once he’s cooled off he might’ve misspoken.”

Joe frowned. “I’m unclear—”

“You are correct, Mr. London, you are unclear about a lot of things. One is you thinking you know your daughter. I’m a father myself.

I’m holding my tongue and my temper out of respect for that.

But I don’t have the time or the patience to repeat myself.

Apparently, you weren’t paying attention to Evette when she straight-out told you where she wanted to live.

You also weren’t paying attention when I explained to Gabe that your daughter has not left his side.

Not for any reason. Before you ask Gabe to turn his back on her and suggest she move in with you and your wife why don’t you think what that will do to her?

Take a walk and I’ll call you when Chief Carson is on her way. ”

There was a knock on the door, then it pushed open and a tall, older woman walked in. She did a top-to-toe scan and smiled.

“Mr. Harris, you’re awake. Sorry it took me so long.

I was in my car leaving for the day but when the nurse paged me I came back up.

I’m Dr. Lexington. Your doctor for this evening will be joining us in just a moment.

He’s finishing up with a patient.” Dr. Lexington glanced around the room then finished.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll give us about thirty minutes you can come back in when we’re done. ”

Joe said not a word when he turned and basically stomped out of the room.

“That went well,” I muttered.

“Guns could’ve been drawn,” Z returned with a shrug.

“I’m unarmed unless you strapped an AR under the bed for me. You know, right next to my piss bag.”

“Oh, right. Evette was in the room for that fun procedure.”

“Seriously?”

“What, she wouldn’t leave and I figured she’d already seen it—or at least I hope she has.”

“Is there anything you take seriously?” I groused.

Zane was at my bedside in a flash. Smile gone. Spine straight. Face full of thunder.

“There are a great many things I take seriously. Making sure that Jacko and Mario find themselves un-fucking-happy in the very near future is one of them. You in that bed looking like you went ten rounds with a heavyweight champ and lost, another one. Your goddamn brain swelling, another. Evette freaking the fuck out, coming apart at the seams because the man she is ass over tea kettle in love with isn’t waking up, another.

Your cock and your woman seeing it, not so much. ”

“Appreciate you looking out for her.”

“I know you do. But that’s not why I did it. Evette’s…special. I respect her loyalty. And the fact she was willing to shoot me makes me want to be BFFs with her.”

And there it was—Zane just couldn’t help himself .

“Leave so I can get my head examined and get my woman back in the room.”

“Silver lining—we now know you do have a brain, but it’s worrisome it only swelled to the size of a normal person’s.”

“Yeah, great news. Now leave.”

Zane stared down at me then gave me a short nod, “Good to see you awake.”

And in typical Zane fashion, with the last word he left the room.