No doubt Timothy would question him once he was given the report of Jed’s midnight race to New York City, but that could be days away, possibly weeks, until Timothy called and requested agent maneuver reports. Though that was something he rarely did.
The landscape sped by; the roads, luckily, weren’t busy in the hours after midnight until four in the morning or later. It gave him the space needed to travel safely at the speed needed to reach the airport just outside Louisville and to still the sudden, unheard-of terror piercing his heart.
What the hell was Piper doing in New York City?
Whoever the hell she’d been sneaking out to meet had obviously abducted her, hadn’t they? Piper surely wouldn’t leave the state without letting her brother, Dawg, know she was leaving.
Or would she?
Damn her.
He’d been driving himself insane in his attempt to figure out where she had gone without resorting to official channels or contacts to learn her secrets. She’d left without telling him with whom or where she was going. It was obvious she didn’t want to share the information or the identity of her lover.
She hadn’t wanted to share it then; she would share it now.
She would share it or he would be on the phone to Dawg.
Piper and her sisters didn’t think there was anything worse than having their brother or male cousins pissed. Piper was about to find out there was something far worse.
There was Jed, and he wasn’t about to let an attack against her go.
This had nothing to do with protectiveness or control. It had nothing to do with an attempt to dominate her life. What it had to do with was the fact that someone had dared to hurt her, and he would make certain that someone had the favor returned.
* * *
Piper stared at the nurse in disgust.
“You can’t make me stay here,” she informed the middle-aged, kindly looking nurse as the woman stared back at her with concerned hazel eyes.
Standing at five feet, four inches if she was lucky, her gray-and-brown hair pulled back from her face in a tight braid as the small wrinkles at the corners of her eyes drew in with her frown, the nurse watched her in disapproval.
“You’ve had a concussion, Ms. Mackay, and I doubt you feel much like walking right now, let alone traveling to the train station. If you’ll just calm down, the doctor will be in soon; he can check you and let you know what damage has been done.”
“I already know what damage has been done,” she muttered angrily. “Trust me; I can feel every bruise.”
And she could. Every single bruise, scratch, and jab that had been plowed into her undefended body.
“I’m certain you can,” the nurse agreed compassionately. “But that concussion could be dangerous. Your brother’s due at any time—”
“Excuse me?” Piper knew she’d just lost her breath as trepidation began to race through her system.
Oh, God.
No.
Not Dawg. Surely to God no one had actually called Dawg.
“Your brother Jed.” The nurse smiled again. “His name and phone number was in your day planner, thank goodness.” She moved to the bed and, as Piper stared back at her in shock, actually managed to wrap the blood pressure cuff around her arm. “Your purse was stolen. If it hadn’t been for his name and number in your planner, then we’d have had no idea whom to contact.”
Her brother Jed, not her brother, Dawg? No doubt Jed had called Dawg. Dawg, Rowdy, and Natches were probably just ahead of his arrival and blowing fire and brimstone. And once they stepped into the hospital, hell would have no fury like the Mackay men pissed off.
“God, this isn’t good.” Lying back against the hospital bed, Piper closed her eyes wearily. “How long ago did you talk to him? Forget it.” She gave a quick shake of her head. “Doesn’t matter; he could be here in two minutes or in two hours.” Opening her eyes, she levered herself up on the bed. “Where are my clothes?”
Nurse Dade widened her eyes in surprise. “Ms. Mackay, where your clothes are doesn’t matter,” she informed Piper. “You need to rest.”
“I’ll find the damned things myself then.” Piper sighed.
She really didn’t feel like finding anything, especially her clothes, but sometimes a girl just had to do what a girl just had to do, right?