it,” Maren called from the doorway. “Better to have me take a look before you aggravate it further.”
Baker turned around with a grimace and she winced at the already swollen purpling of his jaw, his chin and both eyes. She whistled softly. “You don’t mess around when it comes to blowing stuff up, do you?”
Renshaw chuckled and slapped Baker on the shoulder. “Bet he won’t make that same mistake again.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Baker muttered.
Then he looked up at Maren. “Check out the girl first. I’m fine.”
Maren nodded and then walked down to the next room. As she peered around the corner of the doorway, she saw Dolphin consoling a quietly sobbing young woman while Steele stood at the head of the bed, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl set into his features like stone. Maren could well understand why the girl was so upset. Steele wasn’t helping matters any. She likely thought she’d hopped right from the frying pan and into the fire when KGI rescued her. If she even thought at this point she had been rescued.
Yep, Steele was in typical form. What she wouldn’t give to shake him up. Just once. She wondered if anything ever ruffled him. Caught him off guard. Or surprised him.
She’d heard some of the details of P.J.’s ordeal from Sam, and P.J.’s subsequent walkabout from the team and the fact that Steele and the others hadn’t taken it very well. Sam had hinted that Steele had displayed uncharacteristic emotion. That, she’d pay money to see.
She took in a deep breath at the precise moment Steele looked up and saw her. His blue eyes cut into her, piercing deep, making her feel suddenly bare and vulnerable. Almost like he could see right inside her. It was a stupid thought and it was even dumber to attribute superhuman powers to this man. He was only human. Fallible. But damn if he didn’t make a strong argument for invincible. Regardless of what he was or wasn’t, he absolutely sold it with every look, every nonword. Every action.
All her breath slipped out in a long exhale, her shoulders sagging as she deflated underneath his gaze.
Pulling herself together, she headed to the bed, pulling out her penlight from her lab coat pocket.
“What happened?” she asked briskly.
The girl looked nervously at Maren and shrank further against the pillow. She was trembling from head to toe and Maren’s heart softened. Poor thing was scared out of her mind.
She patted the girl’s hand and squeezed. “You’ll be all right now. Promise. They may look scary, but they’re the good guys. They’ll get you back home where you belong.”
“I didn’t want to leave Matteo,” she said with a sniff. “They made me.”
Steele’s scowl deepened and Dolphin sighed.
“She tried to step in front of a bullet meant for someone else,” Dolphin muttered.
“That’ll do it too,” Maren said wryly.
As her gaze flicked up to Steele, she could swear there was a tiny twitch at one corner of his mouth. Almost as if the man had actually been about to smile. It was such an absurd thought that she immediately put it down to her imagination and turned her focus on her patient.
“Just winged her,” Dolphin continued. “But she dropped like a stone. Dead faint. She only just came around.”
“Why don’t you gentlemen leave me alone with her so I can check her over. You aren’t helping matters by hovering over her looking like ax murderers.”
Dolphin shrugged and Steele looked reluctant until Maren turned and engaged in a staredown with him. Finally he broke and he and Dolphin retreated, though they stood just outside the doorway.
“Now,” Maren said, turning back to the girl. “What’s your name, honey?”
“Christina,” she said in a wavering voice.
“I’m going to check you over and make sure everything is okay.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “But everything’s not okay and it’s all their fault. Matteo said he didn’t want me, but how could he when they came in with guns and shooting people? Now he’ll think I was responsible for this. I love him and only want to be with him.”
Maren smoothed a tear from her cheek. “I know it sucks right now, but, honey, if KGI was called in to rescue you, Matteo was not a good man. You’re much better off without him. Steele will take you back to your parents and after a few weeks, you’ll see that everything will work out.”
“He scares me,” she muttered.
Maren laughed. “He scares everyone. But his bark is much worse