Lone Defender (Love Inspired Suspense) (8 page)

“You found her. I guess that makes you a friend. She’s
already been admitted.” She typed something into the computer, read the information that popped up on the screen. “Room 432. Visitation is limited, so check in at the nurse’s station before you go in.”

“Thanks.” He hurried through the emergency room, pulling out his cell phone as he went. He needed to call Kane, let him know Skylar had been found.

“Dougherty here. You have news?”

“You were right. Skylar is too stubborn to die.”

“You found her?” The relief in Kane’s voice was unmistakable, and that feeling Jonas had, the one that said he was doing what he was meant to be doing, using his skill the way he was meant to, settled deep, surprising him. He hadn’t had that in a long time. He’d forgotten how good it felt. An instant later, he pushed the feeling away. This wasn’t his life anymore. This was just a favor to a friend. He couldn’t let it be anything more.

He’d found Skylar and now he was going to make arrangements for her to fly back to New York, just like he’d promised in the first place. Then, all of this would be over.

Yeah, right. As if it would really be that easy.

“We’re at Phoenix General Hospital.”

“Is she okay?”

“She should be. I’m heading up to her room now. I was held up by the police and haven’t seen her since she arrived.”

“Police?”

“We’ve got a problem, Kane. A big one. Whatever you sent Skylar here to do, she’s in it deep. Deep enough that someone wants her dead.” He filled in Kane on what little he knew, explained what had happened in the desert.

“I sent her to find a guy who owes back child support. That shouldn’t be enough to bring out a posse. I want her on the next plane back to New York. Tell her I’ll send a couple
people out to track down Redmond and figure out what’s going on.”

“I’ll tell her.” But he doubted she’d listen. Sick as she’d been, she’d climbed a hundred and fifty feet straight up, walked all night, and managed to fight Jonas most of the way while she was doing it. She wasn’t going to turn tail and run because Kane said she should.

“She’s going to refuse, so you’re going to have to find a way to convince her.” Kane said exactly what Jonas was thinking.

“Me? You’re her boss. It seems like you should be the one to convince her.”

“And it seems to
me
that you’ve run short on backbone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were afraid to face down a 120-pound woman.”

“Nice try, Kane, but we’re not college students anymore. You can’t convince me to do something by calling me chicken.” He punched the elevator button, anxious to get up to Skylar’s room, make sure she was okay.

Make sure she was there.

Based on what he’d seen out in the desert, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was planning an escape.

“I figured as much, but I had to try. The truth is, there’s no way Skylar is going to listen to me.”

“But you think she’ll listen to me?”

“You saved her life. That has to have some value.” Jonas got on the elevator, wished things would be as easy as Kane was making them sound.

Go up to the room.

Convince Skylar to leave town.

Go back to his life.

“Guilt value, you mean?”

“Whatever works.”

“I don’t have to tell you that nothing will work, do I?”

“I’d appreciate the effort, anyway. If you can’t get her on the plane…I hate to ask, but—”

“I’ll keep an eye on her. Do what I can to help with the investigation.”

“I can pay you an hourly wage. Same rate I pay my part-time investigators. Just submit a bill once she’s back home.”

“No. And don’t insult me by offering again. I’ll keep you posted.” He disconnected before Kane could argue. They’d been friends since college, had supported each other through some tough times. He’d help because of that, and because he wasn’t going to walk away and leave Skylar to fight her battle alone.

A nurse looked up as he stepped off the elevator, offering a quizzical smile. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here to visit Skylar Grady.”

“I’m sorry. That won’t be possible. She can’t have visitors, yet. Maybe, tomorrow—”

“It’s going to have to be today. I just spent fifteen hours getting her out of the desert, and I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “You’re the Shadow Wolf who finally managed to track her down.”

“I was a Shadow Wolf, ma’am. Now I’m a contractor.” Apparently news was traveling fast. He’d known when he’d handed Skylar to Tanner Morgan that it would. They’d been buddies in high school, had lost touch for a few years and reconnected when Jonas moved back to Arizona.

“Sorry.” She blushed. “Ms. Grady’s room is just down the hall to the left.”

