Chapter 19

NINETEEN

K eir paced the sterile hallway of the private clinic, his footsteps echoing off the polished floors. The acrid smell of disinfectant burned his nostrils, a constant reminder of where he was and why. His jaw clenched as he replayed the events of the past few hours in his mind.

Cat’s dislocated shoulder had been reset quickly, thank God. But the bruises mottling her skin, the way she’d cried out in pain when they’d moved her... Keir’s dragon roared inside him, demanding vengeance.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to calm the rage threatening to consume him. Cat was alive. She was safe. That’s what mattered. But, damn, it had been close. Too close.

The door to Cat’s room opened, and Dr. Patel emerged, her dark hair pulled back in a neat bun. “Mr. Sharpe? You can go in now. We’ve got her settled and comfortable.”

Keir nodded, his throat tight. “How is she?”

Dr. Patel’s expression softened. “She’s tough, that one. The shoulder was the worst of it, thankfully. She’ll be sore for a while, but there’s no lasting damage. She’s lucky.”

Lucky. The word echoed in Keir’s mind as he stepped into the room. If he hadn’t gotten there when he did... if his dragon’s protective magic hadn’t already started to work on her...

Cat lay in the hospital bed, looking small and fragile against the white sheets. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep. An IV drip fed into her arm, and a heart monitor beeped softly in the background.

Keir’s chest constricted at the sight. He moved to her side, gently taking her hand in his. Her skin was warm, alive. He brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I’m so sorry, love,” he whispered. “I should have been there. I should have protected you.”

Cat stirred, her eyelids fluttering. “Keir?” Her voice was groggy, tinged with pain.

“I’m here, love.” He stroked her hair, marveling at how even battered and bruised, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “How are you feeling?”

She managed a weak smile. “Like I got hit by a truck. But I’m okay. Really.”

Keir’s lips quirked up despite himself. “Liar.”

Cat’s hand tightened around his. “Did they... is Ayers okay?”

“He’s fine,” Keir assured her quickly. “Laura and Michael are with him now. He slept through the whole thing.”

The relief on Cat’s face was palpable. “Thank God.”

Keir’s chest swelled with pride and love. Even after everything she’d been through, her first thought was for her nephew’s safety. His mate was extraordinary.

“Rest now,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Cat’s eyes were already drooping. “Promise?”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

As Cat drifted back to sleep, Keir settled into the chair beside her bed. His mind raced, planning and strategizing. He needed to arrange security, talk to Beck about the investigation, deal with the press...

But for now, he’d stay right here, guarding his mate’s sleep.

Hours passed in a blur of quiet conversation with doctors, hushed phone calls, and stolen moments of rest. Keir refused to leave Cat’s side, even when the nurses gently suggested he go home and get some proper sleep.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, waving off their concern. “I’ve gone longer without sleep.”

It was true. In his centuries of life, Keir had endured far worse. But he’d never felt this bone-deep exhaustion before, this mix of fear and rage and desperate relief that left him feeling hollowed out.

A soft knock at the door pulled Keir from his brooding thoughts. Beck stuck his head in, his normally cheerful face grave. “Boss? Got a minute?”

Keir glanced at Cat, still peacefully asleep, before nodding and following Beck into the hallway. “What have you found?”

Beck ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Not much, I’m afraid. No clear footage of the bastards who took her. They knew where the cameras were, avoided them like pros.”

Keir swore under his breath. “What about Cat’s building? Any leads there?”

“Nothing concrete yet. But...” Beck hesitated.

“Spit it out.”

“The break-in at Cat’s place, the attack at the conference, now this? It’s escalating, Keir. Fast. And it all points to--”

“Jason Grimes,” Keir growled, his hands clenching into fists. The CEO of Obsidian Tech had been a thorn in his side for years, but this... this was personal.

Beck nodded grimly. “My thoughts exactly. But we can’t prove it. Not yet.”

Keir’s mind raced, weighing options and risks. “Double the security detail here. I want eyes on Cat 24/7 until we sort this out. And get me everything you can on Grimes’s movements for the past month. I don’t care how you have to do it.”

“Consider it done.” Beck clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll get them, Keir. I promise.”

As Beck strode off, purpose in every step, Keir leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He needed to be strong for Cat, to be the protector she deserved. But God, he was tired.

A commotion down the hall snapped him back to alertness. A nurse was hurrying toward Cat’s room, her face flushed with exertion. Keir straightened, every muscle tensing.

