I squeeze his hand every time he comes back to me, letting him know I’m there and not leaving him.
While the medical personnel tend to him, I stand back and closely watch despite them asking me to leave the room.
Yeah, having four Secret Service special agents at my beck and call has its perks. Telling a doctor to get to work and forget about me leaving Kev’s side is one of them.
They’ve held off giving him his next dose of pain medication, and they pump a little something into his IV to help wake him up. I guess they need to check his breathing without the machine helping him first before they actually pull the tube. Then he’s coughing, and they’re telling him to breathe, and those sounds are some of the best I’ve ever heard in my life.
The doctor steps aside while the nurses finish doing whatever it is they’re doing. “He’ll probably go back to sleep when we give him his next dose of pain meds,” the doctor says. “You should go home and sleep, sir.”
“I’ll go home when I’m ready.” Impatiently, I stand there watching. They place an oxygen cannula on Kev and get him settled again, with the head of his bed raised a little more than it was before.
Finally, they finish fucking around with him, the nurse adds a syringe of medicine to Kev’s IV pump, they check his vitals one last time, and then they all leave the room.
Back at his side, I lean in to press another kiss to his forehead, which this time earns me a strange look from him. “Love you,” I whisper.
“Chris—”
“Shh.” I sit in my chair and take his hand, stroking my thumb over the backs of his fingers. “Squeeze my hand.”
He does, weakly, while watching me.
I smile. “You remember waking up a little bit ago?”
He frowns. “I… Something about Queen?”
Relief sweeps through me. “Close enough.”
“What happened?”
“You earned yourself a spanking,” I whisper. “That’s what. You’re not allowed to scare me like that.”
His eyes flutter closed, then snap open again, like he’s fighting the effects of whatever they’re dosing him with. “What?”
I squeeze his hand again. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk later.”
He does.
I take out my phone and snap a picture of him before I turn on the playlist again, bumping the volume down a little.
He smiles, even in sleep, and I want to believe this means we’re out of the woods. I lay my head against the bed and reach over with one hand to rub his forehead with my thumb the way I know he loves.
My boy.
Mine.
At just before nine that morning, Kev’s drifted in and out a few times, and my detail and I are working on over twenty-four hours without sleep, when Jack is notified that Portia is inbound.
I’m certain there’s a media firestorm whirling outside the hospital, but ask me if I care.
Because I don’t.
That woman is going to get a spanking for disobeying me, though. She’s at least an hour earlier than she should be, but I get it.
When she arrives, her detail has to stay out in the hall, because mine aren’t going anywhere yet, and there’s not enough room in there for all of us. She heads to me first and hugs me. She looks like hell, her eyes puffy from crying, and with only the barest traces of makeup on her face. She’s pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, too.
Kev was asleep, but during the quiet hubbub of her entrance, he awakens.
She immediately breaks away from me and goes to him, leaning in and hugging him, whispering to him.
I lean in. “Kiss him,” I whisper in her ear, and she gives me a strange look.
I nod. “It’s okay. They know now. They won’t tell.”
I spot the way her gaze softens, maybe even close to tears again. She leans in and kisses Kev, on the lips. “Love you, Sir,” she whispers.
He manages a pained smile for her. “Love you, too.”
Then she turns and really seems to see me. She points at the private bath. “Go get a shower,” she orders. “I won’t leave until you’re done. I’ll stay with him. I have time.”
I kiss her for that. “Thank you.”
I’ve been afraid to leave Kev’s side. Other Secret Service agents have brought us food and coffee as we request it, but other than to use the bathroom, I haven’t left Kev’s side since they brought me here once he was out of surgery.
I quickly strip and stand under spray that’s not nearly hot enough for my tastes, but then I realize it’s probably a safety feature to prevent scalding.
I flip it over to cold for a moment, shivering as the biting edge of the water chips away at my exhaustion a little. Back to warm, and now it feels hotter. I quickly shave in the shower, hoping I haven’t butchered my face in the process, but I’ve shaved faster under worse conditions, so I’m used to it.
