Page 28 of Storm Warning

A pause, then, “I don’t know if I would go that far. Maybe a couple of weeks.”

“We’ll see if a Fortress doctor at headquarters agrees with you. I won’t reinstate you to duty until one of them signs off on it.”

Andre grimaced. “Yes, sir.”

The boss turned his attention to Riley. “What did Dr. Sorenson have to say about you?”

“Nothing much. He was more concerned with Andre.”

“No physical injuries?” His gaze rested on her bruised cheek.

“A few bruises and scrapes, sir. It’s nothing.”

“Did he put you on antibiotics?”

Her face flamed. Not good. She didn’t want to get Sorenson into trouble, nor did she want to end up on Maddox’s target list, either. “I might not have told him about the scratches, sir.”

Silence, then, “What did you say?”

“They’re minor. Seriously, they’re nothing. I started taking our standard antibiotic on the jet, sir.”

“You will report to Sorenson immediately, Sloan. Am I making myself clear?”

Riley flinched. Oh, boy. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not, or you’ll spend a few weeks at home without pay. Go.”

Andre loosened his hold, and Riley scrambled off the bed as her boss opened the door and stepped aside for her to leave. The door closed behind her.

She hurried to Sorenson’s office. Since he wasn’t there, she went to the exam room where the doctor was taking inventory.

He looked up. “Ms. Sloan, is Marsh all right?”

“Yes, sir. Uh, the boss sent me to you.”

A scowl formed on his face. “Let me guess. You forgot to tell me about an injury you sustained in Mexico?”

“Yes, sir. It’s not bad. Honest.”

“Let me be the judge of that. After all, it’s what Fortress pays me to do,” Sorenson said. “Let’s see the damage.”

She turned her back to the doctor and raised the back of her shirt.

Sorenson gave a soft whistle. “That’s quite a scratch. How did you get this injury, Ms. Sloan?”

“Scooting around in ductwork. It was the only way to escape the room where my captors had put me. We would have raised an alarm if we had taken down the guards in front of the door.”

“I take it Mr. Marsh was with you.”

“Yes, sir. He doesn’t have issues with small spaces.” She stilled, then sighed. The experience had shaken her more than she acknowledged. She had scratches on her back because she’d panicked in the small space.

“I see.”

Riley could tell from his careful tone that he saw too much. She knew what that meant. She could handle it. Probably.

“Climb up on the exam table, please. Keep the back of your shirt raised while I gather what I need.”

She wrinkled her nose. That sounded painful. Oh, well. She brought this on herself by not telling Violet about the injury. Her teammate could have treated it on the jet. Riley did as the doctor had ordered.