Page 6 of Nails

She heard heavy footsteps running down the stairs.

“Riley!”Ryan’s voice cut through the haze of pain.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as the pain continued.She barely registered a large group swarming the basement with their guns drawn.

“Over here!”She heard someone call out.

“Was she hit?”Another voice shouted.

Riley managed to open her eyes just as Ryan fell down beside her.“Fuck!Riley, where were you hit?”Ryan worriedly asked as he looked her over.One of the SWAT guys also hovered above her.His concerned expression matched Ryan’s.”

Riley forced a shaky breath.“Vest,” she managed to say as she took another painful breath.“It hurts like a mother.”

Ryan let out a breath as he leaned in close to Riley’s face.“Jesus, fucking Christ.What in God’s name were you thinking, going into the basement of all places, alone?”

“I was thinking that I wanted to live,” she told him, and when he gave her a questionable look, she explained how everything went down.

By the time she was finished, she had an audience standing above her, including Special Agent Topper.

“Are you saying that you took out these men alone?”Topper asked, his bushy eyebrows raised, sounding surprised.

“Yes, Sir.”

She heard a few of the guys standing around compliment her.

“Don’t you ever fucking scare me like that again,” Ryan told her.

She wanted to laugh, but it felt like her chest bone might break if she did.That is, if it wasn’t already broken.Instead, she managed to crack a small smile.

“Come on, Ry.You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Ryan squinted his eyes at her and then pointed at her.“Never again.”

“Are you good?”Topper asked her.

Riley let out a pained chuckle.“I mean, I fell down the stairs, fought a guy twice my size, and took a bullet.Sure, I’m good.Just another Wednesday night for me.”

A few of the guys laughed, and even Ryan cracked a smirk.“Come on, badass.Let’s get you out of here,” he said, shaking his head.

As they helped her up, Riley breathed through the pain.She was already thinking about how she would milk this for free drinks later.

A little while later, Riley sat on the edge of the ambulance with her legs dangling over the bumper as the paramedic gently probed the massive bruise blooming across her chest.Thankfully, the Kevlar had stopped the bullet, but it hadn’t stopped the pain.She looked down at the deep purple contusion along her sternum.

Ryan and Russell stood there with their arms crossed over their chests.She thought about cracking a joke about having a third boob because of the swelling, but decided not to upset her boss and partner any more than they already were.

“Damn, Riley.That’s gotta hurt like hell,” Russell said, cringing as if he was the one in pain.

She shrugged, trying to hide her discomfort from the movement.“I’ve had worse.”

She wasn’t shy about the fact that she was only in a black sports bra.Modesty wasn’t something she had the luxury of worrying about in this line of work, especially when she’d been shot in the damn chest.The paramedic was just doing his job, and she wasn’t about to bat an eyelash at a man looking her over when it was strictly professional.

Russell shook his head, muttering something under his breath about stubborn agents before meeting her gaze.“Despite this,” he said, pointing to the bruise, “You did well in there.Hell of a job.”

Riley nodded.She never sought attention or praise.She just wanted to do the work and put away criminals to keep the streets clean.It wasn’t about recognition.It was about doing what was right.

The paramedic looked at her.“You’re lucky.I think it’s just deep bruising.But you should go to the hospital to get X-rays to be sure.”

Riley groaned, rolling her eyes.“I don’t need X-rays.”