“Better than you, son,” Steel said in his deep, gruff voice.
His boss stepped forward, and glanced over at Drayton before he settled his gaze on him. He knew that look. Something was coming, and he wouldn’t like it. He shifted in the bed and attempted to sit forward. In an instant, the doc appeared at his side, helping him, and he smiled at her, noticing how cute she was, perhaps for the first time. On instinct, he reached out his hand to clasp hers, and the churning in his belly settled.
“About Henry—the plan you were going to execute would have failed. The Padre recruited him to infiltrate us. He’s been sending pertinent information to the bastard from the beginning.”
“What—what the fuck? Did you know this, Drayton?” He zeroed his eyes in on Drayton as the doc squeezed his hand and he tried to rein in his anger.
“Not in the beginning, but I had my suspicions about Henry, especially after the trip to the Veil. We discovered a leak. I thought Huron was the spy, but after speaking with Lady Tenille, and Huron, I knew it must be someone else.”
“When I met Henry, he was open and upfront about everything. He explained the Padre had killed his brother and held his parents hostage, blackmailing him to work for them. He despises everything the man stands for, but he wouldn’t risk his parents’ lives, and agreed to extract information for the Padre. However, ultimately, he wants the bastard dead. I offered him the chance to do both—covertly. He didn’t know about the demon, and I believe him, but everything he spoke of weeks ago is true. His brother was in the military, but what he didn’t mention was the fact he was too. He believes in the military code of conduct, and will fight until the death for his country. His death right now wouldn’t serve anyone. Not his family, nor the country, or us. We agreed together on a course of action. One I hadn’t shared with Drayton.”
“You fucking sent me out there, knowing he would shoot me?” He wrenched his body forward and slid his legs over the edge of the bed, muttering curses under his breath.
“Jake, you need to rest. Not get yourself all riled up. And anymore from you lot and you’ll have to leave. If he injures himself, it will spoil all the work Ella has done. Your wounds look good, but you need time for your muscles to heal fully.”
Jake glared at the doctor as she pushed his boss out of the way and grabbed his leg, sliding it back onto the mattress. “You are my patient, and until you’re discharged, you will listen to me. Am I clear?”
He stared at the slim woman in her starched lab coat, not remembering her ever being quite so bossy and fired up before. Right now, her commanding behavior was causing havoc as it excited his body in all sorts of awkward places. “And what if I discharge myself?” he challenged.
Drayton scratched his head and Steel sighed, stepping back.
“Jake, just for once, do as you’re told. Henry is a highly skilled marksman. He chose the areas on your body with a keen precision, taking expert care to miss vital organs, and deliberately missing the bones to make sure you weren’t disabled,” Marcus stated.
“Are you saying I should be fucking grateful for that? The bastard shot me. How did the rest of the team fare?” He narrowed his gaze on Marcus.
“There were casualties, but no fatalities,” Drayton said in his straightforward manner.
Jake hung his head. “When did you know?”
Marcus rubbed his neck and raised an eyebrow as Ella rested her hand on his arm, stroking him.
“The day you left. Steel asked to see me urgently, and what he said explained a few things, but I wasn’t fucking happy to say the least. Ella and I were on the supporting helo the minute I could arrange it. We were in the air when you landed in Mauritius. At that point, I made the decision not to tell you. It would have jeopardized the entire mission. Henry had to take you down; it had to look real. I warned the men not to say anything to you. Look, once he has extracted what he needs in order to help us, he is going to take out the Padre. This isn’t going to happen today, or tomorrow. It could be months,” Marcus said, his face hard as stone.
Jake glared at his boss, and knew if Henry succeeded, he probably wasn’t going to return. It was a suicide mission. He rubbed the bristles on his chin. Lately, everything he thought he knew had a way of exploding right in his face. First, Sparkles becoming a vampire, Henry turning into a spy, and now, the way his mind played over the kiss with the serious doctor. A woman he had never looked at twice or spent any time assessing before. But now, his eyes honed in on her sweet lips, wanting another taste.
“Doc, I’ll stay on one condition.”
The doc placed the blanket over his legs and removed the sticky electrodes from his bare chest. “What?”
He studied her petite features and smiled. “You give me a shave.”
“Deal,” the doc said in her featherlight, wispy voice so fast he reeled, expecting her to refuse.
But as he raised his eyebrow, a curiosity grew. He folded his arms behind his head and relaxed back into the soft pillows.
Marcus groaned and Ella smiled at him.
“Good. Now, any good news? Because right now, I could do with some.”
“Ella’s pregnant,” Drayton burst out.
Shit, that caught him off guard. He stared at Ella as she slapped his boss and glared
