Guardian

by Terri Reed

“I am,” she said and pushed him back onto the bed. “But you, mister, have a head wound and need to be lying down.”

  Happy to see her safe and sound, he complied. “And Charlie? Your dad?”

  “Fine. Everyone is fine except you.”

  She moved back so the doctor and nurse could hook him back up to the monitors and IV, check his pupils and his vitals.

  “Agent Gallagher,” the doctor intoned.

  He wore the prerequisite white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He appeared to be in his fifties with gray at his temples, a beak-like nose and sharp, intelligent eyes that made Leo think of a hawk. “You must rest. You suffered two nasty head contusions. One of which required sutures. We need to monitor you for a concussion.”

  He nodded and regretted the movement as a firestorm of pain swept through his brain.

  Once the doctor and nurse left the room, Leo held out his hand for Alicia. She grasped it and curled her slender fingers around his.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. Regret and self-directed anger ate at his gut.

  Her eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “Sorry? For what?”

  “For not having gotten the guy.” And for having let his defenses down because of his feelings for her. He hadn’t been alert. He’d made a rookie blunder.

  Agents were trained to never let the outside world take focus away from the job. But that was what he’d done. He’d let thoughts and emotions cloud his mind, dulling his senses. He was fortunate his failure this time hadn’t resulted in harm to the civilian.

  And that was how he needed to think of Alicia. She was a civilian and it was his job to protect her. Falling in love with her compromised his objective. He needed to be replaced and would make the request as soon as he could speak to Max.

  Leaving Settler’s Valley and Alicia was the best thing for them all.

  THIRTEEN

  Alicia sighed. There he went again. Taking the blame for something out of his control. Sunlight slanted through the windows and bathed the hospital room in a warm glow, but did nothing to dispel the gloom lurking at the edges of her mind.

  Leo had nearly been killed last night. The thought tore her up inside. He looked so vulnerable lying there in the hospital bed, a stark white bandage wrapped around his head, and beneath the dressing, she knew, were stitches and bruises.

  His green eyes were troubled with dark circles beneath and his jaw was stubbled with an emerging dark blond beard. His khakis and polo shirt, which seemed to be such a part of who he was, had been removed and replaced with a hospital gown. A lightweight blanket covered his legs to his chest.

  Tenderness rose within her as she gripped his hand in her own. “Stop it. This is not your fault.”

  “But it is.” Hardening his jaw, he looked away from her. “He ambushed me. I should have been more alert.”

  “Listen to me,” she implored. “Ambushed, by the very nature of the word, means he lay in wait to attack you by surprise. How on earth could you have been prepared for that?”

  “I should have taken True with me.”

  “Maybe, but then what if he’d incapacitated you both before he reached the house?”

  Leo’s gaze snapped back to her. The color drained from his face. “He reached the house?”

  “Nearly.” A shiver at the memory of the previous night’s terror snaked down her spine. “But True alerted and then attacked him. I’m pretty sure Garry Pike is sporting a few bite marks right now.”

  Leo’s teeth ground together. “At least True did his job.”

  “Enough,” she said, letting some of her annoyance at his insistence of flogging himself bleed through her tone. “You need to rest and get better.”

  “I feel like I was run over by a semi,” he groaned.

  “Hit with a tire iron is more like it. The police found one discarded by Dad’s old Chevy truck.” The thing had had Leo’s blood on it. “Chief Jarrett has everyone combing the county for Pike. He can’t stay hidden for long.”

  The fierce determination on Leo’s face had her tensing. “Then I better get up and get you somewhere safe until Max and Julianne return.” He attempted to sit up again.

  Placing her hands on his biceps, she gently pushed him back. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re staying put.”

  He resisted her effort to keep him from getting up, but she was experienced at wrestling an active three-year-old into submission. She wasn’t about to let this hunk of a man best her. “Look, I’m safe. I have a huge shadow who goes by the name of Officer Dorset. And your team returned in the wee hours of the morning.”

  Leo relaxed back and she straightened.

  “Okay, good,” he said. “I’ll have to thank Chief Jarrett.”

  She couldn’t keep from smiling. Ever the polite and well-mannered agent. “Your boss is in the hall wanting to speak to you. I made him wait until I knew for sure you were up to it. And Julianne is at the house with Charlie and Dad and the dogs.”

  Leo blinked as a resolute expression settled on his handsome face. Then he nodded. “Perfect. I need to talk to him.”

  “I don’t want you to upset yourself unduly,” she said, not trusting that he wouldn’t try to get up again. “You need to rest and to heal.”

  He gave her a wary glance. “How long am I expected to be here?”

  “The doctor wants to observe you for forty-eight hours.”

  “Two days! I can’t stay here that long.”

  She’d thought that much time was a bit excessive, too, and had said as much to the physician. “The doctor said he’d reevaluate his opinion in twelve hours.”

  His jaw firmed. “I’d like to talk to Max now.”

  She left his side and stuck her head out the door. Max paced the hall, looking imposing in his uniform. He saw her and strode toward the room. Before she let him in, she said, “He needs to stay calm, okay?”

