Free Dark Warrior Untamed by Alexis Morgan Page B

with tears. “You really scared me, Grey. I was so afraid I’d lose you.”
    She buried her face in her hands and gave a credible performance of a loved one collapsing now that the crisis was past. Dr. Gregory had no doubt seen family members and friends cry before, but when Piper looked up with those puppy dog eyes, the man melted. Or panicked. Either way, he retreated.
    “Ah, well, um, since Mr. Danby here seems to be on the mend, we’ll leave the two of you alone. He can have visitors now as long as they don’t tire him out. Ring the nurse’s station if you need anything.” As he spoke, he backed toward the door, the nurse following close behind.
    When they were alone again, Grey said, “Nice job, Piper.”
    He expected her to be grinning when she turned toward him, but her tears were all too real. Had she really been worried about him? The thought settled somewhere in his chest, warm and comforting, but he wasn’t sure what to make of the sensation. Better to get back to the business at hand.
    “So what happened?” he asked. “I remember your arrival this morning, but everything else is pretty fuzzyat the moment. Start with when you sat down at your desk.”
    Piper pulled a chair up to the side of his bed and sat down. When she touched his arm briefly, most of his pain subsided. How odd. If Piper felt anything, she gave no sign of it.
    “As soon as I got into the office, you asked me to check my in-box to see if I’d received another strange e-mail. Remember? You said Sandor traced the first one back to your computer even though you hadn’t sent it.”
    The puzzle was starting to come together. “And you did get another e-mail.”
    The fear in her eyes multiplied, making him wish he wasn’t tied to all these bloody machines so he could hold her. He reached out to take her hand but stopped himself. Where had that urge come from? He wasn’t sure he even
liked
her, and they were a long way from trusting each other. Must be a reaction to a near-death experience. Hopefully Piper hadn’t noticed.
    “Yes,” she answered. “And this one was even stranger. The screen filled up with fireworks and a message scrolled across saying we were getting a little surprise. Then a delivery truck pulled up at the front gate and rang the bell. Hughes got there before you did, but you took the package and ran with it. It blew up in the rose garden, flinging you against the corner of the house.”
    More bits and pieces were coming back to him: the noise, the blast, the sick feeling of being tossed through the air like a rag doll, the bone-cracking impact of thehouse.
    “Hughes? You?”
    “Hughes is fine. No one in the house was hurt. You ordered me and the others to stand back, so we were out of range of the blast itself. My ears rang for a while afterward, but that was all.”
    “Good.” It was too much to hope that the local authorities weren’t involved now. “So what did the police have to say?”
    She shrugged. “I slipped out the back while they were still poking around. One of the detectives stopped by a while ago, but left when the doctor told him you were unconscious. The nurses are supposed to call him when you’re up to talking, so I’m sure he’ll be back.”
    “How long have I been here?”
    “About twelve hours. Which reminds me, I need to call Kerry and let her know you’re awake. The last time I checked in, Ranulf said the cops were still hanging around. Sandor has been fending them off as much as possible, but there’s no hiding what happened.”
    Damn it, Grey needed to be back at the mansion doing his job. “How soon can I leave?”
    “The doctor hasn’t said.” She pulled out her phone. “I can’t use my cell in here, but I’ll be right back.”
    “Tell Kerry I’m on my way.” He struggled to sit up. “Where are my clothes?”
    Piper had almost reached the door, but she did an about-face and charged right back. “Oh no you don’t, mister. You’re going to stay in that bed until