Hard Drive Boxed Set

by Tricia Andersen

“Dan, I’ve trained for this. We don’t have time to argue. Go!”

  Mark didn’t look to see if Dan obeyed. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he dove into the flames, covering his large hand with his coat jacket to yank the handle of the car door. In one smooth motion he dipped into the blaze to pop the seat belt and then scoop the small body into his arms. The heat seared his skin as he stepped free from the car, holding the driver to him. Mark’s exhale held a sigh of relief as he saw Dan retreating to the truck with a man slung over his shoulder. He sprinted carefully behind the truck to find Dan gently lying the unconscious man on the ground.

  Mark slumped to the ground, still cradling the small body to him. His large hand against the driver’s back felt the steady rhythm of a breath and heartbeat. “Is he alive?”

  Dan leaned his ear over the man’s mouth. “Yeah, he’s breathing. It’s shallow but it’s there. I’m calling 9-1-1. Have any idea where we are?”

  Mark let loose a hopeless laugh. “Nope. Middle of nowhere Minnesota. We’re about twenty minutes from the lodge.”

  He looked down at the person in his arms. If the fire hadn’t stolen his breath, it was gone now. His eyes gazed down at the soft, delicate face marred with streaks of soot. Long, silky golden hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her pink lips puffed out air greedily. She was tiny in his arms. Mark swallowed hard. Of course this would be his luck―find the woman of his dreams in a burning wreck.

  “Mark,” Dan interrupted his thoughts.

  “What?”

  “Your coat. You’re smoldering.”

  Mark looked at his arm, seeing the smoke rising from the fabric. Lying the woman on his lap, he ripped the coat from his arms and tossed it away. He scooped her back protectively as he watched little flames lick at the tux jacket.

  “So much for my deposit.”

  “Yep. You can kiss that good-bye. Good luck explaining it to Rico.”

  “Fantastic.”

  The sound of sirens echoed through the dark. That noise was shattered by the loud bangs of one tire after another exploding. The fire raged behind them as the gas tank was engulfed. Mark shuddered as he peeked around the nose of the truck. Moments ago this beautiful woman was sitting where now there was a ball of flames. His attention was pulled away by the flashing lights of the fire truck. Dan stood to motion some of the firemen to them as the rest tugged the hoses from the truck to attack the blaze.

  A couple of the firemen hovered over Mark cradling the woman in his arms. Silently he rose to his knees and laid her on the ground for them to take care of her. He watched them dumbfounded for a moment then shook his head to clear his thought. I’m a doctor. What’s wrong with me? He cleared his thoughts as he kneeled beside them. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing, sir. We have this under control,” the smaller of the two fireman assured.

  “I’m an ER doctor at the University of Minnesota Medical Center,” Mark insisted.

  The taller of the two scanned him from head to toe. “What is your assessment, doctor?”

  “Her breathing is shallow. She needs oxygen. I am assuming that her friend will need it too. There are minor burns. As far as vitals go, I’m a little short on equipment,” Mark answered.

  “We’ll get her back to our vehicle and check those. Thank you, doctor.”

  “Is there anything else I can help with?”

  The smaller firefighter spun around on his knee with his mouth open, obviously ready to give Mark more instructions. His words were cut short by an approaching voice. “Baker, I see you’ve met Mark Jacobsen, one of the best ER docs in Minneapolis. He could probably teach you a thing or two.”

  Baker smiled. “We’ve got it from here. Thank you, Doctor Jacobsen.”

  “Anytime.”

  Mark slowly rose to his feet, turning toward the voice. A smile spread across his face as he reached out his hand. “Nate, it’s been too long.”

  The redhead with close cropped hair shook his hand. “Likewise, man. I need to get down to the Cities and see one of your fights.” Nate glanced around at the scene. “What happened here?”

  Mark motioned over to Dan. “Dan and I were at the resort at a wedding. We were driving home when we came upon,” he pointed at the blazing car, “that.”

  Nate reached out to shake Dan’s hand. “Dan, long time no see.”

  “Likewise,” Dan responded quietly.