“Thanks.” He strode down the corridor, nearly walking into Skylar as she stepped out of her room.

“Jonas! What are you doing here?”

“Coming to see you. Seems like I was almost too late.”

“Actually, you’re just in time. I need a ride back to Cave Creek.”

“You don’t really think I’m going to give you one, do you?” She was hooked up to an IV, and he slid the pole from her grasp, gently urging her back into the room.

“I was hoping.” She collapsed onto the bed, bare feet and legs sticking out from under a cotton hospital gown. Knicks and scratches covered both shins, and her feet were blistered and raw. Someone had braided her hair, pulling the wild mane of curls back to reveal sunburned cheeks and a bruised forehead.

“Tell you what, I’ll give you a ride to the airport. Get you on a plane to New York.” He grabbed a chair, settled into it.

“You don’t really think I’m going to let you do that, do you?” She threw back at him, closely mimicking his response to her request.

“I’d probably be disappointed if you did. Or think you were a lot sicker than you look.”

“I look like a train wreck, and this isn’t doing anything to improve things.” She plucked at the neck of her hospital gown, her fingers brushing the arrowhead he’d given her.

“I see you still have this.” He touched the cool stone, then her cheek, feeling for a fever. Warm. Not hot. Smooth and silky despite the sunburn and scratches. He had the urge to linger there, let his fingers explore the sharp angle of her cheekbone, the gentle curve of her jaw. Surprised, he dropped his hand away.

“They tried to take it from me in the emergency room, but I told the nurse if she reached for it again, I’d take her arm off.”

“Nice.”

“I wasn’t in the best frame of mind. What with you ditching me and heading back into the desert alone and all. I figured if you died, your family might want this, and I didn’t
want the hospital to lose it. Since you’re here—” She started to drag it over her head, but he stopped her.

“Do you always try to return gifts?”

“It wasn’t a gift. It was an award. Something given in jest.”

“I don’t give anything in jest, Grady.”

“Then, thank you. It’s beautiful. I couldn’t see it last night, but your grandfather was quite an artisan.” She let the arrowhead fall, her fingers twirling one of the turquoise beads Pops had crafted and strung on the leather cord.

“You were on your way out of the room when I got here. Where were you headed?”

“To the nurse’s station. I want this IV out.”

“You need the fluids.”

“So the doctor told me. Over and over and
over
again. Fluids and an antibiotic. I told him to give me a couple bottles of water and a prescription, but he refused.” She frowned, standing up and pacing across the room, dragging the IV pole behind her.

“You’ve been through—”

“Jonas, if you tell me that I’ve been through a lot and say I need to rest, I will take this IV pole and knock you over the head with it.” She scowled, her dark eyes flashing with irritation.

“Feeling a little ornery, Grady?”

She shot him a heated look, then shook her head, offering a sheepish grin. “Maybe. Every nurse and doctor who’s looked at me has said the same thing.
You’ve been through a lot. You need to rest.
The thing is, I’ve been through worse than a six-day hike. I know my body, and it’s saying that another round of antibiotics and a good meal will do me a lot more good than a hospital room and an IV. Besides, sticking around makes me feel like a sitting duck. Anyone could walk in here. I don’t have a weapon since the doctor insisted
on passing the one we confiscated on to the police. I’m not sure I have the strength to hold my own in a physical fight.”

“So, you want to go to ground for a while, hide out until you’re feeling better?”

She hesitated, fingered the arrowhead again. “You could say that.”

“
I
could, but
you’re
not?”

“I want a safe place to crash for a few hours, but I want justice more. Unless you managed to round up the entire posse of bad guys when you went back into the desert, I’ve got some work to do before I get that rest.”

“I’m afraid I came up empty. I found a trail that the police are following, but that’s it.”

“Like I said, I have work to do.” She walked toward the door again, and he grabbed her arm, pulled her to a stop.

“This isn’t a good idea, Grady.”

“And staying here is? We don’t know who was out in the desert with us, Jonas. Until we do, I don’t trust anyone. Not doctors, not nurses, not people wandering through the halls. This place is teeming with all three.”

