Free Lone Defender (Love Inspired Suspense) by Shirlee McCoy

the turquoise beads Pops had crafted and strung on the leather cord.
    “You were on your way out of the room when I got here. Where were you headed?”
    “To the nurse’s station. I want this IV out.”
    “You need the fluids.”
    “So the doctor told me. Over and over and over again. Fluids and an antibiotic. I told him to give me a couple bottles of water and a prescription, but he refused.” She frowned, standing up and pacing across the room, dragging the IV pole behind her.
    “You’ve been through—”
    “Jonas, if you tell me that I’ve been through a lot and say I need to rest, I will take this IV pole and knock you over the head with it.” She scowled, her dark eyes flashing with irritation.
    “Feeling a little ornery, Grady?”
    She shot him a heated look, then shook her head, offering a sheepish grin. “Maybe. Every nurse and doctor who’s looked at me has said the same thing. You’ve been through a lot. You need to rest. The thing is, I’ve been through worse than a six-day hike. I know my body, and it’s saying that another round of antibiotics and a good meal will do me a lot more good than a hospital room and an IV. Besides, sticking around makes me feel like a sitting duck. Anyone could walk in here. I don’t have a weapon since the doctor insistedon passing the one we confiscated on to the police. I’m not sure I have the strength to hold my own in a physical fight.”
    “So, you want to go to ground for a while, hide out until you’re feeling better?”
    She hesitated, fingered the arrowhead again. “You could say that.”
    “ I could, but you’re not?”
    “I want a safe place to crash for a few hours, but I want justice more. Unless you managed to round up the entire posse of bad guys when you went back into the desert, I’ve got some work to do before I get that rest.”
    “I’m afraid I came up empty. I found a trail that the police are following, but that’s it.”
    “Like I said, I have work to do.” She walked toward the door again, and he grabbed her arm, pulled her to a stop.
    “This isn’t a good idea, Grady.”
    “And staying here is? We don’t know who was out in the desert with us, Jonas. Until we do, I don’t trust anyone. Not doctors, not nurses, not people wandering through the halls. This place is teeming with all three.”
    “It’s a hospital. What else did you expect?”
    “Look, maybe I sound paranoid and maybe leaving isn’t the best idea, but the last time I didn’t listen to my instincts, I got shot three times and came so close to dying the doctors still don’t know how I lived. Right now my instincts are telling me to get out of here. That’s what I plan to do. You can help me or not. Either way, as soon as I get this IV taken out, I’m hitting the road.”
    “You know what would make me happy, Grady?” he muttered, and she met his gaze, her dark eyes flashing.
    “The better question is, ‘Do I care?’”
    “Of course you do. I’m the one who dragged you out of the desert, after all.”

    “I can’t believe you’re playing the guilt card.” She scowled, and he smiled.
    “Kane’s suggestion. Is it working?”
    “No.”
    “Too bad, because the thing that would make me happy is if your instincts were telling you to hop on the next plane out of town.”
    “Sorry to disappoint you. I’m staying in Arizona until I get the answers I want.”
    She would, too. He knew it, didn’t know why he’d even bothered arguing. “In that case, you’ve got yourself a bodyguard. Stay put. I’ll get a nurse to take out the IV.”
    “Bodyguard? What are you talking about?” she sputtered, but he ignored the question and walked out into the corridor. As much as he hated to admit it, Skylar had a point. They didn’t know who’d been out in the desert with them, couldn’t know who her enemies were or where they might show up. Getting her out of the hospital and into a secure location wasn’t such a bad idea.
    And he knew exactly where that