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His gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror. “I’ll rest once I know everyone is okay.”
Flint’s hand settles on my thigh, squeezing it in comfort. “I want to go back to the Conservatory and help Xander figure out the spell. We need to stop it ASAP.”
“We’ll drop Sharpe off first, then I’ll take you to the Conservatory.” Marc takes the turn toward New Clearhelm. “Reese should have the van cleared for use by now, so you can use that to come home later.”
“I’ll go with Sharpe,” I announce. “At least I can make sure he gets cleaned up without further injuring his shoulder.”
“I can take a shower on my own,” he protests.
“We’ll circle back to pick you up,” Marc says, ignoring Sharpe’s protest before he looks at the other man. “Do you need a change of clothes?”
Sighing, Sharpe leans his head against his seat. “I have a suit in my office.”
Marc nods and returns his attention to the road. “I’ll bring you food when I come back. If you insist on working in your condition, then we’ll make sure you have the energy to keep going.”
“Can you bring food for the entire squad room?” Sharpe rolls his head to look at Marc. “I’m not going to eat while everyone else is left hungry.”
“I’ll get enough for everyone,” Marc assures him.
When he pulls up to the curb in front of the JTFPI headquarters a few minutes later, I lean over to kiss Flint’s grimy cheek before hopping out to help Sharpe.
He climbs out awkwardly, wincing when his injured arm jostles against the seat, and I stay close to his side as we walk into the station.
The sound of chatter drifts from the squad room, and the scent of coffee wafts through the air.
As we pass through the metal detector, Sharpe’s spine straightens, and his shoulders pull back. Even when injured, he wants to stand tall in front of his people.
Cheers and claps fill the air, both from the officers who made it back from the battle ahead of us and from those who hadn’t been there.
Sharpe pauses to look out over them. “You all did well today. Those who need to, use the locker rooms to freshen up, and we’ll meet back here in an hour with food to debrief today’s events.”
More cheers follow us into Sharpe’s office, where we find Mayn waiting with his spare suit already pulled out. “Welcome back, sir.”
“You, too, Mayn.” Sharpe’s gaze sweeps over his partner, assessing for injuries, before he heads for the bathroom. “We’ll be out once I get cleaned up. Go get a soak in the saltwater tanks.”
“Yes, sir.” Mayn dips her head before stepping out and closing the door behind her.
I stride to Sharpe’s desk. “I’ll grab you some pain medication. Don’t start stripping without me.”
His soft chuckle sounds from the bathroom. “I’m not sure I could, even if I wanted to.”
A smile spreads over my lips, and I grab a bottled water from the mini fridge before joining him. “I thought you said you didn’t need my help.”
“I was lying.” He takes the pills from me, tossing them into his mouth before accepting the opened water and washing them down.
I take the bottle from him and set it on the edge of the sink.
Turning back to him, I unwind the bandages that support his shoulder. “Janice would be very displeased with you right now.”
He leans forward to rest his head on my shoulder. “Then we won’t tell her.”
“My lips are sealed.” I work open the buttons on his shirt and pull the tails from his pants before carefully pushing it off his shoulders.
Bruises form dark shadows on his left shoulder, and an ugly red road rash covers his bicep and part of his side.
“We should disinfect those,” I murmur.
He turns his face into my neck and lets out a shaky breath. “That’s what the soap is for.”
