Hard Drive Boxed Set

by Tricia Andersen

  “Joan, it’s no big deal,” Mark objected.

  “Nonsense. Where?”

  Mark slumped on the exam table. “On my back. Behind my knee.”

  “What did they hit you with?”

  “A baseball bat.”

  “Oh, Hun. Take the shirt off so I can take a look. Then I’ll send one of the doctors in.”

  Mark winced as he shrugged his shirt off over his head. He heard Joan curse under her breath. It must have been bad. Joan had never used a foul word in all the time he’d known her. He chuckled weakly. “Is it bad?”

  “Hun, you’re gonna have to take some time off from training to heal.”

  “Can’t. Max got me another fight. Whoever wins this gets a shot at the belt. I’ll have to play through the pain.”

  “With your background in sports medicine, you know that’s a terrible idea.”

  “I know. It doesn’t change things.”

  Joan sighed. “Fine. I’ll go get Tom. And I’m calling security to see if they can check the tape for your attackers.”

  Mark smiled at her. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  She patted him on the knee. “Of course. You’re the only doctor around here I like. The rest I tolerate. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” She opened the exam room door and gave him one last comforting smile before closing the door behind her.

  Mark wasn’t sure how long he sat in that exam room. It felt like an eternity. He pulled out his phone to check it. There were already two texts from Lexi. He jammed his cell back in his pocket angrily. He didn’t know who had attacked him. It could have been a random assault. They hadn’t demanded anything. They just seemed determined to make him suffer. Somehow I have a feeling her ex is behind this.

  Finally the exam door opened but it wasn’t Tom. A security guard and a police officer stepped inside. Each had a list of questions to ask. Several were repeated. It didn’t matter. It gave him something to do other than sit there and ache. Once they were finished, they promised to look at the security tapes. Mark thanked them as they stepped out, nearly colliding with Tom.

  Tom cocked a grin at him. “Geez, Mark. Back so soon?”

  “Yep. I’ve been contemplating how long I make my patients wait,” he responded with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

  “You waited. I get it. Why are you back?”

  “I got jumped in the parking ramp.”

  “On your back?”

  “That’s why my shirt’s off. They got my knee too.”

  “And you didn’t pound them into the ground?”

  “They were slippery. I got to get to the gym.”

  “Got it.” Tom set the chart beside Mark to examine him. He blew out a long, steady breath. “Yeah, you’ll want to make other plans.”

  “Is anything broken?” Mark questioned.

  “I doubt it. But you need to heal. This is the second time you’ve been in here in the last couple of months. What’s going on?”

  Mark grabbed his shirt, grimacing as he tugged it back on. “Nothing. I got jumped. That’s all. Am I good to go?”

  “Ice. Ibuprofen. Rest. I’ll get your discharge papers.” Tom left the door open a crack as he stepped out.

  Mark watched as Tom stopped in front of the nurses’ desk to talk to Joan. The conversation grew quite animated. There was little doubt they were talking about him. He had hoped Tom wouldn’t have picked up on the fact that this had been his second ER trip in the past few months. He could tell the doctor was worried. I have to admit. I am too. If those guys were connected with Lexi, is this relationship worth risking my life over?

  He sighed as the thought crossed his mind. Yes, she and Logan are definitely worth the risk.

  Joan stepped back into the room with a piece of paper in her hand. “I called up to pediatrics and found someone to cover your shift tonight. They owe me a favor so I cashed in. I can’t stop you from training. But I can get you extra time to rest. Go home, teddy bear. Get better.”

  Mark smiled in appreciation. “Thanks, Joan.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  He looked up to find one of the security guards he spoke to waiting by the door. “I can walk you to your car, Dr. Jacobsen.”

  Mark nodded. “Thank you. I’d like the company.”

  He took his time making his way back to his vehicle. His knees stiffened with each step. The idle chit chat with the security guard ran stale quickly. He just wanted to sit. Once the throbbing in his knee dulled, he flipped the ignition and threw the truck in reverse. As he drove, his mind wandered. The pain mixed with fear and anger, and he could feel his heart race from the emotions raging inside him. The blare from a couple of car horns brought his attention back to the road.

