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“Ms. Mackay, you’re in no shape to leave the hospital alone.”
“Nurse Dade, you really have no idea the forces of nature getting ready to rip through this hospital,” she informed the nurse as dread began to fill her. “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have nothing—and I mean absolutely nothing—on my brothers. Famine, pestilence, war, and disease are a kiddie playground in comparison, and I have no intentions of hanging around for the fallout.”
Nurse Dade’s eyes widened. “Sweetie, I talked to him myself.” She gave a small, nervous little laugh. “He was as nice as he could be. I think you may have hit your head harder than the doctor thought.”
Struggling from the bed, Piper ignored the nurse’s disapproving glare as she shuffled to the small cabinet next to the end of the bed.
Aha, clothes.
“Ms. Mackay, this isn’t advisable.” The nurse sighed as Piper struggled past the roommate who had been listening in amused interest.
“It’s not advisable to be here when Dawg Mackay arrives either.”
“Who is Dawg Mackay?” The nurse was all but laughing at her. “His name is Jed.”
“You really don’t want to know. Trust me.”
“You’re going to hurt my feelings, sis. That just wasn’t nice.”
Piper came to a slow stop no more than a few feet from the bathroom door when Jed stepped slowly into the room.
His voice was gentle, amused, and patient. The look in his eyes was damned scary, though.
Scary, that was, if her attacker ever had the misfortune to stare into them.
She could see murder in those eyes. As Jed took in the bruised, swollen condition of her face, the hesitancy in her stance as she stood before him, then the livid bruises on her arms, the navy blue of his eyes flickered with a deep, black rage.
Shaking his head slowly, he advanced on her, all lean-hipped, predatory male grace and dark intent.
“How far behind you is Dawg?” Resignation slumped her shoulders.
If she had been on a leash before where her brother was concerned, no doubt it would feel like prison even before they left the hospital.
“Oh, I’d say about twelve hours or so,” he drawled, then leaned close, staring into her wide eyes as he whispered, “He doesn’t know, sweet pea. Want to keep it that way?”
Piper nodded. Oh, God, she really wanted to keep it that way.
“Then you’re going to cooperate, right?” he suggested softly.
Piper nodded again.
To keep Dawg in the dark?
Oh, hell, yes, she would cooperate.
At least to a point.
After all, she’d hate to mar the Mackay reputation for cooperating only when it suited their own interests.
Right now it suited every single interest she could think of, though.
“Good then.” He straightened, his hands settling with airy gentleness just above her shoulders. “Turn around, march right back to that bed, and we’ll just wait for the doctor, shall we?”
She moved for the bed.
“That’s a good girl,” he commended her as Nurse Dade smiled with an awestruck girlishness Piper found nauseating.
Good girl, was she? she thought, sitting back on the bed carefully as she glared up at the smirking, far too self-satisfied Jedediah Booker.
