Chapter Four #3
“I’ll contact Zane after we deliver the puppy.” Andre opened the cage, picked up the puppy, and cuddled him against his chest. When the pup licked Andre’s chin, he chuckled. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go see Christopher. I need you to cheer him up, okay? He’s afraid.”
The puppy yipped.
Noah chuckled. “He ought to bring a smile to the kid’s face.”
Andre hoped his friend was right. Christopher didn’t seem to have much to smile about.
He carried the puppy to the human-patient side of the clinic and tapped on the exam room door.
“Come,” Sorenson called out.
Noah opened the door and stepped aside for Andre and the puppy. Violet and Riley followed them into the room.
Christopher’s eyes went wide. “A puppy!”
“Would you like to hold him while we talk?” Sorenson asked.
“Is it all right?”
“Of course. I think Rex would like to sit with you.”
“Will his owner be mad?”
“Rex doesn’t have a family to live with. He’s looking for his forever home, and he loves kids.”
Andre crouched and set Rex on the ground. The puppy bounded over to Christopher and yipped, its tail wagging like a metronome.
The boy laughed and dropped to the floor to tussle with the dog.
Sorenson glanced at Andre and Noah and gave a slight nod of approval.
Nice. Hopefully, Rex would work his magic while Sorenson worked his own brand of magic on Christopher.
The doctor folded his arms across his chest. “Mr. Marsh, I hear a bed in recovery calling your name.”
And there went his fun for the day. “Yes, sir.”
“Get settled. I’ll be in shortly to check on you.”
“Copy that, sir.” He put his hand on Christopher’s shoulder. “I’ll be across the hall if you want to come hang out.”
“Or you can spend time with me and Violet,” Noah said. “Same deal with Grant and Rayne. They’d enjoy spending time with you, too.”
“Looks like you have several options for company.” Sorenson said. “After you and I finish our conversation and I treat the scratches you told me about, you can choose who to visit.”
“What about Rex?”
“I think he’d like to stay with you, and I know your friends like dogs. Would you like to keep Rex with you for a while?”
Christopher nodded.
“Fine. That’s what we’ll do. Mr. Marsh.” Sorenson didn’t say another word, just stared pointedly at Andre.
Yeah, he could take a hint. He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender and walked across the hall to one of the recovery rooms. Riley followed him.
“My home away from home.” Andre sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his tactical boots and dreading having to bend over to untie them and slip them off his feet.
Riley crouched in front of him. “Want help?”
He stared. “You don’t have to do this. I can handle it myself.” Not comfortably, but he hated asking Riley to do this task.
“I don’t mind, Andre.” She untied his boots, tugged them off, and set them to the side of the bed where Andre could step into them in a hurry, then stood. “Sit back. Want help lifting your legs onto the bed?”
He shook his head. No way would he allow his woman to do something he could handle himself, though it was painful. “I’ve got it. Thanks for helping with the boots.”
She shook a blanket out and draped it across him. “How do you feel?”
“Like a truck ran over me a few times before it took off.”
“Do you need anything?”
“A proper kiss from you.”
Riley froze.
“Too fast?”
“A surprise.”
“Good or bad?”
“Good.”
He wrapped his hand around her wrist in a gentle hold and tugged her to sit beside him on the bed. “Come here.”
She leaned toward him slowly.
He waited for Riley to come to him until finally her lips brushed against his, the touch feather-light. When she would have drawn back, Andre slid a hand around her nape and held her in place. Again, his hold was gentle enough that she could break it and escape easily.
Instead of tensing and jerking away from him, Riley moved closer until her arms were around his neck and her mouth sought his each time he broke their kiss. As the minutes passed, the heat between them rose until Andre had to stop before he crossed a line. “Baby, we have to stop.”
“No, please. Just a few more minutes.”
He hugged her. “My control is whisper-thin. If we don’t stop right now, I won’t be able to stop. You’re not ready for that yet.” Soon, though, from her response to him in the past few minutes.
Andre eased back and cupped her cheeks. “You don’t know how much I hate asking this favor of you. Although I’m known for my control, around you that control is like mist.”
“Is that bad?”
“Under the right circumstances, it’ll be great. The timing is wrong.”
A knock on the door interrupted them.
Andre chuckled. “Told you.” He called out, “Door’s open.”
Seth stepped inside. “What did the doc say?”
“I’m enjoying his hospitality until tomorrow. He’s concerned about infection setting in.”
“I’ll tell the others, and we’ll set up a watch rotation. Your job is to rest.” He glanced at Riley. “Same goes for you, Riley. We’ll have two people on the door, one for Andre and one for you.”
“I’m not injured.”
“I know what you did to protect Andre and Christopher. Use this time to process it. Besides, you’re the only one who will put up with Andre’s poor attitude. He’s a bear when he’s injured.”
Andre glared at his team leader. “Ha ha.”
Seth laughed. “It’s the truth, man, and you know it.”
“Okay, maybe.”
Echo’s leader rolled his eyes. “Need anything before I meet with the others?”
He tucked Riley closer to his side. “I have everything I need right here.”
Seth’s eyebrows rose. “All right, then. The operatives will be on the door in a few minutes, and someone will bring you food soon.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m starving.”
“Expect delivery within ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Seth.”
“Yep.” The team leader retraced his steps to the corridor and closed the door.
“I feel guilty.”
Andre turned to Riley. “Why?”
“I should work a shift like everyone else. Instead, our teammates are working longer shifts to cover my absence.”
“We’ve done that for our teammates countless times in the past few months. We’ll return the favor soon enough.”
Andre slid his phone from his pocket. “I need to check in with Maddox.”
“I’ll wait outside the room.”
He tightened his grip. “Stay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” He entered his security code and made the call.
After the first ring, Maddox said, “Yeah, Maddox.”
“It’s Andre.”
“Sit rep.”
He gave a rapid-fire report to his boss and waited for the response.
“What else?”
Andre stilled. “Sir?”
“Don’t waste my time or yours. What else is on your mind, Marsh?”
“Christopher.”
“What about him?” Maddox’s voice was sharp. “Is he safe?”
“Yes, sir. Sorenson is with him now.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m concerned about abuse in the home, sir.”
Silence, then, “Proof?”
“None. Just a gut instinct.”
“Based on?”
“Chris’s reactions.”
“You’re sure the problem isn’t from his time with the terrorists?”
“That’s not helping matters, but I don’t think that’s the beginning of the problem.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s the one thing he didn’t ask, sir.”
“Which is?”
“He didn’t ask for his father.”