Chapter 2

TWO

Kenzie sometimes accompanied her "battlefield patients" to the hospital and sometimes she just patched them up on scene and let the paramedics escort them. Today, she was at the hospital. The wounded one was a team member, and she was going to be there for him no matter what he—or anyone else—thought about her position with the unit. She knew she belonged. One day they'd see it too. She hoped.

Cole and the others would be right behind her as soon as they could get away from the scene.

She walked into the ED and spotted Lainie Jackson, who was speaking to one of the doctors at the nurses' station. Lainie and Kenzie had met during an incident much like the one that had injured Cowboy. Only Kenzie had been the one grazed by a stray bullet. Lainie had kept watch over Kenzie throughout her short hospital visit. Friendly, concerned, intent—and eyes shadowed with secrets and pain.

Like her own, no doubt.

She shook herself and walked to Cowboy's room and knocked. She'd speak to him first, then get out of the way so the others could have a turn when they arrived.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door and stepped inside, then leaned against the wall. The man in the bed was not a happy camper. He scowled at her. "This isn't necessary."

She shrugged. "A bullet—going very fast, I might add—hit you in the head. You could have a concussion."

"I don't."

"If you haven't seen the doctor, I can examine you and tell you for sure."

"Go away."

His mild tone brought a smile to her lips, and she pressed them together to hide it. But he was verbally sparring with her like he would any other member of the team, and that did more for her morale than anything she could possibly think of.

"You got there fast," he said, his voice low.

"I heard the shots and Garrison's shout. I knew someone had been hit."

He eyed her. "Like really fast."

"Just doing my job."

His eyes stayed glued on hers. "Right."

The door opened behind her and she turned. Cole. Her heart did not skip a beat, because that simply wasn't allowed.

"Hey," he said. "How's he doing?"

"I'm right here," Cowboy said, the growl in his throat unmistakable. "You can ask me, you know."

"Yeah, but you won't tell me the truth, so I'm not wasting my breath."

Cowboy huffed. "Hey now."

Kenzie snickered, then tried to cover it with a cough. "He'll be all right. I'm sure he has a headache, he just won't admit it. Probably a mild concussion. He's on medical leave until he gets the all clear."

"Now wait a minute—"

Once again the door opened and Lainie stepped into the room. She raised a brow at them. "Getting kind of crowded in here, isn't it?"

"I was just leaving," Kenzie said. She turned to go.

"Hey, King." Cowboy's voice was subdued, but it stopped her. She glanced back and he met her gaze. "For real. Thanks."

She smiled. "Of course."

Cole gave her a sharp nod and a thumbs-up. "Hang around for a sec, will you?"

"Sure. I'll just go give the guys an update." They'd be pacing holes in the waiting room floor.

She left them alone and detoured to the nurses' station where she found Dr. Allison Lambe reviewing a chart. Allison had become a fun-loving friend Kenzie was always glad to run into. The woman's dark eyes lifted to meet Kenzie's. "Hey there. How's it going?"

"Just another day in the life of a SWAT medic. How's it going for you?"

" Dr. Lambe!" a nurse called from the hallway. "Need you in room3, please."

Allison lifted a brow. "Just another day in the life of a trauma doctor."

Kenzie laughed. "See you later."

Allison hurried off two seconds before Cole stepped out of Cowboy's room and walked over to her. "The guys okay?"

"I stopped to talk to Allison for a moment," she told him, "so I haven't been out to the waiting room yet."

He pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'll text Greene and Hill and let them know he's going to be fine. Lainie said he needed a few stitches and a couple of days of rest."

"I'm sure that went over well."

When he finished tapping and looked back up at her, Kenzie did her best to focus on her thoughts and not his blue eyes. "Concussion?"

"A mild one. Everything you said, she confirmed. She made a point to emphasize how much worse it could have been and he did the right thing by coming in to get checked out."

"That sounds like Lainie. I'll bet he didn't agree, though."

"Not in the least." He nodded to the door. "You ready to start your time off?"

She glanced at him and shrugged. "Sure."

"Big plans?"

Why was he asking? He'd never shown much interest in what she did with her off hours before. "Nothing huge. It's been a while since my days off here in the ED and SWAT coincided, so I plan to take advantage of that. I'm going to run a few miles and put in some time at the gym, a contractor is coming to repair part of the ceiling in the guest bathroom, but other than that, I don't have anything pressing."

"Other than—" He laughed. "You're not going to the get-together tomorrow night at the lake house?"

"What get-together?"

He narrowed his eyes. "When's the last time you checked your text messages?"

"Um..." When was the last time? "Sometime this morning, I think. Early."

"Check the group text."

