“What the hell was that?” Dana asked.

Malcolm must have recognized the sound as soon as Katie did. Fear vaulted through her as she thought of Nathan. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket at the same time Malcolm rushed the front doors.

“You stay here!” Malcolm gestured at Katie.

She didn’t answer him, damned if she’d do as told. Dana stayed put, but Katie rushed out with her uncle. There was no sign of anyone out front, not even traffic. When they ran toward the side of the building, she saw someone’s head first. As they skidded to a halt they saw the woman who Nathan had escorted standing over Nathan and Dicky, her face deathly white, her hands over her mouth. Nathan and Dicky were covered in blood. Dicky lay face down on the pavement with Nathan half lying on top of him and also face down.

“Oh, my God.” Uncle Malcolm’s voice rose. “Oh shit!”

9-1-1 was on the line with her already, and that’s when Dana finally came running out. She flapped her hands and almost screamed, but Katie didn’t listen. She dove right into assessing Nathan and Dicky, terror striking to the heart. There couldn’t be this much blood unless one or both of them had been hurt badly.

Malcolm told Dana urgently, “Take that lady inside the building and don’t come out until the police get here.”

Dana did as told, herding the other woman inside. Malcolm helped Katie examine the men, all the while 9-1-1 assured Katie police and ambulance would be there ASAP. Relief hit Katie a moment later when she realized a lot of the blood on Nathan didn’t belong to him. Dicky had taken a bullet to the chest and it had gone clean through him. Dozens of realizations came to her at the same time. Nathan had tried to protect Dicky, had tried to push him aside. She put the 9-1-1 operator on speaker phone and left it on the ground as she went over Nathan with a fine tooth comb, examining his unconscious form. She found a graze on the right side of his head. In the distance, sirens wailed. Her immediate examination told her Nathan was in better shape, but her worry for him escalated. She worked hard, with Malcolm’s assistance, to ensure that Dicky didn’t bleed out. Nathan’s head wound hadn’t bled much.

Nathan suddenly sat up with a gasp and a curse. “Shit!”

Malcolm grabbed him and tried to get him to lie down. “Easy, fella. You’re hurt.”

“Son-of-a-bitches tried to kill us,” Nathan said, anger clear on his face, obscured only by the trickle of blood that had left a thick red line down the right side of his face.

A wave of relief hit Katie now that Nathan had regained consciousness. “Do what he says, Nathan.”

Nathan ignored them both and jumped his feet, his expression proving he’d gone on high alert. “How is Dicky?”

“It’s bad,” she said.

Police, a fire truck and an ambulance roared up to the building in record time. Everything after that became a blur. Paramedics rushed to them, and Katie immediately gave them her opinion of the men’s injuries. Police immediately took action.

Nathan started to refuse treatment, and she came unglued on him. “Damn it, Nathan! Just listen to them. You might have a concussion. They need to take you in with Dicky.”

Resignation entered his eyes, and the paramedics led him to the waiting ambulance as they wheeled Dicky on a gurney. As the ambulance drove away with sirens blaring, two police officers turned to Malcolm and Katie with questions. Katie wished she’d insisted on going with Nathan, but the ambulance didn’t have any more room. She trusted the first responders to take good care of the patients. Worry for Nathan assaulted her, along with generalized fear. Tears sprung into her eyes as her uncle took her into his arms for a hug. She didn’t care that blood dried on her hands and clothes. Fine tremors ran through her body. As tears flowed down her face, she couldn’t speak.

* * *

It took forever for the police to question Katie, Malcolm, Dana and the bar patron. While Katie knew it would take a while, she could barely stand the anxiety running through her over Nathan’s condition. They finally released her, and she went to the hospital while Malcolm stayed to talk to the police some more.

When she reached the hospital they didn’t allow her to see Nathan. He was still being examined and no one would tell her anything. She sagged into a chair in the emergency room and waited. Although she hadn’t worked at this hospital, she’d worked at one in Portland, Oregon. The place she’d left to come to Tampa. Yet she’d left that trauma with all of its memories and now she’d found new trouble. Even here she couldn’t escape familiar sounds, smells, and the relentless look of boredom, wariness, pain, or concern on the faces of patients. She hadn’t been in a hospital since she’d left Portland, but nothing had changed. She still didn’t want to be in one or work in one.