  Max’s clear blue eyes assessed her with mild surprise mingled with some amusement. Alicia felt a blush work its way up her neck. She was mothering Leo, but at the moment he needed someone to take care of him. And the truth was, she wanted to take care of him. She’d figure out how later.

  “Okay,” he said, his deep voice smooth. “I will take that under advisement.”

  She stepped aside so he could enter then followed him into the room. Leo’s gaze pinned her to the floor.

  “Would you mind letting us have the room?” Leo asked her.

  Trying not to be hurt by the dismissal, she smiled tightly. “I’ll go get coffee. Agent West, would you like a cup?”

  “No, thank you,” Max answered.

  “Make sure Officer Dorset accompanies you,” Leo instructed.

  His concern softened her hurt a bit at being sent from the room. “Of course.”

  * * *

  As soon as the door closed behind Alicia, Leo met Max’s curious gaze. “You need to assign another agent to protect Alicia. In fact, Julianne is perfect for the job.”

  Max stroked his chin. “Really? Let me remind you, you volunteered for this job.”

  “Now I’m unvolunteering for it.”

  Max’s mouth lifted at the corner in a mocking way that grated on Leo’s nerves. “Too much for you to handle, huh?”

  “What? No. It’s just—I almost failed her. That creep got too close. Someone, anyone, will do a better job of protecting her and her family than me.”

  Max pulled a chair from the corner next to the bed and sat. His piercing blue gaze showed he wasn’t the least bit amused. “No. I’m not taking you off this case. But we do need a new strategy.”

  Leo’s stomach sank. “You agree with me, then, that I’m falling down on the job.”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth, Gallagher,” Max snapped. “I’m saying we need to stop waiti
ng for him to show himself. We need to go hunting.”

  Under different circumstances, Leo would be on board. “You’ve been showing his picture all over the place with no results,” he pointed out.

  “Correct. But he showed up last night and left traces of himself behind. We have highly trained dogs with us. Granted, each dog has a specific specialty, but I know the trainers have worked with them on tracking and air search. I have every confidence one of them will pick up this guy’s scent and track him down.”

  Excited anticipation accelerated Leo’s heart rate. Max was correct. The two trainers at the FBI Tactical K-9 Unit’s headquarters had trained all the dogs in multiple disciplines beyond each dog’s primary expertise.

  True was trained in air search as well as water-detection rescues. Thunder used scent tracking in evidence recovery and Opal used scent tracking for bomb and explosive detection as well as drug and tactical detection.

  The same principles applied in tracking a human on land. “You’re right. Though one of us will have to stay with Alicia.” She was his primary concern.

  Max dropped his chin and stared at him. “Uh, you’ll be staying here in the hospital. Julianne will stay with Ms. Duncan and her family while I track this guy.”

  Leo shook his head and ignored the pounding behind his eyes. “No way, Max. You’re not going alone. Call in Ian or Tim.”

  “Ian is in Chicago attempting to interview Reginald and Esme Dupree’s other sister, Violetta Dupree, and it would take too long for Tim to arrive. I need to hit the trail before it goes cold.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Leo said. He forced himself to sit up.

  Rising to his feet, Max pressed his lips into a thin, hard line. “I’m ordering you to stand down, Agent. Or rather, lie back down.”

  Ignoring the request, Leo removed the IV and chest probes a second time. Only this time, he quickly shut off the irritating beeping machine. “You’ll have to fire me. And even then you won’t be able to stop me from doing what I need to do. You know you’d do the same thing.”

  After a long silent moment, Max held his hands up in surrender and stepped back, allowing Leo space to stand. He gestured toward the closed door. “Alicia is not going to like this,” he said with something in his tone that sounded suspiciously like amusement.

  “She’ll get over it.” Leo hoped. He went to the closet looking for his clothes. He found two bags, one filled with his uniform and the other containing his holster but not his sidearm. “Where’s my gun?”

  “Locked up,” Max responded as he retook his seat. “If you’re coming, get a move on.”

  “You’re not going to fire me?”

  “No, but I’m going to have a good time watching you tell Alicia what’s going on when she comes back,” he said, crossing one foot over his knee.

  With his gut twisting into a knot, Leo went into the bathroom and put on his uniform. He stared at himself in the mirror. He needed a shave and a haircut. He touched the bandage around his head. The skin peeking out beneath the edge was purple. He looked horrible. No less than he deserved.

  A hard, insistent knocking sounded at the bathroom door.

  He took a bracing breath, because he knew without a doubt who was demanding his attention. He opened the door and found himself facing Alicia’s fiery, pale blue–eyed gaze. She looked so lovely standing there in her jeans and floral blouse with her strong, capable hands planted firmly on her hips. Her dark hair hung loose about her shoulders, making him itch to lift the strands from her neck and kiss the soft skin beneath.

  She blinked at him and her mouth opened and closed several times before she blurted, “Are you crazy? Why are you dressed?”

  “Because I have a job to do.” He brushed past her, not liking the way her ire made him feel like he was in the wrong. He was doing this for her. To finally put an end to this nightmare she was living. So they could both go back to their lives. He could continue the search for Jake. And Alicia and her family would be able to relax and breathe easier knowing the killer was behind bars.