  As he tugged open the door to Hard Drive, he was greeted by that oh-so obnoxious voice that lately bothered him so much.

  “About time you showed up,” Rico joked as he rested his gloved fists on his hips. He looked like a MMA Peter Pan in that stance.

  “Shut it, Rico,” Mark snapped as he stormed past.

  Normally Rico would return Mark’s outburst with a cheesy grin. Instead his face fell and he looked concerned. Mark kept his path to the locker room, doing his best not to limp. He opened his locker and jammed his stuff inside, then stopped suddenly. How would he change his shirt without someone noticing the bruises?

  “Mark, what’s wrong?”

  Mark spun to find Dan and Rico in the doorway. He could see Max in the distance coming up on their heels.

  “Nothing,” Mark grumbled. “I’m late. I need to change.”

  “You’re limping,” Rico stated.

  “Thanks for the observation, Mister Obvious.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing. Just leave it alone.”

  “Not likely. Talk.”

  Mark sighed heavily and pulled his shirt off over his head. A string of curse words erupted behind him. There was silence. Then Rico spoke again. “Explain.”

  “I got jumped.”

  “By who?”

  “Some guys in the parking ramp at the hospital.”

  “Mark, you’re on the bags today,” Max ordered.

  Mark spun around to face them. “Max, my fight.”

  “Still on. But you have to take care of yourself. We’ll see how you’re doing tomorrow. All right?”

  Mark shrugged, disappointed. “Sure.”

  Max disappeared down the hall toward the gym. Dan nudged his glasses up his nose then wrapped his arms around himself. “Who jumped you? Did you know them?”

  “Never saw them before,” Mark answered. He forced a smile at his friend. “Random act. I’ll be fine.”

  Dan paused and then nodded. He followed Max back to the gym area. Rico leaned against the doorframe and watched Mark, who frowned. “What do you want, Rico?”

  “I want you to talk. I’m here to listen.”

  “I have nothing to say.”

  “Fine. When you do, I’m here. Okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Rico slowly spun on his toe and strode down the hall. Mark watched him disappear before he tugged his T-shirt on. He took his time changing, watching for his injuries as he dressed. After grabbing his wraps and gloves, he followed the others to the gym.

  Enviously, he watched them practice as he threw punches at the bag. Training was what relaxed him. It cleared his mind of what he dealt with the night before at work. The bag was helping somewhat but wasn’t entirely doing the trick. He threw another combo with a heavy sigh.

  It was a little after noon when Mark slipped off his gloves and trudged his way back to his locker. With a sleepy yawn, he yanked the door open and stuffed his gloves into his bag before glancing at his phone. An email waited for him. Tapping the screen, he opened it. A dark but clear photo of his attackers stared back at him. A small smile traced his lips. The security office certainly had been helpful. It was too bad he had no idea who these guys were. He saved it to his phone then dug in his pocket for the business c
ard the officer had given him. He sent the photo in an e-mail to the officer. He slung his bag carefully over his shoulder and slammed the door of the locker shut.

  He barely stepped a foot out of the locker room before he was met by Chloe and Avery. “What can I do for you ladies?”

  Lexi and Chloe glanced at each other. Then Chloe spoke. “Mark, you know how much we love you.”

  “Of course. Where are you going with this?”

  Avery jumped in. “Max told us what happened. We know it’s your life.” She glanced at Chloe once more then finished. “But we think you should reconsider seeing this girl.”

  “Say what?” Mark demanded.

  “We don’t want anything to happen to you. First you’re jumped. Then what? We need our teddy bear.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself.”

  “You’ve only known her for a couple months. Is she worth risking your life?”

  “Frankly, yes. She needs someone to be strong for her right now. I just wish you’d get to know her better before you judged her. I think you’d really like her. Excuse me. I need to get home.” He hurried between them, swallowing back his anger as he did so. He didn’t bother saying Good-bye as he stormed out to his truck.