Worry for Nathan and Dicky gnawed at her. At one point she paced the floor until a nurse eyeballed her suspiciously. Katie returned to a hard plastic chair.

Detective Carl Busby walked into the emergency room waiting area and saw her. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised to see him, but she was. He headed to the check in area, pulled out his badge and quizzed the nurses. After that, he walked toward Katie and took the chair to her right.

“I hear Nathan is still being examined and so is Dicky?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “They won’t give you any information either?”

“Probably the same information you have. Is there somewhere we can talk? The cafeteria?”

“I’d rather stay here. I want to know the minute I can see Nathan.”

“Not Dicky?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Of course, but my guess is he’s in surgery right now. That gunshot wound was very serious.”

He nodded and looked around. Five other people sat in the emergency room, but the television on the wall blared out news.

“What? No questions?” she asked.

“None for now. I think what happened tonight is all related to when that car tried to run you and McKay down.”

“How?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out. I need to talk with you, your Uncle, and Nathan again. Sooner rather than later.”

“I’m talking to Nathan first.”

“Okay,” he said. “You first.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll be great when I find out if Nathan’s all right.”

Another hour passed before a nurse came into the emergency room waiting area and looked around for Katie.

“Mr. McKay’s been asking for you,” the nurse told Katie. “Can you come this way?”

Katie jumped up and followed the nurse, her heart in her throat. At least when she saw Nathan, she would have some idea of his condition.

When she entered the emergency triage area, déjà vu overcame her a second time. Nausea filled her stomach but she ignored it. She didn’t have time to go hurl somewhere. Nathan needed her. The nurse pulled back the curtain on one area and revealed Nathan lay propped up against pillows. A small bandage was applied to one side of his head. He smiled brilliantly when he saw her, and the fact he smiled and looked incredibly alive made her heart sing. The nurse snapped the curtain closed around them, giving them the illusion of privacy.

“Hey. C’mere.” His voice held warmth and pleasure. “God, it’s good to see you. I was worried about you.”

She put her hand to her stomach, her insides still tossing. “Me? I’m not the one with the head injury.”

He shook his head and then winced. He reached up to touch near his bandage. “It’s not that bad.”

“Don’t touch that,” she said softly. “What’s the verdict?”

He reached for her hand, and as his big fingers enveloped hers, the heat turned to pleasure. Seeing him so alive and much healthier than she expected almost made her knees weak. The violence of her reaction to seeing him like this made her reassess her initial desire to keep him at arms’ length.

Too late, girl.

“The doc says I’m stuck here for tonight. Mild concussion. I’m pretty sure a bullet grazed my scalp. That’s what the doc thinks, too.”

“How do you actually feel?” she asked.

“I feel great except for a small headache. Feel like I could do pushups.”

“Don’t you dare.”

She squeezed his hand, the idea of a bullet coming that close to him rocking her back. “It’s good they’re keeping you in here. You already know head wounds can be tricky.” She shook her head as a sudden flood of tears came to her eyes. “I’ve seen perfectly healthy looking people go downhill fast with a head injury when they thought they were okay. So don’t you dare try and check yourself out against doctor’s orders.”

His eyebrows lifted at her vehement tone. He brought her hand to his mouth, closed his eyes, and kissed her fingers sweetly.

“Okay. I’ll take your medical advice over anybody’s.”

The warmth and gentleness in his eyes and tone only served to make her tear up more.

“Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay, don’t cry.”

She drew in a deep breath as one tear and then another came. She slipped her hand from his and wiped the tears away.

“It’s everything. It’s you getting shot, Dicky shot, and then being in this hospital. When I saw you laying in that parking lot with blood all over you…I…” She almost choked on that last syllable.

“Hey, it’s all right.”

