Page 30 of Rogue Mission

Gotta give it to him—the former SEAL is intense. Behind the laughs and smiles he was tossing around when he first came to my rescue is a deeply serious man.

“There’s got to be something to monitor,” he clips out in a militaristic tone, hands tightening on the railing.

“Not only did she have a near-fatal shock, she fell. And she’s got bruised ribs, forChrist’ssake.”

Boy he’s wound tight. I shrug at the doctor, wincing slightly, but Justice’s so focused on her he’ll never see it.

The rib thing is painful, but a small price to pay for him saving me.

However the fact that he hurt my ribs in the process puts a mountain of guilt on his shoulders

“Justice… please.”

His nostrils flare, gaze turning hard, yet soft at once.

“This is important. Your life could be in danger.”

My heart hurts for him.

This is how the last twelve hours have been. A bomb with a questionable fuse.

Give me hazardous, volatile chemicals in beakers, I’m good. Protective rescuers, not so much.

The doctor seems to have practice, though. Sounding very reasonable, she says, “There’s no risk to her lungs—we confirmed that with the X-rays. Her pain is well controlled. Her cardiac rhythm is great.”

More stone-faced staring from Justice’s side. Only this time, there’s a tic below his eye.

I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll have to get her to find his teammates so they can drag him away. Not that I want him gone. I actually want him close.

Really close. As much for him as for me.

The pain behind his eyes is worse than getting shocked.

“Sir, I promise,” she says softly, feeling her way through the maze of his anger. “We’ve done all the standard tests. She’ll rest better at home. I know you’ll be right there with her, keeping a very close eye on Ms. Baxter’s well-being.”

“Hey.” I touch his forearm, hoping I can give him some measure of peace. “All the tests are normal.”

His jaw clicks as he opens his mouth, closes it again, and grips the handrail on the side of the bed hard enough to rattle the steel.

“It’s okay, Justice. I feel fine,” I assure him. “We’ll have plenty of pain medicine. There’s nothing else wrong.”

Amazingly. But it seems getting brought back to life was all I needed. Now there are other things to think about—like my life.And him.

Justice’s dark-brown eyes finally flick to me. “I can’t let anything happen to you again. I won’t survive.”

The impact of his words shocks the air right out of me.

There it is.

His heart on full display.

“Um, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a moment.” The doctor skims a hand over his shoulder, giving him a light squeeze as she passes by.

Harsh overhead hospital lighting catches on the flicker of the muscles in his jaw. The tension he’s carrying is enough to crush the room.

We’re left alone, looking at one another.

“I’m fine,” I whisper. “You’re the reason I’m okay.”