She pulled out her phone and scanned the screen as they reached the exit. "Wow, thirty-two missed texts. I'll have to catch up on all that, but yes, if that's the plan, then I'll be there."

"Good. I think a firepit and s'mores were mentioned."

When they stepped into the waiting room, the other team members stood, their concern palpable. Butler stood to the side, his phone pressed to his ear, a frown on his face. When he saw them, he said a few more words, then hung up.

Cole stepped away from her, distancing himself in a subtle action, all friendly camaraderie from just seconds before stripped away, leaving a hard-faced leader. "He's going to be all right," he told the team, "but he's got a slight concussion. They did remove the bullet fragment, which surprisingly did very little damage. Thanks to Kenzie's quick actions, the trauma was much less than it could have been."

All eyes shifted to her and she thought she could detect a slight thawing in their gazes. For a fraction of a second anyway.

"Good job, Kenzie," Greene muttered.

The others looked at him, then back to her and nodded, murmuring their thanks—including Butler, even though his frown deepened.

James gave her a thumbs-up. "You did everything right."

She shot them a tight smile. "Just doing my job, but I'm very glad it wasn't any worse and he's going to be fine." She pulled in a deep breath and snagged her phone from the clip on her belt. "Now, assuming you all want to stay here with Cowboy, I've got to call an Uber. I need to get back to headquarters and get my car."

Cole shook his head. "We're all ready to leave now." He glanced at his phone. "Cowboy's here for the night. His brother's in town and headed this way. I'll just go tell him to behave himself and see y'all at Dolly."

"Well, I've got a friend who's supposed to be coming to get me," Butler said. "Personal errand." He glanced at his watch and frowned. "If he ever gets here. I'll meet you later at headquarters when I'm done."

Cole gave him a thumbs-up while Kenzie processed Cole's statement. He could have just waved her on and let her get the Uber, but he'd made a point to include her in the trip back to headquarters.

Interesting. She shrugged. "Okay."

"Be there in a few."

While he headed back to Cowboy's room, Kenzie followed the guys outside and down the sidewalk.

The hospital entrance sat at the top of a U-shaped drive with brick pillars holding up the roof of the porte cochere that offered protection just outside the entrance. Across from that was the larger hospital parking area. The SWAT vehicle was parked outside the porte cochere—leaving the area under the roof and the entrance clear for any emergency vehicles that might need it—and appeared to be generating a lot of interest from a group of teenagers. Two young ladies eyed her and the others as they approached. One broke away from the group and walked closer to Kenzie. "You're on SWAT?"

Kenzie smiled. "I am."

"Whoa. That's cool." She grinned and silver glistened from her teeth.

"Daaaang," one of the boys said, then gave a low whistle. "They let girls on SWAT now?"

The girl who had spoken to Kenzie popped the guy in the head. Not hard, but not exactly gentle either. "Shut up, JJ. You're revealing what a moron you are."

"Hey!" JJ rubbed the back of his head and glared at the girl. "That was a little harsh, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes at Kenzie. "Brothers are such a pain."

"I can relate." Boy, could she. "But just to be clear, they don't let anyone on SWAT," Kenzie said. "You earn it, it's yours. I had to work for it like the other guys on this team." She'd worked for it all right. She narrowed her eyes at the pouting sibling. "Hard work. Just like anything in life worth having. Set a goal and go after it."

"Good for you," the sister said. Apparently, the siblings were the only ones in the group interested in talking. "I admire that."

"Come on, Missy, let's go." The disgruntled brother pulled on his sister's bicep.

Kenzie fist-bumped Missy and shook her head. Then noticed Cross, Greene, and Crenshaw watching her. Even Otis studied her with his intelligent dark brown eyes. Unable to discern what any of them were thinking thanks to their poker faces, she simply held out a hand to indicate they should get in. She sure didn't expect any special privileges just because she was a woman, and they didn't bother to argue. Greene and Otis went first, then Buzz slipped behind the wheel.

Cross stopped and motioned for her to get in, but she held his gaze and tilted her head, indicating he should go first. She would not accept special treatment on the job. A flicker of a smile crossed his lips, and he climbed in.

She turned to follow and, out of the corner of her eye, caught Cole coming out of the building.

An engine revved behind her, then roared as the driver gunned the gas. She swiveled, intending to motion for the driver to slow down, only to see the car closing in on her.

"Kenzie! Move!"

Cole's warning shout came at the same time she spun and dove into Dolly, landing partially inside on the hard floor. A hand on her arm jerked her the rest of the way in. A split second later, the vehicle whipped past and the wind buffeted her. Otis barked. For a moment, she lay there, trying to process what had almost happened. The hand squeezed and she looked up into Greene's black eyes. His skin looked a couple of shades paler. "You okay?" Cross and Crenshaw also looked shaken.