  He fumed his entire way home. As much as he tried to calm himself it didn’t work. His friends at Hard Drive were his family. How could they question his judgement like this?

  As he approached his townhouse, his mouth dropped. Lexi’s car sat outside waiting for him. He barely parked his truck before she hopped out of the driver’s seat. The frown on her face made his heart skip a beat.

  He force a smile on his face. “What’s up, babe?”

  “You didn’t return my calls or texts,” she accused softly.

  “I’m sorry. Something came up.”

  “Like what?” she questioned.

  “It’s nothing, really.”

  She looked away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, then unfolded them and dropped them to her sides. Mark didn’t miss the dark shading on her arm that hid beneath the sleeve of her jacket.

  “Little warm for a coat today, don’t you think?” he asked.

  “It’s fine,” she mumbled.

  Mark closed the door to the truck and strode to her. He gently took her arm and felt her cringe at his touch. When he pulled the sleeve back, he cursed as he found at least a half dozen fresh bruises peppering her skin.

  “Lexi, tell me what happened,” he demanded.

  “Derek found me in the parking lot of the grocery store,” she whispered. “He kept slamming his fists on the hood demanding I let him in. Stupidly I did. He grabbed me and shook me. He shouted at me that no one would ever want me and called me a whore. Then he told me that he would kill anyone who came near me. Another customer must have seen what was happening and called the cops. They said that he looked like he was going to kill me. Of course he took off before the police got there. They took my statement and asked if I knew where he was. I have no idea. He hops from one family member to the other to avoid the law. I tried calling you but you didn’t answer so…”

  Mark finished her sentence. “You thought I didn’t want you.”

  Lexi nodded as tears filled her eyes.

  He cupped her chin in his hands and gazed at her. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Come on. Let’s go in.”

  She shook her head. “You’re supposed to be going to bed. You have to work tonight.”

  Mark motioned toward his townhouse. “Yeah. About that. You’ll understand in a bit.”

  He followed her up the steps and unlocked the front door. He excused himself long enough to let Kinnick out of his kennel and shooed the dog outside. Before long Mark was settled next to Lexi on the couch and Kinnick was nestled the best he could in her lap.

  Mark took a deep breath and let it go. “I didn’t call you because I had to go back into my department.”

  “Why? Was there an emergency?” she asked, alarmed.

  “No. It was for me.” He carefully tugged off his shirt. His heart fell as he heard her gasp.

  “What happened?” Lexi skimmed a finger close to a discolored spot.

  “A couple guys jumped me in the parking garage. I’m sure it was random.”

  “Can you tell me what they look like?”

  “I can do you one better. Security at the hospital sent me an image of them.” Mark pulled out his phone and scrolled to the message the security guards had sent. He handed it to her.

  Her breath escaped her lungs in a rush. “Oh my.”

  Mark frowned. “Do you know them?”

  “It’s Derek’s brother and cousin. He sent them to hurt you. Just like he said he would,” she murmured.

  Mark turned her eyes to him. “He isn’t going to do anything else to me. I already filed a police report and they caught one of them. I’m going to be vigilant from here on. Do not worry about me. I’m fine.”

  Lexi forced a smile on her face and nodded. He knew she struggled to believe him. He continued. “Where’s Logan?”

  “With my dad, fishing. Dad is fishing. Logan would be watching the boats. He loves boats.”

  “Really, huh? Good to know.” He hugged her tight to him. “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t trust Derek. Do you have anything you can do here?”

  “My laptop is in my bag. I have the next book in my series to work on. My editor has been asking for it for two months now. Having to hide from Derek has kept me from finishing it.”

  “Good. I’ll walk you to your car to get it. Then you can settle in here. I’ll take a nap on the couch so you won’t be alone. Of course, Kinnick will keep you company too whether you want him to or not.”

