Aiden threw his bag into the back seatof his truck and gave Deefer a hand signal that had the dog leapinginto the bed of the truck.“Will do.I’m not sure how long it willtake, but I’ll try to get you something in the next few days.Whatever the Pathfinders are doing, I am guessing there’s someurgency to it.”
Dev nodded and stepped back from thetruck.“Then I guess we’ll be seeing you and the dog again later.You heading out to meet Sam?If you are then leave the mutthere.”
“Yeah, he went in early tohelp Nick get ready to leave the hospital.We’ll head back to ourplace this afternoon and get a few things together for Nick and mebefore coming back out this way tonight.”Aiden slid a look at hisdog, who was currently staring up at Dev with a look of doggyworship.“You sure you can put up with Deefer and all his doggyways?”
Dev nodded curtly.“Of course.He’sreturned services just as we all are.I’ll just have to put up withthe damn dog.In fact, if you’re all heading back this way tonight,then why not leave the mutt here?Finn will look after him, andthat might get him off my back about adopting a damn dog forhim.”
Aiden nodded and hid a grin as hesignaled Deefer out of the truck and slid into the driver seat.Hestarted the truck, and a quick glance in the side mirror saw Devholding out a cube of sugar to Deefer, and Aidenchuckled.
Aiden left the compound, pressing hisown thumb to the security panel to activate the gate.Sam had jokedthat morning that was what giving him a spare key to their frontdoor was like for Bravo team.Driving into town toward their place,he wound his window down and let the warm wind into the truck.Hisbody was still humming from the night he had spent with Sam, andhis heart was full of happiness knowing that Nick would be homewith them tonight.
Aiden turned into the driveway thatled up to their house.A second later there was a loud bang, andthen his truck seemed to jack-knife into the air of its own accord.He saw glimpses of the blue sky before the green of the grass vergeand gray of the road filled his windscreen.This was going tohurt!
****
Nick scowled at the young nurse as shepushed a wheelchair into his hospital room.“What the hell do youthink that is going to be used for?”
The nurse grinned and nodded in Sam’sdirection.“He told me he’d be able to convince you to get in thechair, Sheriff, so I figured I’d wheel it in and see how he goes.It is policy after all.”
Nick turned to scowl at Sam where heleaned grinning against the wall at the foot of his hospital bed.“How in the hell do you think you are going to get me into thatdamn chair, Marine?”
Sam looked over at the nurse.“Whydon’t you leave this part to me, Gina?”The nurse smiled up at himthen walked out of the room, but not before she pushed the damnchair further toward him.“Now,” Sam said as he stepped in Nick’sdirection, and if he wasn’t mistaken there was a definite glint ofchallenge in his eyes, “don’t be a stubborn patient and get in thedamn chair.”
Nick crossed his arms and remainedwhere he was, sitting on the side of the damn hospitalbed.
“Baby, trust me, you couldargue, and I could step outside the door and advise the lovely Ginathat we are going to need a sedative, or you can do as I havenicely asked and not be difficult.”Then Sam played hardball, byleaning in so that his lips were a mere inch from Nick’s own.“Ican assure you that the reward for following all my directions whenit comes to your physical health and care will be most pleasurable.For both of us.Hell, if Aiden gets to the house first and setsthings up like we’d planned it will be all three of us.”
Nick reached up one hand, gripped Samby his nape and pulled him in for a kiss.Nick made sure to lickinto his mouth and swallow the mutual sounds of desire they bothmade at the move.When he was sure that he had Sam as hot as hecould without risking having them both ending up naked and fuckinghard and strong on the hospital bed and shocking the shit out ofnurse Gina, he pulled back.
“As it turns out,” Nicksaid in a voice hoarse with need, “that sounds like something I ammore than happy to sit in that damn chair for.Five days is toodamn long to go without having you and Aiden.”He slid from thebed, ignoring the slight pinch of the stitches and wounds not yethealed on his left side and thigh.He turned and sat back in thechair, holding back a slight groan from the ease of discomfort thatcame with sitting down.
“There you go, Sheriff,”Sam said as he wheeled the chair around, “all safely seated.Pleasebe sure to keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times,and adhere to the instructions of your captain.”
Nick shook his head at Sam’s jokingbut was glad to have him there when they finished up the dischargeprocess faster than expected and were on the road.“So Aiden’salready at the house?”
“Yeah,” Sam said as hedrove.“He thought it would be good to get home and open the placeup and get some lunch together for us.”Sam turned to waggle hiseyebrows.“We both figure that once we get you home and in bed, thethree of us are not going to want to go far.Five days is a longtime, and Aiden and I have plans to try and make up for losttime.”
Nick grinned back.“That sounds like aplan!”
The two of them talked for a fewmoments about nothing substantial, just that at ease conversationyou have with someone you are completely comfortable with.As theyneared the driveway that led to the property he and Aiden wereleasing Nick’s excitement started to grow within him.Thatexcitement was quickly eclipsed by concern when Sam turned into thedrive.
“What the hell?”Samexclaimed.Aiden's truck was lying on its roof on the verge besidethe drive.From the state of the front of the truck, it was clearthat there had been an explosion or something that had rippedthrough the front of the truck.It was a sight he had seen on morethan one occasion in Afghanistan, but to see it now was completelyout of context.Not to mention it was Aiden’s truck, which hadNick’s panic spiking hard through him.
Nick was out of the truck before Samhad brought it to a complete stop.“Aiden!”he cried out as he fellto his knees beside the wreck.He tried to yank the passenger dooropen, but it was wedged shut.He fell forward onto his front, andlooked frantically through the broken glass, and closed his eyes inrelief when he saw that the cab was empty.He was still lying therewhen Sam dropped into the other side of the truck.
“Fuck,” Sam said as heleaned into the cab, “there’s blood on the steering wheel and dropmarks on the roof.Aiden was hurt.”The two of them scrambled offthe ground and ran back to Sam’s truck.They got in as quickly aspossible and roared up the rest of the drive to the house.Nick’sheart was pounding in his chest when they slammed through the doorinto the kitchen, but it didn’t take long to see that the place wasempty.
“What the fuck is goingon?Where is he?”Sam asked in frustration as he ran back into thekitchen from searching the back of the house.
“I have no clue,” Nickgrowled, reaching into his pocket for his phone.“Maybe someone sawthe accident and called it in.He could be back at that damnhospital.”As he swiped the front of the phone to activate thedevice, it vibrated in his hand before ringing.His concern turnedto anger when he saw that it was a California number.
“If you are calling totell me you bastards have lost that murdering fuck,” Nick growledinto the phone after connecting the call, “then I am going tofucking kill you myself.”Sam stepped closer, and Nick pulled thephone back and activated the speaker phone function.
There was a pause on the other end ofthe phone.“Is that Sheriff Nicolas Jones, of the Redwood FallsSheriff’s Department?”
“Yeah it’s me, but I don’tthink you are calling me because of who I am or where the fuck Iwork.You’re one of the federal dipshits looking after Miles Duncanright?And somehow that fucker has escaped your notice enough toget here.”
Again there was a slight hesitation.“I’m sorry, Sheriff, but I think you—”