  Nate cocked an eyebrow at both of the men. “Wedding at the resort? Wasn’t Rico Choate getting married there?”

  Mark fought back his eye roll and swallowed back the sigh. Seriously? “Yeah. Rico and his wife Avery are a couple of our best friends. We were groomsmen in the wedding.” He was distracted from Nate’s curiosity as the newly arrived paramedics gently lifted the woman onto the gurney. “Nate, do you know who she is?”

  “Never seen her before. Unless she has identification on her we’ll have to wait until she wakes up.”

  “Could you call me and let me know?”

  Nate shook his head. “You know I can’t do that, Mark. You can’t either when you’re in the ER. Privacy laws.”

  Mark exhaled slowly. “You’re right. Don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Nate said his good-byes to Mark and Dan and then joined his men battling the flames. Mark watched as the woman and her companion were swept into the waiting ambulances. With a blare of sirens the vehicles raced into the dark night.

  Mark growled, frustrated. He should have figured. There she was, the woman of his dreams, and he would probably never see her again.

  It was official. Life sucked.

  »»•««

  It was well after midnight when Mark dropped Dan off at his condo. Temptation beckoned him to take his best friend up on the offer to crash on his couch for the night. However, the last time Mark did that he could barely move the next morning. With a subtle groan he declined and wished Dan good night and then finished his drive to his own townhouse. He barely managed to peel off what was left of his tux and make it to his bed before falling asleep.

  His sleep was restless. He dreamt of the fire and of the blonde woman he’d found inside. For the first time in a week he was able to get a full night’s sleep and the woman of his dreams was waking him up. Morning came too early. Mark sat up in his bed with a sigh as the morning light filled his room. He might as well get up, get dressed, and head to Hard Drive.

  A few fighters were stretching on the mats when Mark walked into the gym. Dan was sitting on the bench digging in his bag. He pulled free his glasses case and slipped the glasses from his face. After tucking the case back into his bag he grabbed his gloves and wraps and zipped the bag closed. Mark frowned. Why didn’t Dan get contacts? Shaking his head he approached his friend.

  “Thought you’d be sleeping in,” Dan greeted.

  “I couldn’t get a decent sleep,” Mark admitted.

  “Me neither. My adrenaline was going hard after the fire. It was hard to settle in.”

  Mark sighed. It wasn’t the adrenaline. It was the mystery blonde that stole my heart. “Yeah. Tell me about it.”

  Footsteps on the walkway above them caught their attention. Max’s voice echoed over the gym. “Hey, guys. Have you seen Mark and Dan?”

  The fighters on the mat pointed under the walkway to where Mark and Dan were. Max chuckled. “Hey gents, can I see you up here for a sec?”

  Dan tossed his bag under the bench and stood. Mark led him up the stairs to the office. Stepping inside, they found Chloe, Max’s wife and co-owner of Hard Drive, typing away at her computer. Max plopped down in the easy chair in the corner. He rustled his hand through his dark hair as Dan and Mark settled on the couch.

  Chloe spun toward them in her office chair. “Did you see that car on fire last night on the way home?”

  Mark let go a half-hearted laugh. “You could say that.”

  Chloe frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

  Dan elbowed Mark in the side. “Super Mark here stopped to check it out. He found two peop
le inside and we got them out.”

  Mark winced at the thought of his mystery woman. He looked up to find Chloe’s hazel eyes studying him. He sighed. Nothing got past Chloe. Ever. She had to notice his reaction. The hint of a grin on her face told him she would be finding out what it meant.

  “Can’t keep the super hero in Mark down, can we?” Max teased.

  Mark glared at Max. “You would have done the same.”

  “You’re right. But all that comes naturally to you. The rest of us become bumbling idiots. Remember Rico’s leg when he screwed up his ACL in his fight? Dan and I were useless. You were cool as a cucumber.”

  Mark’s thoughts of the woman in the blazing car were quickly replaced by the memory of Rico’s fight in Las Vegas, the night his knee was so torn up inside that he couldn’t walk. It was the night Phoebe, Rico’s psycho ex-girlfriend, stole the ring Max planned to propose to Chloe with and nearly broke them up forever. “No, the bumbling idiot was Rico for not getting in the ambulance like I told him to. Did he think his leg was going to heal itself in the shower? Moron.”

