Chapter 13 #2
She pushed herself up to her feet and took a few steps back. Her eyes never left him as the pair of medics got to work doing all they could to help.
The separation gave Natalia the time she needed to get control of herself. To start thinking like a government agent, rather than a frantic lover.
Looking around, she committed as much of the scene to memory as she could. The burning car and the pieces of it strewn about the ground. The rapidly growing crowd.
She looked at each and every face she could see, wondering whether the person responsible was here. Whoever it was, they were out there, somewhere. They’d hurt Jagger. Could have killed him.
Tears burned her eyes as they slid back to him. She was surprised to see he’d been strapped to a backboard and was being wheeled on a gurney toward the ambulance parked in the street.
Natalia found the nearest officer and hurriedly told him who she worked for. She looked around, only then recalling her purse had been on her shoulder at the time of the explosion.
There!
“My I.D.’s in my purse.” She pointed to where it lay. The small bag was barely visible near the spot where she’d landed in the bushes.
With the cautious officer following her closely, she went over to where it was and pulled it free. Natalia unzipped the purse, grabbed her wallet and official I.D., and rushed to prove she’d been telling the officer the truth about who she was.
“I’ll give you my statement on the way to the hospital,” she informed the detective in charge a few minutes later. Her gaze went to the car that was still burning. “But I’m going to need a ride.”
Nearly three hours later…
Natalia sat alone in one of the hospital’s private waiting rooms, trying hard not to lose her shit. Jagger was supposedly being treated by the best emergency doctor in the city. For all she knew, he could actually be dying alone in a small, sterile room.
Please, please, don’t be dying.
She’d be with him right now, holding his hand and telling him he was going to be fine, if not for the detective who’d given her the ride here. The well-meaning man had called her a witness in front of the nurse in charge of Jagger’s care.
From that moment on, the stern woman had refused to let Natalia into his room. Family only, she’d said, using HIPPA as her impenetrable defense.
Enter Ryker.
Her mentor and boss had arrived a few minutes ago, having been locked away in a closed door, no-phones meeting when the explosion had occurred. Currently, Ryker was somewhere in the hospital working his magic, hopefully getting them the access they’d previously been denied.
Until then, she was stuck here. Alone and waiting. Hoping and praying the man she was falling head over boots for was going to be okay.
The past few hours had been some of the longest of her life. Second only to those spent waiting for the official word of Julian’s death. Because as much as she wanted to deny the truth, Jagger was right.
There was more between them than one night of amazing sex. Much, much more. And thanks to the asshole who’d wired her car to blow, they may lose it forever.
“Talia!”
Natalia blinked, looking up from the magazine she hadn’t been reading to see Megan Hunt bursting into the room.
“Megan?” She put the magazine on the empty chair to her left and pushed herself to her feet.
Within seconds, the entire waiting room was filled with all of Jagger’s friends. His teammates. Their wives. Even Liam’s adorable stepdaughter-to-be was there.
“W-what are you—”
“How bad is it?” Christian’s dark eyes searched hers.
Matching expressions of concern were etched on each of their faces. It was clear they were all every bit as worried as she was. Probably more, considering they played a far bigger part in Jagger’s life.
I’m so sorry.
“He’s, uh…” She cleared her throat. “He was unconscious the last time I saw him.”
A tall, sandy-blonde woman she recognized as Dr. Kerrigan Ellis—Cade’s physician wife—came to stand by Christian’s side. “When was that?”
“Right before I called Christian to let him know what happened.” Her throat worked a hard swallow.
“They, uh…they won’t let me see him, and no one’s been in to give me an update, so I don’t really have any answers for you yet.
” Natalia crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “Ryker got here a few minutes ago. He went to find the hospital’s director.
Hopefully he’ll be able to get us back there so we can see for ourselves what’s going on. ”
“So you’ve just been sitting here by yourself this whole time?” Another blonde moved in closer, her big, blue eyes staring back at Natalia with a hefty dose of sympathy. “That’s awful.”
Allison Cutler.
Liam’s fiancée, and mother to the little girl currently keeping a tight grip on her hand.
Natalia nodded. “And no one has come out to give me any sort of update.”
