Chapter One
Zachary woke to silence and a chill against his arms. He squinted open his eyes and blinked a few times before cautiously looking around the room. He could tell he was in a hospital room because he had been in one several times due to injuries he’d sustained. The smells and bright walls were the same no matter what hospital he was at.
It was morning because he could see the sunshine, but he didn’t know the exact time.
A headache started to build behind his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened to put him there. When nothing came to mind, he took stock of his body, and it felt like every part of his was affected because it all hurt.
Fuck, he remembered. It had been some kind of explosion. He’d been undercover trying to get close to a human trafficking ring in the area, and it looked like he’d been ousted. Hell, he thought he had been getting close to the higher-ups, but now it seemed as if he wasn’t going to get anywhere with all the time and energy he’d put into getting to the boss of the ring.
A grimace shot across his face as he tried to move. His hand went to his cheek when that movement sent shards of pain down his neck. He carefully felt around. A large bandage was wrapped on the left side of his face, and he wondered what damage had been done to it.
His body tensed as the door to his room opened, and a young woman came in. Her eyes widened, and then she smiled widely.
“Oh, you’re awake.” She clapped and bounced. “I … we’ve been waiting for you.”
“How—” He stopped when his dry throat made talking painful. “Water?”
“Oh, yes.” She came around the side of the bed, poured some water into a cup, and then put the straw in his mouth. The cool water felt heavenly as it slid down his throat. He growled when she took it away.
“I’m sorry. The doctor and nurse need to check you over before you do too much.”
“You’re not a nurse?”
She snorted. “No. I’m what you call a CNA, a certified nurse’s assistant.”
“What the hell is that?”
“It just means I help them with little things like cleaning up stuff, making sure the patients have everything they need, bathing them, getting their food. Stuff like that.”
He saw a blush cover her face and wondered about it until he remembered she saidbathedand guessed she’d helped wash him. As he began to ask, the door opened up again, and Travis and Kane walked in.
“Fuck me, you’re awake,” Kane said. “It’s about fucking time. You’ve had enough beauty sleep. Now it’s time to get back to work.”
The woman gasped. “Sir, he was injured. It wasn’t his fault.”
Kane and Travis grinned.
“I know, Anna. I’m sorry.”
Zachary watched the woman relax and nod.
“I’m going to go get the nurse,” she said.
The three men watched her leave.
Travis turned to Kane and chuckled. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”
“I can’t. It’s so much fun to watch her get all huffy and try to protect the butthead.”
“I’m guessing I’m the butthead?” Zachary asked. He snorted when both men grinned. He rolled his eyes. “Tell me.”
The men knew exactly what he wanted.
Travis cleared his throat. “You were going to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know. There was an explosion when you got to the warehouse. Fortunately, you weren’t inside, but you did get thrown, and some shrapnel hit you.”