Ten minutes later, I’m back at his bedside and feeling more human. I don’t bother putting on a tie, and I roll the sleeves of my fresh shirt up my forearms and leave the top button open at the neck.
Shae looks up at me. “Maybe you should go home and sleep. Have you slept?”
I shake my head. “I’ll nap now that he’s improving. I’m not leaving him yet.”
“You can’t live here at the hospital.”
Watch me, is what I want to say.
What actually comes out of my mouth is, “We’re completely moving him into the residence when he’s discharged.”
Now I get the eyebrow. “We are?”
“Yep. He’s going to need to recover, he won’t be able to handle the townhouse’s stairs at first, and he’ll want to work, you know he will. Can you think of a logistically better option?”
She presses her lips together in a pitiful and nearly successful attempt to hold back her smile. “No, I can’t. I’ll notify the Chief Usher.”
“And I want him in the second floor, not the third floor,” I add.
She glances over at the agents, but then meets my gaze. When she speaks, she drops her voice. “We’ll officially assign him to the third floor.”
I arch my eyebrow at her. “You know damn well where he’ll be.”
Yes, she does. He’ll be in our bed, with us.
Not that the public will know, or even most of the staff. The second and third floors are off-limits to the public. Yasmine signed an ironclad NDA that will protect us, but she’s dedicated to the kids. I have no worries about her loyalty, and they love her, too.
“You need to contact Sec. Bryant and tell her to shove it down the pipe that Kev gets a detail from now on. Otherwise, you’ll need to EO it.”
She presses her lips together in that way I know so freaking well, but my girl nods. “I’ll call Sasha.”
I kiss her. “Thank you.” I finally get Shae out of there after a promise that I’ll nap. I know I need to release my detail and let them change out, but I’m afraid to.
I need to deal with Eisenthal, now, so he doesn’t pull them. Publicly, Shae needs to follow chain of command to keep things looking legit.
John looks like he’s about to drop. “Go ahead and switch off,” I tell him. I know there is already another shift there, at the hospital, awaiting my word to release these guys, so coverage isn’t an issue.
Eventually they file out, the new shift replacing them. The door no sooner shuts behind them than I’m on my official phone and calling Director Andrew Eisenthal. I also don’t care if these guys hear me. They know me, maybe not the way John and the others do, but they’re all good men.
Eisenthal and I have had a slightly contentious relationship ever since I ended up marrying Shae. For obvious reasons, he can’t know the truth about what transpired, or the exact timeline of events. I know he wasn’t happy with me, however, when he learned I was marrying her. The perceived impropriety was more in his mind than anywhere else though. Because I wasn’t on an official protective detail for her, and I could point to where, when assignments were being handed out, I
officially reported that I knew Shae personally.
Nothing that could come back and bite me in the ass, because Shae is a fricking genius when it comes to setting up a plan. Apparently, she learned her tactics while studying at her mother’s feet.
One benefit about my position is when you call the director of Secret Service, he usually takes your call.
“Yes, Mr. Bruunt?”
I know that chafes him, that he’s now forced by protocol to defer to me, but I’ll take every advantage I have and run with it. “My detail from yesterday morning,” I say without preamble or bullshit. “They stay on the job.”
A soft grumble crosses the line. “Mr. Bruunt, staffing is not your—”
“Cut the bullshit, Andrew. You know damn well it used to be my expertise. I broke protocol, not them.” I rub at my forehead, a headache threatening to break through. “I worked the rope line without letting them know ahead of time. It’s my fault. I decided on-site without clearing it with them first.”
Another uncomfortable pause. “Again, Mr. Bruunt, no offense, but—”
“Please don’t make me call Shae about this. You don’t want her daily readout list to include a call ordering you to keep my detail, do you? Because I will totally pull that dick move on you, sir.”
