Smitten

I paused for a moment, concentrating as I tried to sift through my mind. “There was a coyote . . . and I swerved,” I replied, closing my eyes as memories of the race suddenly flooded back to me. “Did I win?”

  Cami snorted, a look of disbelief etched on her face. “Seriously? You almost died and all you want to know is if you won? If I weren’t so happy to see you, I’d knock you out myself right now. We’ve been terrified!”

  I couldn’t help laughing at her, even though my muscles hurt with the movement. “Well, did I?”

  “No, I’m afraid Ripper spun right past you. You rolled off the runway. He skidded to the end. He only sustained some minor front end damage—nothing he won’t be able to fix.”

  I grinned wider.

  “What now?” Cami asked, not seeming very amused.

  “We were racing for pinks. He won the Camaro. I hope he enjoys it!” I chuckled. “Fat lot of good it’s gonna do him. I guess he can scrap it for parts.”

  Chris shook his head. “You’re two for two now on assignments. You know that, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you got shot on your last undercover assignment, and now you’ve barely survived a car accident on this one. The department isn’t going to be too happy about that. Not to mention you totaled the car they gave you.”

  “All the more reason for them to hear me out when I tell them I don’t want to work undercover anymore.”

  He seemed surprise by my comment. “Really?”

  I sighed, touching the bandages on my head. “I’m tired of being away from Cami. This wasn’t what I signed on for, bro. She’s not getting any rest either, because she’s constantly worried about me. And I’m always worried about her getting tangled in these messes. I want out. Neither of us are cut out for this.”

  He stared at me for several moments before he nodded, signaling he understood, but he didn’t say anything else. I was sure he wasn’t too thrilled about it. He and I had bonded over our job. We worked well together.

  I turned to Cami. “So what’s the verdict? How bad off am I?”

  “You’re extremely lucky, actually. Other than some pretty good bumps and bruises, you managed to walk away with only a deep head laceration, which required seven stitches. You also have a pretty good concussion going on, but other than that, the CT scan looked fine.”

  “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” Chris added. “You’ve been out of it for several hours. The doctor said they wanted to keep you a couple days for observation since you lost consciousness so many times—just as an added precaution. They plan on running another CT scan to make sure they didn’t miss any bleeding.”

  “That doesn’t sound very fun.” I didn’t want to stay here another minute, let alone days.

  “Enjoy the rest, Hunter. You need it. I’ll stay here to keep you company.” Cami stroked the back of my hand with her fingers.

  “You’ll miss your classes. I don’t want you to get behind.”

  “I don’t care. You’re more important than any grade. Besides, if I leave here, Ripper’s going to be hounding me and following me around all the time. Is that really where you want me?”

  “No,” I replied quickly. I had no problem letting her win this argument. “Stay here. I don’t want you anywhere near him—though I have to say I’m surprised he and Roberta aren’t here.”

  “You’re checked in here under your fake identity. The hospital is helping with your security by only allowing family members into your room—like your brother and your sister. I haven’t told your parents what happened because I want to live a little while longer. Besides, I know your mom would be tearing this place down trying to get to you. We didn’t want to blow your cover.”

  “So did the cops show up out there?” I asked.

  Cami nodded. “Lots of them, but everyone had pretty much scattered.”

  “Was anyone cited?”

  “There was no one left to cite but you. Your car was the only one there—everyone else left. Chris came to the scene for me.”

  Anger quickly boiled to the surface. “Are you telling me Ripper and his thugs left you out there alone?”

  “I refused to go with them. I told them I was going to make sure your car was properly taken care of. It wasn’t like the police weren’t going to know how to find you. Ripper threatened to throw me in the car, but I told him if he did, I’d never speak to him again.”

  I attempted to drag a hand through my hair and was frustrated when I encounter the bandages again. I’d already forgotten about them. “I can’t believe he left you behind.” It made me furious that he’d run off and left her so he could cover his own butt.

  “It actually worked out really good for us,” Chris replied. “I was able to alert people about the undercover case going on and that Cami was part of it. The department is taking care of the vehicle. You’ll be given a fake citation to help keep your cover.”

  “You can’t be serious!” Cami frowned and her face flushed a little. “After all he’s been through, they’re planning on sending him back in?”

  “Only if he feels up to it.” Chris glanced at me, clearly dropping the ball in my court.

  “I’ll be fine. I started this thing, I intend to finish it.” I squeezed Cami’s hand in an attempt to comfort her.

  “This is so ridiculous!” She was angry, and I couldn’t blame her.

  “It’ll all work out, Goody. I promise.” I wanted to reassure her somehow.

  “Like you promised me you wouldn’t wreck the car tonight?” She had me there.

  “I’m sorry, Cami. I really am. It was a natural reaction to swerve.”

  “Dude, next time—just kill the coyote,” Chris said sarcastically.

  “There better not be a next time.” Cami shook her head, pursing her lips together so hard they almost turned white.

