Password to Her Heart (The American Soldier Collection 9)

“What did this?” he asked.

“Belt,” she whispered as tears rolled from her big ocean-blue eyes.

Lee pulled the jacket snugger against her. Stitch noticed that her hands were really shaking and he covered them with his own.

“You’re safe now. You’re shaking because of the shock of it all. It will probably get a little worse until the doctors give you something to help calm you down.”

“I killed him.” She lowered her eyes.

Stitch looked at Lee and then glanced at the others, who all looked exactly like he felt. Sick and angry.

“Who?” Mercury asked her.

She looked at him and sniffled. “Cuadrone. The man who did all this to me.”

Stitch swallowed hard. She was a fighter. She would survive all of this, and each of them would make sure of that. A protective feeling consumed him immediately. Shawna was part of their family now. They would always protect her.

“Good, then he can never hurt you again,” Lee whispered to her. She turned her face toward Lee’s chest and snuggled into his hold. Stitch reached up and caressed her hair. “We’re almost there, Shawna. Everything is going to be okay now.”

Chapter 6

“How is Shawna doing today?” Mercury asked Tiek as he walked into her room. She was sleeping, just as she had been for the last three days. She would come in and out of consciousness and moan in pain. The tests the doctors ran showed she had some internal bleeding and they were monitoring it and debating whether surgery was necessary. But keeping her resting seemed to be helping the process. She was strong and doing well. Unlike Keith, who was touch and go after three consecutive surgeries.

“They’re going to bring her down in an hour to do more tests to make sure that the bleeding has stopped.” Tiek looked at his watch. “She woke up a few times calling Keith’s name. She’s going to want to see him.”

“I know. As soon as the testing is done, and she’s in the clear, we can see about getting her down there to ICU. Tex got the stuff moved from her apartment. She didn’t have much. Plus it appeared to me that the place was ransacked. Not sure if it was done prior to her being taken or what. Calico has men on it,” Mercury said as he walked closer to the bed. He reached out and touched her hair. “The bruises are healing.”

“What was her place like? Any info on her and the kind of person she is?”

Mercury took a deep breath and released it. “She’s in college. Almost finished. She worked at a bar, but they already hired a new bartender. The guy Mike, who reported her missing, has been asking about her. He’s coming by today.” Mercury felt his gut clench. He had this feeling that Shawna was becoming so much to them. His men were constantly figuring out a schedule to stay here with her, and were setting up a bedroom for her to stay in as soon as she was discharged, which would be way before Keith was.

“Who is this guy? You checked him out? Is he her boyfriend?” Tiek asked in his very deep voice. Mercury signaled for him to lower his voice and Tiek stood up and paced the room.

“She needs us. She needs men who understand how to deal with the consequences of war, of being prisoners, of surviving something like what she went through.”

“Tiek, she’ll need professional counseling. I already spoke to Spocko, and he can see her at the house as soon as she’s up to it. Keith is going to need a lot of rehab when all is done, and if he pulls through, he’s got a long fight ahead of him. I’m certain that Shawna will want to be here with him.”

“We’ll work it out,” Tiek stated and then walked back closer to the bed.

Shawna began to moan and then blink open her eyes. She jerked and gasped. Both Mercury and Tiek placed hands on her shoulders and spoke softly to her.

“You’re safe, sweetheart. You’re still in the hospital,” Mercury told her. He looked her over as she glanced at Tiek and then at him then closed her eyes and took a deep, unsteady breath before releasing it. He could tell even in the hospital gown that Shawna was well endowed. The feel of her muscular shoulders and arms beneath his hold caused an immediate attraction to her. It was crazy, but no woman seemed to affect him just by her eyes alone. Shawna did, as her blue eyes locked on his and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth then cringed. They were still swollen.

“Do you need a sip of water?” Tiek asked, moving toward the cup and straw. She nodded her head. As she tried to sit up, she closed her eyes and Mercury helped her.

“Bruised ribs can be just as sore as broken ones. But they’ll heal fast,” he told her.

Tiek held the cup as she took a sip and she locked gazes with him. He held her gaze and Mercury realized that Tiek was probably feeling that attraction and possessive feeling, too. He would need to talk to them when they had the chance to see how the others felt. A lot of their friends shared women and were in ménage relationships. It wasn’t uncommon around where they lived. In fact, the thought crossed their minds many times, especially over some beers and feeling like life finally had some normalcy. But Shawna had been through something really traumatic. Although, thank God, the doctors confirmed she hadn’t been sexually assaulted despite the bruising around her groin. She may have some lasting effects that perhaps may make her fearful of men. The best thing they could do was make her feel safe and comfortable with them.

“How is Keith? When can I see him?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“The last surgery appears to have gone well. The doctors said he needs lots of rest, but I think after you get your tests done today, and the doctor gives the all clear, we can wheel you down to see him,” Tiek told her.

“How long do I have to stay here?” she asked.

“As long as the doctors say,” Mercury replied. She looked at him and then swallowed hard.

“You don’t need to stay here all the time. I’m sure you have jobs and things to do. I’ll be okay alone,” she said.