Chapter Six
DOC WAS IN pain, yet he stubbornly refused to admit it. This was the same surgeon who had once miraculously saved his life, and now, in a twist of fate, she needed saving. It wasn’t every day that one had the chance to repay a doctor with actual services—a rare opportunity to return the favor in the most meaningful way possible.
He turned to the team in the hallway, specifically to one of the leaders, Grits. He didn’t offer any apologies, knowing the men were ready to fight whatever demon dared to enter their realm. Doc understood he should defer to Grits but couldn’t shake the feeling that he should lead this operation. Once Grits gave him a slight nod, he realized he had the green light.
“Right,” he said. “Grits, Pup, check her place out. Be thorough, Pup. If Casey can’t handle it, contact the police department for backup.”
Pup, looking offended, stood tall. “Oh, she’s ready.”
Doc nodded and opened his mouth to continue giving orders when Julie tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me,” she said.
Doc turned his full attention to her. “Yes?”
“Take a look at my house? What’s wrong with it?”
“Maybe nothing, but it makes sense that if they planted a bomb here, they could’ve done the same at your place.”
Fear flickered across her beautiful face, and a knot tightened in Doc’s stomach.
“Oh,” was all she said.
He turned to face the team and noticed the group pairing before him.
“We have the Newmans,” Cowboy said, standing beside Ballpark.
“We’ve got Dr. Garcia,” Nemo said, with Joe Stone beside him.
“We’re with you on the detail,” Boss said, along with the last few new agents that Doc hadn’t had time to meet.
Realizing there was nothing left to arrange, he turned to Julie. “Doc, we’re going to investigate this for you and keep you safe until we know what’s happening and who has targeted you.”
“What if the target is the hospital and not me?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes.
Three figures dressed in dark clothing approached the group, yet Doc couldn’t help but grin.
“That’s for our team to decide,” Jesse Hamilton said, walking alongside his brothers, Matt and Brad. “Sorry we’re late to the party, Doc.”
He reached out and shook his big bosses hands, each giving him a nod of encouragement.
Doc said, “You all know what to do, team. Let’s get started.”
“Devon is ensuring the safe house is prepared in case you want to use it,” Jesse said to Doc.
As he looked at Julie, Doc realized she wouldn’t want to hide away and avoid working. Given the safe house was in Virginia, she would likely decline their protection offer. “I think we’ll keep it local. She’s going to want to work.”
Julie flinched. “I can speak for myself.”
Doc was starting to admire this woman. At first, it was playful teasing, but now he respected her courage and dedication to her patients. He raised his eyebrows. “All right, then go ahead and tell us.”
Taken by surprise, her lips moved in disbelief. Then she shook her head. “I’m not sure what’s happening here,” she admitted.
Doc glanced at the group as they quietly dispersed. “Let’s head back inside and talk about this,” he suggested to her.
The chief nodded and exited the room as they entered, leaving the two alone. “What don’t you understand?” Doc remained standing, aware that sitting would only exacerbate the pain in his back. He’d hold off until he had no choice but to attempt it.
“You need to rest,” Julie said as she got comfortable in her seat. “Now, let’s pretend I’m a patient, and you’re the interpreter for the doctor. Break it down for me in simple terms.”
Doc knew she wasn’t uninformed, but he wondered if the explanation and the delay in leaving had helped ease her nerves. “Okay, someone planted a bomb in your car.”
She dropped her shoulders and sighed. “Not that part. I mean this protection deal you agreed to with the chief.”
He believed hovering over her might not help her relax, so he gradually settled into the chair as a fire shot up his back. He seethed, and Julie’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s fine,” he reassured her. “Just unexpected,” he lied.
Julie pursed her lips as if struggling to keep her words in check—probably something he wouldn’t appreciate.
“Well, as you mentioned, we aren’t completely certain whether the hospital was the target or if you specifically attracted the danger. I owe you my life, so I’ll make it my mission to ensure nothing happens to you.”
She flashed a bright smile that could light up even the dullest of rooms. “You know, most people just settle the bill.”
Humor provided a refreshing touch amidst the gravity of their situation. She would need that humor, especially if she were the intended target, as a killer doesn’t typically stop at the first obstacle in their path. “Well, I’ll leave that to the insurance companies. This is now deeply personal.”
“Do you really believe it’s me they want?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly. This revealed vulnerability as uncertainty painted her features like a shadow.
Doc shrugged casually, though his expression remained serious. “It was your car. It might have been a crime of opportunity, a chance taken in the inky darkness, but it was quite far from the hospital.”
“I enjoy walking,” she asserted, her tone stronger now.
With a teasing smile, Doc raised his eyebrows in playful disbelief. “You mean you don’t get enough exercise in that sprawling hospital?”