“It’s a hospital. What else did you expect?”

“Look, maybe I sound paranoid and maybe leaving
isn’t
the best idea, but the last time I didn’t listen to my instincts, I got shot three times and came so close to dying the doctors still don’t know how I lived. Right now my instincts are telling me to get out of here. That’s what I plan to do. You can help me or not. Either way, as soon as I get this IV taken out, I’m hitting the road.”

“You know what would make me happy, Grady?” he muttered, and she met his gaze, her dark eyes flashing.

“The better question is, ‘Do I care?’”

“Of course you do. I’m the one who dragged you out of the desert, after all.”

“I can’t believe you’re playing the guilt card.” She scowled, and he smiled.

“Kane’s suggestion. Is it working?”

“No.”

“Too bad, because the thing that would make me happy is if your instincts were telling you to hop on the next plane out of town.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. I’m staying in Arizona until I get the answers I want.”

She would, too. He knew it, didn’t know why he’d even bothered arguing. “In that case, you’ve got yourself a bodyguard. Stay put. I’ll get a nurse to take out the IV.”

“Bodyguard? What are you talking about?” she sputtered, but he ignored the question and walked out into the corridor. As much as he hated to admit it, Skylar had a point. They didn’t know who’d been out in the desert with them, couldn’t know who her enemies were or where they might show up. Getting her out of the hospital and into a secure location wasn’t such a bad idea.

And he knew exactly where that location would be.

An hour later, he’d managed to talk the doctor into writing a prescription for Skylar’s antibiotics, convince the police to run a patrol by his place, boot his sister out of the garage apartment for a few nights and arrange for his father and stepmother to drop off his truck at the hospital.

He shoved his cell phone into his pocket, watching while the nurse took out Skylar’s IV and pressed a Band-Aid into place. “You’re all set, Ms. Grady. Your clothes are in the drawer, and the doctor’s instructions are here.” She handed Skylar a sheet of paper.

“Thanks.”

“You’ll need to follow up with your personal physician in the next day or two, and if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Sawyer. Here is
the prescription the pharmacy filled for you. Now just hold tight while I get the wheelchair.”

She hurried away, and Skylar dug out her clothes from the drawer. “Six days didn’t treat these very well.”

“Here.” Jonas pulled clean jeans and a T-shirt from his backpack. “They’ll be big, but they might be a better option.”

“Almost anything would be better. Thanks.” She smiled, and his breath caught in surprise at the beauty of it. He turned away, uncomfortable with his reaction. In the past year, friends had tried setting him up with sisters, cousins and friends of friends. He’d gone out a few times, had pleasant dates with pleasant women who’d left him feeling nothing but mild interest. Gabriella had been his first and only real love. Four years after her death, and he knew he’d never find another woman like her. Wasn’t really interested in trying to.

Skylar was nothing like her. So what was it about the woman that had him so intrigued?

Nothing, that’s what.

He wasn’t intrigued, he was annoyed, exhausted and ready to say goodbye to Skylar and her problems.

Ready, but not able.

Even if he hadn’t agreed to keep an eye on her, he couldn’t walk away. Not when he knew how much danger she was in.

She might not want a bodyguard, but she was getting one.

It was as simple as that.

He walked out into the hall, waiting impatiently while Skylar changed, his thoughts jumping ahead, plotting their next step the way he had when he’d worked border patrol.

He and Skylar had been at a disadvantage the previous night, outnumbered and outgunned, taken by surprise. Here, things were different. The perps’ approach would have to be different, too. They’d have to come one at a time or risk being detected before they attacked. But the advantage
wouldn’t truly be on his and Skylar’s side until they figured out who was after her. And why.

“They’re a little big, but I’m making them work.” Skylar stepped into the corridor.

“A little big” was an understatement.

Faded jeans brushed the floor, despite the number of times she’d rolled the cuffs. His worn blue shirt hung almost to her knees, the crew neck slipping to reveal hints of creamy skin and a scar that ran down the middle of her sternum.

She must have noticed the direction of his gaze, because she hiked the shirt back into place, covered the scar with her hand.