his chest, but he hadn’t made her feel stupid. She could justify leaving all she wanted, but right now she just couldn’t deal with talking to him or anyone else.
“Who cares? That guy was a dick,” Nash muttered, hoisting her bag higher on his shoulder. “You know him?” he asked cautiously.
Maria was surprised he’d waited to ask her, but she nodded. “Yeah. He served in the Marines with Riel. My brother,” she clarified, though she figured he understood even though he’d never met her brother. He’d died long before Nash came to work for her father. “It was a long time ago, though.” She didn’t offer up more than that.
Thankfully Nash didn’t push her. “Let me just get you to the center, then your parents’ place. Your father will be home by the time you finish at the center and . . . he needs you, Maria.” Nash’s jaw clenched tight and for the first time Maria realized how absorbed in her own grief she’d been. Nash loved both her parents. Unlike her father, her mom had treated Nash more like a son than an employee, always fussing over him. Maria had always thought it was because she missed her own son so much.
“Oh, Nash, I’m . . .” She pulled him into a tight hug as they reached the second-stairwell landing. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He was stiff in her embrace, but he gently patted her back before stepping back. “Let’s get you out of here. I don’t want any of those reporters getting a hint you’ve been discharged. I know Dr. Famosa won’t say anything, but any one of those nurses could leak it.”
A shot of adrenaline surged through her. Nash was right. They needed to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Something else was bugging her, a nagging, dark feeling in the pit of her stomach she knew had nothing to do with her grief. It was almost as if something bad was about to happen.
She just couldn’t figure out what.
• • •
Cade set the two water bottles and a foam food container on the bench by the window in Maria’s room. There hadn’t been a police officer outside or her bodyguard. Cade had already had an analyst run everything on Nash Larson. Former Army, clean record, all-around stand-up guy. Cade hadn’t been able to figure why the man rubbed him the wrong way until he’d returned and found Maria gone. He didn’t like the way Larson looked at Maria in that proprietary way. It had been subtle, but something about it pissed Cade off even though he had no right to care if there was something going on between the two of them.
His focus was on the job. And now finding Maria since she’d clearly left. The bed was rumpled, but her bag was gone. He wanted to be pissed. Under normal circumstances he would be, but she’d gotten under his skin a long time ago. Then when she’d let her guard down,crying against him, it had pierced him. Normally crying women didn’t faze him. But her grief had just been so raw it punched right through his senses. He’d lost his mom at a young age and too many friends during his time overseas, so he understood what she was going through on a certain level.
Tracking her down would be a pain in the ass, but easy enough once he pinged her location. He pulled out his cell and had started to text one of the analysts so they could track her cell phone when the bathroom door slowly creaked open.
All the hairs on Cade’s arms stood up in alert as the heavy wooden door moved, inch by inch. Withdrawing his weapon, Cade silently sidestepped until he was half-hidden behind the curtain partially drawn around the empty bed.
A dark-haired man wearing tan cargo pants, black boots, and a black long-sleeved T-shirt stepped from the bathroom with a fluid stealth. He scanned the room for signs of life, his gaze landing almost immediately on Cade’s partially blocked body and raised weapon.
Instantly the man grabbed the rolling food cart and shoved it toward the bed before yanking open the door to the hall.
Cade
“Who cares? That guy was a dick,” Nash muttered, hoisting her bag higher on his shoulder. “You know him?” he asked cautiously.
Maria was surprised he’d waited to ask her, but she nodded. “Yeah. He served in the Marines with Riel. My brother,” she clarified, though she figured he understood even though he’d never met her brother. He’d died long before Nash came to work for her father. “It was a long time ago, though.” She didn’t offer up more than that.
Thankfully Nash didn’t push her. “Let me just get you to the center, then your parents’ place. Your father will be home by the time you finish at the center and . . . he needs you, Maria.” Nash’s jaw clenched tight and for the first time Maria realized how absorbed in her own grief she’d been. Nash loved both her parents. Unlike her father, her mom had treated Nash more like a son than an employee, always fussing over him. Maria had always thought it was because she missed her own son so much.
“Oh, Nash, I’m . . .” She pulled him into a tight hug as they reached the second-stairwell landing. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He was stiff in her embrace, but he gently patted her back before stepping back. “Let’s get you out of here. I don’t want any of those reporters getting a hint you’ve been discharged. I know Dr. Famosa won’t say anything, but any one of those nurses could leak it.”
A shot of adrenaline surged through her. Nash was right. They needed to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Something else was bugging her, a nagging, dark feeling in the pit of her stomach she knew had nothing to do with her grief. It was almost as if something bad was about to happen.
She just couldn’t figure out what.
• • •
Cade set the two water bottles and a foam food container on the bench by the window in Maria’s room. There hadn’t been a police officer outside or her bodyguard. Cade had already had an analyst run everything on Nash Larson. Former Army, clean record, all-around stand-up guy. Cade hadn’t been able to figure why the man rubbed him the wrong way until he’d returned and found Maria gone. He didn’t like the way Larson looked at Maria in that proprietary way. It had been subtle, but something about it pissed Cade off even though he had no right to care if there was something going on between the two of them.
His focus was on the job. And now finding Maria since she’d clearly left. The bed was rumpled, but her bag was gone. He wanted to be pissed. Under normal circumstances he would be, but she’d gotten under his skin a long time ago. Then when she’d let her guard down,crying against him, it had pierced him. Normally crying women didn’t faze him. But her grief had just been so raw it punched right through his senses. He’d lost his mom at a young age and too many friends during his time overseas, so he understood what she was going through on a certain level.
Tracking her down would be a pain in the ass, but easy enough once he pinged her location. He pulled out his cell and had started to text one of the analysts so they could track her cell phone when the bathroom door slowly creaked open.
All the hairs on Cade’s arms stood up in alert as the heavy wooden door moved, inch by inch. Withdrawing his weapon, Cade silently sidestepped until he was half-hidden behind the curtain partially drawn around the empty bed.
A dark-haired man wearing tan cargo pants, black boots, and a black long-sleeved T-shirt stepped from the bathroom with a fluid stealth. He scanned the room for signs of life, his gaze landing almost immediately on Cade’s partially blocked body and raised weapon.
Instantly the man grabbed the rolling food cart and shoved it toward the bed before yanking open the door to the hall.
Cade
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