"Yeah." She sucked in a breath and took a quick physical inventory. "I think so. Yeah."

She sat up, noting the throbbing in her left hip. She grimaced. She'd have a bruise there soon, but she was alive. Barely.

COLE STEPPED UP TO HER, his gaze locking on hers, relief catching his breath in his lungs at seeing her in one piece. "You're okay."

She pushed strands of hair from her face and shuddered. "I am. You get the plate?"

"No. I didn't." He'd been too busy trying to make sure Kenzie got out of the way. "But we'll get it off the hospital security footage. That guy needs a lesson on how to drive in a parking lot."

"How to drive period," Greene muttered.

Otis nudged her and she scratched his ears while her eyes stayed on Cole's. He cleared his throat, finally got his pulse under control, and ran a hand down his cheek. "All right, everyone, back to headquarters. We'll deal with him later." Like personally.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the headquarters parking lot and unloaded.

Kenzie headed for the locker room and Buzz stepped up to Cole. "She did good today."

"Yeah. She did." He eyed the man's frown. "But?"

Buzz sighed. "This ain't a TV show, man, where everyone has to be PC with character roles and representation. I do understand that times are different now, and I don't have a problem with women following their calling or even being on SWAT, but on the flip side, this is real stuff and her presence is causing division for the team. We're just not the same since she joined." He held up a hand and Cole tightened his lips against the words ready to spill. "Don't get me wrong. I admire the heck out of her. She's worked hard. Harder than some of us have ever worked. She's had to. But ... some of the guys aren't happy she's here and it's causing issues."

"I know."

Buzz's eyes never left Cole's and the man nodded. Slowly. "Yeah, I reckon you do." He shifted. "Truth is, we're torn. Butler's been with us for a couple of years now, and we feel like we need to be loyal to him even if we don't necessarily agree with him."

"I get it. Give her time to win him over."

"It's been almost six months."

"Five and change." Okay, so that was almost six months. "But unless she volunteers to leave, she's here for the duration and the guys are just going to have to accept it."

Kenzie stepped out of the locker room, dressed in black jeans, a white T-shirt, and running shoes. Her straight dark hair hung slightly below her shoulders. Her brown eyes were shadowed, but her face glowed with the shine of health and a good scrub.

She slung a backpack over her left shoulder and headed for the exit. Butler walked into the area from the kitchen, saw Kenzie, rolled his eyes, and did a one-eighty to head back into the room.

Cole curled his fingers into fists before he realized what he was doing. "Thought he had a personal errand to run," he muttered.

"Guess it was a quick one," Buzz said with a raised brow aimed at Cole's fists, then walked away.

Cole bit back a groan. "Hey, Kenzie, wait."

She stopped at the door and turned. "Yeah?"

"Looks like we have the same days off this week. Want some company on the run tomorrow?"

She blinked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. He wanted to squirm, but more than that, he wanted to know where those words came from and how they managed to exit his mouth. He'd been doing his best to keep his distance from Kenzie, to maintain a professional relationship only , and now he'd just jumped feet first into awkward—and definitely stepped over the professional line. But ... he had a slight sketch of a plan running around in his head and this was part of it.

"Um ... sure," she said. "I guess."

Well, that was enthusiastic. "I just thought..." He needed to shut his mouth before he shoved his foot all the way down. "Aw, dang, Kenzie, I'll be straight with you. I keep thinking my being so professional and ... cool ... in front of the guys is causing them to do the same. Maybe if we start hanging out some, the other guys will follow suit."

She chewed her bottom lip like she did occasionally when she was deep in thought—or confused. Then she gave a small shrug. "If it'll help the team, then sure. Meet me at my house around eight o'clock?"

"See you then."

She studied him a tad longer, then turned and slipped out the door.

Cole dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes, wishing he could reverse time and have a do-over of the last ten minutes.

"Hey."

He snapped his head up and turned to see Greene watching him. "Yeah?"

"That car that almost flattened Kenzie. It was a Honda, right? Kind of beat up? Silver?"

"Sounds right. Why?"

Greene frowned. "Thought I saw it on Fifth Street after we turned into the parking lot. The gate shut and the car kind of paused before driving off."

"You're saying it followed us?"

"Naw, not saying that, just saying I caught a glimpse of a car that looked like the one from the hospital and thought I'd mention it."

"Right. Thanks. I'll get hospital security to see if they can get me a plate. Maybe we can get one off the camera outside here too and see if they match."

Greene nodded, then crossed his arms. "You know, Butler is convinced she doesn't belong on this team."

"Commander Hill thinks otherwise."

The man nodded again but kept anything else he might have to say to himself and walked away. Cole let out a low breath.

