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"Bottoh he couldn't breathe The doctor was giving him the best scenario possible She'd been hit by or nicked by three bullets and she was alive with no pere thanks to Mitya, but he couldn't make his mind believe

"Rest More rest She'll need care I don't know if you can arrange that"

"Of course When she's released, she will come home with me I can hire nurses if she needs them, otherwise I can see to whatever she needs When can I see her?"

"They've taken her to recovery"

"Then that's where I need to be"

She shook her head "She won't be out from under the"

"That's where I need to be" He pinned her with his ice-cold gaze Deliberately letting her see the killer in him See the vicious leopard he lived with The one tamed by his woman, but now restless and moody

"I'm leopard," she said softly, "and not intimidated easily"

He continued to stare silently She was intimidated whether she wanted to ad people since before he was in his teens and he could read them easily She was uneasy in his presence He didn't blame her Most people were Even leopards

She sighed "I'll take you to her"

"I need inforht in at the sa his way

"He's eon I've ever known He's one of us and his skills are without rival If it's possible to save your friend, he'll save him" She stood up "Follow me"

Timur fell into step behind Alonzo She turned, annoyed "I' the rules for one, definitely not two"

Timur didn't protest, nor did he break stride He just followed Alonzo, ignoring all commands Alonzo was fairly certain he wouldn't respond to Alonzo ordering hi security seriously Now that so any chances

"I want to know the ery and I can talk to the doctor," Alonzo addressed Gorya "Make certain the doctor doesn't leave without talking to me"

"You got it"

The doctor pulled open the door to the recovery roo very still beneath a thin sheet She looked pale, her long lashes lying on her white skin like two dark crescents Her dark hair was pulled back and braided, but like he had come to expect, wild tendrils had escaped and fell around her face and across the pillow

Machines e high on her temple on her left side, one wrapped around her ar the wound IVs dripped into her arm and a male nurse stood by her bed, bent over her, a needle in one hand and the IV line in the other

"What are you doing?" the doctor demanded, her voice total authority

Alonzo shoved the woman out of the way and Timur shouldered hiun rapidly, first at theeline Alonzo went down on top of the doctor, his body covering hers, his gun out He shot the nurse four tiht eye, the throat, the heart and thethefor an accomplice

"You all right?" Alonzo asked gri the doctor up with hieline "Check her Make certain he didn't inject her or the line with anything"

The sound of running footsteps heralded the arrival of security guards and the undercover policeaze on Alonzo and the doctor checking Evangeline Brice was behind him Reeve Hawkins flanked him, his weapon drawn as well All three undercover cops wore their badges around their necks in plain sight

Timur spun, a smooth, fluid move that put him between the police and Alonzo Crispin and one of the security guards seemed to collide, both tripped on the raised curved tile just outside the door Both weapons went off

One bullet hit the side of Evangeline's hospital bed, the other buried itself in the mattress perilously close to her body Sevastyan and Gorya were on the the weapons fro across the floor

"What the hell are you doing?" Hawkins demanded of his partner

Crispin shoved the guard "You did that deliberately You grabbed un"

"I didn't," the guard shouted back

Brice shoved both of them to the side and dropped down beside the body to check for a pulse It seerained in the man and he did it automatically

"I want aze uard and then went to Timur's face in a silent command One or all of the cops were involved in the conspiracy to kill Alonzo They'd put Evangeline in the line of fire twice now He was done playing nice He was done abiding by Elijah and Drake's rules He wasn't waiting for the to fall back on his training--and he had a lot of training

Timur handed his weapon over to Brice, as did Alonzo Neither said a word That hat attorneys were for The doctor gave her rendition of what had happened while she bent protectively over Evangeline and checked her carefully She spoke cal both Tieline

"He wasn't able to get the shot into the IV We walked in on hie on the floor

Brice was careful when he picked it up,it to his nose He jerked it away from his face fast "Smells like almonds" He looked from Alonzo to the body on the floor "That's twice now you've nearly gotten her killed"

Alonzo pinned him with a cold stare "You want to tellto the bakery? The helicopter got there before the cops did You have that place on your radar The minute shots were fired the police should have been all over it"

Brice opened his mouth, closed it and shook his head

"I' ht security around her at all times"

"I'll provide the security for her," Alonzo said "She's my fiancee My responsibility I don't trust anyone at this point" Deliberately he swept his cold gaze to include the guard involved in the collision with Crispin

Crispin flushed "What the hell are you i?"

"Crispin" Brice's tone arning Every time a police officer fired a weapon, there was a review No doubt because this shooting involved suspected ation Brice arning his fellow cop not to say a word

That was fine by Alonzo He didn't want to hear a word He'd let Jake probe away to try to find uard's, but it didn'tat the truth fast Alonzo wanted fast He wanted the threat shut down so he could ensure that Evangeline was safe to go back to her beloved bakery

He waited with Evangeline for the forensic teaely, Brice didn'tJake's lawyer showed up Vince Petron was considered to be one of the top attorneys in Texas