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Oliver’s jaw locked.Not in the mood for your sarcastic BS right now.And if you tell Lark I was trying to use her—
“Guess Nate was hiding out in the shop after he ran from the hotel.Cops at his home said he had all kinds of recon work on you there.The address of your apartment.The location of your shop.Your car tag number.All signs indicated he’d been doing some serious stalking for a while.”
“I want to talk to him.”There were questions that Oliver had to ask.Isn’t that why I let the sonofabitch live?The dead didn’t talk.
“Not happening.”Colby shook his head.“The man’s in surgery now getting that bullet cut out of his shoulder.And as he was being driven in on the ambulance, he kept screaming for a lawyer.Hate when they do that.”He thrust back his shoulders.“So don’t expect him to be cooperating with you anytime soon.Doesn’t matter.We’ve got enough evidence to lock him away for a long, long time.”His gaze drifted once more to the darkening bruise on Lark’s neck.“Glad you’re safe.”
“I didn’t find my brother.”
His eyelashes flickered.“We will find him.Count on it.”
Oliver felt like the unspoken words ofone way or anotherlingered in the air.
But Colby projected concern as he told Lark, “It’s been one monster of a night.You need to rest.”
“I’m trying to convince her to resthere,” Oliver groused.“The doc wanted her kept for observation.”Concussions were tricky.He’d seen the hell they created firsthand with other agents who’d been injured.The vic would seem fine at first, and then later, the person would start vomiting or having seizures.
As if on cue, the doctor darted inside the room.When she saw Lark, the woman smiled.“Are you feeling better?”
“Feeling like I just survived a murder attempt,” Lark returned.“Don’t know if ‘better’ is the right word, but I am incredibly happy to be alive right now.”She reached out and absolutely shocked Oliver by taking his hand in hers.Her fingers squeezed his.“Thank you.”
He looked at her hand.So fragile compared to his.And she wasthanking him?He hadn’t moved fast enough.Hadn’t seen the threat.Hadn’t been able to take down the perp until the bastard already had a rope around her throat.
“The flowers.”Oliver swallowed.Cleared his throat.He was pretty much just growling and snarling, and he needed to do better.“We need to find out where he got the flowers.”
“That will be another nail in his coffin,” Colby agreed.“We’ll have agents track them down.Sure appears to me like the guy was doing his best to repeat the pattern of the murders.The flowers, the rope…”
And the victim who looks just like the others.
Oliver brought Lark’s hand to his mouth.Pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“I’m not running.”A whisper from her.“You understand that, don’t you?I’m not looking for Lane in order to run away with him.That was never my plan.”Lark looked right at him.Right into my soul.“I’m not leaving you,” she said.
“Well, I’m afraid he has to leaveyou,” the doctor informed her.
Oliver sent her a glower.Why the hell did he need to leave Lark?
“Just for a moment,” the doctor reassured.“You can stand right outside of the door.Bothof you gentleman.”She waved to Colby.Actually, more like a shooing motion than a wave.“I need a few moments to examine my patient, and I’d like to do that without you two adding any additional stress to the situation.”
Lark tensed.
“Right outside of the door,” the doctor—Monique Coleman—repeated.“You will be perfectly safe in here, Lark, and I’m quite certain these gentlemen will make sure no one else gets inside.”
Lark nodded.“It’s all right, Oliver.Go.”
Oliver squeezed her hand.“Call my name if you need me.”Simple as that.Would be from here on out.If she needed him, all Lark had to do was call.He pressed another kiss to her knuckles and then let her go.
Oliver made sure that Colby left the room first, then Oliver followed him.He pulled the dooralmostshut, then took up a position right in front of it.Damn straight no one was getting in there.“As soon as possible, I want a crack at Nate Quest.”
A long-suffering sigh escaped Colby.“I told you already, that is not happening.He’s in surgery.Apparently, that bullet nipped the subclavian artery and vein.Don’t look at me like that.I’m just repeating what a doc told me a few minutes ago.I didn’t suddenly gain massive amounts of medical knowledge.”
The subclavian artery and vein?“That’s why the bastard bled so much.”Blood had soaked Nate.
“His surgeon said he could have permanent disability in the arm.Something about the brachial plexus?Yeah, he lost me after that.And I’m sure you’ll cry plenty over the bastard having trouble moving the arm he used to strangle Lark.”
Oliver would shed zero tears.“You’re…too happy.”Something was off with the guy.
“Is this my happy face?”Colby pointed to himself.To his face.