So, now he'd head upstairs to the desk he rode as a detective when he wasn't in SWAT HQ. He had cases to study, reports to write, phone calls to make, and leads to chase down.

Then he'd go running with Kenzie in the morning.

He jogged up the stairs and headed for his desk. James was already seated at his and looked up when Cole dropped into the chair.

"You okay?" his partner asked.

"Yeah. Just still a little freaked about the car that almost hit Kenzie. I want a plate." He called the hospital, gave the information he needed, the time of day the incident occurred, and the location. Then left his email address and hung up.

"Hey, I keep meaning to ask you how Riley's doing," James said. "You donate blood for her, don't you?"

Riley Marie, Cole's little four-year-old niece currently battling a bout of anemia. "I do." He often did. "She's been in the hospital the last couple of days, but Mariah texted me and said she might get to go home later if her counts are good."

"Tough thing for a kid to have to deal with."

"Yeah. Tough on the parents too. But having someone who loves her with the same blood type is a good thing." His sister, Mariah, and her husband, Greg, were strong in their faith and their love for their adopted daughter. Cole just wished they could get Riley stabilized so she could have a normal life. But until then, she'd have the support system she needed and all the love she could tolerate. Including his O negative blood type. Neither Riley's parents nor any of her siblings had O negative blood. He was Riley's donor and happy to do so.

James checked his phone. "Kenzie still hasn't responded about coming to the lake house. Did you talk to her about it?"

"I asked. She said she'd be there." Cole tapped the keys while he spoke and pulled up the cameras that would allow him to see the perimeter of the building and finally found what had captured Butler's attention.

The beat-up silver Honda. He leaned in, then tapped the screen. "There."

"What?" James looked up.

"That car outside the hospital that came real close to turning Kenzie into a human pancake?"

"Yeah." His partner's jaw tightened. "I was already in Dolly. Couldn't do a thing to help her."

"I know. Anyway, Greene said he thought he saw the same car outside the precinct, so I pulled up the footage and there it is."

"What's it doing?"

"Nothing. It stopped for a second while the gate closed, then drove away. Fast. And when I pause it, the picture's too blurry to get a plate or really identify it, but I agree with Greene. It looks similar to the one from the hospital."

James raised a brow. "I can see you thinking."

Cole shrugged. "It's probably nothing, but I wanted to try and find the driver."

"What about the hospital security?"

Cole checked his screen. "Nothing yet. One of the security guys—Jared—said he'd send it to me if he found something." He blew out a low breath. "I'm going running with Kenzie in the morning."

This time James sat up and gave him his full attention. "That so? Why?"

"Because I told her I would."

"Why would you do that?"

Cole rolled his eyes at his partner. "Shut up."

"You opened the door, man."

"Just trying to ... figure out a way to right a wrong."

James turned serious. "How so?"

Cole paused, then sighed. "When Kenzie made the team, I knew there were going to be mixed feelings. There were a lot of really good applicants, but honestly, Kenzie was the best of the lot. Even better than Logan, who I would have welcomed to the team with open arms. But ... when faced with the evidence of his sister's skills, I couldn't protest."

"But you wanted to?"

"Maybe. A little. Just because I knew the conflict it was going to cause. They weren't going to see her stellar scores or her physical abilities or her medical degree. All they were going to see is that she's a woman. A rather small woman compared to us. And I was right. But ... they're right too. Their concerns are valid."

"Yeah. Sometimes brute strength comes in handy."

"Exactly. And while she's strong and in excellent physical shape, she'll never be as strong as any male on this team."

"There's always one," James said.

Cole blinked. "What?"

"On any team, there's always going to be one who's not quite as strong as the others. Male or female. If Kenzie wasn't on the team, one could argue that Buzz is the weakest—even though he's stronger than the average man. One could also argue that Kenzie is stronger than the average woman." He snorted. "She's actually probably stronger than the average man as well, thanks to all the training she does."

Okay, that was true. "Yeah, but in our situation—and I'm talking our situation only—a male team member is still going to be stronger than most females. And in Kenzie's case, she's the weakest."

"I'm not saying you're wrong. But Kenzie's smart. She'll rely more on brains than brawn. And as team leader, you're going to use wisdom and not put her in a situation where strength is the solution. You'll pick someone else."

Again, true. "I've been praying about what to do with this situation, and it was almost like God gave me a light-bulb moment earlier, so I acted on it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her. And the team." And what the guys would think about him spending personal time with Kenzie.

James nodded. "I'm more worried about the guys having her back if she needs it."

Cole pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "I think they'll have her back, but I think they'll resent having to have it."

"Meaning they'll be mad for having to protect her whether it's a situation of her making or not?"

"Exactly."

"As long as she—and everyone else—walks away alive."

Cole sighed. "Yeah. As long as."