Blind Rage: Team Red, Book 4 (17 page)

The doctor hooked me up on an IV to replenish fluids, and expedite various antibiotics and vitamin supplements intravenously to my weary body. My stomach was still feeling a bit too rebellious for oral medications. I don’t think it was noon yet, but all I wanted was rest. Even more than coffee. Kind of ironic, since I spent most of the last two days unconscious.

“I won’t know until the blood test results,” Doc Jim declared, “but we suspect you and Red were injected with fentanyl via the darts. Russ told me one of the kidnappers claimed to be using benzodiazepine for your continuous sedation. Your symptoms of dry mouth, nausea, and dizziness are consistent with benzo; although, quite frankly, those symptoms match a number of other drugs, too. There may be some withdrawal issues, as I don’t know what dosage you were given. It seems fairly clear to me, with the exception of your coffee consumption, you don’t appear to have an addictive personality, so you should be able to power through any lingering effects. Call me right away if you get cold sweats or the shakes. Hell, call me if you have any questions. I’ll be two doors down, as Bas is sharing his room for the duration, and checking on you regularly. Your friend, Gil, will expedite the blood samples through his contact in the police lab.”

“That would be his girlfriend, Ashe,” Bas informed us. “Gil’s waiting outside, Babe. He said he’d go straight from here to Ashe with a list of what Doc needs checked. She won’t do it at the station, but she has access to lab facilities to handle your requirements.”

“Excellent,” Jim approved. “I haven’t given you a sedative. Mainly because I don’t know yet how much benzo is already in your system. If you can’t sleep, let me know and I can improvise. I’m going to take a nap as I’ve been up most of the night myself. You have people wanting to see you. I recommend a few at a time, and short stays only.”

“Thanks Doc, I’ll make sure everyone cycles through quickly so she can get some rest,” Bas assured.

“Geez, I can’t believe I’m so sleepy,” I yawned. “You’d think this woman would have more stamina after being asleep for almost forty-eight hours.”

“Being drugged doesn’t count as a rest, Teresa. You’ve been through a trauma, and it will take time for your mind and body to get in sync again. A nice, healing sleep will do you a lot of good.” The doctor packed a few loose items into a large black suitcase. With a tired sigh he extended the luggage handle and rolled his medical kit into the hall on squeaky plastic wheels.

In groups of two and three, Mustangs stopped in to pay respects and wish me a speedy recovery. Janey was back from the store, and looked stricken when I expressed I was too tired to take a bath now. I thanked her for getting the scented Epsom salts, promising to take a long soak after I’d caught up on my sleep. Having thanked Red, and requesting “Lights out, but stay close,” more for him than for me, I was almost asleep, when Bastian bent over the bed to kiss my unmarked cheek.

“Are you leaving me?” I asked groggily.

“I won’t be far, Babe. You need to sleep. I was going to let you rest,” he explained.

“No, Bas, your place is beside me. You need to hold me so the nightmares will stay away.”

There was no protest. I suspect Bas wanted to crawl in beside me, but had worried he’d disturb my rest. There was a soft whisper of clothing being stripped away, and moments later, his huge body slid under the covers, the tilt of the bed an immediate comfort. I was vaguely disappointed he was wearing underwear, but that thought lasted only an instant until I felt the heated flesh of his chest pressed against my back, adding additional warmth even through my pajamas. Careful of the IV in my arm, Bas slipped his hand over my waist, tucking me into the curve of his body.

“We’ll have to do this naked, next time,” I suggested, with a last burst of conscious thought.

“It’s a deal, Babe. Naked snuggling is high up on my list of things I want to do together. Sleep, Teresa. You’re safe with me. I’ll keep the monsters at bay.”

“Of course I am Bastian. There’s no place safer than in your arms.”

I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Seventeen

I woke slowly to the sound of angry, raised voices.

“Why the hell didn’t you call and let me know she’d been kidnapped? It shocked the hell out of me when Russ picked us up at the airport and gave me a rundown of events on the ride back. Thank god he picked us up in two vehicles so Marcia and Wes could ride separately while I got briefed. I fucking had a right to know last Friday, Bas!” David’s tone was furious, but he managed to keep his voice lowered. What woke me from a deep sleep was the intensity of their conversation, rather than the volume.

“There was nothing you could have done from Boston, David. You had plenty on your plate with Marcia’s final cancer specialist checkup, and Wes’ appointment to be sure the skull fracture was healed enough for him to fly. Yes, as my partner, I should have told you there was a blackmail threat to PreClan, but I weighed the threat and knew we had the resources here to take care of it. Since the situation’s been handled, and Teresa and the programs are safe, there was no need to add more to your workload,” Bas argued, his voice low and controlled.

“Workload? That’s bullshit, Bas. I had a right to know Teresa was in danger,” David challenged.