  I had a lot of making up to do.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cami-

  “Hey, sleepyhead.” I smiled at Hunter when he woke up again, placing the book I’d been reading on the rolling table beside his bed. “How are you feeling?”

  He gave a groan. “Like I’ve been in a car accident.”

  I rolled my eyes slightly. “Go figure.”

  “I swear there’s not a spot on my body that isn’t screaming right now.” He flexed his arms and then straightened them out, rotating them around as if he were trying to work out the stiffness.

  “Well, considering the scrap of metal you crawled out of, I’d say you were pretty darn lucky.”

  He dropped his arms and stared at me. “Cami, I’m so sorry for putting you through all this. I can’t imagine what it’s been like.”

  I leaned forward and took his hand in mine. “Don’t worry about me. You just concentrate on getting better.”

  He continued to study me. “You look beat. Have you had any sleep?”

  “A little,” I exaggerated. I couldn’t tell him that every time my eyes closed I saw his car flying through the air, and it felt like the very breath was being sucked from me. When I saw him lying there with blood running from his head, I’d been certain he was dead, which led me to spend most of the night saying prayers of thanks on his behalf.

  “What are you reading?” he asked me.

  I laughed. “It’s a romance novel one of the nurses had out at the desk. She said she was finished with it and offered it to help pass the time.”

  He raised his eyebrow and grinned. He looked so worn out. “Are you lacking romance in your life? I’d be happy to help you take care of that, you know.”

  “Take it easy there, big guy,” I teased. “I think you better deal with your own issues for the moment.”

  He shrugged, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Well, I do have this private room. The bed isn’t too bad. It’d be a shame to waste all this alone time we’re getting.”

  I chuckled again. “Now I know you’re going to be fine.”

  He squeezed my hand. “You’re right. I will be okay. Go ho
me and get some rest—you look exhausted. You don’t need to sit here.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not ready to let you out of my sight yet. Chris said he’d be back later. He also said the department was arranging an insurance loaner for the rest of your assignment.”

  He nodded. “Okay, thanks for telling me.”

  “I wish they’d pull you off this.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’re going to wrap things up soon.”

  “What are they waiting for?”

  “I think they’re waiting for Ripper to make another car run to Las Vegas. They’ve been in contact with the police there, and they’re hoping to catch whoever is on the other end of this theft ring.”

  I sighed. “Well, I can’t imagine it’ll be too long before he makes another run again. He has a few cars ready to go, and we both know he doesn’t like to leave them sitting around for very long.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Since we haven’t discovered anything else about Manny’s disappearance, there’s no reason for us to keep dragging things out.”

  “Good. The sooner we can be done with all this, the better. I want to get back to our lives.”

  He turned and stared at the ceiling for several moments.

  “What are you thinking about?” I asked, curious about why he was suddenly so quiet.

  “The future.” He glanced back toward me. “I’m considering getting out of the police business altogether.”

  This surprised me. “Really? I hope it’s not because of me. You love being a cop.”

  “I have enjoyed it, but there are things in my life that are more important to me—like you. I don’t want to do anything that will put my life with you at risk. I want to grow old with you, Cami. This accident is making me reconsider things. It can all end so quickly, I want to make every second count.”

  Love infused me, but I hated to see him give up the job he loved for me. “I want that too, but life can be taken from us at any moment in all sorts of ways. You quitting the police force doesn’t guarantee us any more time together.”

  “I know, but I also don’t want to put myself in more dangerous situations that could take me away sooner. There are other things I can do.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, medicine is interesting. I’ve had some first responder training and experience with emergency medical situations. Maybe I could be a firefighter paramedic or something like that.”

  I pondered this for a moment. “That might work. You’d still get your lights and sirens, and you’d rock the uniform.”

  He laughed. “What is it with women and guys in uniform?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea, but I like you in your dress blues. You look hot.”

  “Maybe I could get my own firefighter calendar,” he joked, flexing his arms again. “I think I’ve got the muscles to pull it off. How would you like that?”

  I smiled widely. “I think I just drooled a little. But I’d be the only one allowed to have a calendar. I don’t want other women ogling you. Is a firefighter safer than being a cop, though?”

  He sighed. “I guess there would still be danger, but if I was on the medical end of things, I’d be more in charge of taking care of people or other fire fighters versus fighting the actual fire. I mean, obviously, I’d have to do both, but I have several friends on the fire department. They actually spend more time working car accidents and medical calls than anything else.”

  “You’re an adrenaline junky, aren’t you?” I asked with a grin.

  “There’s no denying it. I’m definitely attracted to those types of jobs. I like the excitement and the idea that every day can be different than the one before.” He gave me a sly look. “Of course my adrenaline gets pumping each time I lay eyes on you. Too bad I couldn’t get paid to follow you around all the time.” He winked.

  I snorted. “Whatever.”

  His face grew serious. “I mean it Cami. I’d do anything to be with you. I love you.” He groaned as he scooted aside, patting the space next to him. “Come lay by me. I want to hold you.”

  I glanced toward the door. “Will they get mad at me?”

