Free Finally Home (Home Series) by Ann Vaughn Page B

voice.  Lainey glanced up at Mike as he drove, but his expression was closed.  She supposed she was seeing the SEAL just now, closed and focused.
    At hospital, she had the experience of seeing these two strong men pacing and looking ready to strangle anyone who dared get in their way.  Colt had pulled on a fresh shirt on the ride to the hospital, but his pants were still stained with Tessa's blood.  An hour into their vigil, the waiting room doors burst open and she saw a man with the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen come in and head directly for Colt.
    "Shane, man, I -" Colt began, but Tessa's husband charged him, fist connecting with Colt's jaw and knocking him back against the wall with a forearm to the throat. 
    "You promised you'd keep her safe!"
    "Shane," Mike said, his voice low and calm.
    Shane turned his head and looked at Mike.  "What the hell happened?" he asked, releasing Colt.   Lainey could tell that Colt wanted to retaliate but was holding himself back.
    Mike filled him in on what he'd seen.  Lainey watched Shane take it all in, thinking he was handling it all remarkably well. 
    "And he got away?" Shane pressed.
    "Unfortunately," Colt confirmed, "I didn't get a chance to ask her anything about him.  Hopefully he spoke to her.  If she heard his voice, she can help identify him."
    Shane raked both hands through his hair, pacing away from the guys.  Lainey got up and went to him, introducing herself.
    "Tessa put up a heckuva fight," she told him.  "I've never seen a woman fight like that."
    Shane gave her a weak smile.  "She's always been a fighter."
    "She was amazing.  My friend Kacee called her an Amazon Warrior Queen."
    He half laughed.  "God, she would love that.  I'll have to remember that one."
    "She must be an amazing person...so strong.  To have joined the Army and served with a bunch of Rangers like Colt, then to be picked for Mike and Riley's task force.  And I know she was the agent who brought down the Naturalists a few years ago."
    He nodded.  "She was."
    "That is impressive.  She is impressive.  You must be so proud of her."
    "I am...she's been through a lot in her life.  This is just the latest in a long line of injuries...and I can get mad and tell her that I won't allow her to do this kind of thing any more...and she would just laugh in my face and tell me I'd be welcome to try to stop her."
    Just then, a doctor walked into the waiting room and all eyes turned to him.
    "Tessa McCanton?" the doctor called.
    Shane stood.  "I'm her husband."
    "She came through surgery just fine.  We gave her some blood and repaired the damage from the stab.  She has a lot of scar tissue," the doctor began.
    "She was injured in an IED attack in Iraq and further injured later in her career in the FBI," Shane explained.
    The doctor looked a little surprised by that, then cleared his throat.  "Wow, she's been through a lot."
    "Yes, sir, she has," Shane confirmed.
    "Ironically, it was that scar tissue that saved her l ife.  Prevented the knife from nicking an artery or reaching anything vital.  One of the plates in her face was knocked loose, we repaired that."
    Lainey's eyes widened.  Plates in her face??  What in the world had Tessa been through before?
    "All-in-all, she was very fortunate.  We'll be moving her into a recovery room in just a few more moments and then you can see her."
    "Thank you, doctor," Shane said, shaking his hand.
    Lainey looked over at Mike and Colt, who were both looking immensely relieved.  They waited with Shane until he was taken back to the recovery room, then, promising they would return, left him to see to his wife. 
    "We forgot to call Coop and Whit," Colt said as they were heading out to the parking lot.  "They're going to be pissed."
    "They'll get over it," Mike said.  "As soon as we get to Lainey's, start hacking the security system from that building.  Let's see if we can figure out where the hell that jackass came from and where the hell he