I throw that last word in there in an attempt to soften the blow. We both know he’ll end up caving, and I’m trying to give him a chance to spare a little dignity when it comes to this.
“I’ll take it under advisement, Mr. Bruunt.”
“That means they’d better be on-duty tomorrow morning, or you will face a media shitstorm of epic proportions by end-of-day tomorrow. My wife isn’t the only one who knows how to manipulate a pool spray. No suspensions, no write-up in their jackets—nothing. I’m an agent, just like you, just like them. I made the mistake of thinking I was bulletproof, which is another issue. I didn’t wear my vest today because I wasn’t planning on working the rope line. Like I said, I broke protocol, and my best friend nearly died.”
I honestly thought he would leave me spinning in the wind, but he caves after a tense silence. I’ll gladly take the dressing down if it means those men still have jobs. “You, better than anyone, know how this works. Why would you do that? Why would you act so careless and stupid? So reckless? I would expect something like this from your wife, because she’s a civilian. You know the risks and you still took them? What if the kids had been with you?”
I slump back in my chair, finally able to breathe a little easier that my stupidity didn’t cost those men their jobs. I’d already thought of that myself, about the kids. “Because I wasn’t thinking, and I saw a group of kids there. Young kids. Honestly? I was thinking how cool would it be for them to say they got to see me up close. They were little kids. And now they’re probably traumatized because I was an idiot.”
“Thank god there weren’t any other reported injuries.”
“How’s Jack’s hand?”
Eisenthal snorts. “He’ll live. It was his left, and he’s a righty, so he’ll be on duty tomorrow. Medical cleared him.”
“Good. Thank you, Director Eisenthal. I appreciate this.”
Another grumble. “Don’t you dare put me in this position again. Ever. Understand me?”
“I will be a model protectee from this moment on, I swear.” I turn so I can watch Kev where he’s sleeping. “And I need another favor, please.”
“Really? Aren’t you pushing it now?”
I ignore the jab. “Prophet. When he’s released, he’ll be moving into the residence with us. I want him to have permanent protection any time he has to leave the White House without myself or my wife.”
There’s a notable pause from Eisenthal. “I know he’s your friend, and considering the circumstances, I don’t blame you, and I even agree with you. Still, that has to go through official channels. I can’t up and do it without orders from the Secretary, you know that.”
“That’s already in the works. I’m giving you a heads-up now so you can start the preparations. Secretary Bryant will receive a call from the president’s office, if she hasn’t already. But Prophet doesn’t move anywhere he’s not protected, unless he’s already with Portia or myself.”
“We’ll take care of it.” He pauses. “How is he?”
I have to swallow back the lump in my throat. “They’re guarded, but optimistic. He’s already been awake and talking, but he’s asleep right now from pain meds. We’re waiting to see if he will end up with an infection or not. As long as he doesn’t, and there’s no bleeding, the doctors say he’ll likely make a full recovery.”
He breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank christ.”
“Any news on the shooter?”
“I can’t reveal the details of an ongoing investigation, but still looks like a lone wolf situation.”
“Why was he trying to go after me, anyway? Did he say?” There’s an uncomfortable silence, and I check to make sure I didn’t lose the call. “Director Eisenthal?”
“No one’s told you?”
A chill washes through my gut at his tone. “Told me what?”
An uncomfortable hesitation fills his voice when he next speaks. “We…haven’t released this to the media yet. Ongoing investigation, so don’t say anything. I know gave orders for you to be briefed on this.”
“On what?”
“Chris, he wasn’t targeting you. Kevin Markos was his intended target.”
Chapter Fifteen
I let the kids come visit that afternoon, and Shae comes with them. Kev’s still groggy, but awake enough to give the kids smiles and so they can lean in and kiss his cheeks, hold his hands, and convince themselves he’s going to be okay.
With every hour that passes, the doctors breathe a little easier. No signs of internal bleeding, his blood work still looks good, his vitals are strong.