“She’s right.” Kerrigan spoke up again. The woman was clearly displeased. “Three hours with no update is totally unacceptable.” She placed a loving hand on Cade’s arm. “I have a few contacts here, myself. I’ll go see what I can find out.”
“Thank you.” Her husband leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.
“I’ll be back soon.”
As she left, the others settled around Natalia, some choosing to remain standing while others took a seat in the room’s cushioned chairs.
“So, no word on Jagger yet,” Brody’s deep voice began, “but what about you?” His dark gaze gave her an assessing once-over. “Are you doing okay?”
“A few new bruises and minor cuts and scrapes, but nothing a few days won’t cure. I got lucky. I landed in the bushes. But Jag…” Her voice cracked with a fresh onslaught of emotions she barely managed to keep in check.
“What happened, Talia?” Liam asked, the worry for his friend reflected clearly in his eyes.
Moments from that morning flashed through Natalia’s mind.
Waking up to Jagger’s spicy male scent intertwined in the fabric of her pillows and bedding.
Feeling a bit sore in the most incredible way.
Jagger’s smile when she’d first walked into the kitchen.
The embarrassment she’d felt—and his immediate amusement—when her need for caffeine caused an unintended comment about being in love with him.
“We were having coffee in my kitchen when I got a call from work. One of Sanchez’s men was starting to crack, and I was the one tasked with making him break.”
“So you and Jagger were just leaving your place when the explosion happened?”
She gave a jerky nod as her gaze remained on Liam’s. “I was trying to remote start my car.” Natalia frowned. “My fob wouldn’t work, and Jagger wanted to try. I gave him the fob, and when he pushed the button, the engine struggled to fire up and then…”
Boom.
“Do the authorities have any suspects or leads?” Christian asked next.
“Not yet, but Ryker’s got people looking into whether it’s connected to Sanchez.”
It’s not, and you know it.
Liam’s handsome face softened as he put an arm around his fiancée’s shoulders.
“Jag filled me in on the situation with your former CIA cohort who was working the docks. For what it’s worth, he never truly thought you were playing us.
” He looked at his teammates and back to her.
“None of us did, really. Still, we hope you understand that we had to be sure.”
“I get it.” She may not like it, but as an agent, she understood. “And thanks for believing in me. It really means a lot. Especially when I’m the reason Jagger was almost killed.”
“Bullshit.”
All eyes turned to Rocky’s wife, Raegan, who stepped away from her husband to come closer to Natalia.
The FBI agent was petite and looked like the girl next door.
But her record was beyond impressive. The fact that she’d played an instrumental part in saving the city of Chicago not so long ago pretty much said it all.
“I’m sorry?” Natalia frowned, meeting the other woman’s light brown eyes.
“The only one responsible for Jagger getting hurt is the asshole who set that bomb. But don’t worry. We’re going to do whatever we can to help you find them…and stop them.”
“I will find the person responsible for hurting Jagger,” she vowed to his team. “You have to know, I won’t stop until—”
“He wasn’t the only one who could have died, Talia.” Ro rejoined the conversation. “And Christian didn’t just borrow a client’s jet to fly us all here when he got the news because of Jagger. We also came because of you.”
They…did?
She frowned. “Why me?”
“Simple.” The spunky brunette gave one of her shoulders a shrug. “From what Brody’s told me—and don’t worry, he’d never share anything that’s classified—but he’s mentioned multiple times how good you are at your job, and how you always make sure the team has what it needs.”
“You make sure our husbands come back home to us after every op.”
Natalia’s gaze swung to Megan’s. “Not just me,” she responded humbly. “There’s a whole team who’s—”
“Only as good as their leader,” Rocky interrupted. The muscular blond shared a look with his FBI wife before bringing his blue eyes back to hers. “Their actions are a direct result of your direction and leadership. So Ro’s right. You’re as much a part of the Delta Team family as the rest of us.”
“Even if you didn’t know it.” Megan grinned.
Tears threatened to form, but by the will of God alone, Natalia was able to keep them at bay. With a quick clearing of her throat, she offered them all a sincere, “Thank you.”
At the moment, it was all she could think to say.
“I see the calvary arrived.” Ryker reappeared. “I just got off the phone with Shaw from Echo. He and his team should be here within the hour.”
“Echo’s coming here?” Liam asked.
