Rescuing Olivia (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Nightshade Book 1) Read online

  The relief as she sat on the toilet was enough to make her tear up and make her think of another time she hadn’t been allowed the decency of a bathroom. The similarities ended there, though. She finished and pulled her pants up, then turned to stare at her wild self in the mirror.

  The problem with hair as short and fine as her own was that it showed bedhead, really bad. But the advantage was that she could wet her whole head down and comb it out in seconds, so that’s what she did, avoiding the obnoxiously large bandage. The nurse handed her a washcloth, and Olivia tackled her dirty face. She had dried blood in her ears and down her neck, and it was flaking off uncomfortably. There was a shower, but she wasn’t staying here any longer than she had to.

  “How are the rest of the crash victims?” she asked the hovering nurse.

  “Um, according to staff policy, unless you’re a relative…”

  Olivia chopped a hand in the air. “Never mind. God forbid you bend a fucking rule,” she sighed. “Why are you here?” she said pointedly, feeling steadier the longer she stood.

  “I, I’m supposed to check your vitals,” the young woman sputtered.

  Olivia snorted out a laugh. “Why don’t you go hover somewhere else for a while and leave me alone.”

  “Am I interrupting?”

  Olivia looked at the door, and the tall man standing there. That voice… It took her a moment to recognize him. She recognized his brilliant blue eyes first. It was the firefighter from the crash. Even when she’d been asleep, she’d dreamed of his eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? There were more important things going on than mooning over a man… “How is the little girl we found?”

  A big grin split the man’s face, and she suddenly realized it wasn’t just his eyes that were so appealing. He had a friendly face, obviously used to smiling. “She’s doing really well. Considering. There’s a CPS rep on the way in. We haven’t been able to find a second parent, though.”

  Damn. Olivia really hoped there was a second parent. A father. A second mother. Just someone so the little girl wouldn’t be adrift in the world.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Olivia said, glancing at the young nurse. “I suggest you find whoever you need to to get me released. I’m walking out of here in three minutes.”

  The woman’s mouth opened and she shook her head. “You can’t! You’ve been in a crash…”

  Olivia rolled her eyes, though it hurt like hell. “Three minutes,” she said again.

  The woman turned and left, skirting around the man.

  “That seemed a little harsh,” he said, leaning back against the doorjamb and cocking a cowboy boot against the wall. “She’s just trying to do her job.”

  “No, she’s hovering and allowing a patient to control the interaction. Plus, she doesn’t appear to have the experience to be left alone.”

  The man cocked a dark eyebrow, the smile still quirking his lips. “Actually, I know for a fact she has experience. Maybe the patient is a little tougher than what she’s used to.”

  “Hm,” Olivia said, leaning her butt back against the mattress. “Perhaps.”

  “Plus, they’re dealing with a bit of a shortage, right now, so she’s probably just worked a double shift. How are you doing?” the man asked, eyes going serious. “That was a hell of a goose egg on your head earlier.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, despite the pain coursing through her body. Her ribs were killing her. She’d seen a giant bruise across her chest from the seatbelt earlier in the bathroom. “Light concussion, it feels like. Maybe a couple of bruised or cracked ribs.”

  He grimaced in sympathy. “Both of which can hurt like hell. I know that for a fact.”

  She made a face and gave a slight shrug. “Both of which there is no real treatment for other than rest and immobility.”

  “True. You can’t do that here?”

  Olivia glanced around the hospital room. It wasn’t bad, compared to some she’d seen. “No.”

  It was one thing to work in a hospital, and something entirely different to be a patient. She needed to get out of here.

  A tall man with dark auburn hair stepped into the room and moved toward the end of the bed where she was sitting. “I hear you’re ready to leave us, Ms. Grant.”

  “I am,” she affirmed, bracing her hands on the mattress as the doctor moved in front of her. Using a penlight, he checked the reaction of her eyes. Then, making sure she was covered from the firefighter in the doorway, he checked the bruising on her ribs.