  Everyone in the room laughed at Mark’s musings. Dan rubbed his glasses-free eyes. “So what’s up, Max? Why did you call us up here?”

  Max’s eyes jumped from one man to another. “You both have very impressive amateur records. No losses between you. Mark, you have seven wins. Dan you have four.”

  “True,” Mark acknowledged. “What about it?”

  Max smirked at him. “How would you guys like your first professional fight?”

  Mark’s eyes flew open wide and his mouth dropped open. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dan’s reaction was the same. “Pro? Like you and Rico.”

  “Exactly. You’re both ready and you deserve the shot.”

  “So, are you going to go find us a fight?” Dan questioned.

  Max laughed. “When have I ever worked like that? I already found it. There’s going to be a big event downtown in ten weeks. I already got fights for Rico and me defending our titles. The promoter asked if I knew anyone else that could fight professionally. My thoughts went to you two. All you need to do is sign the contracts. Which, of course, I have.”

  Mark sat back on the couch, stunned. His first professional fight. It would take a lot of time and commitment, nearly impossible with twelve hour shifts at the hospital. But he would never get a chance like this again. And maybe working and training non-stop would help him forget the beautiful woman who got away. “I’m in.”

  “Me too,” Dan chimed.

  “Great.” Max stood up and crossed over to the desk, pressing a kiss to Chloe’s lips as he picked up a couple of stacks of papers from beside the computer. He crossed over to the couch and handed a packet to each men. “You know the routine. Sign them. Get them back to me. Make sure your blood tests are up to date.”

  “Aye, aye captain,” Mark retorted as he rolled his papers up in his hand. He stood and made his way to the stairs. Dan and Max were right behind him, ready to get to the mat to practice.

  Mark, Max, and Dan threw themselves into training, spending hours at Hard Drive sparring and grappling. Going from work to the gym to bed melted the days together for Mark. He couldn’t even figure out which day he was on. He was exhausted but feeling stronger, and he knew without a doubt he would be ready for this fight.

  Saturday announced itself with the slamming of the glass door at the gym. Mark looked up from the mat where he had Dan pinned in side control. Rico stood in the doorway, a smirk spread across his face. Avery slipped into the gym beside him.

  “I’m back, Rico announced smugly.

  It lasted only a moment. Avery dug her elbow into his ribs then signed, You’re back?

  Rico shot her an apologetic smile to his deaf wife. She had lost her hearing in Afghanistan while serving with the Marines, yet she seemed to have an uncanny ability to understand every stupid remark her husband said. I mean we’re back, Rico signed.

  Avery glared at him for a long hard moment before she spun on her toe and stormed toward the locker room. The entire gym could hear her grumble about her self-obsessed, arrogant husband the entire way. Mark laughed as he sat back, letting Dan up.

  “Honeymoon over?” Mark chuckled.

  Rico stood dumbfounded as he stared at the empty hallway where his wife once was. He shrugged. “Nah. Honeymoon is still in full force.” He winked at Mark. “We’ll make up when we get home.”

  “Yeah. TMI, Rico. TMI.”

  Rico toed off his shoes and dropped his duffle bag on the bench. Striding across the mats he dropped next to Mark and Dan. “So what did I miss?”

  “You have a title fight,” Dan informed him.

  “Naturally,” Rico returned. “Anything else?”

  “Dan and I have our first pro fights,” Mark told him coolly.

  Rico grinned at him. “About time.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean that I think you both should have been fighting pro for a while now. You are both really good. You deserve this.”

  Mark felt his cheeks warm a little. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The last thing he needed to do was blush in front of his friends―he’d never hear the end of it. “Thanks, man. From you that means a lot.”

  “Yeah. You may change your tune when I kick your ass.”

  “Go ahead and try, Mr. Choate. You’ve been honeymooning for the last week. Some of us have been grinding.”

  “Natural talent. Can’t deny it. Let me stretch and I’ll demonstrate.”

