Charlie didn’t wake up when Finn got her suitcase and loaded it into the back of the Jeep.

She didn’t wake up when he made a phone call to Sheriff Nelson, and then Dorian, and explained about the attack.

She didn’t wake up when he called Zac and asked if his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor, was off work and might be willing to make a house call.

She didn’t wake up when he carried her out of the Jeep and into his bedroom.

It was a good thing Annie was in the room checking on Charlie now, otherwise Finn would’ve been taking her to the hospital.

“Nobody should sleep that long and hard unless they’ve been drugged or something,” Finn said to Zac as they sat in the kitchen waiting for Annie to finish and come report Charlie’s medical status.

“Especially not Charlie,” Zac agreed. “Remember how you used to say she would do well in Special Forces because of how long she could go without sleep?”

Sleep deprivation had been part of their survival training. Definitely not Finn’s favorite. He would rather be physically beaten than forced to stay awake for days at a time.

He walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer, offering one to Zac.

“It’s not just the sleep.” Finn brought the cold bottle to his lips. “It’s the fever and the fact that she weighs all of ten pounds. Jesus, Zac, what if she has cancer?”

“Let’s not borrow trouble until we have to. Annie will tell us if further tests are needed or anything like that. How did you run into Charlie anyway? I thought you were going to some strip club to help Major Pinnock.”

Finn took a long sip of his beer. “Charlie was working there.”

Zac’s eyes grew big. “Dancing?”

“Bartending.”

“At The Silver Palace?” Zac shook his head. “I thought she was some sort of education guru. Didn’t you tell me she was working wonders tutoring Ethan?”

“Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on with Charlie.” Finn explained about seeing her at The Cactus Motel last week, then finding her there again tonight. “She still owns that condo on the east side. You can spare me the lecture, but I ran her through the Linear system last week.”

Zac just lifted his beer in a silent salute. “I ran Annie when she first came back to town, so no judgment here.”

Finn shrugged. “Yeah, well, you were trying to help Annie. I’m not exactly sure what my motives were. But I only got the details about her condo. At least I didn’t move into complete stalkerhood.”

“Still plenty of time for that.” Zac grinned.

“I won’t have to. Charlie is not leaving this house until I get some answers. That’s if she ever wakes up.”

“She woke up for a few minutes to answer some of my questions.” Annie entered the kitchen, putting her makeshift house call bag on the table.

Finn’s grip on the bottle tightened. “She all right? God, Annie, I think it might be cancer. Is it?”

Annie gave him a gentle smile, then took a sip of her boyfriend’s beer as his arm came around her waist, anchoring her against him. “There’s definitely no reason to think Charlie has cancer or that anything is permanently wrong with her.”

“Then why wouldn’t she wake up? Why did she have a fever? Why has she lost so much weight?”

“She’s tired, Finn. That’s why she’s sleeping.”

He slammed a hand down on the kitchen island. “There’s something a damn sight more wrong with her than just being tired.”

Zac’s eyebrows rose. Finn didn’t blame him. Annie was here on her own free time and as a favor. “Watch it there, Eagle.”

“It’s okay,” Annie told Zac. “He’s just concerned. Dealing with a patient’s loved ones is a part of my job.”

Finn ran his hand over his face, not even acknowledging the loved one statement. “No, Zac’s right, Annie. I’m sorry. But you are also. I am concerned. This isn’t like Charlie. There are so many things that don’t add up.”

“I specifically asked if she had serious health issues because if she did—anemia, an autoimmune disorder, or, like you said, cancer—I needed to know. She said she didn’t, Finn, and I believe her.”

“Then why is she so tired? So skinny?”

“She said she’s been working a lot. Multiple jobs. And not eating right. She gave me permission to talk to you about her medically, so you wouldn’t be too worried.”

Zac shook his head, staring at Finn. “Why would the princess of Oak Creek be working multiple jobs?”

