When they reached the lobby and Nick was lifted on to the pristine white sofa, Raluca remembered his story. At least this time he’d already been bandaged and wouldn’t bleed on anything. Shane and Ellie had cleaned but not bandaged the scrapes on his face, but Ellie covered his pillow with a blanket before she slid it beneath his head. Once he was settled in, Raluca sat on the edge of the sofa and held his hand.
Lucas came in a few minutes later, and was quickly followed by Hal, Rafa, and Destiny. They all clustered around Nick. Hal and Lucas pulled up chairs, Destiny perched on the sofa arm, and Rafa sprawled on the thick carpet. Shane stood with his arm around Catalina’s shoulders, and Ellie settled into Hal’s lap. Everyone spoke softly, so they wouldn’t wake him.
“How is he?” Destiny asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Ellie assured everyone. “He’s not in any danger.”
“Do we have an ETA on Dr. Bedford?” Hal inquired.
Rafa replied, “Two more hours.”
“And Grigor?” Hal asked.
“Locked up downstairs. I’ll fly him to his dungeon tomorrow.” Lucas stifled a yawn. “Or the day after.”
The door opened, and Fiona came in. She wore an elegant business suit, but her long white-blonde hair had been pulled into a hasty ponytail rather than braided.
“Everything’s squared away with the police,” she began, her normal tone sounding loud after everyone else’s whispers. Then she caught sight of the sofa. “Nick!”
Nick woke with a start.
Fiona ran to his side and dropped to her knees, her eyes wide with concern. “Nick, don’t try to talk. Shane, how bad is it? Have you called the doctor?”
Before Shane could reply, Nick looked around, first in confusion, then dismay. “Oh, fuck. Fiona, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry about what?” Fiona asked.
“The sofa,” he said. “And the carpet. Again.”
Raluca followed his gaze. She’d been so focused on Nick that she hadn’t noticed before, but the carpet was now marred by a trail of reddish footprints, and the white sofa had somehow gotten stained with blood.
“To hell with the sofa,” Fiona said. “You’re what matters, Nick. Are you in pain? Would you like a drink of water?”
Nick was silent for a moment, staring at her, then ducked his head and muttered, “Got something in my eyes.”
Fiona patted his face with the sleeve of her expensive silk jacket, blotting up sweat and blood. “Is that better?”
Nick cleared his throat. “Yeah. Thanks, Fiona.”
“He’ll be fine,” Shane said reassuringly. “He broke his leg and some ribs, and his shoulder’s bitten. He’s got some other injuries too, but that’s the worst of it. The doctor’s on her way.”
Raluca was still puzzling over the footprints. They led straight to where she was sitting. And that was also where the sofa was stained. Then she remembered how much blood had gotten on her.
“The sofa and carpet are my fault,” she confessed.
“Having anything white in a bodyguard agency is just asking for it,” Catalina said cheerfully. “Whose idea was that, anyway?”
Regaining her composure, Fiona said, “Mine,” in a tone designed to shut down any further discussion.
“Guys,” Hal said firmly. “Nobody cares about the sofa.”
“Except Nick,” Rafa put in.
Catalina and Ellie burst into a fit of giggles, quickly followed by Destiny and Rafa himself. Then Hal too began to chuckle. So did Lucas. Even Shane, whose face wasn’t made for humor, started to laugh. At that, Nick gave up his attempt at glaring at Rafa and joined them.
From Fiona’s expression, she and Raluca were united in disbelief that anyone could laugh at a time like this. But only for a second, and then Fiona gave in and laughed until tears ran down her face. Raluca felt as if she was surrounded by lunatics.
Then a tickle rose within her chest. She tried to resist it. But a moment later, a most unladylike snort emerged from her lips. Then another. And then Ra