  Mark laughed. “You’re on. Go stretch, pretty boy.”

  “Do you know why I’m pretty?” Rico motioned around his face. “No one lands a punch.”

  “Really? Those scars over your eye came from where? Gremlins?”

  “Yeah. Gremlins. Gremlins in gloves.” Rico was still chuckling as he leaned into his stretch. His head flung forward from the impact of a pair of gloves across the back of his head. Avery stormed past, still grumbling.

  “Dude,” Dan laughed. “You married one.”

  “Yeah.” Rico watched Avery stomp up the steps to the office, a wicked half smile on his lips. “I don’t mind when the gremlins look like that. They can hit me anytime.”

  Both Mark and Dan groaned as they stood to leave Rico to his stretches. The last thing they needed was a play by play account of Rico and Avery’s honeymoon. And they knew Rico would be happy to share.

  Despite the fact that Mark spent the entire week resenting Rico and his perfect new life, he was happy his friend was back in the gym. Dan and Max always proved a challenge when Mark rolled or sparred with them, but Rico was unique. He wasn’t lying when he said he had natural talent. He had been fighting since he was a kid and could see what his opponent was about to do before his opponent even thought it. Rico was the measuring stick Mark needed to reach. And in the next few weeks he would.

  They grappled and sparred for hours. As the orange sunset filled the gym with an amber glow, they slowly stretched and made their way to their bags. Mark gently patted Avery on the back before he signed to her, telling her how great she did. The little blonde Marine held her own against all the guys, especially him, even though he was twice her size. She grinned proudly then spoke. “Thank you.” She scampered off to put her gear in her bag as Mark zipped his up.

  The entire group made their way to their favorite diner, the Twin Cities, like they usually did after a training session. While they waited for their food Avery narrated the week she and Rico had shared, gushing about canoeing on the lake, touring the small town nearby, and sitting at a bonfire outside their cabin every night. She nearly got through her story before she noticed her husband mouthing “and had sex” to the rest every time she took a breath. She elbowed Rico in the ribs and crossed her arms over her chest while everyone else burst out laughing. Rico pulled her close to press a kiss to her temple, but when she snarled back, he started to apologize.

  Mark said his good-byes and trekked out to his truck to head home for
a quick nap before his shift started. He took a quick shower to get the gym grime off him and crawled between the sheets. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax. His mind immediately snapped back to the inferno and then to the mystery blonde he let slip through his fingers. Each time he had tried to sleep in the last week, the scene kept him awake. He should have gone with her instead of letting her slip from his fingers. Not that she wasn’t with another guy who was probably her boyfriend. Or husband.

  Still, Mark wanted a shot. And would never get one again.

  Before he knew it, his alarm went off. Mark sighed heavily as he crawled out of bed and tugged his khaki pants on. Buttoning his dress shirt, he glanced at himself in the mirror, noticing the dark rings growing beneath his eyes. He hadn’t had this little sleep since he left medical school. He desperately needed to get himself under control. He grabbed his truck keys from the top of his dresser and shuffled his way to his truck to get to work.

  Chapter Two

  Mark patted the little boy on the shoulder and looked up at his anxious mother. “It’s a simple break, Mrs. Crandall. Sam’s arm should heal nicely. I’ll be back in a few minutes to set it and get you on your way.” He winked at Sam. “What’s your favorite color, big guy?”

  Sam scanned Mark warily as he clenched his wounded arm to himself. “Green.”

  “How about neon green? Toxic ooze green?”

  Sam giggled. “Okay.”

  “Great. One ooze neon green cast coming up.” Mark nodded to Sam’s mom and opened the door to step outside, chuckling to himself. Yeah, the late nights wore on him, and he’d seen things in the ER that would give him nightmares for life. He’d been offered countless opportunities to practice sports medicine which would give him day hours and less stress. But it was moments like these that reminded him he was exactly where he was meant to be.

  He stopped dead in his tracks as he reached the nurses’ station. The presence of three police officers standing guard outside a room was never a good thing. He cocked an eyebrow at the redheaded nurse sitting at the desk as he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the officers. “What’s up, Joan?”