She cleared her throat. “No it’s not. If that bullet hadn’t just grazed you…” This time she reached for his hand, and he held it gently. “I didn’t realize that being in a place like this again after all this time would make me feel this awful. It’s so weird.”

“Nah, it’s not weird. Maybe being here just tells you that hospitals aren’t your thing anymore. And you already knew that. A confirmation.”

Before they could say another word, the nurse came in and said they were moving Nathan to his room. Fortunately for him there was a private room on another floor. Everything else was full. Katie wanted to make sure Nathan was settled in and so she followed as they rolled Nathan into the elevator and up to the room. Part of her wanted to be by his side every step of the way through this health crisis, even though he seemed in excellent hands and his condition didn’t seem serious. Maybe every nursing instinct hadn’t left her. Not long after they’d settled Nathan into his room and everyone else had left, Detective Busby showed up.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “The doc said it’s okay if I question you. Both of you.”

She wanted to brain the detective with something, but she also understood the importance of the investigation and obtaining details and answers early. The man took note of her hand linked with Nathan’s, but she ignored it and held on to Nathan. The comfort his touch gave her negated anything the detective might think.

“This won’t take long. I understand you already gave a statement to the police, Miss Slane while you were still at the pub?” the detective asked.

“Yes.”

The man proved true to his word. Most of his questions were quick and mundane until the end.

“Can you think of any reason at all why these Irish guys would have such a hard on to kill you Mr. McKay? Was it just because you threw them out the other night? Or maybe they were aiming for Dicky?”

Katie saw a flicker of apprehension pass through Nathan’s dark eyes. He didn’t hide it.

“I might know a reason, and I’m not convinced it has anything to do with how they were treated the other night at our bar.”

Her eyes narrowed. A suspicion niggled in the back of her brain.

“Interesting. What is it?” the detective asked.

“It’s complicated.” Nathan’s gaze darted to her, and alarm bells went off inside her.

“Nathan?” she asked. “Tell us.”

Nathan didn’t look too pleased, but he told them. He laid out every detail of his conversation with Gray about Richard “Dicky” Henderson and his father Cormack O’Toole pulling him into the Irish Mafia. Nathan explained how Dicky told his mother Chandra that Malcolm knew about it all and was deep into the Irish Mafia himself.

Katie listened to this, stunned down to the core. Several emotions hit her at once. Disbelief that Dicky would accuse Malcolm of something like that, and that Dicky would participate in criminal activity himself. Hot on the heels of disbelief came anger that Nathan hadn’t already told her and Malcolm about the accusations.

Nathan took in her expression and said, “Last but not least, Dicky also accused Katie of being in on this.”

His words hit like a gut punch, and her growing feelings for Nathan took a nosedive.

“What?” she asked.

Nathan nodded, but then he turned to the detective and said, “And I think it’s all bullshit. I think Dicky is in some sort of trouble, but I believe everything he told his mother about Malcolm and Katie is false. I’ve known Malcolm and Katie for a long time. They wouldn’t have anything to do with the Irish Mafia.”

When Katie heard this, part of her anger subsided. At least he didn’t believe the crazy lies. Still…that it had taken this situation for him to tell anyone?

The detective took notes. “You didn’t suspect that the men who came into the pub and tried to run you over had anything to do with the Irish Mafia?”

“No. I was worried about Malcolm and Katie. But I wanted to observe and see what Dicky was doing. I knew that he was the focus of this. If the Irish Mafia is after me, Katie, or Malcolm it’s because of those two assholes that came in.”

The detective nodded but didn’t agree or disagree.

Katie remembered when she’d walked in on Dicky having the conversation and how he’d acted. She told them about it. The detective hammered her with more questions, these related to Malcolm, what she knew about his business dealings, had she ever seen his books for the business, if she did his accounting. If she’d ever seen the Irishmen that they’d kicked out of the pub and that had apparently tried to harm them. Katie answered with the truth, of course.

“I’ve seen my uncle’s books, but my accounting skills aren’t up to par,” she said. “He pays an accountant. And no, I never saw those jackasses in our pub before that night.”

