A guncocked inside.
“It’s me, you morons.” He didn’t have time for this crap. His earswere freezing.
The door slowly opened and a greenish-blue gaze pierced him. Then Oliver moved to the side, wearing hospital scrubs and worn white tennis shoes. “Come on in.”
Jethro moved inside and shut the door, looking at his friends. “You look like shit.” Both men were covered in stitches and bruises, and Ian looked as if he’d been punched in the temple. “I’m assuming broken hurts worse than bruised, or is it the other way around?”
“Forget hurt.” Ian groaned. “What matters is whatslows us down.”
“My wrist and his left ankle,” Oliver said, his wrist in a black cast.
Jethro shook his head, looking around the empty room. “You have no provisions, but you managed to get your hands on a gun?”
Ian nodded, sitting on the one bed with his ankle in a blue cast. “Priorities, mate.”
Jethro could appreciate that. “Well, pack up. You’re coming home with me.” He should probably check with Gemma first, but he couldn’t leave his mates in this crappy dump with no food or clothing.
“No,” Ian said, his rugged face set in lines of pain. “We don’t know that bomb was meant for you. There are plenty of enemies out there who’d love to see us run the dirt red, so we’re not going anywhere untilwe make sure.”
“I’m sure,” Jethro said, grabbing a plastic bag from the hospital from the floor. “I believe with every instinct I have that Fletcher blew up my apartment. The only question is whether he wanted me to be inside or not. We have a team going through the rubble right now and we’ll know aboutthe bomb soon.”
“Fucking Fletcher,” Oliver said, looking down at the stolen tennis shoes. “We might have to put him down for good this time.”
Jethro nodded, his gut churning. “I know. For now let’s go.” He didn’t like being away from Gemma this long with Fletcher on the loose, but at least Raider and Brigid were keeping an eye on the good doctor in Oregon, so there was one less enemy to contend with right this second. “Do you ever feel like we have too many enemies out there?”
Ian shoved to his one good foot, holding the cast aloft. “Every damn day.”
Jethro glared at him. “Why didn’t you just call me to pick you up from the hospital? You had to have known this was Fletcher’s doing.”
Ian shrugged. “You have a new life here, and we didn’t want to muck it up. Plus, it’s easier for us to work back channels if we’re not on hospital CCTV leaving with you.”
Oliver tucked the gun in the back of his scrubs. “It’s not like you had difficulty finding us.”
That was a true. He looked at two of his oldest friends. “We’re still family, you know.” After Fletcher’s betrayal he’d left everyone behind. “I needed time to remember that.” Now he had more family with the Deep Ops unit, and Gemma had helped him to see that.
“No problem,” Oliver said, opening the door. “You’re not the smartest bulb, but we figured you’d pull your head out of your arseat some point.”
Jethro shoved his shoulder beneath Ian’s arm. “We’ll have to get yousome crutches.”
Ian leaned against him, his face ashen. “Fuck the crutches. Get me some pain pills.”
“I can do that,” Jethro said, helping him to the door and out into the storm. “I have a safe place for you both to recuperate.” If he was family, so were they. Hopefully Gemma wouldn’t mind houseguests. He was certainly taking advantage of Serena’s good nature, he mused. “Before we go, is there anybody else after the two of you?” He didn’t want to put the Deep Ops team into any more danger thanhe already had.
“No more than usual,” Ian said, his face ashen beneath his bronze skin andhis rough tone.
Then Serena’s house was the best place to protect them while they healed.
They moved out into the wintery day and Jethro helped Ian to the truck. “So. How do you two blokes feel aboutkids and dogs?”
* * * *
After lunch Gemma continued working on lesson plans while Trudy took a nap. The dishwasher hummed happily and the storm pummeled the windows, giving her a sense of comfort. Of security. She let herself relax for the moment. New studies showed that it was good for the cardiovascular system to accept stress instead of panic about it, so she’d learned to stayin the moment.
Roscoe lay across her feet, warming them while he snored softly. He’d played in the snow earlier and was just now drying out, and he seemed to be more than content to do so on her. She smiled and looked down at his very handsome head. His markings were sharp and defined, and while he looked dangerous, he had been so sweet with everyone. It was difficult to imagine him attacking anyone.
A knock sounded on the door and Dana poked her head in. “Do youhave a second?”
“Definitely.” Gemma smiled at the quiet woman. They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk much, but she had a gentle and calm presence that made her nice to be around. “Come on in.”
