No Regrets

by Rebecca Deel

  “As though I’ve been listening to hard rock music at full volume for a week, thank you.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your headache?”

  “One hundred.”

  He patted her hand. “I’ll have the nurses give you medication for the pain. The medicine will make you sleepy.”

  She doubted that. Unless the drugs knocked her out, she wouldn’t be sleeping. All Sasha wanted to do at the moment was crawl into a dark cave until the light sensitivity faded and the headache eased. “When will you release me?”

  “Anxious to leave us so soon?”

  “Do you blame me?”

  “If there are no complications, you can expect to sleep in your own bed tomorrow night, Sasha. You would be wise to have someone cover for you at the coffee shop for a couple days at least, although I will miss seeing you behind the counter.”

  Right. She employed several part-time college students. None could stay from open to close. “I’ll try.”

  “There’s a young man in the hall who’s anxious to see you. Are you able to see a visitor while I find an orderly to take you to your room for the night?”

  Sasha’s cheeks grew hot. Was he talking about Cade? “Sure.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, my dear.” He left the examination room.

  After a low-voiced conversation in the hall, a tap sounded on the door frame and a tall, broad-shouldered man walked into the room.

  Sasha squinted against the bright lights. A second later, the overhead light went off and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  Disappointment spiraled through her. Her visitor was Cade’s teammate, Matt. “I thought you would have gone home by now.”

  Matt dragged a chair close to her bedside and sat. “I’ll be here for a few more hours. How’s the head?”

  “Hurts. Concussion.”

  “Still nauseated?”

  She smiled a little. “How did you know?”

  “No color in your face and nausea is a common side effect of concussions. Once you’re set up in a room, I’ll find an ice pack for you and some ice chips. Both will help.”

  Made sense that Matt would stay with her. He was a medic, after all. She couldn’t help but be disheartened because Cade had left. She’d hoped the elusive, quiet operative might be inclined to stay since he’d managed to say more than one sentence to her at the old farm house where Bravo rescued her.

  An orderly steered a wheelchair through the doorway.

  “Here’s your ride.” Matt helped her from the bed and into the wheelchair. “Give the lady a smooth ride, Tom,” he said.

  “We don’t have far to go, Ms. Ingram. We’ll take the elevator up two floors and be there before you know it.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tom was right. The ride took no more than five minutes, thank goodness. By the time she climbed into the hospital bed in her room, Sasha was feeling sick again.

  She dragged in a shaky breath. “Might be a good idea to find the ice pack, Matt.”

  He handed her a small plastic tub. “Use that if you have to. Don’t leave the bed, Sasha. You’re weaker than you realize. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Sasha settled deeper into the pillow, tugged the blanket up higher, and closed her eyes, praying the nausea passed soon. The last thing she wanted to do was vomit in front of a friend even if he was a medic.

  A light tap sounded on the door and someone walked inside. Too tired and head hurting too bad to peek, she murmured, “You found the ice pack fast.”

  “Sasha.”

  Her eyelids flew up. She stared into the brown eyes of the operative she’d been mooning after for months. “Cade. I thought you left.”

  “I’ll leave the hospital when you do.”

  “But I’m staying overnight. Dr. Anderson insisted.”

  “Okay.” He moved a chair to her bedside and sat.

  Sasha noticed he was still wearing his work gear. Good grief. The man was loaded down with weapons. “How did you walk into the hospital with all that obvious hardware?” His smile caused her heart to skip a beat. Good thing she didn’t have a heart monitor on. She would have brought all the nurses running into her room for sure because of Cade’s killer smile.

  “Fortress Security operatives are cleared to carry weapons on hospital grounds. We’re in the building often.”

  Matt returned with two ice packs in hand. He tossed one to Cade who snatched it in mid-air. “Left side of her head.” The medic placed the other ice pack behind Sasha’s neck. Cade pressed the second pack to the knot on her head.

  She sighed, relief immediate. “Thanks.”