“No, David. You have
no
rights where Teresa is concerned. Technically, as a married man, you never did,” Bastian reasoned.

“I can fix this, Bas. She just needs to give me another chance. I love her, and I know she loves me,” David countered. “She picked me, remember?”

“Fuck, man, listen to yourself. Teresa told you this can’t be fixed, you broke her trust,” Bastian stressed. “You lied to her, David. Compounded deception upon deception. You know how much she values integrity, and you still concealed your marital status. In-fucking-credibly, on top of lying, you tossed in a marriage proposal before you found out why Marcia wouldn’t sign the divorce papers. She didn’t pick you, she picked the man you pretended to be. That man was a lie.”

His words were met with silence. Bas continued, relentless, “Not only did you deceive Teresa, you deliberately maneuvered to block my relationship with her. Christ, David, the first thing I ever told you about her was that I planned to marry her one day. You knew this woman owned me. Knowing this, you not only betrayed her, you deliberately sabotaged my admittedly clumsy attempts to gain her respect and earn her love. We’re friends and partners, David. How could you do that to me? And how could you hurt her like that, and still expect her to forgive and pick up as though nothing happened?”

“You were obsessed, not in love,” David taunted, but there was no venom—nor conviction, behind the statement.

“
I’m
obsessed?” Bastian repeated, incredulously. “Dude, I’ve known her since she was five years old, and loved her since she was fifteen. I walked away to give her time to grow up. One careless asshole mistake when I was a brash twenty-five year old, screwed-up everything, but I never stopped loving her. Even in the face of her lost respect, I never faltered in my feelings. I never stopped trying to make things right. The fact she avoided me, meant she was aware of me, too, so I always had hope. You, on the other hand, fell in lust with a photograph. You learned to love her through my recollections and childhood stories. Rather than clean up your life to make yourself single and worthy of her, you deliberately started your pursuit as soon as we got to Spokane, because you were worried I would win her before you were free of Marcia. Between those two scenarios, David, which sounds more like obsession?”

“I love her, Bas,” David repeated, so softly, I almost couldn’t hear him.

“I love her, too. I have for almost half my life. Imagining a world without her in it, is incomprehensible for me. These last two days, looking for her? Afraid I’d fail to find her in time? They were torture, David. I came so close to losing her before we even had a chance to start a life together. That beautiful, giving woman, holds my heart and sanity in the palms of her hands,” he declared with firm conviction. “I know her David. She’s a woman who wants to be treated as an equal, not sheltered as you insist on doing. She is a doer, a participant in her life—not a spectator. You consider her handicapped, and would put her on a shelf and guard her, but I would walk beside her, offering a helping hand to clasp if she loses her footing. You would hold your worries to yourself, because you wouldn’t want to burden her with making hard choices. I would tell her everything in my heart, and rely on her to offer sage advice and a steadying hand when my course was in question. You’d put her on a pedestal; I’d drag her off to bed. The fact you don’t understand these things about her, means you’d never make her happy. Don’t you want her happiness above your own, David?”

There it was. The bottom line. I’d originally selected David because he’d presented himself as safe, steady, and predictable. All lies. Bastian was passionate, engaging, and impulsive—hands down, the more loyal of the two. It wouldn’t be a comfortable ride, but Bas could offer me a fuller life, at his side; an equal. Each day with him would be an adventure.

“Bastian, bring David in, would you?” I called out, ending the rooster stand-off outside my door.

“Oh, Babe. I’m sorry we woke you,” Bas apologized, as he came through the bedroom door. “How are you doing? Are you feeling up to sharing mind-sight?”

“Red felt so tired, let him rest for now,” I declined.

“Hello, David. I’m happy to hear you made it back safely.” I hoped my smile was welcoming, maybe a bit detached to emphasize the shift in our relationship. I was distracted from his reply when Red interrupted.

“I’m fine, Teresa,”
Red stressed, resting his head gently on my blanket-covered feet. When I asked him to stay close, I hadn’t meant indefinitely. How long had he been there? “
Lights on. I came and woke Bas when I heard the vehicles coming, then stayed to watch over you. I didn’t want you to be alone.”

Could I love this dog any more than I did? Doubt it. “You’re a good boy, Red. Thank you.”

Bas angled around Red, to partially seat himself at the edge of the bed, near the IV stand. “I see I’ve already finished dinner,” I joked, pointing at the IV bag, hanging empty.

Bas’ eyes crinkled at the corners, sharing my amusement. “I’ll see if we can find a bag of coffee to hang next. You’re probably a few quarts low.”

“A man after my own heart,” I smiled.

