Finally Home (Home Series) by Ann Vaughn Page B

on his arm before blood started dripping on the floor.  Once she cleaned the wound, she studied it, wondering if it would need stitches.  It was about a three inch gash, fairly deep.
    "Can you see it?" she asked, drawing his eyes to hers in the mirror.  "Do you think it needs stitches?"
    "Call Colt up here.  He was our medic."
    Her eyes narrowed.  "Why didn't you say that in the first place?"
    "You were so insistent on playing Florence Nightingale, who was I to stop you?" he said, deadpan.
    "Oh!" she huffed, tossing the rag she'd used on him into his face as she stormed out.  She went directly into the office where all the guys and a few cops were now gathered and went straight to Colt.  "You could have told me you were the team medic."
    "And ruin your moment?" Colt chuckled.
    "Go see if he needs stitches."
    "Yes, ma'am."
    "And stop laughing at me!" she called a fter him, making him laugh harder.
    She shook her head then turned to see all the rest of the men in the room staring at her.
    "What?"
    Gavin chuckled, kissing the top of her head.
    "Nothing, baby.  Are you all right?"
    "I'm fine.  That's two of Riley's friends this creep has hurt today."
    "We need to get you somewhere safe.  Somewhere this guy isn't going to find you."
    "I can't put my life on hold because of this guy."
    "I'm not saying that you do that, baby.  But, he just shot through the front window of your house, with four Special Forces guys inside.  He's either stupid or he thinks he's invincible."
    "Or both," Coop said, "but I agree with your dad.  You can't stay here."
    "So, I let him drive me from my own home now?" she asked, exasperated.
    "At least for now, until we can get your window fixed and investigate where he could have been hiding to fire that shot."
     
    Mike looked up when Colt came into the bathroom, carrying his bag.  Colt was chuckling, which let Mike know that Lainey most likely unloaded on him as well.
    "She is something else, Boss," Colt said, placing his bag on the counter and squatting down to examine Mike's arm.  "Yeah, this needs to be stitched," he proclaimed, standing to remove a suture kit from his bag. 
    "She still hanging in there?  No hysterics?"
    "She wasn't crying.  She was plenty upset that I didn't tell her I was a medic, though.  Before she came down, her dad was talking with us about moving her to a safe house."
    "That won't sit very well with her," Mike said, gritting his teeth when Colt began sewing him up.
    "Didn't figure it would.  We gotta look at the possibility that this guy is either law enforcement or former military."
    "My money is on military," Mike replied, then looked toward the bathroom door when he heard Lainey approaching.  She stepped inside, hugging her arms against a chill as she watched Colt stitch Mike's arm.
    "My dad and Coop and Whit think I need to leave here; go to a safe house."
    "We'll talk about it," Mike said, eyes on her, seeing that she was a little pale.
    "I just got back into my house," she said, her voice soft. 
    Both men looked at her then, Colt pausing in his stitching.  Mike knew that Colt, like him, was responding to the vulnerability they heard in her tone.  She may not have been crying but she was scared and trying really hard not to show it.  Colt finished up Mike's arm and quietly left the room.  Mike stood and crossed over to Lainey, cupping her chin in his hand to get her to look up at him.
    "We may have to leave, at least for a day or two.  Just to give us a chance to get the window replaced and check the neighborhood out, find where he was hiding to fire the shot."
    She rubbed her upper arms and looked away from his face, focusing on the bandage on his arm.
    "He keeps saying he loves me...that he'll kill anyone who touches me.  I just reached out to touch your arm and he shot you," her voice gave out toward the end and she tried to turn away, but he reached out to stop her.
    "Look at me," he said, hands on her shoulders.  "You have a really bad habit