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“Yes, you did, but that’s not the point. You should have let me handle it until security got there.”
Something dark flashed in her eyes. He gently wiped away fresh blood with his thumb. Somebody had cut her deep, and not just into her skin. Somebody had knifed into her soul.
The question he hadn’t been able to get out of his head since last night pushed against his lips. Who had twisted a knife into her back? His protective instincts shouldn’t be kicking in. An FBI agent didn’t need his protection. Although he’d been impressed with the way she’d handled the explosive father, she was still small, soft, and scarred by some bastard who’d stabbed her with malice. A badge didn’t shield traumatic memories.
“How did you cut your head?”
She relayed the story. Wrapping it up, she nudged his calf with her foot. “Tell me, Dr. CEO, how much are they asking for?”
He froze. The question didn’t refer to her hospital bill, but he wasn’t about to confirm the ransomware attack. “You’re going to need a couple of stitches.”
“Considering the kiss we shared last night and the irate father I just faced, don’t insult me by pretending your hospital wasn’t attacked.” She leaned closer. “I can help.”
The curtain slid open. Rosalie flinched. A nurse entered the room and set two syringes on the table. Cannon saturated gauze with antiseptic and added persistence to Special Agent Snow Angel’s qualities. Not giving in made her even sexier, but he couldn’t accept her help. He should accept that he didn’t have time to worry about fearless special agents, yet he prodded anyway. “Why does the sound of the curtain opening and closing bother you?”
“It doesn’t.” She tilted her head back as he dabbed her cut. “As the CEO of an organization hit by a ransomware attack, you need my expertise.”
He dropped the gauze onto the tray. “I’m going to numb you.” Then he’d take an acid reducer, or hell, a half dozen, followed by a shot of bourbon-laced hot chocolate. He uncapped the syringe with the numbing agent and cupped her chin with his other hand. “Hold still.”
The quicker he got her out of his ER, the quicker he could get the ransom money together. Consequences for talking to the FBI might mean a heftier sum, and he only had three million in the bank.
He inserted the needle under her skin and pressed the plunger. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Agent…”
Hell, he’d kissed her. Could still taste her on his tongue. They’d just faced danger together, and he still didn’t know her last name. He glanced at her chart as he disposed of the syringe. “I’ll be back in a few minutes once you’re numb, Agent Zenner.”
She wrapped her hand around his forearm as he turned to leave. “Oh no you don’t. I know your network is down because you’re using pen and paper like it’s 1955. Your ER is a madhouse because the workarounds you’ve devised are slow, and Annie mentioned a phishing attack.”
He bit back a curse. “Annie doesn’t know how to send pictures from her phone, much less what a phishing attack is.” He loved the nurse like family, but she talked too much.
“She didn’t specifically say phishing, but she said enough to make me suspect that a careless employee clicked on a suspicious email and launched a virus that compromised every network-connected device in your hospital.”
The accusation snapped his head back. “Hey, I made sure every employee received cybersecurity training.” He’d followed every recommendation set forth by federal experts, yet it hadn’t been enough.
Beyond the curtain, a frustrated intern argued with the lab about backed-up test results. Could he have done better for his staff? His sister? Those could be Julia’s results backlogged in the lab.
She touched his arm. “Listen, Cannon, I’m sure you followed all the recommended security protocols, and from what I just witnessed with Shawn and Aidan, you’re a good leader, but nothing can stop a determined cybercriminal.”
Relief sagged his shoulders. Her opinion about his leadership skills shouldn’t matter, but it did.
She tapped her chin with her finger. “Is your CIO any good?”
“Yes.” Except for his constant flirting with any female who looked sexy in a suit or scrubs. “Karl’s only been with us a couple of months, but he came highly recommended from a trusted source.”
What he wouldn’t give to talk to that source now.
Rosalie leaned back on her hands. “I’m guessing every department has been infiltrated. I overheard you tell Shawn that if his son needs an appendectomy, he’ll be transferred to another hospital. Will the boy be okay?”
“Grand Pines Memorial is good.”
Far, but good.
He pulled a foil pack of acid reducers out of his pocket and pushed out a pill. “Aidan will be fine. We’re sending our noncritical patients there so we can reserve our limited resources for emergency surgeries.” He popped the pill into his mouth and waited for her next question to form in her intelligent brain and fly from her pretty lips.
Strands of her ponytail brushed the mark he’d left on her shoulder. A flood of possessiveness surprised him as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sure, he felt responsible for Rosalie’s safety. Everyone in this hospital deserved his protection, but once he discharged her, she wasn’t his to protect.
Long, silent minutes passed as he closed her cut. Satisfied with his handiwork, he put down the instruments. “All done. You shouldn’t have a scar.” He picked up the other syringe and inserted it close to the stitches he’d woven into her flesh. “This will keep you numb for several hours.”
“Thanks.” She raised her hand to examine her wound. He grabbed her wrist. Tension coiled under his fingers. “No touching until I put antibiotic ointment and a bandage on it.”
