Angel slowed, then came to a stop. It took him a second to place the woman. She was blonde and dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt with tiny flowers all over it. Laura? Leslie? He frowned. Larissa. She worked with Taryn. Something touchy-feely, maybe?
But even though he knew who she was, he couldn’t be sure she had the same information about him. He slowed to a walk and kept his arms loose in an attempt to look as nonthreatening as possible.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Angel. I work for CDS in town. Car trouble?”
Larissa smiled at him. “So you’re the mysterious Angel. I’ve heard all about you. Nice to finally meet you.”
They shook hands. He glanced at the car.
“What’s the problem?”
Larissa sighed. “I’m transporting a couple of endangered snakes to a reptile refuge in the desert. I was going to take the interstate through the mountains. I thought it would be a pretty drive.”
She mentioned several wildflowers that were in bloom and how important wildflowers were to the ecosystem. Angel waited patiently.
When she paused for breath, he motioned to her car. “Why did you stop?”
“Oh, right. I’m not exactly a snake person. I know they’re people, too, but I prefer things with fur. So when I happened to glance over and realized the lid wasn’t completely secure on the container, I sort of freaked out. I think one of them is loose in the car.” She held out her cell phone. “I was just about to call Jack.”
For a second he thought about letting her do just that. Taryn had warned him Larissa was a do-gooder who loved to drag everyone into her projects. Here was a living demonstration. But in truth he had no problem with snakes, and how long could it take to capture one in a car?
“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “Did you secure the lid before you got out?”
Larissa shook her head. “I kind of screamed and stopped the car. The keys are still in the ignition.”
He held in a smile. “If you’re afraid of snakes, why did you agree to drive them anywhere?”
“Someone had to. They need a home.”
Yup, a do-gooder. Taryn was right—Larissa was trouble. But once he got the snake or snakes back in their container, not his problem.
He moved toward the car. “Do you know if they bite?” He opened the door and moved into the vehicle.
“I’m not sure. Oh, and someone mentioned they might be venomous.”
* * *
“I TOLD YOU,” Taryn said firmly. “I was extremely clear. But did you listen?”
If Angel hadn’t been feeling as if something had clubbed him with the side of a mountain, he would have enjoyed the fussing. But right now he was having trouble focusing and his body ached, as if he was getting the worst flu ever.
“Yeah, you said,” he admitted.
He was in a bed, which meant he wasn’t still on the side of the road. But he didn’t remember much about the trip. He saw the IV connected to his arm and knew the bed he was in wasn’t his.
“Hospital, right?” he asked.
“Yes, you’re in the hospital. You were bitten by a venomous snake, which is totally ridiculous.”
“I feel like crap,” he told her. “How about some sympathy?”
“I’m not sure you deserve it.” But she sat next to him on his bed as she spoke and she put a cool cloth on his forehead.
“I thought Larissa was kidding,” he admitted, the events from earlier that day coming back to him. The snake, the bite, Larissa calling for an ambulance. “I did get the snake back in the container.”
“Yes, you did. Larissa is very appreciative and she feels guilty.”
He looked at Taryn. “You’re going to yell at her, aren’t you?”
“Over and over again.”
“It’s not her fault.”
She stroked the side of his face. “You’re defending her? She was transporting venomous snakes without proper precautions and she could have died. You could have died. If she’s crossing state lines, I’m sure there must be a permit, but did she bother? No. She loves her causes and sometimes she doesn’t think.”
“I’m okay.” He put his hand on top of hers. “You can be intimidating. Go easy on her.”
Taryn glared at him. “I can’t believe you’re acting like this. You could have died.”
“But I didn’t.”
Her fierceness was kind of nice, he thought as he did his best to ignore the throbbing throughout his body. Her touch helped. The gentleness of her hands. He wasn’t surprised that Taryn had a caring side—he knew that while she complained about “the boys” she would do anything to protect them. However, he hadn’t expected that he would find himself the subject of her concern.
Consuelo appeared in the doorway. “You have a couple of visitors,” she said.
He stared at his roommate. “What are you doing here?”
She shrugged. “I heard what happened. I couldn’t believe you were that stupid. I came to make fun of you.”
Defiant words, but he saw the concern in her eyes. “I’m touched.”