  “Do you have somewhere to go?” he asked her, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. “Because you need rest. And quiet. This isn’t just a little bump on the head. You were in a serious crash, and unfortunately, you’re not going to feel any better tomorrow. You’ll probably feel worse.”

  “I am aware,” Olivia said, sighing, and avoiding answering the first question. “I’m not staying here.”

  The doctor shook his head but signed off on her chart. “Find somewhere close and tuck in, then. I’ll write you a scrip for pain medicine and if you have any issues, you go to the nearest emergency room. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Olivia said, saluting smartly.

  The man at the door smirked and looked at his big, booted feet. Olivia didn’t appreciate him being here, but in a few minutes it wouldn’t matter. She’d be gone and he could loiter in some other woman’s room.

  She signed the forms and headed toward the door. No lie, if this wasn’t a hospital, she’d have no problem just curling up in a corner and sleeping. But she didn’t want to stay here.

  The cute firefighter followed along behind her, not saying anything until she got to the front doors of the hospital. She knew she’d been outside of San Antonio, but she had no idea where she was right this minute. Pulling out her phone, she scanned the map of the surrounding area. Yep, about fifteen miles from San Antonio. Lockhart, Texas.

  She searched for an Uber, and there were zero listings in her area. Figured. Glancing behind her, to the man waiting patiently, she sighed. “You knew I wasn’t going to find anything, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said softly. “But I could see that you needed to be the one to look.”

  Olivia sighed, hating being made the fool. “Okay, hero, you’re hanging around for a reason. Fill me in.”

  He smiled somewhat sympathetically. “Well, your car was totaled at the scene. You’ll have to call your insurance company about that. I asked around and no one knew you, so we assume you’re a traveler. Are you coming in for the festival? We thought you might need a ride to your accommodation.”

  “This place isn’t my destination. I was heading to a job down south.”

  The big man blinked. “Oh, well then, you still need a ride to your accommodation,” he grinned. She didn’t miss the glint in his eyes at the word.

  She hated that word. It made her think deficiency, or unable to do something, and it wasn’t even what he was talking about. The word grated on her nerves, though, because it had been given to her so many times. ‘Accommodation has been made for you here for the next three months’.

  Olivia focused on the man. “If you can drop me at a hotel, I would appreciate it.”

  “Well,” the man drawled, “I would, but there’s the annual Lockhart BBQ Fest going on, and the hotels are full up.”

  Olivia frowned and turned to the man. “Are you serious? The Lockhart BBQ Fest?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We are the BBQ capital of Texas, and this year we’re having a huge competition.”

  She looked at him, trying to decide if he was pulling her leg or not. She didn’t think he was. “So, what are you telling me? That I’m stranded here but you’ll be more than happy to step in and save the day?”

  The man didn’t even flinch. “Well, if I thought that would work with you, I might. Yes, you are stranded, at least temporarily, but I can open the firehouse for you to stay, if you’d like.”

  “Oh,” she said softly, her mind racing. She glanced around, looking for inspiration, but nothing occurred to her. For the first time in a long time, she was at a loss. Normally, she was the one in charge with all the details, and it was a little humbling to have to accept help from a stranger. But that was the point she was at. No car, no hotel. She had her phone and purse, which was amazing, now that she thought about it. Had he been the one to make sure they grabbed her stuff before hauling her car away?

  Her head swam, and she knew she needed to lay down soon. “Fine. Lead the way, hero.”

  She expected him to lead her to a big, old obnoxious Texas truck. Instead, he started down the sidewalk to the left, which led around the small hospital. When they reached the far side, she had to look back. It was incredibly small, just three floors. There were a couple dozen cars in the parking lot, but that was all. Had they handled all the crash victims?

  “We’re small,” the chief said, as if seeing her skepticism, “but we’re a recognized trauma center. Anything that we can’t handle goes straight to San Antonio. Several of the victims were local, so we kept them here.”

