Scorch (The MacKenzie Family Book 17) by Liliana Hart Page A

found she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. Had she ever been hugged by another adult in a non-romantic way? She didn’t think so. She put her arms around Mary MacKenzie awkwardly and patted the other woman’s back.
    “Can I talk to you outside?” Declan asked her once his mother had released her.
    “Sure,” she said with relief. She needed the escape as much as he did.
    Once they were in the hallway she turned to face him.
    “Is there anything you didn’t tell us?”
    “No,” she said, lips quirking. “I figured you all could handle the whole truth. I meant what I said though. His chances are still iffy at best. And once he’s in the clear he’s got a long, long road ahead of him.”
    “I’m going to ask you for a favor,” Declan said.
    “You know I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
    “It’s a favor I have no right to ask of you, but I’m going to ask it anyway because I love my brother and I want him to make a full recovery. Physically and mentally. And you’re the best I know. You can relate to him on levels the rest of us can’t. You’ve been in combat. And you’ve dealt with issues that you might recognize in others. I want it to be you that sees him through recovery. He’s going to need you more than us. I know my brother well, and he’s not going to want his family. He’s going to be ashamed and angry. And when Shane gets angry the first thing he does is distance himself from the rest of us.
    “It would mean rearranging your duties and schedule here at the hospital. It would mean being his nursemaid, his companion, physical therapist, and physician all rolled into one. He’s going to be angry with you too, but I know you can handle it.”
    Lacey wasn’t sure what favor she’d expected Declan to ask of her, but this hadn’t been it. The hospital had been her identity—her purpose—for eight years. And in the blink of an eye, now she was something else. Declan had wanted her here for her skill, talent, and intelligence. Now he wanted her to be a nursemaid. Disappointment filled her at the turn of events. This wasn’t where she saw herself. But she didn’t let her displeasure show. She owed Declan the life she’d come to love. And she owed him the favor he asked of her. She’d do as any good soldier would and do what he asked of her.
    “Whatever you need,” she told him.

Chapter 9
    S ix Weeks Later …
    Shane listened to the conversation Declan was having in the next room with one of his agents and his heart thumped hard in his chest. His skin felt too small for his body as rage rolled like a wave over him. His fingers dug into the mattress and the blood pressure cuff on his arm tightened automatically, as it did when his body was under stress. The television his mother had turned on for background noise was just a low hum of annoyance.
    “Be even more vigilant on this mission,” Declan said. “There are a lot of rumblings from private firms that aren’t as happy as we are that the government is giving us a majority of the contracts.”
    “Fuck them,” Archer Ryan said. “What’s the threat?”
    “Like I said, just rumblings for now. Maxim Petrovich is making a lot of noise with congress that we’re developing weapons and technology and not handing all the information over while the products are being developed.”
    “What does Congress say?”
    “Since they can’t even agree on whether they should all have cereal or toast for breakfast, I’m not too worried at the moment. But Petrovich puts a lot of money in a lot of politicians’ pockets, and he’s making noise. He’s demanding we make our developments an open book to Congress so they can make sure we’re not doing anything that will become a detriment to our country.”
    “Oh yeah. Great idea,” Archer said. “Because politicians always keep such great secrets and won’t go straight to the media.”
    “That’s part of it,” Declan said. “And it was part of the response I sent to Congress and