Archer’s head appeared from behind one of the curtains across the room and he stared at her.
It used to be that Archer intimidated her. He was an intimidating sort of guy, dark eyes, dark thoughts, and until Elle had bashed through his brick walls, he’d also led a dark life. Joe had gotten Molly the job, but she’d still had to prove herself to Archer. She’d started out as receptionist, only answering phones and keeping the schedule. She’d slowly proven her worth to the company and now he trusted her to run his office and his world completely. It was a compliment of the highest order, and she loved and appreciated both the job and the chance.
But as he knew, she’d wanted more for a while now. She felt as if she’d really proven herself on this Santa case—and he hadn’t even known. It was frustrating. And being frustrated, and maybe also a little bit high on pain meds, turned off her inner filter.
“I want to see him,” she said.
Archer stepped outside the curtain and held his ground as she stormed toward him.
“Get out of my way,” she said.
“Molly—”
She moved around him and whipped open the curtain.
The bed was gone. Her heart stopped. Everything stopped, including her ability to talk. Blood rushed through her ears and she felt her vision start to go.
Archer swore beneath his breath and scooped her up. He set her on the chair in the cubicle and whipped the curtain closed for privacy. “He had surgery to remove the bullet. Now he’s having a CT. He’ll be back any minute. Alive, I promise. You should be in your bed.”
“I’ve been released.”
“Where’s your keeper?” Archer asked.
Joe slid into the cubicle. “Here,” he said grimly. “She’s not real good at staying put.”
“No shit,” Archer said and both men just stared at her, good and well pissed off because they’d been left out of the loop—which was their own damn fault.
Molly tossed up her hands. Well, her one good hand. “Hey,” she said. “I just worked a case from start to finish and got my man. Or in this case, Mr. and Mrs. Claus and his felon brother. You should both be patting me on the back and asking if I want to go out for a beer after work, like you do with each other after a job well done.”
They both looked at her in shocked disbelief. “Okay,” she admitted. “Since you didn’t know I was even on a job, I guess that might be taking it a little too far. How about just something along the lines of ‘hey, sounds like you handled yourself, Molly, welcome to the team.’”
Archer let out a breath, a rare show of frustration from the guy who rarely if ever broadcasted his thoughts. “First of all,” he said, “you’re right. You didn’t tell us you were on a job. You didn’t tell us when it started to detonate. Neither did Lucas. Let’s start there.”
Huh. This wasn’t exactly going in the direction she’d hoped. “I tried to bring you in on it,” she started but Archer interrupted her.
“And I told you that you weren’t ready.”
“Well,” she said, “I disagreed.”
“That’s the thing, Molly,” he said in that hardass boss tone. “You don’t get to disagree with me on the job. I’m the boss. I’m your boss.”
And he’d given her a job when she’d needed it. He’d done so with her having little to no experience in his world, and he’d never been anything but generous, with both money and his time. She tried to remember that. “I understand all that. And you’ve been amazing. But you’re only in charge of me when I’m on the clock.” She paused and then said gently but firmly, “What I choose to do off the clock is none of your business.”
Archer slid Joe a look.
Joe tossed up his hands. “Man, if you think I can talk any sense into her, you’re sorely mistaken. Why do you think I came up with the idea of putting Lucas on her six?”
“Wait,” Molly said slowly. “What?”
Joe’s expression went from mildly pissed off to oh shit.
Molly pointed at him. “Repeat that.”
“Hell,” Joe said and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“You asked Lucas to watch over me?” she asked. “When?”
Joe blew out a heavy breath. “Does it matter?”
“Oh my God, Joe,” she said, horrified. “From the beginning? Are you serious?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
Furious, and also more than a little hurt, Molly turned to Archer. “How attached to him are you because I’m thinking of killing him.”
Archer looked pained. “This is on me, not him. I’m the one who actually insisted Lucas make sure you turned the elves down. When you didn’t, I kept him in place to make sure you stayed safe.”
She blinked a few times, but nope, she wasn’t sleeping or dreaming, or in fact having a nightmare. This was all real and it was happening. She stood up to leave, realized she was shaking, and sat back down just as Archer got a text.
“He’s in recovery, we can go see him now,” Archer said and they all paraded through the hospital, where they found Lucas in another cubicle.
He was awake, but just on the wrong side of green. She hardened her heart. “Are you okay?” She needed to know that he was before she killed him too.
He nodded.
Of course. Typical man. He’d say he was fine even if he had body parts literally falling off of him. “Lucas,” she breathed. “Are you sure?”
“Quit babying him,” Joe said. “He’s going to be fine.”
Lucas flipped his partner the bird without bothering to look at him. He never took his eyes off Molly. “You saved my ass,” he said, sounding just surprised enough to piss her off.
She narrowed her eyes and he smiled. It was a tired, pain-filled smile, but there was also so much more in those dark eyes that she felt her breath catch.
“You were amazing, Molly,” he said softly, reaching for her hand. “Kickass.”
She felt herself flush with pride, until she remembered and tugged her hand free when what she really wanted to do was stroke the hair from his forehead and lean in and kiss his pain away. “They had you spying on me,” she said, jabbing an accusatory finger behind her at Archer and Joe. “A fact you kept to yourself. And you,” she said to Joe. “I didn’t tell you about the case before tonight because I knew you’d take over and try to keep me out of it. And you and Archer tried to do exactly that.”
“Whoa,” came a female voice. “What?”
Everyone turned and found Elle and Sadie standing there.
Elle crossed her arms and looked at Archer.
Her man wasn’t showing much but there did seem to be the slightest twitch in his left eyelid. “What are you two doing here?”
“Making sure my friends are okay.” Elle came in and slid her arm around Molly, giving her a hug. Sadie flanked Molly’s other side.
“Great,” Joe muttered. “Girl power.”
Molly drew in a deep breath. She appreciated the backup, but all her cuts and bruises hurt, and so did her head. And her heart. That hurt most of all. She was mad at all three men, and more than anything, she was over having everyone think they had to constantly babysit her. Coddle her. She’d proven herself, dammit.
Lucas locked eyes on Molly. “Out,” he said in a soft but deadly voice.
She stopped breathing. She was angry, oh so angry, but he didn’t have a single reason to be mad at her, and she opened her mouth to blast him because no man spoke to her like that, not ever, and—
His hand caught hers. “Not you,” he said.
Oh. Well, then. She tried to pull free again just on principle, but he wasn’t having it this time. He held on, gentle enough to not hurt her, firm enough that she wasn’t going anywhere without making a scene.
And she 100 percent intended to make a scene, but it’d be nice not to have an audience for it, so she waited it out impatiently, listening to the rustling behind her indicating that people were leaving the small cubicle.
“We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Sadie told her.
Her throat tightened, but she didn’t take her eyes off Lucas. “Thanks,” she managed.
“Right outside,” Sadie repeated, and then Molly and Lucas were alone.
“Molly,” Lucas started. “I—”
“You lied to me.”
“No,” he said. “I omitted.”