  “You’re supposed to be resting and letting that thick head of yours heal,” she retorted hotly.

  He stopped and turned to face her. “I need to do this, Alicia. I don’t need your permission.”

  Her eyes narrowed. She turned to Max, who watched with suppressed laughter evident on his face.

  “You.” She pointed her finger at him. “You’re his boss. Tell him he can’t go.”

  Max held up his hands. “I tried. But like you said, he’s got a thick head.”

  “And stubborn, too,” she muttered.

  Hating that he was putting her through this, he took her hand. “Please, Alicia. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “You suffered a head injury. There’s plenty to worry about,” she said.

  Frustration pounded at his temples. Her concern warmed his heart. He wanted to kiss the worry from her brow and distract her from any fear she might harbor for his safety.

  It was her safety that mattered.

  They were wasting time arguing. The trail was growing cold with every passing second. It was time to leave. “I’m not your responsibility.”

  The hurt spreading across her face couldn’t have made him feel any worse. Everything inside of him wanted to apologize, tell her how much her concern meant to him, how much she meant to him.

  But he wouldn’t. Couldn’t.

  Not if he hoped to make a clean break when the time came. He had to steel himself against his need to pull her to him. Instead, he said, “We need to roll. Now.”

  Alicia drew herself up and stared him down. “Fine. Let’s go.” She marched out the hospital-room door.

  Max unfolded himself from the chair and clapped Leo on the back. “That went nicely, don’t you think?”

  Leo clenched his teeth together. When had his life become so complicated?

  * * *

  Alicia fumed as she sat in the SUV next to Officer Dorset, behind Leo, where she had a perfect view of his bandaged head. Stubborn, ornery, pigheaded man!

  He was risking his health, for what? To catch a criminal because he was too proud to step aside and let others do what was necessary. Though she admired his commitment to his career and even respected his need to complete his mission—he was a man of integrity and honor, after all—she hated that he would put the job ahead of his own well-being.

  When they arrived at the ranch, Leo opened her door and held out his hand. For a second she wanted to refuse to take it, but that would be childish. And would make it seem like she cared too much about him. Which she did, but he didn’t need to know that.

  So she slipped her hand into his and let him help her out of the SUV. His firm grasp and the pressure of their palms together made her want to hang on indefinitely and never let him go. That he held on a little longer than he needed to confused her.

  Was he feeling the same pull to her as she felt toward him?

  She searched his inscrutable gaze. What was he thinking? Did he care for her more than just as a person he was assigned to protect?

  She wanted so badly to ask. To tell him she’d fallen for him. Instead, she broke away and headed quickly to the house, fighting back tears. She needed to be grounded in what was real. In what mattered most. Her son.

  Not a too-perplexing man with gorgeous green eyes and mega control issues.

  * * *

  Leo watched Alicia’s retreating back as pain spread through his chest. He’d hurt her, angered her and probably doused any feeling she had for him. But hadn’t that been his intent? Yes, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  “Let’s suit up. Then we’ll get the dogs ready,” Max said as he opened the back of his SUV.

  Nodding, Leo went to his SUV, where he had his flak vest and more ammo. After the barn fire, he’
d stored his assault rifle back into its compartment in the trunk. He retrieved the weapon.

  Julianne came out of the house with all three dogs in tow and hurried over.

  Leo went down on one knee to greet True, who lavished his face with wet kisses.

  Opal trotted over to Max for a greeting.

  “What’s wrong with Alicia?” Julianne asked Max.

  Though Leo couldn’t see the two, he heard the concern in her voice and winced. He was the one responsible. He’d made Alicia upset enough that Julianne had noticed.

  “See for yourself,” Max answered.

  A second later Julianne was standing over Leo with her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

  Leo ground his back teeth and rose. He couldn’t handle another female scolding him. “Let it go, Julianne.”

  She turned to Max. “Explain.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t want to fire him.”

  Leo watched the exchange with wry amusement. The two worked well together.

  He wasn’t sure what either one’s past was like, but he knew he trusted both Max and Julianne with his life. And with the lives of those he’d come to care about. His gaze went to the house.

  Keep them safe, Lord. He sent up the silent plea then went back to the task of gearing up.

  “What’s the plan?” Julianne asked as she reached for her flak vest.

  “I need you and Thunder to stay here with Ms. Duncan and her family,” Max replied. “Leo and I will take the dogs out to track Garry Pike.”

  Julianne slanted Leo a glance. “He’s okay enough to do that?”

  “Yes, I am,” Leo answered. He had to be.

  She pursed her lips. “Aren’t you on pain meds?”

  “Nothing stronger than over-the-counter headache medicine.” He’d refused to take the stuff the doctor had offered because he hadn’t wanted to muddle his mind.

  Julianne sniffed. “No wonder Alicia’s upset.”

  Leo didn’t respond. What could he say? He knew Alicia didn’t approve of what he was doing. Apparently, neither did Julianne. But he wouldn’t let that stop him.