press a hand to his shoulder.
“On his way to the hospital, sir. Try to relax and enjoy the ride. You’ll be joining him soon.”
“If you’ll just…” Titus managed to push up on one elbow, but Matt nudged him back to the stretcher again.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but we’d like keep you horizontal a little bit longer, sir.”
“His name is Titus Rand,” Jolene announced by way of an introduction, squeezing his hand again.
“Did someone say Titus Rand?” A police officer popped his head through the open double set of doors. “Ah. There you are.”
Matt glanced at the officer, visibly irritated. “Can’t this wait until I stabilize my patient?”
“I’m stable,” Titus declared firmly. “Any chance you can join the party?” He had plenty he wanted to report to the officer.
“Sure thing. My partner can finish processing the scene, then follow us in the patrol car.” The trooper rattled off something into his walkie talkie, then hopped aboard and settled in next to Jolene. “I’m Officer Kane, by the way.” He shook her hand.
“Jolene Shore. I work for the medical center where we’re heading. This is my boyfriend, Titus Rand.”
“Nice to meet you. Wish it was under better circumstances.” The man scratched busily in his pad with a pen, filling out the details of his incident report. “So what happened out there? Looks like we’re dealing with a hit and run.”
“Ha! If only it was that simple. Titus?” Jolene laced her fingers through his. “Do you want to take it from here?”
He did. He reported everything from the break-ins to the vehicular accident. “Rhys Calcagni can provide you with whatever else you need. Hospital records, adoption records, and video recordings.”
The officer gave a long, low whistle. “So this involves the bigwig Calcagni clan, eh?”
“And the Belmonte family,” Titus added. “Any way we can get a protective detail on them?”
“Er, Alora says Rhys is already on that,” Jolene assured in a soothing voice. “He’s working on evacuating them to some ultra posh ski resort for the weekend. I think he called it the Spangle something or other.”
Ah. The Spangler Islands Resort. It was a set of luxury islands in the Prince Edward Sound, a place specifically designed to cater to the rich and famous. Titus couldn’t have approved more. The islands were remote and secure. More importantly, they were miles from Anchorage where Maximus was on the prowl.
Jolene didn’t care for the pale, grim set to Titus’s features any more than she cared for the way he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. Something was wrong between them. She could feel it in her gut. Something more than the accident and the criminal case he was investigating.
At his insistence, she facilitated a rapid set of exams with a doctor friend of hers for the two of them and had them released from the hospital in under three hours. Most of that time was spent waiting on the results from Titus’s x-rays. To his extreme annoyance, he left the hospital wearing a cast from his wrist to his elbow.
“Would it have completely killed you to stay overnight for observation?” she chided as they rumbled toward Rhys and Alora’s mansion in a helicopter transport Rhys had sent for them.
“Probably not,” he sniped back, “but lives are at stake. Thanks for acknowledging that, Miss Sunshine.”
She eyed his battered frame and wrinkled dark suit, hating the number of scratches and bruises peppering his face and hands. “If you think for one second I don’t understand that we’re both lucky to be alive—”
“I know you do. I’m sorry.” Jaw working, he glanced away from her.
His continued avoidance of her gaze was the last straw for her. “That’s it.” She unbuckled her seatbelt, rose, and gingerly took a seat again, this time in his lap.
Very careful to avoid jostling his injured arm, which was strapped against his chest with a sling, she gently gripped his shoulders.
His head whipped in her direction. “What are you doing?”
“This.” She leaned closer and very tenderly brushed her lips against his.
“Jo,” he groaned. “You know this isn’t wise.”
“Whatever,” she murmured, shutting him up with another kiss. “What I know is it’s going to make it a lot harder for you to avoid looking directly at me the way you’ve been doing all afternoon.”
“You don’t play fair,” he snarled, deepening their kiss.
“Neither do you.” She sighed at his response, reveling in the strong grip of his good hand on her waist.
“Doesn’t change the fact that we need to talk,” he growled between kisses. “I can’t