Page 82 of Booked for Kidnapping

I grimaced. “It’s going to be low once I’m done with you, and that’s a problem. I’ll consult with Dr. Castor. It could just be because it’s been building up over a long period of time, and once you have more real estate for blood, your body will resume producing more. If not, there are ways to fix that.”

“She’s in nurse mode and bodyguard mode, Dad. Do not argue with her. She’ll pull this vehicle over. I’ve learned when women make that threat, they really mean it.”

I recognized Bradley meant to keep the mood in the vehicle light and playful, something I agreed with. “If your dad wasn’t in the vehicle, I’d be interested in pulling over for other reasons.”

“That backfired in an unexpected fashion.”

“As I want grandchildren, I support your plan to pull off a secluded stretch of road for whatever indulgences you may wish,” his father said.

I rolled my eyes. “Have you already picked their names?”

“I support any name that’s not Bradley. There are already too many Bradleys. I sacrificed my name to spare Bradley from the insanity.”

“Why did you name him Bradley, then?”

“I promised my father I would, for I was young and stupid.”

“And he’s a Bradley?”

“He’s a Bradley. I am a former Bradley. Bradley is, well, Bradley. I changed my name before he was born so he didn’t have a ridiculous number attached to his name. I’m only using Paul right now because it will appease your mother. I promised two weeks of that for not telling her you were safe immediately. Please do not name any of your sons Bradley.”

“I appreciate that, Dad. I really do.”

“You’re welcome.”

We made it to Dr. Castor’s home without incident, but my nerves were so shot by the time we arrived I grabbed Mr. Hampton by his ear, twisted, and dragged him to the front door, scolding him every step of the way. Once on the doorstep, I rang the bell, shooting glares at my future father-in-law. “You are something else, Mr. Hampton.”

“Can you let go of my ear now?”

“No.”

Bradley’s father sighed. “It hurts.”

“Maybe if you weren’t trying to scare me to death, your ear wouldn’t be hurting right now.” I took a small measure of pity on him, adjusting how I held onto him. “I’m calling Mrs. Hampton to find out if there are copies of your medical file, and if it doesn’t show improvement from when you started treatments, you’re going to pay for this for a long time.”

The door opened, and an older woman wearing a white sundress raised a brow at us. “May I help you?”

“Are you Dr. Castor?” I asked.

“I am,” she replied.

“Hi. I’m Janette. I need a scalpel, a cup, antiseptics, and anything like that, and a place to put this idiot so I can fix his goddamned heart before he falls over dead on me.” I drew in a breath. “Please and thank you.”

“Is this how you usually introduce yourself?” the woman asked with amusement, although she stepped aside and opened the door wider. “Do come in. It’s not every day an angry young woman brings an older man to my door with cardiac arrest concerns.”

“I figured you had a kitchen, and it was an okay assumption for the first aid kit stuff,” I replied, tugging on Mr. Hampton’s ear until he followed. “That plus he called you about it. The younger one is my fiancé, and this is his father, and if his father has a heart attack, I’m having a heart attack. I’m saving us a lot of problems by making sure nobody has a heart attack, but I need a scalpel and a cup and that other crap to make that happen.”

“How is a scalpel and a cup going to prevent a heart attack?” Dr. Castor asked, staring at me as though I’d lost my damned mind.

Upon reflection, I realized she made a good point, as exsanguinators weren’t known for addressing cholesterol-induced heart disease, especially not in the severity my future father-in-law suffered through. “I’m going to remove the built up cholesterol plaque from his arteries using my talent, and the scalpel is so I can remove it from his bloodstream. The cup is just a place to put the shit that’s not supposed to be in his blood. I don’t need a cup if I don’t mind more cleanup later. I’ll probably need to remove more than a cup.”

“I see.” Dr. Castor scratched her temple. “While I’d been informed you wanted assistance with a heart disease issue, this was not what I had in mind.”

“You can make sure his blood pressure doesn’t tank on me when I start getting this shit out of his arteries or something. I drove the entire way worried he’d try to fall over dead on me, and he claims his blood pressure is fine!”

“It’s fine because he’s on a blood pressure medication,” the doctor replied, and she offered me a smile. “When he called me, I contacted his doctor for more information on why I was getting a visit. I had not known exsanguinators could handle cholesterol issues like that, but I was informed you’re the best in the world for this sort of work. I’ll admit, I’m quite curious and have a lot of questions.”

“Let’s just say I learned because heart attacks are common in the emergency room, and when I can work for a few hours and reverse a lifetime of blatant stupidity…” I gave Mr. Hampton’s ear a twist. “You are something else, Mr. Hampton!”