Daughter of Texas by Terri Reed Page B

forms.
    Which reminded Ben that he wanted to get Daniel’s promotion in the works right away.
    He found what he needed in the stack he pulled from the drawer and filled in the blanks. The desk phone rang just as he finished.
    For a long moment he stared at the instrument as if he’d never seen a phone before. Finally, he picked up the receiver. “Fritz.”
    The administrative assistant’s voice came over the line. “You have a call on line one.”
    â€œThanks, Marissa.” He depressed the blinking light.
    â€œCaptain Fritz.”
    â€œThis is SAPD Officer Talbot. Sir, we have a situation here at the hospital.”

FIVE
    A drenaline spiked through Ben. “He woke up?”
    â€œNo, sir. We have a Corinna Pike here demanding to talk to the unconscious man. She said you’d know her.”
    Surprise rushed in, pushing the adrenaline to the background. “I do. I’m on my way.”
    What was she doing there? And asking to talk to the victim? How crazy was that? She had no business involving herself in his investigation.
    The question rattled inside his head as he hung up and glanced at Gisella, who stood in the doorway of Greg’s office. “Corinna’s at the hospital wanting to see coma guy,” Ben said.
    Surprise flickered in her dark eyes. “I assumed she was still asleep in her room when I left this morning. I should have looked in on her. There’s an SAPD officer stationed outside my house. They’d have informed me if she’d left. How did she get to the hospital?”
    Frustration pounded at his temple. “I have no idea.”
    â€œI can go,” Gisella offered.
    Rising from the chair, Ben shook his head. “No. I’ll take care of her. She’s my responsibility.”
    Gisella arched an eyebrow.
    For some reason, heat crept up Ben’s neck. “Was there something you needed?”
    â€œI was just going to give you a quick update on her,” she replied.
    â€œHow did she seem to you?”
    â€œShe’s taking her father’s death hard, as one would expect. She wasn’t happy when I told her she needed to stay inside the house at all times.”
    Picturing her bleak eyes when they’d parted last, he didn’t know how she’d survive after such a loss. And now she’d left the safety of Gisella’s home, putting herself in needless danger when the assassin was still at large and probably knew she could ID him. The need to see her, to protect her, spurred him on.
    â€œCall my cell if you need me,” he said before hurrying from the office.
    He encountered little traffic on his way to the hospital. Rather than wait for the elevator, he took the stairs and emerged on the fourth floor opposite the nurses’ station. He tipped his hat in greeting and hastened down the hall. The smell of antiseptic burned his nose. The soft noises of the hospital echoed inside his head as he neared Corinna.
    She looked fragile and beautiful and in need of protection. Her leather-soled shoe tapped soundlessly against the linoleum, and her slender arms were wrapped around her middle. She wore jeans and a plum-colored tank top. Her dark, silky hair was captured at her nape in a twist, emphasizing her slender neck and porcelain skin. Her eyes were wide and filled with desperation in the swirling depths.
    The stark white bandage taped to her bare biceps reminded him of how close she had come to being killed. His heart contracted painfully.
    Acknowledging the two haggard-looking SAPD officers with a tip of his head, he led her away by the elbow. “Corinna, what are you doing here? You were supposed to stay at Gisella’s.”
    â€œI couldn’t just sit there doing nothing,” she said, her voice breaking.
    He could see how badly she was hurting. He wished he could make her feel better. But he didn’t know how to accomplish such a feat. “How did you get here?”
    She tugged on her