Defend Her: A military suspense romance (Aussie Military Romance Book 4) Page 4

  They were taken into an annexure building, two flights up and down a long corridor. The one thing Ed hated even more than walking into a hospital was entering a room to see the patient for the first time. He’d never been able to steel himself for the initial shock of seeing a loved one or even a friend lying unconscious and attached to machines. Even worse was when he did the rounds of his soldiers and they’d look up with hope that the doctor’s prognosis was wrong, and they’d still make it back out into the field. Still, if he was going to really take on this case and he had to think of it as a case and not just as a friend’s daughter, Ed needed to see for himself the full impact of the assault and not base his next decisions solely on the medical reports. Any clues from the daughter when she awoke could be invaluable in determining not only who did this, why, but also help plan how to deliver Army-style justice.

  There was also a chance the daughter would say something useful when it was just her father and his friend. Police had a way of closing down conversation by the mere presence of their uniform. Yes, he’d stick around and pretend to be useful.

  Vaughan pushed past the orderly to reach the single bed in the final room. His anguished cry echoed down the corridors, drowning out the sounds of beeping machines and an alarm going off near the nurses’ station.

  “Excuse us,” the nursing staff refused to let a distraught father get in the way of checking the girl’s vital signs and Ed couldn’t get a read from their faces whether their calmness was because of competence or confidence that Anastacia was doing as well as could be expected.

  Unable to see the girl in the bed, Ed focused on the people hovering around the room who were all working together with familiarity. Good, no strangers in the midst reduced the risk. The single room had its own bathroom, with panic buttons in between the toilet and shower. Ed figured he could get the girl from the bed into the locked bathroom within twenty seconds if she wasn’t attached to the machines. A couple of minutes if he had to move the machines as well. A second pair of hands wouldn’t go astray, even if it was just to share the watch; he’d make some calls as soon as he had more intel.

  “My baby, my baby, my baby,” Vaughan’s wails filled the room.

  Ed stood back at a loss of what to do; he’d seen Vaughan laugh in the face of the enemy and calmly deploy forces all over the world. Respected by all who’d served under him, Vaughan had stood his ground with politicians and faced the hostile media with the grace and dignity of his position. Ed tried to comprehend how a man like Vaughan could crumble so readily—yes it had been a vicious assault—but she was recovering from surgery, not in a coma or dead.

  Just as he moved to get a clear look at the girl, the doctor pushed passed to get to the head of the bed before helping Vaughan into the large visitor’s chair. “I know it’s a bit of a shock.”

  “When will she wake up?” Vaughan pleaded.

  “It’s too early to say, but all her vitals are as expected.” The doctor made a show of checking charts even though Ed assumed that nothing had changed in the ten minutes she’d been in her own room. “You should be proud of your daughter. The bandages on her hands are from defensive marks. My guess is she put up a fight but didn’t have much time to react.”

  Ed didn’t understand the pause until the doctor continued, in calm and deliberate words, “Colonel, your daughter was physically assaulted, but that’s all.”

  “You mean, they didn’t?” Vaughan’s relief was palatable.

  “She took a number of blows to her body and head, but I expect her to make a full recovery. However, I’d like to keep her visitors to a minimum.” The doctor now looked pointedly at Ed.

  “I’m here at the Colonel’s request and will need to ask her a few questions.” Or at least see for himself her injuries and chart—to either confirm or allay his suspicions about the professionalism of her attackers. Ed forced an uncharacteristic patience while waiting for the nurses and doctors to clear the room so he could do his job.

  “You’ll need to get in line behind the police.”

  “Colonel Vaughan has assigned me as her personal bodyguard. If I’m to do my job and protect her, I’ll need access to the facts.”

  “Then you’ll need to talk to the police; maybe they’ll let you sit in on the interview.”

  “Fine.” Ed loved it when other people offered up an even better solution than he wanted.

  “Where’s her phone?” Vaughan asked. “She’ll want it with her.”

  “It’s already been handed over to the police. Her clothes and other effects have been bagged up and will be here momentarily. We were going to have your daughter located in the surgical ward, but after consulting with the police and the Lieutenant Colonel, decided that this room would be more suited.”

  “You’ve chosen well,” Ed adopted his full military persona for the doctor’s benefit before turning to Vaughan. “Sir, the room is large enough that we can always have a guard here with you; the room can be locked from the inside which should buy us minutes if needed. The bathroom can also be locked and we’re at the end of a corridor with clear sight for anyone who can shoot straight.” Ed could have been talking to himself, but at least Vaughan’s nod showed he was listening and approved. Personally, he preferred the silence and stealth of a knife, but he had a couple of small handguns locked away that could come and keep him company until Ms Vaughan could be moved to a safer environment. “I saw two security cameras?”

  “Yes, and I understand arrangements are being made for you and your team to get live access to those feeds.”

  “Colonel Vaughan, I think we’ve made your daughter as secure as possible while she is here,” Ed didn’t want to alarm people that being at the end of the corridor meant that as easily as they could barricade themselves if under attack, it could quite easily become a death trap. Fine for a day or two, but he wouldn’t want to bet their lives on it.