  Man, her resting-bitch-face must be off, because he was reading her without her saying a word… “And the driver that hit me?”

  The man grimaced. “He’s a known alcoholic. They found him a few blocks away, muttering about finding his bottle. He’s at the sheriff’s office, sobering up. Then he’ll be charged.”

  Olivia sighed. “Not a mark on him, I bet.”

  “Nope,” he agreed.

  That would always be one of the great mysteries. How drunks got away unscathed when they wreaked so much havoc.

  The man held out a hand, and she realized they were in a parking lot. She looked up. Before her there was a beautiful, brand spanking new firehouse, all brick and soaring g
lass. She followed him inside, noting that the expansive bays were empty. “Where are the trucks,” she asked, curious despite herself. The clock on the far wall said it was going on four p.m.

  “Well, they’re out at Legion Park. The pits and smokers burn all night, and because we’re having a more active fire season this year, I thought it would be smart to keep the trucks out there, just in case something happens.”

  “Huh,” she murmured, following him blindly into a hallway. These must be the living quarters of the crew. He led her to a small room at the end, with a freshly made single bed and a small, detached bathroom.

  “You can stay here for the night. In the morning, we’ll see what we can do about your vehicle.”

  Olivia took a breath, moving into the room. She so wanted to just crash, bury herself into the pillow and lose herself for the next ten hours.

  “Here’s a change of clothes,” he offered, handing over a stack of clothing. “One of our guys is about your size.”

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the clothes. She felt bad for being snappish. “And thank you for everything. This is very nice, you opening up the station for me.”

  “Well,” he said grinning. “I can’t turn off the alarms, so if we get a call, it may be a pretty harsh wake-up call.”

  Olivia waved a hand. “No worries. I’m used to that stuff.”

  His head lifted like she’d surprised him, but he drew back to the door. “I know you’re tired. I’ll talk to you in the morning, Olivia Grant.”

  It wasn’t until he was through the door and gone that she realized she didn’t even have his name yet.

  Turning to the bed, she debated whether to shower first. Nope, bed. Dropping her nasty clothes to the floor, she scrambled out of her jeans, dropped her prosthetic and climbed between the sheets. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

  CHAPTER 3

  Connor looked up from frying bacon to see the woman in the doorway, and that feeling hit him all over again. When he looked at her, it felt like he was free-falling through the air. She had beautiful, greenish-brown eyes. He thought he’d seen a little wedge of gray in her iris, too. And her pale blond hair, trimmed about an inch from her scalp and parted on the left, reminded him of his little nephew, three months old and a patch of blond fuzz sprouting from the top of his head. The woman’s hair seemed just as fine, and he had to grin a little at the lopsided mess. Apparently, she hadn’t slept well. She moved stiffly, like everything was in pain, and the bandage was gone from her head, showing a neat line of five stitches. The goose-egg had definitely shrunk, leaving a purple bruise.

  She was still stunningly beautiful to him.

  “If you have a seat, breakfast is almost ready.”

  He motioned to the long stretch of table on the other side of the island. On normal days, there were usually about twenty guys hanging around and yakking it up with each other. This was the first BBQ Fest in Lockhart, and they were expecting upwards of a hundred thousand people this weekend. The trucks were all onsite, and the men were sleeping in the Rotary building, taking shifts being on call for the next three days. The festivities started Thursday and concluded on Saturday with a huge rodeo and the BBQ Pit Master winner announcement. The winner this year would win a cool fifty grand and be invited to cook in one of the local restaurants, Michaels. It belonged to a local family, and they had been running the festival for the past ten years, though it had been in Austin until this year. They’d outgrown the Austin venue and needed more space. Lockhart was considered the capital of BBQ in Texas, so it seemed only appropriate that it came home.

  Connor should have been out there too, but he had more important things to do right now. Such as, take care of a beautiful traveler in distress.