  “The nurse will be in soon to give you pain meds and something for the nausea.” Matt sat in a chair at the foot of the bed although he turned the chair so he could also watch the door.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked Cade.

  “Precaution.”

  “Could you be any more cryptic?”

  His eyes twinkled. “Yes.”

  She rolled her eyes as Matt laughed. “How did Bravo team find me?”

  “Tracked your phone signal.”

  “Wow. Four words at once. Just can’t shut you up, Cade.”

  This time, both men laughed.

  Oh, man. Cade had the best laugh. Deep, rich, sexy. Yeah, she was smitten.

  “All right, Sassy. I deserved that.”

  Sassy? Despite how horrible she felt, Sasha liked that nickname. It meant Cade had noticed her enough to give her one.

  Another tap on the door brought both men to their feet, hands on their guns. When the door opened, a nurse walked in with a cart loaded with equipment to take her vitals and a small plastic cup with two pills.

  Cade and Matt relaxed.

  “Hi, Grace,” Matt said. “What are you doing on this floor?”

  “I left the ER long enough to volunteer to check on my favorite coffee maker. How are you feeling, Sasha?”

  She smiled at the blond nurse who was married to Bravo team’s leader. “Lousy, thanks. My head feels like it’s going to explode any minute.”

  “Understandable. You took a good knock to the head. I’m glad you’re all right.” Grace handed the small cup to Sasha along with a soft drink. “You don’t have to drink all of this, but the carbonation will help dissolve the meds faster.”

  Good enough for her. Sasha took the pills, aware of Matt returning to his seat and Cade holding the ice pack to her head again. Something was up with that, more than the terse comment from Cade about taking precautions. Precautions against what? According to Cade, the bank robbers weren’t a problem anymore. From their behavior, though, the two men were on guard duty.

  Is that the only reason Cade was staying? Duty? Man, she hoped not. She didn’t want to be a job to Cade Ramsey.

  “How bad is the headache?” Grace asked after she finished noting all Sasha’s vitals.

  “I told Dr. Anderson it was one hundred on a scale of one to ten.”

  The nurse squeezed her shoulder. “The meds will help. I’ll turn the overhead light off, but you need to leave the light on at the head of the bed. Have Cade give you his sunglasses to cut the glare further. I have to go back to the ER. My break is over. I’ll check on you on my next break.”

  “Thanks, Grace.”

  “Hey, I want to see my favorite barista back at work. See you later, guys.” Grace turned out the overhead light on the way out the door.

  “I’m going for coffee,” Matt said. “Be back in a few minutes with yours, Cade.”

  Sasha sighed. “That sounds good.”

  “Not a good idea right now. Besides, got a feeling the coffee in this place won’t hold a candle to yours.”

  “You’re probably right. I get a lot of business from hospital personnel.” Wow. Cade could talk, after all. “I’ve been trying to strike up conversations with you for months. Why are you talking now?”

  “I almost lost my chance with you.”

&n
bsp; She blinked. “Chance for what?”

  “To ask you to dinner.”

  “Yes.”

  It was his turn to stare. “You don’t want to think about it?”

  “No.”

  A wry smile curved his lips. “Now who’s being cryptic?”

  “Listen, buster, I’d planned to call you this weekend to ask you to dinner if Bravo didn’t deploy. I’m not letting you slip out of a date now.”

  Relief flooded his features. “Let’s see how you feel Saturday before we make definite plans.”

  Saturday was two days away. Surely, she’d feel like eating by then.

  Matt pushed open the door with his hip, holding a to-go coffee cup in each hand. “Black and strong enough to peel paint from the scent.” He handed one to Cade. “I’ll be outside the door. If you need anything, Sasha, tell Cade and I’ll take care of it.”

  “An ice pack for her cheek,” Cade said.

  With a nod, the medic left again.

  Sasha studied his face a moment. “Are you really going to stay all night?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have work tomorrow, Cade.”