Leo shows up around nine. Kev wakes up, but still looks groggy.
“Go home, Chris,” Leo says. “I’ll stay with him all night.”
Kev turns his head to me. “Chris, go home and sleep. Please. Make Shae eat. Tell her I said so.”
I’m scared to. I’m terrified if I leave him he’ll take a turn for the worse, or his father might show up or something.
“I’ll keep his father out,” Leo says. “Don’t worry. And Kev’s been issued full protection by the Director. He has his own detail now. They’ll be here, too”
“Please, Chris?” Kev asks. “I’m worried about Shae.”
“Uh, she’s not the one in the bed.”
He motions me in close, and when I lean in, he makes fish lips at me until I kiss him. “Please, Sir?” he whispers. “Go get some sleep. I trust Leo.”
I haven’t told him yet he was the target, not me. I’ve passed the word not to tell him that yet.
“Let me go talk to the doctors first.” And I do. I talk to the doctors, the nurses, I remind everyone that Congressman Markos or his representatives are not allowed on this floor, much less in Kev’s room, and make sure the detail knows it, too. Then I return to his room to kiss him goodnight.
“Love you, boy,” I whisper.
He gives me a tired smile. “Love you, too, Sir. Kiss the girl from me, huh?”
“I will.”
I hug Leo. “Don’t worry,” he says. “No visitors unless I know them personally and know they’re friends.”
I nod. “Okay. And you stay with him if he gets a visitor.”
“Absolutely.”
I trust Leo. It has to be enough.
I let my detail lead me downstairs to where The Beast awaits to carry me home. When I return, I guess someone let Shae know, because she and the kids swarm me when I go upstairs, wanting updates.
“He’s okay,” I tell them, updating them.
Once we get the kids in bed, I climb into our shower with Shae and stand there, crying as she holds me.
“It’s my fault,” I tell her. “It’s my fault.”
“If he was the target, it’s not your fault
at all.”
“He might not have thrown himself in front of me if he knew I was wearing body armor.”
“Uh, yeah, he would’ve. Just like you would’ve done the same thing in reverse, you know you would. He’s going to be okay, and, hey, like you said, perfect excuse to make him move in permanently, right?”
“Yeah.”
She holds me while I get it out of my system. I know it’s stress and exhaustion and everything else. I don’t even remember going from the shower to bed, but next thing I know, it’s morning, and she’s on the phone with someone. When she spots I’m awake, she smiles and walks over. “Here.” She hands me the phone.
“Hello?”
“I’m in the hospital one damn day, and you’re sleeping late, Sir?”
I close my eyes and break down in tears even as I laugh. “You’re an awfully brave boy when there’s a damn phone between me and your ass.”
“Yes, Sir, I am.”
“Love you, Kev.”
He sighs. “I love you, too, Chris, but I’m not dying. That’s what I’m calling for. Doc said my blood work still looks good. No sign of infection. They’re going to let me try water by mouth today to see how I tolerate it. Maybe clear liquids and broth tomorrow.”
I don’t care that I’m crying. Shae hugs me from behind as I do. “You’re in so much fucking trouble. Don’t you dare ever put yourself in front of a bullet again, do you hear me?”
“Yeah, well, nice to know I’m missed.” I can hear him smiling.
“I am going to fucking beat that gorgeous ass of yours when you’re feeling better.”
“Oooh, promise?”
He’s really okay. If he’s joking around, he has to be okay. Emotion squeezes my throat nearly shut. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again, baby. I can’t take it. I can’t lose you.”
“I’m not dying, Sir. I promise.”
I sniffle back tears. “Let me speak to Leo, please.”
“Okay, here he is. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Leo comes on the line. “There, see? I didn’t lose him overnight.”
“Damn good thing.” I rub at my eyes. “I’ll be in once I get a shower and wake up. Thank you for this.”
Desire (Determination Trilogy 3) Page 12
