He took her hands in his and noted the deep gouges in her wrists, proving she’d been tied up there as well. He lifted her fingers to kiss them while he looked at her.
“Ambulance is on its way. We’re going to get you taken care of, Tans.”
“I don’t need an ambulance. I just want to go home.”
“I know, honey, but you need to see a doctor. You’ve got some serious cuts on your legs and arm. We’ll get those checked and cleaned up.”
Joe’s hand rested on his sister’s shoulder and his voice was gruff when he spoke. “You need to see a doctor. We don’t know how badly you’re hurt.”
Tansy glanced up at Joe with a small smile and then her gaze returned to Sam. “I’m fine. Thanks to you guys.”
Her eyes shone, but she blinked back the tears and Sam didn’t resist leaning in to kiss her.
Shaken, Not Stirred
Tansy wanted to curl into Sam and forget the rest of the world existed.
He’d found her.
Joe and Nico stood beside her, touching her as if to ensure she was whole. Sam squatted in front of her and held her hand. After the previous hours of fear and uncertainty, being wrapped in love was the best feeling ever.
Sam had used a knife to cut the ties binding her ankles, but none of them would let her stand. She wasn’t sure she was steady enough to try.
A tall woman came up to stand beside her brother. She held out her hand to Tansy first. “Hello. I’m Special Agent Shanice Williams of the Bedford FBI Field Office. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Tansy shook her hand.
The men introduced themselves and shook her hand as well. Nico, dressed in one of his spiffy suits, spoke. “Your reputation precedes you, Agent Williams. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Yours as well. All of you. Now, who wants to tell me exactly what’s going on here?”
Joe and Nico moved to the side with the agent, but Sam stayed with her, those serious eyes focused only on her.
“Any broken bones, Tans?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe my left tibia.”
His hands flexed in hers and his gaze drifted to the door where they’d taken the thug.
A whoop of an ambulance approached, and fear ran through her. “I can’t go in the same ambulance with him. I don’t want to be near him.”
Sam’s gaze hardened. “I’ll take care of it.” He stood but didn’t let go of her hand.
In a moment, Troy appeared at his side. She hadn’t realized he’d been there, too. So many people had her back.
Sam’s voice was rough. “See if they’ve sent two ambulances. If not, have them send a second. Also, see if they’ve got a blanket. She’s soaked and freezing.”
She hadn’t thought much about it, but he was right. Apparently, being terrified messed with her observational skills.
This time, when Sam squatted beside her, he pulled her in for a hug and tried to warm her with his body.
She loved this man so much.
Troy returned with a paramedic and a blanket. Sam tucked it around her as the woman knelt in front of her and slid a blood pressure cuff over her arm. “I’m Inaya. Can you tell me about the injuries?”
Tansy leaned into Sam. “He stabbed me with a knife several times in both legs and once on my forearm, sometimes a straight stab, sometimes a slice, other times a twist. He also hit my lower left leg with a baseball bat twice.”
The woman’s gaze hardened. “Where’s the worst pain for the moment?”