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“Ibuprofen is fine. I need to get back to the conference room and wait for my boss.”
A sharp knock sounded at the door. Before Cannon could answer, she grabbed her backpack and suit jacket and ran to the bathroom. Once inside the tiny closet of a space, she quickly donned a clean shirt. As she hooked the last button, she overheard Karl say they needed a decision about paying the ransom. Leaving her suit jacket on a hook, she rushed out.
Schlitz smiled. “Agent Zenner. Dr. Ford was just telling me he’s decided not to pay.”
Hearing those words should have brought satisfaction. Instead, they felt like the starting buzzer to a game she wasn’t sure she could win.
Cannon ushered Karl to the exit. “I’ll meet you in the conference room in a minute. Please deliver my decision.”
“Of course. It’s the right move.”
As soon as Karl left, Cannon strode to Rosalie. “There’s ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. Take four, then grab a snack from my desk. It’s bound to be a long night, and you need your strength.”
“Later.” She cocked her head to the sound of familiar voices on the other side of the door. “My colleagues are here. I need to introduce you to them.”
“I can introduce myself. Listen to your doctor and understand this, Rosalie. I don’t relent when it comes to protecting those I care about.”
Cannon slammedthe door of his pickup truck with enough force to shake the freshly fallen snow from the roof. Had he just told Rosalie he cared about her? He had, and he wouldn’t take it back, but he needed air before he faced whatever the rest of the night hurled their way.
Rosalie had suggested she go back to Denver to protect him and his hospital. The move made sense, but he didn’t like it. He’d told her boss as much when they’d met a short while ago, but Agent Warner had decided that not only would Rosalie stay in Red Snow, but he and his team would too. Since she was the leading expert on this Malgor fucker, and since recent events suggested that Malgor might be in the vicinity, the FBI wasn’t losing an opportunity to catch him.
Cannon spun at the sound of a familiar whistle. He didn’t raise the handgun he’d retrieved from his truck, but he’d level it on a threat in a heartbeat if needed.
Grady tucked his thumbs into his utility belt. “Can you slam that door a little harder? I don’t think the patients under anesthesia heard it.”
“I’ve seen you slam doors many times.” He tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants. Light snowflakes landed on his exposed back and chilled his skin.
“Yeah, but it’s usually because Easton pissed me off. This Malgor fuckwad might be an international terrorist, but he can’t be nearly as annoying as my brother.”
“Man, I hope you’re right.” He moved toward the ER entrance.
Grady fell into step next to him. “I’ve never seen you carry in the hospital.”
“Never felt like I needed to.” He’d lock his gun in a safe in his office. Finding himself weaponless in another armed standoff wouldn’t happen again. “How’s your dad?”
“Cranky. With his heart and all, Doc Murphy wants him to stay until he’s sure there won’t be an infection. Easton and I will hang out with him for the rest of the night.” He winked. “And I’ll try to keep my brother and his rifle out of your ER.”
Gratitude clogged Cannon’s throat as he nodded. He’d been friends with Grady and Easton long enough to know their father wasn’t the only reason they—and their guns—were staying on the premises.
Frost crunched under Cannon’s shoes as he cut through snow-dusted grass to the entrance. Even armed, vulnerability suffocated him like a goose-down parka. He despised wearing a heavy coat almost as much as he despised not being in control of a situation. “Did you learn anything about Rosalie from your contacts?”
“Yeah. She’s very well respected in the intel community. Being good at what she does helped her move through the ranks fast. My contact at the FBI said she’s a shoo-in to take over as the special agent in charge in the LA field office when the current one retires at the end of the month.”
“LA? As in Los Angeles?” The words puffed out of his mouth in a white cloud that disappeared, just like Rosalie would from his life when this crisis was over.
“Yeah. Although, I have a buddy who said he’d love to steal her from the FBI to head up a new cybercrime team here in Red Snow.”
Rosalie in Red Snow? Now that sounded more to his liking.
Maybe if she lived in town, they could grab dinner or meet up at his cabin. Maybe she wouldn’t mind his long hours and dedication to prolonging his sister’s life. Rosalie didn’t strike him as selfish, but Ashley hadn’t in the beginning of their relationship either, and look how that had turned out.
Grady scanned the quiet parking lot. “Malgor is a twisted motherfucker. Killed her father and stabbed her.”
Cannon flinched from the sympathy pain in his back and heart. He’d broken a few bones and received many stitches over the years, but he couldn’t begin to imagine the agony of a knife wound. But the pain your heart suffered from losing your father? That he understood with every particle of his soul.
“She told me.” No wonder she’d gone for her gun when Wulf had pulled his knife out. “What else did you learn?”
“That’s it so far, but I’m bound to learn more since I’ll be working closely with the FBI to lock down this place like a fortress. Rosalie’s boss assured me that they will do everything they can to assist your tech team while they search for this cocksucker.”