  Ed had seen all he needed from the room, now he needed his new client to wake up and accept his permanent presence in her life until the situation was resolved.

  “Excuse me Lieutenant Colonel.” A young nurse pushed him aside to deliver the plastic bag of belongings to Vaughan. “Here is what Ms Thielman was wearing when she was attacked. I didn’t know whether to give it to the police, or you?”

  Fuck.

  Damn.

  Fuck.

  Ed didn’t need to take the clothes out of the plastic to see what Anastacia had been wearing last night when attacked. He’d held that red gown in his arms and … luckily Vaughan was busy stroking the dress through the thick plastic and didn’t notice his reaction.

  The gorgeous woman in red was Anastacia.

  The kiss he couldn’t forget; the lips he couldn’t get enough of, and the legs he wanted wrapped around him—were all Anastacia Vaughan. No, not Vaughan—Thielman. He’d kissed a married woman. No—not married—separated. Daughter of a friend. The daughter he’d been asked to protect.

  Damn him! Ed remembered ignoring his gut instinct when he put her in the taxi cab—he never ignored his instincts in the field but had put it down to being unnerved by the bloody kiss.

  Of course, now it all made sense. Anastacia didn’t want to talk about herself or her past and he’d been grateful not to have to share the same, instead of wondering what she had to hide.

  So help him, he’d kissed Vaughan’s daughter—and if it wasn’t for her quick exit—had wanted to do so much more.

  Bellini had been joined by an older detective, and after being pushed to the side, Ed listened with half an ear to them explaining how Vaughan could claim Anastacia’s effects after processing.

  Fuck. He knew the victim—the woman in red had a name and he may have been the asshole who sent her off to be attacked. Or at least hadn’t tried hard enough to find out her name or listen to his instincts. For which crime would Vaughan hate him the most?

  Now was the moment for truth or discretion. All the reasons for telling Vaughan about last night were weighed and for the most p
art, discounted.

  Yes, now there was a conflict of interest—and undeniably, he would need to school himself against thinking of Anastacia as his woman in red. From this moment on, she was the victim of a vicious assault, no more than a client he had committed to defend.

  But seriously, would he have done anything differently last night if he’d known? Hell yeah, if he’d known she was Vaughan’s daughter and the subject of the threats, there was no way he would have put her in a cab. He would have seen her back to her home, checked inside to make sure the place was secure before leaving. Or not. It could have been the perfect excuse to stay the night and get to know her better! Unless her home was Vaughan’s home …

  Stop it! He had to stop thinking about that bloody kiss and the way she felt in his arms. If he’d known about Vaughan and not the threat, he’d have put her in the cab but only after he had checked the driver’s id. He would have trusted his instinct and the moment his spidey senses triggered, called her back under any pretence.

  Instead, without all the facts and with the touch of her lips still so fresh, he’d put his concerns aside and drove home thinking of the woman without a name, praying to one day see her again just to give her his own.

  Now he knew her name, her phone number and that he’d crawl over cut glass to defend her. Telling Vaughan wouldn’t help find the bastards—and really, Anastacia deserved to decide whether her father had the right to know. Too many decisions had been taken out of her hands in the past twelve hours, he needed to hold fire and wait for her to wake up. After all, their kiss may have been earth-shattering for him, but he might have been just another random to her.

  “I should head off and get some things organised,” he said to Vaughan, but also to remind the police and doctors that the hospital wasn’t equipped for the security that Anastacia deserved. After the rest of the room cleared, he added, “Sir, can I have a few minutes?”

  “Edison, whatever you want to say to me you might as well say in front of my sleeping daughter. I don’t give a damn what else you have planned; I’m not leaving her side.”

  “Do you trust me to look after her?” He needed Vaughan to make the decision based on Ed’s professional history because once the personal came out, Ed couldn’t risk Vaughan acting like a father instead of a soldier.

  “After all the shit I’ve seen you do, I trust you to defend her with your life.”

  “Sir, you have my word that I will, but I know this is a difficult situation for you. I need to have your full trust.”

  “Of course.”

  “Sir, I can’t have you second guessing me.”

  “Then you’d better bloody well tell me what you plan to do—this is my daughter. My only child.”

  “Well, we need to be clear on the rules of engagement.” Ed couldn’t look at Anastacia as if she was a woman. This was a mission to be fought and won. He doubted once it was over, that he’d get the girl but as long as she got her life, so be it.

  “What do you mean? I am still your commanding officer.” Finally, Ed could see the soldier emerging through the anger and grief.

  “I will brief you each day through a channel of my choosing that will keep your daughter safe and the bastards clueless about where she is and what we’re doing.”

  “I understand, but don’t you want to clear your plans with me?”

  “My mission, my rules. When we meet in person, I want the room swept for bugs before and after our conversation.”

  “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

  “I wouldn’t suggest it if I thought we were organising an office picnic. Sir, they kidnapped your daughter for a reason. If they don’t get what they want, there has to be an expectation that they’ll try again.”

  “I don’t know how this happened,” Vaughan said, struggling with his dual and competing role. At any other time, he’d be the one designing and running the mission.

