was still standing there, staring after the retreating vehicle, when Saint joined him.
“Plane all set in the hangar?” Blaze asked.
“It is. How did it go with the client?”
“I took the case. It’s a fucking mess.”
Saint laughed. “Just the kind you all like.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if working out the stiffness of the muscles.
What he really wanted to do was strip off all of Peyton West’s clothes and lick every inch of her. What the fuck was wrong with him? For a man whose discipline was legendary, he was having a fucking hard time sending that message to his body. He needed a cold shower. Maybe two, so he could work. And get his client out of his head.
“Listen.” Saint rubbed his chin. “It’s been a wild and hairy couple of days. I’m thinking of heading to the boat and disconnecting for a while, unless you have objections.”
Saint lived in a marina on Hillsborough Bay on a sport yacht he’d outfitted with every possible luxury. Whenever he had time off, he disappeared to somewhere, but always came back in great shape, mentally and physically. Blaze was so tempted to quiz him about where he’d gone, but he respected the man’s privacy too much. Unless, of course, it became a problem, but that wasn’t on the horizon.
“No objections. I’m heading home to dig into this.”
“Peyton West seems a very troubled woman.”
Blaze shoved his hands into his pockets and stared off down the driveway where Peyton’s car had driven off.
“Troubled doesn’t describe it. She’s got a nasty situation and everyone’s giving her shit. And she’s scared to death for her sister. Worried whoever is behind the coverup of the hit and run will want to take her out, too. I smell money, power and politics at work here.”
“Always a combustible combination,” Saint agreed. “You sure you want to get into this?”
Blaze’s smile was grim. “Damn straight. Okay, take off and air it out. I’m planning to call the others as soon as I get home.”
“If you need another meeting, call me.”
“And you’d come back when you finally have a couple of days off?”
Saint looked at him, something flickering in his eyes.
“You guys saved my ass when everyone else wrote me off. Hell, yes, I’d come back. This is my world, too.”
For a moment Blaze was overcome with emotion. The bond that tied all of them together wasn’t something he could explain to anyone, but he was damn glad of it.
“Okay, then. Keep your phone close at hand, just in case.”
Blaze and Saint shook hands and Saint headed to his vehicle. Blaze, just because it was who he was, double-checked the lock on the hangar. Then he pulled up the app on his cell phone and made sure the security cameras covering all the key spots were active and the feed was working. Finally, satisfied that everything was secure, he climbed into his vehicle and headed home.
As he pulled out onto the roadway, he hit the preset number for Nolan. He was prepared to leave a message for the very busy doctor, so was surprised when his brother answered the call.
“I’m guessing this call is to tell me you met with Peyton West.”
“It is. You were right. She’s got a shit ton of trouble. I smell a load of money and influence pulling the strings here.”
“Me, too,” Nolan agreed. “That’s why I gave her your number. You know how I avoid mixing into your business. Too risky and complicated for me, and truthfully, I’m not even sure what all you guys do.”
Blaze chuckled. “A little bit of this, a little bit of that.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, I figured I’d give it a shot. She’s not a flake, not neurotic and not a pain in the ass.”
“Excellent qualifications.” Blaze took the entrance ramp to the interstate, glad to see there wasn’t an overload of traffic at the moment. He was anxious to get home. “And I agree with you.”
“So you took her on?”
“I did. I’m on my way home to start my research.”
“Thanks for this.”
Silence hummed across the connection for a moment. “I hope you can help her. I’m not sure her sister is ever going to come out of this.”
“Oh?” Blaze frowned. Nolan wasn’t usually this negative about a prognosis.
“When the car hit her, she was slammed into the pavement pretty hard. Her head hit the concrete and created swelling of the brain as well as a subdural hematoma. We treated both, but with the brain, everything