Ryker nodded his salt-and-pepper head. “The second I told Shaw that Jagger and Talia were the ones involved in today’s explosion, he said he was gathering the team and heading this way.”
“That’s nice of them.” Allison’s dimples deepened as her lips curved into a small smile.
“Mommy, I’m thirsty.” The woman’s young daughter tugged on Allison’s hand. “Can we go get something to drink?”
“That’s a good idea, actually,” Ro agreed. “I could really use a cup of coffee about now.”
“Same.” Megan nodded emphatically.
To Natalia, Raegan asked, “You want to come with us to the cafeteria?”
A hefty dose of caffeine was exactly what she needed. But as she opened her mouth to accept the invitation, Kerrigan returned to the waiting room.
“Okay, so I spoke to the doctor treating Jagger. When he arrived at the hospital, he was going in and out of consciousness. They gave him some meds to help keep him comfortable while conducting several tests. Thankfully, the CT scan came back clear of any fractures or other serious injuries. All he needed was a few stitches at his hairline and some rest. So for now, they’re simply monitoring him while the medicine helps him sleep. ”
“So he’s going to be okay?” Natalia needed to hear the words.
“Yes.” Kerrigan’s nod came with a healthy sigh of relief.
Thank you, God.
Those in attendance shared their own versions of thanks, all beyond relieved to hear the good news.
“Can we see him?” she asked the helpful doctor from Chicago.
“I got him to agree to let a couple of you come back.” Kerrigan looked to the group as a whole. “But only for a few minutes, and it has to be one at a time. I’m sorry. It was the best I could do.”
Pick me! Pick me! I want to go see him!
Natalia’s hand itched to shoot into the air and start waving, but she remained silent, feeling as if she’d be out of place if she asked to be the first.
“I’ll go.” Christian was first to jump at the chance.
It was only fair, given he was Jagger’s team leader.
But Kerrigan chimed back in with a surprising, “Actually, I think Natalia should go first.” When the group looked her way, she gave an unexpected explanation. “When I spoke to Jagger’s doctor, he told me Jagger kept asking for someone named Talia.”
Her heart nearly stopped. “He…did?”
The other woman nodded her head with a grin. “Apparently, your name is the only thing he’s said. So I think you should be the one to go first.” To Christian, she added a hurried, “Of course, that’s just my opinion, so…” Kerrigan let her voice trail.
“Okay, then.” Christian appeared to agree. To Natalia, he said, “Looks like you’re up.”
Natalia didn’t ask if he was sure or hesitate in the least. She’d known these guys long enough to know if they had a problem with her going to Jagger’s room, they’d say so.
“Lead the way.” She motioned to Kerrigan, who promptly turned and headed back out into the hall.
As she passed by Ryker, Natalia couldn’t help but smile when he muttered a teasing, “So much for needing me and my influence.”
“Don’t worry, boss.” She put a friendly hand to his upper arm. “I appreciate you all the same.”
Minutes later, she was standing by Jagger’s hospital bed with his limp hand resting securely in hers. The blood and dirt had been cleaned from his handsome, slightly pale face. A white, rectangular bandage covered the part of his forehead that had been stitched.
“I’m going to find the person who did this,” she whispered, leaning down to press her lips to his. “I promise you, I will.”
She pulled the superbly uncomfortable plastic chair up to the bed and sat beside him, never letting go of his hand until she was told by hospital staff that it was time for her to leave. Knowing the others were waiting to come see their friend, she didn’t put up a fight.
Rather than argue or try to persuade the nurse to let her stay longer, Natalia waited until the other woman wasn’t looking to go in for another quick kiss.
She rose from the chair and gently placed Jagger’s hand onto the mattress next to his blanketed thigh.
Her heart ached from the fear of knowing he came so close to dying and was beyond thankful he was going to be okay.
Three years ago, an explosion stole the life of her best friend. Hours ago, another bomb nearly killed the man she already half-loved. Both times, she’d been directly involved. First, as the team leader, and now—
I’m the target.
Whoever had been screwing with her had stepped up their game in a big, terrifying way. They’d escalated from leaving her harmless little “gifts” to full-blown attempted murder.
To hell with that, and to hell with the chickenshit bastard behind this morning’s attack. No matter what it took, she would find the son of a bitch.
Natalia left Jagger’s room with a silent vow not to stop until she did.