He walked into the offices and nearly ran into Eliza. He hugged her fiercely and she didn’t even threaten to cut his nuts off, instead hugging him back just as fiercely.
As he stepped away, his gaze inspected her, leaving no detail out. She looked relaxed. Happy. Healed. There was a soft light in her eyes that had never existed before. Isaac supposed that was what love and redemption did for a person.
Then he also realized something else and frowned. “What the hell are you doing here, Lizzie? You aren’t due back at work for another ...”
She scowled. “Three weeks. Yeah, yeah, I know. Not sure who the bigger asshole is—myhusbandfor arranging three months off or Dane for agreeing to it. All without my knowledge or anyone askingmehow much time I wanted off.”
“You were shot, woman. You nearly died,” he said gruffly. “Cut yourself—and us—some slack, okay? Especially that poor bastard you married. You damn near died in his arms. Hell, you did die.”
Her eyes softened and then she frowned again. “I get it, but three months? It’s not as if I hadn’t already had time off before the wedding.”
“Uh, do me a favor, Lizzie. Don’t push to come back just yet. Not until I get a chance to talk to you, okay?”
Her eyes immediately became piercing, concern crowding her features as she took a step back. “What’s going on, Isaac?”
He rubbed a hand through his hair. Lizzie not being back at work could be a huge help to him. It would mean he could enlist her help with his current problem. Hers and that of her husband, Wade Sterling. He had connections Isaac didn’t.
“Look, I don’t have time right now, Lizzie, swear. I have about thirty seconds to catch Beau and Dane while they’re both still in the same office. But I’ll fill you in later, okay? I may need your help. Yours and Sterling’s.”
Eliza frowned even harder, her concern sharpening as she took in his words. “You need me to stick around until you get done, then?”
Isaac sighed and shook his head. “I’ll get in touch with you and Sterling later if that’s okay. I have something to take care of after I talk to Beau and Dane.”
“Why don’t Wade and I just come by later. How about seven? I’ll bring dinner,” she said.
Relief made his head a little light. He’d been worried as hell about leaving his charge to speak to Lizzie and her husband and if they came over, not only would they see firsthand what he was dealing with, but he wouldn’t have to leave her.
“That would be great. And thanks, Lizzie.”
“Anytime, Isaac. You know that,” she said softly. “Now go so I can go home and after giving my husband a piece of my mind, I’ll inform him that our plans have changed for this evening.”
Isaac grinned. “Sure that won’t be a piece of your ass you give him?”
Eliza scowled and then flipped him off as she stalked from the office. Isaac laughed and held his grin until she left. Then he heaved in a deep breath and hurried toward Dane’s office, where he knew Beau would be.
He knocked once and then stuck his head in. “You two have a minute?”
Dane looked surprised to see him, but Beau scowled.
“Where the fuck is my SUV?” Beau demanded. “And why the hell did it go offline earlier today?”
Isaac rolled his eyes as he took a seat in front of Dane’s desk. “It’s fine and in one piece—mostly. Just had some technical difficulties.”
Dane lifted one eyebrow. “Those difficulties have anything to do with you wanting to speak to us?”
“Yeah,” Isaac said after a brief hesitation.
Beau’s scowl transformed into a look of question and of concern. “Everything okay, Isaac?”
Isaac rubbed the back of his head, not sure of how the hell to explain the morning’s events. They’d likely think he’d finally lost what was left of his marbles. So he just put it out there bluntly. It was the only way he knew how to be.
“This morning when I stopped to get coffee and bagels, someone tried to steal my ride. Then I got shot in the chest and damn near bled out all over the fucking parking lot.”
Both men’s eyebrows flew upward.
“What the fuck?” Dane asked in a low, scary voice. Then he blinked. “Wait. You said shot. In the chest. Then how the fuck are you sitting across from me calmlytellingme you got shot, and why the fuck aren’t you in a goddamn hospital, and furthermore, who is the asshole who tried to kill you? And why the hell are we just now hearing about this?”
His fury crackled through his office, but Dane was seriously protective of the men and women who worked for him.