  “Who cares? The two of us went through something really traumatic together, and I want to be next to my girl.”

  Tears floated in my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t. It’ll help me feel better.”

  I climbed onto the bed and curled up beside him, lying in the crook of his arm. He wrapped it around me, holding me close, and it felt so good to be next to him. “I was really scared,” I admitted softly.

  “I know. So was I, but everything is gonna be okay now.” He placed a kiss on the top of my head, and I wrapped my arm around his midsection. “I’m tired again. Shall we take a nap together?”

  I nodded, my eyes already feeling heavy. I was drained. Hopefully sleeping in his arms would keep the bad dreams at bay.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hunter said as he stared at the Volkswagen Polo parked in the lot. He looked at Chris. “Seriously? This is what the department sent me?”

  “Yep.” He tossed Hunter the keys. “I’m thinking perhaps it’s a subtle message that they don’t want you driving over a hundred miles an hour.”

  “Ripper is going to laugh me off the premises when he sees this.”

  Chris shrugged. “It’s supposed to be an insurance loaner. It has to look believable.”

  “I’m really going to miss that Camaro.” He looked positively forlorn.

  “Why can’t you use your Camaro?” I asked. “Ripper thinks it’s my car. No one would blink twice if I loaned it to you.”

  Hunter’s face brightened immediately.

  “No can do,” Chris spoke up. “The department doesn’t want to be financially responsible for his vehicle due to the nature of the case and the accident that’s already happened. Plus, they don’t want Ripper to trace the car back to him.”

  “I tried,” I said with a shrug as Hunter’s face fell again.

  “Fine. I’ll drive the girly car.” He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for me.

  I gave him a skeptical glance. “Don’t you think I’m the one who should be driving? You’re the one with the concussion.”

  “I feel okay, and I passed all my cognitive tests.”

  “True, but the doctor still told you to take it easy for a couple days. Let me drive you home. You barely got out of the hospital.”

  He sighed heavily and handed me the keys. I gestured for him to get into the passenger seat, and he rolled his eyes as he did so.

  Chris laughed, clearly enjoying this. “He’s such a good patient.”

  I shut the car door. “I’m afraid our patient has no patience.”

  He grinned wider. “I think you’re right. I’ll follow the two of you back to the crack house,” he said, using the nickname we’d given to the undercover house they were sharing.

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  “Thanks for your help with everything, Cami.”

  “No problem. Anything for my brother.” I grinned as I walked around the car and got in.

  “You two don’t have to baby me,” Hunter grumbled as I started the engine.

  “We want to. Besides, it allows me the excuse of staying next to you without having anyone question my reasoning. Ripper’s been calling and texting me a lot. He misses me.”

  “I bet he does,” Hunter growled. “I don’t look forward to seeing him all over you again. It’s been nice to have you to myself for a change.”

  “Trust me, I don’t want to go back to it anymore than you do. I don’t like seeing Roberta all over you either.”

  He gave a frustrated grunt. “She drives me insane.”

  “She spoke to me at the race, you know. She’s falling for you for real and thinks there might be an honest connection between the two of you. She’s hoping the relationship will continue after the case is wrapped up.”

  He stared at me in amazement. “
You’re kidding!”

  I shook my head. “Not a bit. She made it very plain that she was marking you as her territory.”

  “Well, she’s either completely delusional, or I’m a better actor than I thought. That’s insane.”

  I smiled. “Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror? You could probably crook your finger at any woman in the world and she’d come running after you like a willing puppy dog.”

  He dropped the visor in front of him and stared in the mirror. “Really? Because all I see is a guy in desperate need of a shave, with a big bandage wrapped around his head. Hmmm . . . I’ve got a pretty good bruise going on.” He lifted his hand to the discolored area around his cheekbone. “Yeah, I can definitely see why the ladies might go crazy.”

  I laughed. “Okay, so today might not be the best example, but I’d still follow you around if you crooked your finger at me.”

  He crooked his finger at me. “Promise?” He grinned.

  “I promise.”

  “Well, good. You’re the only one I want following me around anyway.”

  I glanced at him feeling a sudden burst of relief flow through me once more. “I love you. I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “I love you too, but I won’t be all right until we’re done with this case and I don’t have to drive a car with hamsters in a wheel for an engine.” He frowned as he stared at the dashboard.

  I giggled. “I’m sorry you don’t like it. It beats the alternative, though, which is walking.”

  He sighed heavily. “I guess. At least they got me a red one. Red’s a good car color.”

  “It also gets the most speeding tickets,” I reminded him.

  “Not likely in this car. It has to actually be capable of going over the speed limit. Give me a Chevy any day of the week.”

  “Be patient. It won’t be forever. You’ll probably be driving yours again soon.”

  “One can only hope.”

  Ripper, Roberta, Seth, and Nick were all waiting in front of the crack house when we arrived. Immediately I felt deflated. I’d hoped to spend some more time with Hunter by myself before they were involved again. “Yay. Looks like your fan club’s here to celebrate your return,” I said unenthusiastically as I placed the car in park.