  “I’ve arranged for a substitute to cover my classes.”

  Something was definitely wrong. Before she could ask, Ethan Blackhawk knocked on the door and strode into the room with an ice pack in his hand. “Compliments of Matt.” He handed the pack to Cade. “I need to ask both of you questions. Are you up for it, Sasha?”

  “If you hurry. I took pain meds a few minutes ago.”

  Ethan grabbed the remaining empty chair in the room and sat down. He pulled out a notepad and pen. “Start at the beginning. What time did you go to the bank?”

  When Sasha mentioned the bank robbers dropping the money bags in the alley before they took off with her in the car, Cade’s hand jerked.

  “They dumped the money?” He turned his gaze to Ethan.

  “They did.”

  “What’s the point of a bank robbery if you don’t keep the cash?”

  “That’s what I want to know.” The police chief returned his attention to Sasha. “What happened after they dropped the money?”

  “The men shoved me in the backseat on the floor and they raced away. The one in the back with me hit me on the head with his gun. When I woke up, I was in the closet of the room where Cade found me. I called you, talked for maybe a couple minutes. The uninjured bank robber came back for me. He wanted me to help the injured man while he prowled around the house.”

  “Did you?” Ethan asked, his voice soft.

  “I couldn’t. I was so sick from the blow to the head, I threw up as soon as he jerked me to my feet in the closet. Made him angry enough that he dragged me into the bedroom and slugged me. That’s the last thing I remember before I opened my eyes to see Cade.”

  “Anything strike you as odd?”

  “Besides the whole thing being surreal?”

  He chuckled.

  “There was a bigger agenda than robbing the bank, and the men who took me weren’t in charge.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Cade frowned as Sasha went over her statement again with Ethan. Her impressions of the two men matched his own. The two clowns who robbed the bank weren’t smart enough to have come up with this scheme on their own.

  And to dump the cash in the alley behind the bank? What sense did that make? He pondered that for a few minutes as he half listened to Sasha and Ethan. This was a test run for something bigger.

  His jaw clenched. Something involving Sasha or was she an innocent bystander caught up in someone else’s dangerous game? Whatever the bottom line, Cade didn’t like her being involved.

  He removed the ice packs and laid them on the rolling table. Despite the ice packs, Sasha’s cheek sported a good-sized bruise. At least the injury was to her cheek and not her jaw. The robber he shot was a big man with large hands. He could have easily broken her jaw when he punched her.

  “Your turn to answer questions, Cade. Do you want to do this here or at the station?”

  “I’m not leaving Sasha.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?”

  Wise, no. Necessary? Absolutely. He couldn’t hide the fact he’d killed the man who hurt her for long anyway. Would Sasha reject him when she found out? “Ask your questions, Ethan.”

  “Run it down for me.”

  Cade gave him the same rapid-fire report he would have given Trent or one of his commanders in the Army. “While Matt and I were in the hall outside the bedroom, the man I shot mentioned waiting for a call from Wes. I got the same sense as Sasha. The bank robbers weren’t in charge.”

  An odd look crossed Sasha’s face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

  Definitely something, Cade concluded. Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it in front of Ethan.

  “Continue,” Ethan prompted.

  He finished his report, afraid to look at the woman whose gaze Cade could feel locked on his face.

  “Both robbers were shot?” Sasha’s voice was soft.

  Ethan nodded. “The first by one of my officers when they fled the bank, the second by Cade.”

  “They’re both here. Is that why you and Matt are guarding me?” she asked Cade.

  “The one shot at the bank is here,” Ethan said.

  Silence, then, “Where is the second one?”

  “The morgue,” Cade answered, his voice flat. He waited for her to recoil and cancel their date. To his surprise, Sasha did neither. Instead, she held out her hand to him.

  Mystified, he laid his hand on her palm and she curled her fingers around his. He studied her face. She wasn’t rejecting him?

