Her Lieutenant Protector. Lara Lacombe

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СКАЧАТЬ Wesley walked over to Jeff’s side, where he proceeded to search the man’s pockets, presumably for his room key. Taylor took up a post between the two beds and assumed a parade rest stance. Mallory wondered if he planned to stand all night, or if he’d relax enough to sit down.

      Everest’s voice cut into her musings. “You have my pager number?”

      “I think so—we have a form by the phone with contact information listed for various people.” Mallory waved a hand in the direction of the wall-mounted unit where she’d seen the information sheet posted. She hadn’t checked lately, but she was willing to bet Everest’s number was on it.

      Everest frowned. “Let me give you my personal cell number, as well.” He pulled a business card from his pocket and snagged a pen off the table. “If anything comes up, don’t hesitate to call me.” He passed her the card, and Mallory tucked it away. The paper was still warm from his body, and she felt the heat of it through the cotton of her pants. It was an odd sensation, this almost-contact between them.

      “I think we’re in for a quiet night now, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

      He nodded and turned to go. For some reason, Mallory was reluctant to see him leave, and she called out before she could think twice about it. “Hey.”

      He turned back, one eyebrow lifted in silent question.

      Great, now what? “Um,” she stalled, her self-consciousness threatening to swamp her. “I want to thank you. For being here.”

      The corner of his mouth curved up in a smile. “I didn’t do anything. You had things well under control.”

      Mallory felt her cheeks heat and hoped her blush wasn’t too obvious. “Well, I still appreciate your backing me up.”

      “It was my pleasure,” he said. A spark of heat flared in his blue eyes, and Mallory was shocked to feel an answering tingle in her stomach. “Like I said, call me anytime.”

      Was there a hint of innuendo in his voice? Mallory dismissed the possibility almost instantly; Everest seemed far too professional for that. Even so, she felt a little wistful at the thought that he might flirt with her. She was quite out of practice as far as dating went, but the idea of spending more time with Everest was...appealing.

      “I will,” she replied. God, did he hear the quaver in her voice? Get it together! She was turning into a mess, and all because the man in front of her had somehow slipped past her defenses. But there wasn’t time for her to worry about that now. She’d think about it later, when she was in the privacy of her own room.

      Everest turned and walked out of the sick bay, closing the door quietly behind him. The room seemed to deflate with his exit, another sign that he’d gotten under her skin.

      Part of her wanted to celebrate; this was the first time in years she’d felt any kind of attraction to a man. She was curious to see how it would develop. Of course, there was no guarantee he had noticed her in that way, and perhaps that was for the best. If her attraction was one-sided, she could indulge in a little crush without having to worry about getting hurt. This might turn out to be a great opportunity to shake the dust off her emotions and finally put the rape behind her, once and for all. If she could see herself with Everest, she was one step closer to having a real relationship someday.

      But the small, scared girl inside wanted to slam the door on any kind of attraction. It wasn’t worth the risk. He was a physically powerful man—tall, broad-shouldered, his hands large enough to wrap around her arm in a painful grip. And she’d seen the evidence of his muscles earlier in the gym and knew he was in excellent shape. If he decided to hurt her, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

      “Dr. Watkins?”

      She shook her head slightly and focused on the nurse in front of her, grateful for the distraction. “Yes?”

      The woman launched into a question regarding drug dosages for Jeff and his friend, and a sense of calm descended as Mallory turned her thoughts back to work. Medicine was her refuge, and no matter how upset or emotional she felt, tending to patients was a surefire way to push the reset button on her inner turmoil.

      For now, anyway.

      * * *

      Wesley slipped into the room and was immediately assaulted with the stale, slightly sweet stench of weed. Apparently, Jeff and his buddy hadn’t limited themselves to only one drug tonight...

      Sure enough, two fat stubs lay discarded on top of the built-in dresser amid a scatter of pills. He poked at the display with his fingertip, searching for any marks that would indicate what the different-colored pills were. The blue ones were easy enough—the star shape stamped onto the surface made it clear he was looking at ecstasy. But the oblong white pills and the yellow tablets sported no such identifiers. He scooped a few into an empty plastic baggie and tucked it into his pocket. Maybe the doctor could figure out what these were. If not, the police in Jacksonville would probably know.

      He glanced around, a sense of disgust rising in his chest as he took in the mess. Two open suitcases sat on the desk, vomiting clothes onto the floor. Towels sat in damp piles on the bed and the recliner, and empty beer cans littered almost every horizontal surface.

      Wesley shook his head. The Abigail Adams was a premier ship, and what she lacked in size, she made up for in luxury. How had these two classless idiots gotten on board?

      Mommy and Daddy, he thought, taking in the expensive watches lying on the bedside table, the designer sunglasses tossed on the floor, and the roll of cash peeking out from one of the suitcases. All telltale signs of the “easy come, easy go” attitude exhibited by spoiled rich kids.

      “I wonder if Daddy can buy you out of this mess,” he said softly to himself, smiling as he imagined the fate in store for these two. They’d dock in Jacksonville in the morning, and it wouldn’t take long for the police to come aboard and take them into custody. Given the amount of drugs on display here, Jeff and his friend were looking at some very serious charges.

      “I hope the high was worth it.” Wesley gave the room a final glance. Despite the mess, he saw no signs of any kind of body. But they had said it was in the wall...

      With a sigh, he turned his attention to the walls. Everything looked fine as far as he could tell—nothing was out of place. Perhaps they had mistaken a shadow in the room for a body? He checked the bathroom with no results. Finally, he opened the door to the closet.

      He saw the hole first, a foot-sized punch through the drywall about twelve inches above the floor. One of the guys had probably kicked the wall for God only knew what reason. Was this the source of the problem?

      Wesley crouched down to peer inside the dark hollow and caught a glimpse of something shiny inside. Holding his phone up for light, he discovered he was looking at some kind of thick plastic. Remnants from the construction of the ship, maybe?

      He leaned closer to get a better look and realized the plastic was wrapped around something that looked an awful lot like... But it couldn’t be...

      Realization hit him like a slap to the face, and he jerked back, his stomach churning. The plastic was wrapped around a human foot.

      He sat on the floor for a moment, his mind racing. This certainly complicated things, to say the least. If word got out that there was a body in the wall of this room, the response would be immediate. The police and possibly the FBI would swarm СКАЧАТЬ