It was happening again.
Losing someone she loved. She should never have allowed herself to feel. Now she was paying the price.
Calm down.
She pressed her fingers to her forehead and stared at her phone, her vision blurring. Jess. Jess had been there—she’d know. She was about to press the numbers when the phone rang. She jumped, almost dropping it, then pressed it to her ear.
“He’s okay,” Jake said.
Wild relief flooded her. She blinked back tears and swallowed. How could he be all right? “They said he’d been shot in the chest.”
“He was wearing a vest. He’s fine. A flesh wound in the arm and some bruising, that’s all.”
“Where is he?”
“Westminster hospital.”
“I’ll be there.”
Dani put the phone down and sat for a few moments, willing her heart to slow, her breathing to calm. She couldn’t do this. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she tried to control the shivers running through her.
Never again.
She didn’t want to face losing someone else she loved. Better to walk away now. In time, she’d get over this.
She hadn’t told him she loved him. Now she never would.
…
“Did you get ahold of her?” Zach asked as Jake entered the room. He flinched as the nurse swabbed his arm—whatever she was using stung like hell—then forced his attention back to Jake. Christ, he hoped Dani had taken his advice and slept through all this. But what were the chances?
“Yeah. She’s on her way. Prepare yourself for five foot one of pissed-off woman.”
“She’s upset?”
“A little. I didn’t tell you, but she called earlier. She saw you and Jess on the TV and put it together.”
“Shit.”
“Well, at least she didn’t jump to the conclusion you were being unfaithful.”
“She might have taken that better.” His chest ached as if he’d been hit with a hammer, and his arm stung like fire. “Just tell me it worked. Tell me you caught the bastards.” Then at least he could concentrate on Dani without looking over his shoulder every minute.
“Every last one of them. Jess is down at the station going through the details with the cops. But look on the bright side—they shot you. They’re going to get sent away for a long time.”
He sighed. Dani would come around. Against all the odds—he loved her. Instead of the usual stifling fear that normally assaulted him when he thought about long-term relationships, all he felt was a sense of anticipation. He wanted to show Dani everything. He was aware she didn’t think much of his lifestyle, thought he was useless, but he’d show her different. And there were plenty of things she could do in L.A. Maybe she could start a rescue center for dogs like Skip. Or a training center where she could train the celebrities and their pampered pooches. He grinned at the thought of a few of his acquaintances being “trained” by Sergeant Danielle Sinclair.
He could make her happy. If she gave him the chance. He knew she loved him. While she’d never said the words, he’d seen it in her eyes when they’d made love that night.
“Get that grin off your face,” Jake said.
“Hey, can I have a little sympathy here? I’ve been shot.”
“It’s a flesh wound. Don’t be a baby.”
Zach forced himself to peer down and examine the wound in his arm. It looked messy but shallow; the local anesthetic was starting to work and the pain was fading. The doctor arrived at that moment and Jake stepped back to allow him to work.
“You’ll have a nice scar to impress all those ladies,” Jake said.
“There’s only one lady I want to impress.”
“Really? It’s serious between the two of you?”
“I love her.”
Jake grinned. “Well, I’ll be… I’m pleased. I think. Shocked but pleased.” His phone rang and he picked up, listened, his expression blank, then he shoved the phone back in his pocket.
“What was that about?” Zach asked. He had a bad feeling about this.
Jake shook his head. “I’ll be right back.”
Zach watched him go, the door swinging shut behind him. He wanted to follow, but the doctor was bandaging his arm and he couldn’t move. “Crap.”
…
Dani glanced down at her hands. Her fingers were still shaking and she tightened them into a fist, not wanting Jake to see just how scared she was. “How could you let him do this?” she snarled as soon as the door shut behind him.
Jake cast her a glance and raised an eyebrow. “Actually, it wasn’t my idea.”
Dani ignored the comment. Jake was the security expert, so it didn’t matter whose idea it was—he should have stopped it. “He could have been killed.”