  “I’ll give you some back up arrangements. If we don’t meet in person, its because it’s not safe for you to do so.”

  “I don’t give a fig about my safety.” Which was a liability, and Ed knew it.

  “Okay, then let me be blunt—if I don’t make contact in person it’s because I have assessed the situation and it’s not safe for your daughter.”

  “Where are you going to take her?”

  “I’m heading off now to make a couple of arrangements, but do you trust me? If you don’t, then speak up now and we can work together to bring a new team on board.

  “Ed, you are the only one I trusted to ask before I knew how bad the situation could get. I only wish we’d known more before yesterday.”

  “You trusted your instincts and we are better prepared than we would have been.”

  “It’s too late—look at her!” Vaughan cried, forcing Ed to look at the woman, unblemished in her beauty by the bandages.

  “Sir, she’s alive and we’ll keep her that way.” Ed changed his mind—most of what he could organise could be done by phone. It was more important that Vaughan felt like he was doing something important, necessary for his daughter’s safety. Sending him away with a purpose would also give Ed time to think—the woman in red was lying in a hospital bed because of him. No! He couldn’t think like that

  “Sir, I want you to go home and pack her a bag and bring it back to the hospital. Listen carefully; everything she will be taking with her has to fit in your briefcase.”

  “What do I get?”

  “I don’t care—whatever you think she needs. Don’t worry about a lot of clothes, my sweaters, jumpers and even old sweat pants will fit her or I can pick up from shops without drawing attention.”

  “But why?” They both looked as Anastacia stirred in her sleep. Ed resisted the urge to flick a long black strand from across her face.

  “We can’t risk drawing any suspicions that we plan to move her. The bastards know what hospital she was dumped at and will be looking at you for a sign. We can’t be seen together, and you will need to keep visiting the hospital as if she’s still here.”

  Vaughan squeezed Anastacia’s hand, “Baby, I need to get you some things, my friend will look after you.” Ed could hardly accept Vaughan’s gratitude, “Ed, thank you. I know you didn’t want to babysit my daughter, but I’m glad you changed your mind. Thank you.”

  “It’s my privilege, Sir.”

  The last thing Vaughan needed to know was that it would also be Ed’s pleasure and the only way to assuage his guilt.

  Left alone with Anastacia, Ed felt guilty in studying the woman who remained asleep to the world. Perfectly sculptured eyebrows that had been hidden behind her mask. Long, slender face with just a hint of freckles underneath the bruises that seemed to deepen in color by the hour.

  Bastards. He drew comfort in clenching and clicking his fists. Given the opportunity, he knew what to do with them, and the bastards wouldn’t stand a chance.

  In the absence of her father, Ed needed to do something practical. When the nurses came in to check her vitals, he ventured down the hall and found a collection of old books in the visitor waiting room. One of his favorite childhood authors featured prominently. Despite the seriousness of why he was in the hospital, Ed smiled, picking up five books that had travelled with him to each posting, hoping that one day he’d be able to read them to his children.

  Well, Anastacia certainly wasn’t the child he expected to defend, but he selected a book to read while they waited; for her father to return, and for her eyes to open.

  Some books, a dozen bottles of water and half a dozen sandwiches from the vending machine; Ed had enough supplies to keep him going for at least twenty-four hours. Yes, he’d gone a night without sleep, but he also knew that he could go at least another twelve to fourteen before his reflexes became shady. Resting and reading in the chair would be enough to keep him going—from years spent in the field, Ed was confident that any sound out of the ordinary would trigger his adrenaline. He might be getting old, but now he had a reason to be ope
rating at his best.

  Ed settled into the large, reclining chair that family members could quite easily turn into a bed. He couldn’t risk falling asleep, setting it upright, removing his jacket and loosening the black tie—at some point, he’d need to go home and change. He started reading the book description, even though it was unlikely Anastacia couldn’t hear, he wanted her to have the full experience.

  What if she recognised his voice? Ed hoped she would and then have time to think about the consequences before outing their kiss to her father. A decision out of his control. All he could do was read his favorite childhood book and hope that the sound of his voice was enough to make her feel safe and open those beautiful eyes.

  Reading a book he could have almost recited had its benefits. The words came naturally while his mind worked in the background.

  Those bastards had to have something to do with her ex-husband—either trying to scare her into a property settlement or using her as a pawn in his shady dealings.

  Without knowing more, they were all sitting ducks. At the mercy of the next attempt on her life, and Ed was under no illusion that it wouldn’t come. His blood boiled at the sight of her puffy lips, cut in at least two places by blows that should never have been struck.

  He finished the first chapter and set the book aside to eat one of the sandwiches. Something marketed as chicken and lettuce, but really, he could have eaten cardboard.

  Anastacia.

  Beautiful name, and in any other circumstance, Ed would have marvelled that out of hundreds of people in the room last night, they found each other.

  Kisses, only kisses and dancing. Yet able to unleash long forgotten feelings of desire. So much so that when his arms locked around her waist, he wanted to throw away the key. No song was long enough and certainly one night wasn’t long enough to feel the sway of her hips as her body followed the music. The electricity that heated his heart by the simple and unexpected touch of her lips.