The nurse skidded to a stop when she saw him, her eyes widening. “Oh! I... I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

Keir’s eyes narrowed. Something about her reaction set off alarm bells in his head. “I’m not leaving my mate’s side,” he said firmly.

The nurse’s cheeks reddened further. “Of-of course not. I just need to check her vitals.”

She made to move past him, but Keir blocked her path. “I don’t recognize you from earlier. What’s your name?”

Before the nurse could answer, a soft voice called out from the room. “Keir?”

Cat was awake. Keir turned instinctively toward her voice, and in that split second of distraction, the nurse bolted.

“Hey!” Keir shouted, but she was already halfway down the hall. He started after her, then hesitated, torn between chasing the suspicious nurse and staying with Cat.

“Keir?” Cat called again, more urgent this time. “That woman...”

He rushed back into the room to find Cat struggling to sit up, her face pale with pain and fear. “Easy, love,” he soothed, gently easing her back against the pillows. “What is it?”

Cat’s eyes were wide, her breathing rapid. “That nurse... she’s the one who attacked me at the conference. The one who took my laptop.”

For a moment, Keir couldn’t process what she was saying. Then white-hot rage flooded through him. He whirled toward the door, ready to tear the building apart to find the woman, but Cat’s hand on his arm stopped him.

“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded, her grip surprisingly strong. “Please.”

The conflict tore at Keir. Every instinct screamed at him to hunt down the threat, to eliminate anyone who dared harm his mate. But the fear in Cat’s eyes... he couldn’t bear to be the cause of it.

“Security,” he barked into his phone. “Intruder on the fourth floor, posing as a nurse. Find her. Now.”

He barely registered the affirmative response before he was back at Cat’s side, gathering her carefully into his arms. She trembled against him, and he stroked her back, murmuring soothing words in Gaelic.

“It’s all right, love,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

Cat’s fingers curled into his shirt. “I thought... when I saw her... God, Keir, what if she’d tried to hurt me again?”

The thought made Keir’s blood run cold. He tightened his hold on her, mindful of her injuries. “I won’t let anyone harm you,” he vowed fiercely. “Never again.”

A commotion in the hallway drew their attention. Keir tensed, ready to defend Cat if necessary, but relaxed when he recognized Beck’s voice.

“Got her, boss!” Beck called, sounding slightly out of breath. “Ran right into me trying to get to the stairs.”

Keir pressed a kiss to Cat’s temple. “I need to deal with this. Will you be all right for a moment?”

Cat nodded, though she looked reluctant to let go of him. “Be careful,” she said softly.

“Always am, love.”

Keir strode into the hallway to find Beck restraining a struggling woman – the fake nurse. Her scrubs were rumpled, and a wild look of panic shone in her eyes.

“Let me go!” she shrieked. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Keir’s eyes flashed dangerously as he approached. “Is that so?” His voice was deceptively calm, but there was steel beneath it. “Then perhaps you’d like to explain why you were impersonating a nurse and attempting to gain access to my mate’s room?”

The woman’s struggles subsided, replaced by a look of defeated resignation. “I... I had no choice,” she whimpered. “He said he’d hurt my family if I didn’t cooperate.”

“Who?” Keir demanded, though he already knew the answer.

“Jason Grimes,” she whispered, confirming his suspicions. “He paid me to get information from Ms. Reeves’s laptop at first. When that failed, he... he told me to make sure she got hurt. To send you a message.”

Keir’s vision blurred red at the edges. It took every ounce of his considerable self-control not to shift right there in the hospital corridor and tear this woman limb from limb.

“Beck,” he growled, his voice barely human. “Get her out of my sight before I do something I’ll regret. Make sure the police get every detail of her statement.”

Beck nodded grimly, already steering the woman away. “You got it, boss. What about you?”

Keir took a deep breath, forcing the dragon back under control. “I’m staying with Cat. And then... then we’re going to end this. Once and for all.”

As Beck led the woman away, Keir returned to Cat’s room. She was sitting up, looking anxious. “What happened?” she asked as soon as he entered.

Keir sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his. “We caught her,” he said simply. “She confessed to working for Grimes.”

Cat’s eyes widened. “Jason Grimes? It’s been him all along? The guy that hates you for being a good boss?”

“Yeah,” Keir said grimly. “But this... targeting you to get to me... he’s gone too far.”

“What are we going to do?” Cat asked, her voice small.

Keir’s jaw set with determination. “We’re going to take him down. But first, we’re going to get you well and keep you safe.”

Over the next week, Cat’s recovery progressed steadily. Keir rarely left her side, working remotely when he had to and delegating as much as possible to Beck and his other trusted employees.