  Lexi laughed. “Don’t you need some really good sleep? Don’t you need to go to work tonight?”

  “Joan found someone to cover my shift. Need a pot of coffee while you write?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Let me get that started then we’ll go get your laptop.”

  “All right.”

  Mark pressed a kiss to her lips and stood. As he walked to the kitchen he laughed. As he had guessed, Kinnick didn’t move an inch. He was way too comfy on Lexi’s lap. Glancing back one last time, Mark found her gently stroking the dog’s head.

  He picked up the carafe and filled it with water. Pouring it into the machine, he replaced it on the burner and slipped a filter into the basket. Before he could grab the coffee grounds, he felt his phone vibrate.

  He scooped it out of his pocket and answered it. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, Sweetheart,” his mom replied. “I have Cindy’s phone number. She’s excited to meet Lexi. So am I.”

  “Let me grab a pen and paper so I can write it down.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll text it to you. Cindy said she would be in town in a couple of weeks if you are free.”

  “I can ask to have the weekend off. I was planning on coming home anyway. I’ll see if Lexi and Logan would want to come too.”

  “When were you planning on telling me?” his mom questioned.

  “Umm…surprise?”

  “Sure, Mark. Give Cindy a call. And let me know for sure so I can get the guest room ready.”

  “I will, Mom. I need to go get some sleep.”

  “All right. Good-bye, sweetheart.”

  “Good-bye, Mom. Love you.”

  “Love you too, kiddo.”

  Mark quieted his phone and set it on the counter. He poured the grounds into the coffee maker, flipped it on to brew, and then strode to the living room. He held his hand out to Lexi. “Should we go get your laptop?”

  “Sure.” She looked down at her lap and laughed. Kinnick’s eyes shifted from her to Mark but he didn’t move. “But I’m not sure I can get up.”

  Mark snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor. “Come on, Kinnick. Get up.”

  The dog didn’t move. Lexi chuckled again. “Here. Let me try.” She carefully attempted to stand. Considering the size
of the pit bull, it took some effort. Finally Kinnick got up off her lap and hopped to the floor. With a huff he wandered to the kitchen.

  “Stubborn brat,” Mark muttered.

  Lexi gave him a grin as she took his hand. “Come on. Let’s get my laptop so you can get some sleep. Even though I’m pretty sure if Kinnick finds my lap again I’m not going to get any work done.”

  Laughing, they stepped outside and journeyed to her car. They took a moment to enjoy the warm sunshine mixed with soft kisses before she retrieved her computer bag from the backseat. He led her back into the house.

  “I’ll get you a cup of coffee,” he offered. “I’m going to make myself some chicken breasts and egg whites. Want me to fix a plate for you?”

  “Yes, please. With everything that happened this morning, I never got something to eat. I’m starving. Can I come help you?”

  “You just settle yourself in. I got you. I precooked the chicken so it’s just a matter of warming it up and cooking the egg whites. I’ll get your coffee and hopefully your fuzzy assistant won’t interrupt you too much.” He flashed her a smile and stepped into the kitchen. He poured her a cup of coffee then added a touch of cream. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he found Kinnick nestled between Lexi’s outstretched legs draped across the love seat. Mark set the mug on the end table, pressed a kiss to her forehead and returned to the stove. He noticed as he stood still that his body still ached from the earlier assault, but he didn’t care. Being with Lexi made it all fade away.

  He handed the plate to her and settled on the couch. He took a few bites before he talked. “My mom talked to her friend. Cindy has time in a couple of weekends to sit down with you. I thought we could make a weekend of it if you were free. My parents have a guest bedroom with a queen size bed. You and Logan could sleep there.”

  Lexi looked up at him warily. “I’m not sure about talking to anyone. It’s not like I’m living with him. It’s not like he beats me daily.”

  “Look at your arm, Lexi. It’s enough. Come on. It can’t hurt to talk to her.”

  “That’s true. But…”

  “But what?”

  “Your parents. I’d be meeting your parents. Isn’t that a big step?”