  “What happens now, Ethan?” Sasha’s hand tightened on Cade’s. “You aren’t going to charge Cade with anything, are you?”

  “We’ll investigate, but from all indications the shooting was justified. Come by the station when you’re released to sign your statement. You’ll have to testify against the remaining bank robber, Sasha.”

  “I understand. I don’t want him to have a chance to hurt someone else.”

  “I have what I need for now.” Ethan stood. “By the way, my wife had a break in her cooking schedule and she’s been baking muffins and scones all day. Paige Lang, Darcy Kincaid, and Serena have plans in place to keep your shop open until you return.”

  Sasha smiled, tears filling her eyes. “Tell them how much I appreciate their efforts. I have college students working part-time, but none of them can put in full days because of their class schedules.”

  “Do you have an extra key?”

  “Paige has my extra key.”

  Ethan turned to Cade, nodded at him. “Thanks for your help tonight. I’ll express that to St. Claire as well, but I wanted to remind you that your actions saved a hostage and possibly derailed a larger plot.”

  Cade shook his head. “Although we rescued Sasha, I don’t think we derailed anything.”

  “Why do you say that?” Sasha asked.

  “This was a test run. The bank robbers were expendable. Whoever was running this crew has a larger goal in mind.”

  “I agree,” the police chief murmured. “We need to figure out their objective before someone else is hurt. If your team is deployed, I need to know. I’ll talk to both of you tomorrow.”

  “Cade.” Sasha patted the bed and scooted over to give him room to sit beside her.

  Had she waited until Ethan left before booting him out of her life permanently? Mouth dry, dread curling in his gut, Cade sat facing her on the bed.

  “Thank you for saving me. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you and your teammates hadn’t arrived when you did.”

  He didn’t want to dwell too long on his worst fear, losing her to a bullet or a beating from one of those frustrated, angry bank robbers. “You’re not repelled by what I did?”

  “You killed him to protect me. I assume you’re trained to dispatch a threat as efficiently as poss
ible, much like the police. Cade, you saw a threat to me and you took care of it as you were taught to do. How can I be anything but grateful I’m still breathing and looking forward to my first date with you?”

  The ball of ice in Cade’s stomach melted and he recaptured her hand. “You would be open to more than one date?”

  “Yes.” She yawned. “Sorry,” she mumbled behind her hand.

  Cade chuckled and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “Sleep, Sasha. It’s the best thing for you.”

  “You won’t leave?”

  He trailed his fingers down her cheek in a gentle sweep over her silky skin. “The farthest I’ll go is to the hall to talk to Matt and send him for more coffee if I need it. I’m not going anywhere.”

  She gave a slight nod and closed her eyes. Within two minutes, she was out.

  Cade waited another fifteen to be sure she was deeply asleep before he released her hand and gathered the ice packs. As soon as he opened the door, Matt was on his feet.

  “Is your girl okay?”

  He liked the sound of that although he wasn’t sure the woman in question would. “She’s asleep. Thanks for the ice packs.”

  “She knows you’re staying with her?”

  “Yeah.” Cade dropped his voice. “She knows about the bank robber I shot.”

  “How did she take it?”

  He rubbed his jaw, not quite sure what to make of her reaction. “She thanked me for protecting her.”

  The medic clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Cade. You better hang on to that woman. If you’re stupid enough to let Sasha slip through your fingers, I’m going after her myself.”

  Not a problem. He didn’t plan on giving Matt or any other man in town the chance. He might not have said much to her in the months since Bravo had been permanently assigned to PSI, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t taken the opportunity to observe her every chance he got. Their friends, Marcus and Paige Lang, had made the process easier since they married and began inviting many of their friends over for dinner.

  At first, he’d been horrified to think his secret was out, that he’d somehow given himself away especially when it became obvious Paige was playing matchmaker. Whenever Cade had been invited to their home, Sasha had always been part of the group also invited. Had to admit, having his friends and teammates along as a buffer made watching Sasha easier without forcing him to interact much.