  Turning back to the stove, he used tongs to remove the last of the bacon from the cast-iron skillet. The cheesy scrambled eggs were in a separate skillet, and the bowl of melon was already on the table. “Coffee?”

  “Yes, please. I didn’t catch your name?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Connor Kelly. I’m chief of Lockhart FD station 93.”

  He poured her a cup of coffee, and set it in front of her, then he set the egg pan in the middle of the table with the fruit. Reaching, he grabbed the plate of bacon and set it in front of her. “Help yourself, please.”

  Without further encouragement, she gingerly reached for her own plate and began to load it up. Connor appreciated he didn’t have to cajole her into eating. She seemed famished. He gave her a couple of minutes to take the edge off, but he couldn’t curb his curiosity forever. “How are you feeling?”

  “Not bad,” she said around a mouthful of bacon, obviously lying. “My head is throbbing, but I’ve gotten used to it. The ribs catch me more than anything. It’s hard to breathe shallow continuously.”

  He nodded. “Oh, yeah. And if I remember right, I think I slept in a recliner for about a month after I broke mine.”

  Her eyes widened a little. “Car crash?”

  “Nah,” he shook his head, taking a big swallow of juice. “Fell two stories through the roof of an apartment building and landed on a washer. Broke three ribs, punctured a lung.”

  She nodded in sympathy, but she didn’t make the face a lot of people did. That scrunched up, eww… face. He had a feeling Olivia Grant had seen a lot of shit. And been involved in a lot of shit. She’d saluted the doctor yesterday.

  He wouldn’t know if he didn’t ask. “Were you in the military? You saluted like you knew what you were doing yesterday.”

  She blinked and looked down at her plate. “Yeah, I was in the Army. Mobile surgical teams.”

  Connor knew that look. She really didn’t want to talk about it. Mobile surgical teams sounded dangerous. And nomadic. Had she seen action? He wanted to ask, but it was obvious by the way she avoided his eyes that she didn’t want to talk about it.

  “So, where were you heading when you landed in our lovely town of Lockhart?”

  She sighed, then her breathed hitched and she winced. “Corpus Christi. I have a job down there starting in a few days. I’m a contract nurse.”

  “Ah,” he said thoughtfully. “Nice area down there.”

  “I hope so,” she said, but she didn’t sound enthused. “I’ll call them in a little while and let them know I may be delayed.”

  Connor nodded, running a hand over his chin. “You can call your insurance and see how long it will take them to get you a replacement vehicle. Just know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to. It’s quiet right now. And even if the guys come back to the station, you won’t be a bother.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. It was a little lopsided, but cute, and totally transformed her face. “Thanks, Connor. And thank you for the breakfast. I can’t remember when I ate last, so I definitely needed it.”

  Connor grinned at her and dipped his head. “No problem. Always ready to feed a pretty girl.”

  She lifted one pale brown brow. “I’ve seen myself in the mirror. Purple bruises aren’t that pretty.”

  The bruising on her head wasn’t that bad. Maybe she just didn’t like being hit on. He backed off. “If you say so.”

  Pushing to his feet, he started gathering the dishes. She stood as well and followed him into the kitchen, setting her plate in the sink. Automatically, she reached for the faucet to clean them, but he stopped her hand. “We have a noob to do that. He’s at the store, now, but when he comes back, he’ll eat and clean up.”

  “A noob?”

  “A new guy that does the grunt work because he wants to be a firefighter. He’s almost through training and he’s doing a fantastic job, but I don’t let him know that.”

  She snorted out a laugh. “Ah, I get it.”

  Connor led her out of the kitchen and to his office. “You can use the phone in here to call whomever you need to, and when you’re done, I can drive you to try to get your clothes, or whatever. The impound lot is just outside of town.”

  “Thank you, Connor,” she said softly. “You’ve gone above and beyond, you really have.”