you?”
“My husband,” she said.
The doctor’s gaze settled on Nolan. “You?”
“No. Her husband’s dead.”
The doctor looked at the bloody gauze in his gloved hands. “Sure he is. How long’s he been dead?”
The curtain whipped back. “About an hour.” A heavy man in a dark suit walked to the foot of the bed and flashed a police badge. “That about right, Mrs. Stanton?”
“I…” How long had she been out? “I don’t know,” she said, feeling helpless.
“You want to tell me about your day?” He pulled a notepad from his pocket.
“You want to wait until I sew her up?” the doctor snapped.
“Actually, I’d like to see the damage before you do that,” the cop said. “The guy at the cabin”-he glanced at his notes-“Zachary Grayson said the husband whipped her. Now that seems a little-”
The doctor not only stepped back but shoved the cop into his place where he could see her back. “Ah”-the cop cleared his throat-“hell. He sliced you up good, didn’t he?”
“Breathe, sugar,” Nolan rumbled, his watchful eyes on her.
She sucked in a breath.
“While you’re here,” Sir ordered the cop, “look at the older scars too. She ran from him a year ago. He found her again this morning.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry,” the cop muttered. “I saw the chains and handcuffs, and I figured some kinky games, not… Jesus, I’ve never seen anything like this.” He stepped away from the bed, his ruddy face almost pale. He looked at her. “Anything else besides the whip marks?”
She swallowed. Why did she feel humiliated when it had been done to her? “There-”
“Scars around her wrists.” Nolan held up her hand where a bloody gauze dressing circled her wrist. “Those scars are pretty well wiped out by this new damage. Cigarette burns on her left breast, some knife scars on her bottom, old broken right leg, puncture wounds on her hands, and broken fingers.” He rubbed her fingers where shiny white spots marred her tan. “The doc here can probably document all that for you when he examines her.”
The cop’s face had gone rigid during the recital, but his eyes softened when he looked at her. “How many times did you try to get away?”
“Just once before last year.” She stared down at her hands. “That was when he smashed my fingers.”
The doctor sucked in a breath but didn’t speak.
A muscle twitched in the cop’s cheek as he looked down at his notepad. After a second, he asked, “So today, you have a cut-up back. Anything else?”
Nolan spoke for her again. “From today, she also has a slice across her stomach from a knife. That’s when Z- Zachary-and I got there and stopped him. I broke the door down. He had a gun, tried to shoot me, and although chained, she managed to kick him from behind.” Nolan gave her such an approving look that she warmed all the way through. “The bullet went into the floor. We fought.” He touched his cheek and chin from where Kyler had hit him. “I hit him, and he fell back against the wood stove.”
“How do you know Mrs. Stanton here?”
“She does yard service for Zachary. I was going to hire her for my place and ended up dating her instead.” He kissed her palm then gave her a merciless look. “But you’re still going to have to landscape the place, sugar.”
She actually managed to smile at him and touch his warm cheek, although her fingers trembled. “I think I owe you that now.”
“Looks like a pretty clear case of self-defense,” the cop said. “Give me your name and address and all that.”
Nolan took out his wallet and fished out a card.
The cop glanced at it. “King Construction? You built the office complex down the street from our station.”
Nolan nodded.
The cop studied Nolan for a minute. “You’re military too, aren’t you? Like your buddy, Zachary. A vet?”
Nolan nodded again.
“No wonder. Nice work,” the cop said. “And you didn’t hear me say that. I’ll be in contact if I have more questions.” He walked out, shaking his head.
“Questions. They always have questions, always need more evidence.” The doctor scowled and raised his voice. “Marilee, bring me the camera.”
The nurse popped in a second later.
“Stay here as a witness, Marilee,” he said. “Let’s go ahead and document this clearly, just in case there’s any question down the road.” The doctor’s face was grim. He snapped pictures of Beth’s back, then taped up the whip marks and sewed up the ones too deep to butterfly or glue shut. More pictures on her front, and he sewed up the slice across her stomach. His exam was thorough, and he took a picture of every scar, from her hands down to her leg.
Through it all, Nolan sat quietly, holding her hand, and murmuring when something hurt.
As the doctor wrapped her wrists with gauze, Master Z walked into the cubicle.
“What is this, Grand Central Station?” the doctor snapped. “Who the hell are you?”
Beth actually giggled. “It’s all right. He’s the other one who saved me.”
“Well, fine then,” the doctor grumbled. He shook hands with Z, then grinned and looked from him to Nolan. “Good job, guys, and I don’t care who hears me say it.”
Nolan barked a laugh.
“Now then, I’m releasing you. Come back here or see your doctor if there’s any sign of infection. I’ll give you a prescription for pain-”
“I don’t want one,” she interrupted. “I won’t take them.”
“Ah. All right.” He rubbed his chin. “Tylenol or ibuprofen. Avoid aspirin for a couple of days. The nurse will be in to get you unhooked from the IV and give you instructions about the stitches.”
Shooed out by the nurse, the men waited in the parking lot for her. When the nurse wheeled her out, they helped her into Nolan’s truck.
“Are you all right, little one?” Z asked as he took the seat belt from her and fastened it.
Her friend count had been a little low, she thought, but seemed to be rising rapidly. She smiled at him. “I’m very much all right. I feel like I’ve been caught in a blackberry tangle, and someone just cut me free.” Her eyes filled with tears as she whispered, “Thank you so much.”
He actually grinned. “No problem, although Nolan had all the fun. Now go home and work on healing.” He rubbed his knuckles over her cheek. “You can expect to see Jessica soon.”
As the truck started, he glanced at Nolan. “Are you taking her to her apartment or-”
“She’ll be at my house,” Nolan said flatly.
“Excellent.” Z nodded and closed her door.
“Nolan…” Beth started. He shouldn’t have to take care of her. “I can go to my-”
“Don’t bother to argue. We’re both going to have nightmares. You will be in my bed and in my arms when that happens.”
Nightmares. He was going to have nightmares? Oh, God, he’d killed a man for her. She took his hand. “You killed him. I’m sorry, so, so sorry.”
He looked at her blankly before snorting. “I don’t have nightmares from killing cockroaches, sugar. But knowing he had you…hearing you scream…seeing you all bloody? Now that’s going to bother me for a long time. And you’re going to have to stay with me till it doesn’t.”
“All right.” She couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be. It seemed wrong to hope he’d have nightmares for at least three or four days, but-
He put the truck into gear. “I figure in a year or two, I might be okay.”
Chapter Fourteen
Standing in his kitchen, Nolan stared at the little sub and managed to keep the growl out of his voice. “You’re
