“In the office. He’s reviewing the details of the purchase of his new shop/garage. He’s been in there for a while. He might be finished.” Gable waved.
“Stay here, okay? I’ll be back with Maddox. We need to talk.” Micah took a deep breath and turned.
“Sure, I’m still looking, so I don’t plan to run out for anything.” Gable nodded.
Micah left the room and headed down the hall to the office. Maddox used it more than Gable or him. Gable liked to keep home and work separate, and Micah tried to finish office work at his practice. Micah knocked on the door and pushed it open.
“Hey, Micah, nice to see you home at a reasonable time. I thought you planned to make a habit of working as late as you could until we were able to clear this difficulty and bring Dixie into our home.” Maddox swiveled around in the office chair.
“Are you finished in here or at a place that you can stop at this point?” Micah stopped in the doorway.
“Sure, just give me a couple minutes to shut everything down. Is something wrong? Did something happen? You don’t look as if this is just normal.” Maddox frowned.
“Something happened, and this isn’t normal, but I’ll explain when you get out there. I wasn’t attacked, so it’s not like that.” Micah waved his hand. “I’ll be waiting in the living room with Gable and I’ll tell you both at the same time.”
“Not very reassuring, Micah, but sure, I’ll be there in a minute. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together.” Maddox turned back to the computer and touched the screen.
Micah turned and left. He walked to the living room and dropped into one of the plush, black armchairs. Gable closed his computer and put it on the coffee table.
“So, what’s up, and why did you go look for Maddox?” Gable relaxed back against the cushions on the couch.
“I wanted him here so I could tell you both at the same time. I didn’t want to go through this once only to have the other drawn in here by raised voices and get into it again.” Micah ran a hand over his jaw. His beard was getting a little long again.
“Raised voices. It’s going to be one of those discussions?” Gable arched his eyebrows.
“Apparently. He told me there was something wrong, but that it wasn’t an attack.” Maddox strolled into the room and dropped onto the sofa. “All right, I’m here. Tell us what’s wrong.”
“I did something stupid, and it’s all my fault.” Micah clenched his hand and deliberately relaxed it. If only he could change it, but it was too late.
“What?” Gable leaned forward. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“No.” Micah shook his head. “Remember how I told you that I thought Dixie was avoiding me? Well, I thought I caught her doing it again while she was at work. I went after her to tell her to stop and act like an adult. We should be able to work in the same building even though we can’t be together.”
“Oh, hell, I told you that avoiding her and her avoiding you might be for the best. It keeps temptation at bay. As long as we know she’s safe and is working when she’s assigned, that’s good.” Maddox ran his hand over the back of his neck. “What happened?”
“I caught up with her in the parking lot and told her to stop neglecting her duty.” Micah clenched his hand. The first misstep in that chain of mistakes.
“Oh, I bet that went over well.” Gable shook his head. “As much as you’ve said she turns and walks away from you, she would have already lost her job if she did it while on duty.”
“It went over about as well as a brick flies.” Micah waved his hand. “Turns out that she wasn’t on duty. She was just getting off and didn’t even want to walk past me. But that’s not what really went wrong. Although, my lecture on fulfilling her duty as a nurse and not neglecting it pissed her off. By the way, she does have a temper.”
So damn infuriating. If there wasn’t danger, he’d have her in their home so fast, her head would spin.
“Good to know she has some fire in her, but what went really wrong?” Gable leaned forward, his hands clasped together.
“And did you actually think lecturing her about running out on her duty would be received with a smile and a thank you for telling me?” Maddox shook his head. “I personally would have hit you.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think about how she’d receive it when I went after her. I just chased after her. Arguing with me, she told me that I had no right to tell her anything or expect anything from her since we don’t want her. I tried to explain that there was danger around us and that she was safer away from us.” Micah exhaled. Were they making the right choice in staying away from her? If she was hurt while they were apart, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
“From your expression, she didn’t buy it.” Gable straightened.
“Not at all. She said whyr men don’t leave women alone when there could be danger. I explained that it was only focused on us. That she should be safe as long as we’re not with her.” Micah rose to his feet. That had to be true. If not, all this could be for nothing and putting her at risk, too.
“As if we’re happy about having her apart from us.” Gable ran his hand through his hair.
“I told her to call us if she ran into any kind of trouble. That didn’t go over well at all. She told me off. She said I had no right to know anything about her life.” Micah smiled. In a way, he’d deserved it.
“Did she smack you? Because someone telling me to do something when they weren’t even in my life, I’d be inclined to give you a little shove for it.” Maddox clasped his hands together.
“No, she didn’t really react until I called her kitten.” Micah shook his head. “By the way, kitten cannot be her pet name at all.”
Gable laughed. “Would you be insulted if someone called you puppy?”
“I get that now, but it just kind of popped out. She looked kind of cute standing up to me, like a fluffy little kitten.” Micah paced in front of the coffee table.
“So what went wrong other than you had an argument with her?” Gable drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch. “You wouldn’t be this upset about an argument.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t like it, but I’d deal with it.” Micah nodded. “You know that remark about kitten? Well, I told her we’d find something else. She said if she was still around then.”
