Free Trouble in Tampa by Nicole Williams Page B

I’d never admit that. Time to change the subject. “So what happened after I blacked out? Do you know?” I found the bed remote and raised the head of it so I was somewhere between sitting up and lying down.
    “ Before you blacked out, I’d already located you thanks to my laptop being glued to my hip everywhere I go, including the bathroom—”
    “Eww, you were in the bathroom during all of that?” I curled my nose.
    Henry rolled his eyes. “I’m exaggerating to make a point, Eve. Roll with me, okay?”
    “I’ll roll with you, just so long as it isn’t into the bathroom.”
    He groaned. “Once I’d located you, I had one of my colleagues call the emergency system in the Tampa area to alert them that you needed help, along with where you were.”
    “So the ambulance showed up, rushed me to the hospital, and then we all lived happily ever after?” I scanned the room. If that was anything close to what HEA looked like, pass me the hemlock. “How long have I been unconscious?”
    Henry gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “About two days.”
    Knocked unconscious for two days?! Rob Tucker had just made enemies with the single most spiteful person on the continent. I could do revenge like he could swing his fist.
    “What are you doing here? I thought you had a crazy week filled with meetings and negotiations and Korean BBQ.” I knew having Henry beside me should have been the opposite of comforting, but there was nothing else I needed more right then.
    “Some things are business, and some things are important ,” he answered.
    “For a man like you, don’t those two things go hand in hand?”
    His eyes locked onto mine. My heart picked up its pace, which I promptly attributed to the drugs. “I’m here with you now, aren’t I? Does that answer your question?” he asked.
    Things were as convoluted as they had ever been between Henry and me. Nice to see some things stay the same—insert sarcasm here.
    “Thanks for being here,” I said, working a smile into place.
    He matched his smile to mine. “Where else could I be?”
    Of course that would be the instant Mrs. Callahan came to mind. Somewhere out there was a woman wearing a wedding ring the man beside me had given her. Somewhere out there was a woman who’d hired me to seduce the man beside me so she could be free of him. Somewhere out there was a woman who wanted to leave Henry Callahan like I’d wanted to.
    I wondered if Mrs. Callahan would be more successful than I had.
    “I’m going to rest, I think. I’m pretty exhausted.” My smile shifted into a fake one as my hand went cold. My heart might still react to Henry, but my brain knew the score. My mind would never forget what he’d done, or the reason I’d been reintroduced into his life, or why revenge should always be on the tip of my tongue when I thought of Henry Callahan.
    Rising, Henry leaned over me and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. His lips should have felt like ice . . . but they felt warm. “I’ll be in the waiting room when you wake up.” His eyes stayed on me as he headed for the door.
    Only when he’d closed it was I able to take a breath. I was in bad shape, mentally and physically. A Target had been responsible for nearly killing me. Another Target was responsible for saving me. One Target I loathed more than I’d ever hated another person. The other Target was one I had to convince myself to hate, despite feeling quite the opposite.
    And damn it, what was I going to tell G? The thought of it all made me as tired as I’d just tried to convince Henry I was. Lowering my bed, I curled into my pillow to fall asleep, hoping some of the what-nows would have been magically answered when I awoke.
    I’d just closed my eyes when the door opened. I smiled, keeping my eyes closed. “What did you forget?”
    “To tell you that the reason I do the things I do is because I care about you.”
    My eyes flashed open, my body curling inward to protect itself. I instructed myself to