Haydn tipped his head and looked up at Ky as the officer gestured at the big dog. Innocuous as it was, it was still a motion in Haydn’s direction, and the GSD was sensitive to it.
“Zit.” Haydn complied immediately, sitting at his side and turning his dark gaze up at Forte for the next command. Satisfied, Forte returned his attention to Ky. “This is Haydn. He’s joined us at Hope’s Crossing for some physical therapy and advanced training with his new prosthetic.”
“Fine dog. Never thought we’d need a military explosives-detection specialist here.” Ky didn’t crouch to pet Haydn. It was a silent acknowledgment that both Haydn and Forte were in working mode. “Well, I’ve got your statements on record already, and I’ll arrange for you to be point of contact while her family is out of town. Your name was listed as emergency contact anyway, so it shouldn’t take much convincing with the hospital staff. If I need to find you, I’m guessing I only have to come here for the time being.”
Forte nodded. “You’ve got my number once Sophie’s discharged. Or you can ask for me at the kennels.”
He might not be there, depending on where Sophie decided to stay while she healed up, but his partners, David Cruz and Alex Rojas, would know where to find him. He planned to have eyes on Sophie until they were absolutely sure who had set the IED and why.
Ky nodded, his expression showing no sign of surprise. “I’m on this, Forte. We’ll find out what’s going on.”
Forte nodded in return. Ky trained at Revolution MMA with Rojas and Forte. They had learned to spar together, run timing drills, and train in various forms of martial arts. This wasn’t an official collaboration, but they were working together all the same. Ky was good people.
With a parting nod, Ky headed over to the nurses’ reception desk. The tall, lean police officer paused to chat with the nurses. Forte envied Ky’s ability to set civilians at ease, engage them, and foster an open channel of communication. Every nurse there had a bright, cheery expression for Ky. By the time he’d finished checking in with them, he’d probably heard all about their lives, from what they’d had for breakfast to where they went after their shifts were over. The useful part of the flow of information was the amount shared unintentionally. Nurses noticed everything. Ky would find out if there’d been anyone poking around on any of the hospital floors looking for a recently checked-in patient.
When Ky straightened and gave Forte another nod, Forte relaxed. No unusual visitors on the patient floors.
As Ky left, stepping into the elevator, Forte resumed his watch.
*
Something was beeping.
Sophie drew in a deep breath, slow and steady. The air had a tang of disinfectant. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. Waking up was a struggle, the way it could be when she’d napped too hard, too late in the afternoon. But it was well past afternoon based on the darkness outside the window, and there was only one sterile, white light behind her head.
Where was she?
The beeping picked up speed, and she took in the rest of the room in a rush. A chair in the corner, a tray stand. The bed she lay in had guardrails. Sheets layered with a tan blanket covered her. Her entire body ached in a dull throb, accentuated by a sharper pain in her right ankle and a few other places. Cuts and scrapes, maybe? Not the ankle. She tried to wiggle her toes through the pain.
A quiet knock came at the door.
Startled, Sophie tried to respond and croaked. Swallowing against the dryness in her throat, she tried again. “Come in.”
The door opened slowly, and something below her line of sight came in the room, panting. Then Brandon opened the door wider, holding a cup. “Thought you might be ready for a few sips of water.”
Relief flooded through her. He was here. Hungrily, she took in the sight of him from head to toe, noting the scrapes on his muscular forearms and the torn state of his left sleeve. His dark hair was disheveled, the way Korean pop stars tended to wear their hair to look sexy. And on Brandon, it was a good look—even if she was sure he hadn’t done it on purpose. How he managed to look so incredibly hot even banged up and the worse for wear was beyond her. The man cleaned up well, but parts of her still melted whenever she saw him rough and ready for action.
To be honest, she was melting now as his broad shoulders filled the doorway, and not in the delicate-flower kind of way. More likely, she was a hot mess.
Sophie made an effort to fix her gaze on the cup of water in his hand and nodded gratefully. “Is that Haydn with you?”