“Oh, hell, what happened?” Maddox ran his palm across his shaven head.
“I grabbed her. We argued a little, and I ended up kissing her.” Micah stared at the white carpet on the floor. That would be taken out in the coming months. Too much traffic between the three of them to keep a white carpet.
“Damn, do you think it will cause mating fever?” Maddox leaned forward.
“I don’t know. It could cause it. A kiss could be enough. I’ve heard of less contact leading to it. But she could just as easily get it.” Micah blew out a breath. “We’ll have to keep track of her and watch her as best we can. I don’t know if she’d come to us if anything happened to her.”
Nothing would happen to their woman. Not if they could help it.
Chapter Three
Grocery shopping at the last minute sucked.
Dixie walked out of the grocery store, pushing her loaded cart. The wheels rattled as they rolled across the asphalt. If she hadn’t forgotten to shop last week, she wouldn’t have needed to buy out the store for food and household supplies. She’d been so flustered after the kiss from Micah that she’d driven straight home instead of heading to the store as she planned and hadn’t had time during the rest of the week.
All that damn doctor’s fault. If only he’d minded his own business. She ran a hand through her hair. A small flame of anger still flickered in her, but there was more. A low heat simmered in her, the arousal a persistent buzz. Was it just attraction, or was it the beginnings of mating fever? Hopefully not the fever. She could really do without the mating fever. It would complicate things, and she’d have to deal with it. No way would she go to that arrogant know-it-all or his
friends.
An engine revved. She lifted her head. Nothing moving, probably some kid testing out their parents’ car. Dixie sighed. All well and good until you accidentally hit the gearshift and ran into a stop sign. She grimaced. Mom had not been happy about that.
She crossed through the nearly empty parking lot to her car. Why couldn’t some of those people have left before I got here? Then I wouldn’t have to push this damn cart all the way to the middle row. It was the only row where she could get anywhere close to the store.
She sighed and pushed the car toward her baby. Nice and gleaming, freshly washed, all the fingerprints gone unless someone else had put their hands on it while she was in the store. She frowned. For some reason, people always seemed to touch her car.
The car revved again. Hopefully, the kid wouldn’t have an accident. Rubber squealed against asphalt. She stopped near the back of her car and clicked the lock. She popped the trunk and reached for the first bag. The revving motor grew closer. She looked up.
A silver truck raced toward her. She caught her breath. Icy fear stabbed through her. Oh, fuck, it was going to hit her.
The front end crashed into the basket, which slammed into her, throwing her back. The darkened sky and the lot lights whirled overhead. She hit the ground. Her breath rushed out of her, and her chest tightened as if a band wrapped around it. She rolled to her side and moaned. Fuck. The bastard hit her. An ache shot through her hips and lower legs.
Tires squealed. She levered up. The silver truck turned around. Her heart raced. Oh, God, it’s coming back. She scrambled to her knees and lurched to her feet. Pain screamed through her legs.
Her car, she had to get to it. She’d be safer there than she was here. Slicing daggers shot through her with every jolting step. She wrenched the door open and jumped in. A jolt shot through her as she landed in the cushion and closed the door. She pushed the red emergency services button.
“Emergency services, can you tell me what happened? Do you need fire, police, or medical assistance?”
“A truck hit me while I was outside my car. I don’t see the truck anymore, but I’m hurting and I don’t know where my purse is. The police and maybe medical.” Dixie pressed a hand to her hip and winced. She’d be lucky if her only injuries were bruises.
“I’ll notify 911. Are you bleeding, ma’am?” the operator asked.
“Not that I can see.” Dixie took a deep breath. Internal bleeding was a possibility.
“I’ll have help on the way to you in a moment. Stay calm and tell me if anything changes, if you feel worse,” the operator said.
“I will.” Dixie leaned back against her seat.
The operator spoke to her several times before the flashing blue-and-red lights and screaming sirens arrived. Dixie exhaled. Good. Hopefully, whoever that was wouldn’t come back and it was just some type of accident. Though it had looked like it might come after her again.
Tap-tap. Dixie looked out and saw a uniformed officer standing beside the car. She unlocked the car and opened the door.
“Whoa, Dixie, I didn’t know this was you. They just dispatched me to a hit-and-run, female injured.” Logan knelt down beside her. “I’ll get someone else out here to head the investigation. Our crime scene unit is already on the way, as is an ambulance. How badly are you hurt?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think anything’s broken, but my legs, especially near my ankles, lower stomach, pelvis, and back are aching.” She took a deep breath. And damn lucky it was only that. “No pressure or tight feeling in my abdomen, so I’m hoping there isn’t any internal bleeding.”
“All right, I’ll update the ambulance and get right back to you.” Logan patted her knee before he rose and stepped back.
He eased away a few paces. Low mumbles reached her, but she didn’t try to decipher them. She scanned the darkness shrouding most of the parking lot. A bag blew across the parking lot. Probably from her groceries. Damn, what a waste.
