Ari slipped into the borrowed pair of scrubs, trying to get her heart rate to finally go back to where it should be. Lacy had almost freaked when Ari and Travis and Marc had rushed in. No wonder. It had been all about the blood.

Lacy’s friend Dr. Netorre was waiting to finish cleaning the gravel out of Ari’s skin.

She thought she and Marc had skidded across the concrete when he and the guards had knocked her down. But she would survive. She had a few scrapes and scratches, but nothing worse than what she’d received the last time he’d covered her with his own body after the bombing at Houghton’s Austin hotel. She’d be ok.

And so would Marc. Lacy had promised that.

They had all been very lucky that the guards had spotted the gun and recognized it for what it was. Marc could have been killed if his guards hadn’t been so quick.

If hers hadn’t.

She hadn’t even known Arjun was around. She should have. Luc insisted on it. But they’d apparently been giving her space.

The hardest part of being Luc’s sister was the guards. But they were important; she understood that. If her guards hadn’t been so far behind them the night Jillian’s car had been run off the road by Dr. Lanning all those weeks ago, Jillian might not have been shot. Lacy’s arm wouldn’t have been broken.

It hadn’t been the guards’ fault. They’d hit a deer and had minor front end damage. They’d arrived at Travis’ after she and her friends had.

Ari had told them she didn’t want them right behind her all the time. And Luc had tried to honor that.

She’d always feel guilty for that night. Since then, she’d not fought having the guards around. She’d like to think she was getting used to them. But the idea that they’d be following her around for the rest of her life overwhelmed her more than she wanted to even think about.

Except for tonight. They’d kept her and Marc and Travis safe. And that was all that mattered. Sometimes she wondered how her sister-in-law Payton lived like that.

Someone was always ready to harm Luc because of what he had. Same for Houghton. And the people they loved—especially Payton or Mel.

She sat still while Dr. Nettore cleaned the abrasions, then placed some antiseptic over the top. Scratches and bruises and ripped jeans—it could have been so much worse.

Someone could have been killed tonight. Marc could have been. Taking him away from the kids who adored him, and the brothers who loved him.

Why? Ari wanted to go find him and see how he was doing for herself, but she didn't.

He found her first.

Someone, most likely Rafe, had loaned him a shirt. His arm was in a sling. It had been less than an hour since they’d rushed into the ER. Someone had taken care of him quickly.

Of course, his brother ran the hospital, his future sister-in-law was one of the ER nurses, his other sister-in-law was one of the trauma surgeons, and he was the governor of Texas. People were going to move quickly for him. He looked at her concern in his green eyes. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, just scraped a little.”

He winced. “I didn't hurt you too much, did I?"

"Of course not. I’m not entirely certain whether you knocked me down or one of the guards.” All she could remember was Marc surrounding her. Keeping her safe until the danger was gone.

"I think it was a little of both.” He reached his free hand out and brushed her cheek softly. His fingers spread and he cupped her face. One finger brushed against her bottom lip. Ari’s breath caught. "I'm sorry you got caught up in that. I don't know what it was about, but I can guarantee that I'm going to find out."

“It's going to be all over the news, and the internet what happened." And she had no doubt that her name would be mentioned as having been there next to him. The speculation would probably last for weeks.

The entire nation had focused on Marc when he had lost his wife. Even she remembered seeing parts of it on the news. She had mostly spent her time with her head in her college textbooks back then or playing the violin.

They hadn't stopped speculating about his love life since.

Whoever ran the Snotty Garlic was the worst of the lot, speculating about her and him every chance possible. Someone shooting at them, it was just a matter of time before the rumors began. She shivered.

He leaned forward until he rested his forehead against hers. Ari resisted the urge yelling at her to just cuddle up against that strong chest and let him block out the world for a little while longer. Which was ridiculous. It wasn’t Marc’s job or place to protect her from the world at all.

"Hey, it's over now. And we’re both okay. None of our people were hurt today, honey. We are okay."

"Your arm?"

"Just a graze. Hell, it's not even the first time it has happened. Back when our grandfather was first teaching Travis how to shoot with a BB gun, my idiot youngest brother got me right here with two pellets. They were wedged so deeply inside the doctors couldn't get them without damaging the nerves. So they just left them. Dr. Patel cut them out today. Rafe got a great deal of pleasure in giving them back to Travis where they belonged." He smiled that smile that probably won him most of his female voters, and leaned down to brush his lips against her brow. Ari almost jumped at the feeling, but didn’t. Her fingers tightened on the cloth of his borrowed shirt. "I'm sorry that you were there today, sweetheart."

"It wasn't your fault."

Marc slipped his good hand down her arm, and around her waist. Before Ari could react, he was holding her, the sling pressed between them. She hugged him back. And clung, grateful they were both still alive. She knew exactly what could have happened to the man holding her. Exactly what could have been lost.