The detective grunted as he continued to take quick notes. After the grilling was over, the detective promised he’d be back with them tomorrow. He left, and the silence between Katie and Nathan widened as she stared him down.

“Katie, I’m sorry,” Nathan said.

She shook her head and tried to hold back angry tears this time. “If you trusted Malcolm and I so much, you should’ve told us right away.”

He nodded. “You’re right. But I never believed that you and Malcolm were doing anything criminal.”

She wanted to believe him, but old tapes and old betrayals played inside her.

“I need to think about everything that’s happened. I’m going home and checking on Malcolm.”

She started to turn away.

“Katie, wait. We need to let Dicky’s mother know he’s in the hospital. Call Gray and he’ll help you.”

She turned back. “You’re right. I’m so angry with Dicky, I forgot.”

“Can you do me another favor, even if you hate my guts right now?”

Hate him? She didn’t hate him, but she was miffed. “Okay.”

“Can you wait until I can call a friend and see if he can watch your six while I’m in here?”

That took her off guard. “Well, I don’t…”

“Please? If I can’t protect you myself, I want someone I trust to look after you. It’s Henry Finn. He was Army Special Forces, and I know he’d take care of you.”

The whole idea of any man taking care of her, let alone a man she didn’t know, made her feel weird. She wasn’t used to the concept. She saw the sincerity and worry in Nathan’s eyes, and knew that even if she said no he’d figure out a way for Finn to show up at her doorstep.

She sighed. “Okay.”

“He’ll just follow you and make sure you get home safe, all right?”

She shook her head and smiled a little and said again, “Okay.”

She helped Nathan dig his cell phone out of his jeans which were in a bag on a chair, and he called Finn. Finn promised to be there immediately.

As they waited for Finn to show up, she pondered the camaraderie he enjoyed with Finn.

“How did you meet Finn?” she asked.

“That’s a long story. We knew each other when we were both stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. He’s a good man. We got out of the military at about the same time.”

When he didn’t elaborate, she said, “I have a feeling there’s more to that story.”

He threw her a mischievous look. “There is. I’ll tell you about it some time.”

Curious, she almost probed him for more. “Uh-huh.”

He looked a little tired all of a sudden and slid down in the bed. His head touched the pillows.

She went to him and stood right by the bed. He wasn’t on a monitor for his heart or anything, so she instinctively reached for his wrist. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m good. Just settling in for the night since I’m not going to escape.”

She paid attention to his pulse, which seemed perfectly normal. She reached over and tilted his chin her direction. “Look at me.”

He did as told and threw her a smile. “Please tell me you’re going to kiss me.”

Heat filled her face at his husky tone. She made a scoffing noise. “No. I’m looking in your eyes. Your pupils look good.”

He trapped her hand in his again. “I’m okay. Really. But thank you for caring.”

She eased her hand out of his. Her flesh already tingled when he touched her, and the way he teased her continued her embarrassment. Yes, she was wired to care for people, but then so was he.

“Please be careful when you get back to the pub, okay? Text me when you get there. I want to know you’re safe.”

“I thought Finn was watching my back.”

“He is. I don’t care. I’d love a text.”

She wouldn’t make him worry, even if she still wanted to brain him with his hospital pillow. “I will.”

Not too much longer after that, Henry Finn walked into the room. Everything about him screamed competence, and he had that undeniable military bearing. He was almost as tall as Nathan, and with that same incredible build that said he took excellent care of his body. His dark hair was pulled back in a short queue, and he had a somewhat scruffy beard and mustache. Nathan introduced them, and as she left with Finn as an escort, she had to admit she liked the ex-special forces guy. Katie noted his warmth and sincerity mixed into a seriousness that said if anyone tried to mess with her, they’d instantly regret it. She was completely amazed that this man would jump through hoops for Nathan, but on the other hand, she wasn’t. Their greeting was warm—Finn seemed genuinely concerned about Nathan’s welfare. When she left the hospital with Finn in tow, she marveled at a friendship that tight and suddenly longed for more relationships like that in her own life.

If nothing else, maybe this experience would help her make some important decisions in her life.