“I’m back, Dixie. John’s coming to take over the investigation. Why don’t you tell me a little of what happened? You’ll have to go through it all again, but I want to know how the car hit you.” Logan knelt beside her. “Try not to move around. I know you don’t think you’re hurt badly, but that could be adrenaline.”
“I walked to my car. As I did, I heard some revving. I thought it was probably a teenager. You know how they can be. Hell, I was like that, too. Stopped at my car and opened the trunk to put in the bags. I heard a squeal of tires and looked up to see a truck coming at me. It hit the cart, and the cart hit me. I went flying.” She lifted a shoulder.
“Did you see the person driving?” Logan looked to the left as the ambulance pulled in.
“No, I don’t who it was or if it was a teenager.” She shook her head.
“Paramedics are here. They’ll take care of you now. Don’t be a bad patient like most medical professionals are.” Logan rose and backed off as the paramedics stopped beside the car.
She flipped him off.
The EMTs peered into the car and asked their questions. She personally didn’t think even a soft collar was necessary, but didn’t argue as they put one on her. They stepped back as she slowly moved from the car. An ache pulsed through her abdomen and legs. She grimaced. They guided her down onto a backboard. A big van pulled up, and a black SUV with a police insignia pulled in beside it.
“We’ll roll you over to the ambulance now. I suspect that an officer will ride with us to the ER where you’ll undergo more tests than you really want.” The blond EMT smiled.
“I’ll go with you and take your statement.” John stepped up beside the gurney. “Hi, Dixie, this isn’t how I expected to next meet you.”
“Ah, you know, have to mix it up so that no one gets complacent.” Dixie smiled.
John’s lips twitched. “All right, how about we go so we can get you to the hospital? Logan, Harris is on the way to take over the scene. You are nominally in charge until then, but hands off.”
“Will do. Dixie, I’ll call Jason and Tony. Tony will meet you up at the hospital, and Jason will get you some replacement groceries. Everything you bought is toast or blowing away. I’ll also make sure that your purse gets back to you.” Logan stepped back.
“Thank you.” Dixie nodded.
The paramedics loaded her up. John climbed in beside her. The second paramedic took his position and began monitoring her vitals.
“All right, so tell me what happened tonight?” John held a tablet in his hands.
“Like I told Logan, I walked to my car after getting groceries. I heard revving. Didn’t think too much about it. There were no lights, no indication a car was pulling out or intending to go anywhere. I got to my car and started to put my groceries in my car.” She drummed her fingers on the gurney beside her. The ache flared with each bump. This sucked. She could barely move, and that damn board made her hips hurt worse.
“Did you see any headlights flash before the car came at you?” John asked.
“Nothing. Just heard a rev of the motor and squealing tires. I turned, and it was there. It was silver. The truck hit the cart, and the cart slammed into me. I was thrown. I heard the truck rev again as I was trying to catch my breath. I was afraid it would come back at me and rushed to my car, got in, locked the doors.” She bit her lip.
“Did it come after you again?” John leaned forward.
“No, it didn’t. The truck did turn, and that’s part of why I thought it might, but once I got in the car, it left. I don’t know if the driver intended to or maybe it was a little out of control.” She exhaled and squirmed a little, but the straps held her in place. If she could sit up and talk with him, this would feel so much better.
“We’ll look at the video. Maybe we can tell something from that.” John made a few notes on the tablet. “Have you spoken with the men who are your mates?”
“I’ve talked with one of the assholes, yes.” She nodded. Not that their reasons made much sense at all.
; “What did he tell you?” John put his tablet down in his lap.
“He told me they have someone after them and that they were trying to keep me safe by staying away from me.” She flexed her toes and winced. If they wanted her safe, they should have kept it to no contact at all, but he hadn’t done that.
“Try to stay still. It won’t be too much longer before we’re at the hospital.” The black-haired EMT reached over and touched her shoulder.
“Is there any reason someone would come after you?” John tilted his head.
“Not that I know of. I told Logan that I thought this might be some kid messing around with his car and things spiraled out of his control.” She blew out a breath.
“That’s a possibility, and I’ll look into it. What’s the situation between you and Maddox, Micah, and Gable?” John leaned forward.
“Not good. No contact and the one time I was in proximity with one of them, we’ve argued. They’re very dedicated to staying away from me.” She clenched her hands into fists, the nails biting into her palms. “And as far as I’m concerned, they can keep away.”
“I don’t exactly agree with their thinking either, but it’s their choice. I’ll look into every possibility. We will find out who’s after you.” John stayed seated as the ambulance pulled to a stop.
“I don’t want them to know about anything unless it is connected definitively.” She shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it. You need to get checked out and see how injured you are.” John nodded to the EMT.
The doors opened wide, and the EMTs guided the gurney out. Her stomach lurched, and she clutched at the edge of the cot. A little warning would be nice.
“John, you better not, or I’ll tell Leslie to make you sleep on the couch for a week,” Dixie growled. He would so contact them. She didn’t need those bastards coming around now.
Deep male laughter floated back to her. Damn cat. Damn that driver. Hopefully, she could get out of here without having to stay a night.
Chapter Four
In Her Bears' Arms Page 3