Frowning, she replied, “Sometimes I spend long hours standing in surgery, so stretching my legs is a simple pleasure.”
He initially thought she was a runner, but perhaps she was more of a walker. Either option would keep her in shape, and she looked incredibly fit to him. Perfect, in fact.
Doc shook his head. “All right, you have two options. First, we can stay in a safe house in Virginia while everything is investigated to ensure your safety. Alternatively, we can stay close by, and you can still work.”
She smiled at that, but Doc raised his hand. “There are a few restrictions.”
Julie narrowed her eyes. “What kind of restrictions?”
“You can’t go anywhere without one of us accompanying you.”
Julie leaped from her seat. “That’s impossible. I need to meet with patients, and I can’t violate HIPAA just because you think I need a chaperone. Besides, I need to perform surgery, and I’m not letting anyone who isn’t part of my team in there. Lives are at stake.”
Doc stood up slowly, stifling a grunt of protest. “Your life may be at stake, too.”
She sank back into a chair with an exasperated sigh. “What if I just go home and return to my normal life?”
The worry that she might actually do that occupied Doc’s mind. “I guess you could, but I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Do I truly have a choice?” She looked up at him, her striking blue eyes full of concern.
Doc nodded. “You do, but understand that this is our work, and we excel at it, so you’ll be safe with us.”
Julie slapped the table and stood up. “Then I choose to work. Where will we stay? Can we stay at my house if they don’t find a bomb there?”
They were making progress now.
“No,” he said firmly, the tension in his voice evident. “That would make it far too easy for them to find you.”
“Won’t my working do the same?” she asked, a hint of defiance in her tone, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
Doc nodded slowly, his expression serious. “Yes, which is exactly why you have two options: the Virginia option for when you need safety and our option of closely following you. We’ll make sure that nothing jeopardizes your safety.”
“Why are you going to such lengths for me? I didn’t ask for protection.”
With a broad smile, Doc remarked, “Because you didn’t provide me with a satisfactory answer to my question.”
Julie laughed, and Doc’s heart leaped at the joyful sound. “I still won’t marry you,” she said.
“We’ll see,” he joked. “Now, let’s get moving. Oh, I have a request.”
Julie chuckled and tilted her head. “Oh, at last, a request instead of a demand?”
“Just call me Doc.”
“But you aren’t a doctor.”
So, Pup had caught her up on his past. That big-mouthed kid. “It’s what the others call me.”
“Won’t it be confusing if they call me Doc?”
He paused for a moment. It would be, but it wouldn’t stop the team. He would know when they intended him and not her. “Okay, you may call me Rodney.”
She extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Rodney. I’m Julie.”
His large hand enveloped hers, and they shook as if he didn’t already know her name. A jolt of electricity shot up his arm, catching him off guard. He quickly withdrew his hand and cleared his throat to conceal his blunder. “Ready?”
Julie rubbed her arm and nodded. “I’m ready.” She stepped toward the exit, then paused to turn back. “What about clothes, toiletries, and other essentials? I’ll need those from my home.”
“Grits is collecting them for you.”
She stopped, and anger laced her words. “What? Someone is rifling through my personal things?”
“Of course,” Doc said, shrugging as if it were no big deal. He never understood why women were so sensitive about men picking up their things when men typically didn’t care who collected their belongings as long as they were gathered.
Julie muttered something under her breath. Doc caught the phrase “pig-headed” during her tirade, but just smiled. She appeared to have returned to the woman he had met before. Good. She’d need that strength if someone were targeting her.
Rodney studied her momentarily, a glimmer of amusement flickering in his eyes as if he had just seen an unexpected lab result. “Every good doctor knows when to call it a day. I think it’s time to leave the hospital.” He opened the door for her.
As they exited the room, Rodney raised his hand, his finger slicing through the air to carve a command circle. Instantly, the men lounging against the walls snapped to attention, their movements precise and synchronized as they formed a tight circle around the two of them. The atmosphere thickened, charged with eerie tension that felt surreal and electric, as if time paused in their moment of gathering.
They approached two imposing black SUVs quietly. Led by Rodney, Julie slid into the back seat of the first vehicle while Rodney settled in beside her.
Julie laughed nervously. “I have my own entourage.”
“Hell of a way to get it,” one of the new guys remarked, and Doc shot him a furious glare.
As they pulled away from the hospital parking lot, the sounds of the city fading behind them, she realized he hadn’t answered about where she would be staying.
Julie fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t remember where you said I’d be staying. Which hotel?”
Doc turned to her. “No hotel. You’ll be staying at my place.”
“The hell I am.”
In an instant, Doc realized she was the woman for him.