Page 6 of Targeted By Desire

“On a scale of one to ten, one being the least amount and ten being the most, how would you rate the pain of your injuries?” She asked.

“Eight,” I answered honestly. As much as I wanted to lie, my head was pounding. Every beat of my solemn heart throbbed in my forehead. When I moved my gaze too quickly, the world blurred and spun around me. I guess I hit my head one too many times on the hardwood floor.

“Simone!” A familiar voice called through the chatter of the other agents on the scene.

The paramedic and I turned our heads to see a man rushing towards us. Through my fuzzy gaze, I recognized the executive assistant director of our department, Logan Cooper. Other agents usually tightened up in his presence, either eager to show off their skills or afraid of screwing up. Not me, though. His appearance meant I could take a moment to breathe. To everyone else, he was just another boss. But to me, he was family.

“God, Simone,” he said as he reached us. Gently, he lay a hand on the other side of my head and pulled me against him in a tight hug. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Uncle Logan,” I replied.

Releasing me, he shifted my face back and forth in search of more visible wounds.

The subtle movement sent the world into another whirlpool. I closed my eyes to cease the nausea creeping up from all the motion.

“How bad is it?” He asked, noticing my discomfort.

“She has a mild concussion,” the paramedic explained. “She’s showing signs of dizziness, fatigue, and sensitivity to light. I recommend she take a few days off and be cleared by a doctor before she reports back to the field.”

“A few days?” I asked as my eyes popped back open. “No! This was a premeditated murder! I need to start investigating this now!”

Logan sighed. “Could you give us a second?” He asked the paramedic.

Nodding, she stepped away to give us some privacy.

Logan crossed his arms as he took her spot in front of me. “Simone,” he started.

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I just need some ibuprofen and some sleep, and I’ll be good as new by tomorrow.”

He crossed his arms across his chest. “No. You heard the paramedic. You need to rest for a few days. You’re well overdue for some vacation time, anyway.”

“But-”

“No buts,” he said, his voice growing firmer. “You’re taking the rest of the week off. And when you come back on Monday, you are getting checked out by a doctor before you do any fieldwork.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he spoke before I could.

“That’s an order, Agent Nichols.”

My teeth ground against each other as I clenched my jaw. Rarely did he address me formally, but it never failed to put a bad taste in my mouth. I understood he was worried about me, but he did not need to use his supervisory rank to make a point.

Pouting, I averted my gaze back towards the chalet.

Workers from the coroner's office were pulling Lorenzo’s body out on a stretcher. A white sheet shielded his lifeless eyes from the rest of the crowd. But, they were still engraved in the back of my mind. He was supposed to run. He was supposed to get far away from our attacker. He was supposed to live. Why did he have to be so stupid and try to protect me?

“It’s not your fault, Simone,” Logan said. He set a hand on my shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Don’t put that burden on yourself.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I know. Your father was the same way. He carried all the woes of this job on his shoulders. Almost killed him a few times. I don’t want to see you drowning underneath the same weight.” His hand went from my shoulder to my chin, pulling my gaze back to him. “Which is another reason why you’re taking a few days off. You need to clear your head. Go out with your friends. Live your life a little.”

Weariness rolled over my shoulders, and I suddenly became too tired to think of a response. Reluctantly, I nodded in silent agreement to his words.

“Come on,” he said as he held out his hand. “Let’s get you home.”

I allowed him to lead me to one of the squad cars and hopped into the passenger side. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes to prevent motion sickness from my twirling vision.

Logan drove as fast as he could to shorten our lengthy ride. The bumpy roads transformed into smooth pavement in less than an hour. It wasn’t long after that the car finally came to a stop.