Finn threw up his hands. “And why would one of them be at The Silver Palace for God’s sake? It would be one thing if she wanted to work in education full-time. After seeing her with Ethan I could totally understand why. But there? And as a bartender? I mean, if she wanted to dance, I might not like it, but at least it would be understandable. Creative outlet or some such shit. But a bartender?”

Finn drained the rest of his beer while neither Annie nor Zac said anything, because what really could be said? None of this made any sense.

“She has a fever from a virus,” Annie said quietly. “Her immune system has taken a hit due to her exhaustion and diet. I gave her some ibuprofen and helped her into one of your T-shirts. I’ll be surprised if the fever isn’t gone tomorrow.”

“What does she need?” he finally asked. “What can I do to take care of her?”

Because at the end of the day, that was all that mattered. There was no way Finn could exist knowing Charlie was on the verge of some sort of collapse.

Annie walked over and put her hand on Finn’s arm. Her brown eyes were calm and friendly, like her smile. She was a gentle soul, so quiet and reserved. The opposite of Charlie. Annie fought if the need called for it—she’d proved that well enough when she’d been attacked last month—but it wasn’t a natural part of her personality.

Charlie, on the other hand, was a warrior. Though she be but little, she is fierce.

God, Charlie would have a field day if she knew he was quoting Shakespeare for her.

Annie smiled. “I bandaged the wound on her neck. It didn’t need stitches, and confirmed she was up-to-date on her tetanus shot. I wrote her a script for antibiotics since who knows where that knife has been, so you’ll need to get that filled. As for everything else, it’s my professional opinion she needs rest. Let her sleep as long as she will, which may be a lot more hours.”

“Is that bad for her?”

“Not at all. You can ask Zac. There are plenty of times after a double shift at the hospital that I’m dead to the world for twelve or fourteen.”

Zac shrugged. “True. It’s a little scary, but it’s what her body needs.”

“What about eating?” Finn asked.

“Her body will direct her to her most important needs. Right now, it needs sleep more than food. If that changes, she’ll wake up. Then, if you can talk her into it, keep her off her feet for a couple days. Feed her nutritious, high-calorie foods. And try not to kill each other. Just because Charlie had a momentary setback doesn’t mean she’s not going to wake up swinging.” Annie reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

“The first two are no problem. The third . . .nobody can ever promise that Charlie and I won’t kill each other.” He shrugged, then pulled Annie in for a hug. “Thank you for coming. She didn’t want to go to a hospital, and I didn’t know what else to do.”

Annie walked back over to Zac, who stood so they could leave. “Charlie was never mean to me in high school. She never made fun of my stuttering like a lot of people did. I mean, I still would’ve helped her even if she had, but I just wanted you to know.”

That didn’t surprise him at all. “Charlie may be privileged, even a snob, but she’s never been cruel.”

“Only to you, brother,” Zac said as he led Annie toward the door. “Only to you.”

Finn let his friends out, then checked with the sheriff to see if there was word about the addict who’d attacked Charlie. Sheriff Nelson hadn’t found the man yet, but the Cactus’s front desk clerk felt sure it was the homeless guy known as “Sam.” There was an APB out on him.

After the call and cleaning up the kitchen, Finn couldn’t stop any longer from checking on her, cursing himself the entire way up. He had to see her. To touch her.

Charlie this weak and defenseless scared him to death.

He’d known her nearly half his life and she’d always brimmed with an internal power much stronger than her smaller stature suggested. A force to be reckoned with.

Fierce.

Something wasn’t right in the world when Charlotte Devereux was curled up in a helpless, shivering ball in the middle of his bed.

But even through his worry, he couldn’t stop his small smile at how she’d moved into the middle. She had always been a bed hog. They’d never lived together and hadn’t gotten to sleep all night in one together often, but whenever they had, she’d thrashed around like she was running an obstacle course. He’d basically had to bear hug her the entire night to keep her still.

He stared at the tiny mound of blankets that was Charlie. He should leave, go sleep on the couch. But instead he changed into a pair of sweatpants and got in beside her.