His fingertips brushed my cheek, intimate, matching the promise in his gaze, heated even though Red’s vision. “Your heart is the ultimate prize, Babe. Unfortunately, practicality beckons. You sucked down a lot of fluid, and I’m sure you need a bathroom break. Let me help you up, and we’ll see how steady you are. The benzo should be diluted, but you may still be a bit weak in the knees now that the adrenaline has worn off.”

“You’re right. David, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I smiled in his direction, taking in his tall, lean good looks. He wore jeans and a thick, cable-knit sweater, which emphasized the planes of his chest. I could see his hair was a tad longer than he usually wore it, brushing the top of his ears with a faint wave. A month ago, I would have found that curl in his hair, adorable. Now, I could look at David and simply feel he needed a haircut. There was a lot to be said for the healing properties of Bastian’s full attention.

Drawing back the covers, I swung my legs to the edge of the bed, reaching for Bas’ outstretched hand. My legs crumbled beneath me. “How about I help this trip, and you can try again later? You haven’t had a decent meal yet, Babe.” He swung me up in his arms with casual strength, careful not to hit the IV stand. “Push the pole ahead of us, Babe,” he instructed, walking slowly toward the bathroom. “Red stay here, buddy. I’ll bring her right back.”

“Lights out, until I’m finished. Okay Red?” I asked.

In answer, he withdrew, leaving me in the dark.

Even bonelessly cradled in his arms, I could feel the aches and pains throughout my body, throbbing with the beat of my heart. “My body really hurts, Bastian. I can barely move,” I admitted, embarrassed because I knew I’d need more intimate assistance.

He kissed my cheek, replying matter of factly, “It’s a good thing for you that I’ve got experience removing women’s clothing. All those years of practice will now be put to good use,” he teased. “If you weren’t blind, I could’ve flashed my panty-dropping smile to make the job even easier, but we’ll just have to remove them manually, the old-fashioned way.” His sigh was dramatic, and full of good humor. “With my teeth.”

“Oh, you most certainly will not,” I laughed. Half appalled-half intrigued by the idea of Bastian stripping me without the benefit of his hands. Trust this crazy man to make me feel less self-conscious. My bladder was empty, finally, and I took charge of more intimate ablutions, but needed Bas to help me pull the pants back up over my hips. I didn’t have the strength, or the range of motion necessary; each tug at the waistband was painful as well as futile. My ribs were so sore, it hurt to breathe, let alone walk. The latter issue moot, because I was lifted into Bas’ arms once again.

As we entered the room, Red immediately connected mind-sight. The first thing I noticed was David’s mouth, drawn tight in a disapproving line. “Seriously, Bas, you couldn’t leave her long enough to let her pee by herself?”

“Don’t be an ass, David. You don’t get to make snide comments,” I snapped, lifting my shirt to expose my bruised belly and taped ribcage.

“Oh, hell, Teresa. What did they do to you? I hadn’t realized you were injured. I mean, I saw the facial injury and thought maybe a fall, but you look like you were beaten.” David’s tone was filled with horror.

Rather than reply with a full recounting, Bas told him, “Next time you’re in the Cave, ask to see the video footage. The bastards had a camera on her the whole time she was there, and we recorded it. To recap, she has some messed up ribs, and a colorful assortment of bruises. The good news is, the one who inflicted the worst of it got a bullet between the eyes.”

Bas paused beside the mattress, and asked, “Do you want to be propped up for visitors, or are you ready for a little more rest?” Bas’ wording was politely phrased, but the inflection suggested the intelligent choice was option B.

“I need to sleep. Maybe some visitors in the morning.”

His smile was reward enough, indicating I’d made the correct decision, in his humble opinion anyway. Carefully, Bas eased me onto the bed, swinging my legs around, as if intuitively knowing I didn’t have the power to do it on my own.

“David, I’m still exhausted. Can you extend my warm wishes to your family? I will meet them tomorrow. Hopefully, a good night’s sleep and a hot bath in the morning will help me gain some mobility.” I offered a weak smile. “We’ll find time to talk later, I promise.”

David took a tentative step toward the bed, unsure of himself in light of my obvious shift of allegiance to Bastian. I remembered Bas suggesting to me David would interpret our lack of sexual intimacy as uncertainty with our relationship. What better way to prove to David we shared intimacy than to allow Bas to assist me with something as personal as bathroom activities? Could I have managed myself? Yes, eventually, and painfully. I also could have asked Bas to leave me alone until I was ready to go back to the bed. But as Bas carried me to the bathroom, I realized I would have wanted him to ask me for help if our positions had been reversed. Geez, I’d spent two days peeing with an open bathroom door and a perfect stranger standing outside; it felt nearly comfortable in front of Bas.

“Goodnight, Teresa. Sleep well.” He wanted to say more, it was clear on his face, but the trip to the toilet had surprisingly drained what little energy I had. Questions would have to wait, I needed time to gain my strength back.