Be With Me(2)

“The symmetry is off. You’ve got the left side loaded down with nothing to balance the right. Looks lopsided.”

“Freak,” Sawyer muttered.

“The freak is right,” Cam al owed with a sigh.

“Goddamn, Hutch. How do you do that every time? I sit here poring over this shit and then you come along and nail it in two seconds.”

Hutch shrugged. “I don’t obsess like you do?”

“Someone has to,” Cam pointed out.

Sawyer rol ed his eyes. “Don’t get Mr. Perfectionist started, Hutch. He’l never shut the f**k up.” Cam had opened his mouth to retort when the phone rang. He flipped his middle finger at Sawyer as he picked up the receiver.

“Douglas,” he said shortly.

“Cam, is that you?”

Birdie’s voice bled over the line. It sounded shaky.

Not at al like her usual perky self.

“Yes, Birdie, it’s me. What’s wrong?” he demanded as he waved frantical y at the others to turn down the TV so he could hear.

Sawyer and Hutch snapped to attention when he said Birdie’s name. Hutch aimed the remote at the TV to turn it off, and Cam punched the speaker button so they could al hear.

“It’s Regina,” Birdie said. “She’s been hurt.”

“Reggie? What’s wrong with Reggie?” Sawyer broke in.

There was a pause. “Sawyer? Is Hutch there too?”

“Yes, Birdie. We’re al here. Cam has you on speakerphone,” Hutch replied. “Tel us about Reggie.

What’s happened?”

“She’s in the hospital,” Birdie said in a tired voice.

“That’s where I am now.”

Fear flooded through Cam. He glanced up at Sawyer and Hutch to see a similar reaction in them.

“We’l be there in an hour,” he said shortly. “Hang tight. We’re on our way.”

“You be careful, young man,” Birdie said, her voice sounding stronger as she admonished her brood. “It takes longer than an hour to get here from Houston, and don’t think I won’t be timing you. The last thing I need is for you boys to end up in the hospital with Regina.”

“We’l be careful,” Hutch said. “Birdie? Is she al right?” Cam could hear the worry in his voice, almost as though he’d been afraid to ask.

“She’s fine.” Birdie’s voice softened. “Or she wil be. She was pretty beat up when they brought her in, but she’l be okay in a few days.”

“Beat up?” There was an edge of steel to Sawyer’s voice. “Who the hel beat her up?”

“I’ve got to go,” Birdie said hurriedly. “She’s waking up.” There was a long pause. “She doesn’t know I’m cal ing you.”

The line went dead.

Cam curled his fingers into tight fists and sat back in his chair.

“Let’s go,” Hutch said shortly.

Sawyer’s face was set in stone. “She didn’t want Birdie to cal us.”

Hutch gave him an I don’t give a f**k look.

Sawyer turned to Cam even as he stood to go.

“How long are we going to wait? How long are we going to let her get away with pushing us as far away as she can manage?”

Hutch crossed his arms over his chest, and Cam eyed both him and Sawyer. “We don’t. Not anymore.” Hutch grinned, and Sawyer nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s go get our girl, then,” Hutch said.

Chapter 2

When Regina opened her eyes, she groaned and slammed them shut again. There wasn’t an inch of her body that wasn’t screaming like a girl. She heard the murmur of voices and cracked open an eyelid to see who was there.

Birdie. Regina smiled then winced. Damn, even smiling hurt. Her gaze skirted over to where Jeremy stood with his wife, Michel e.

“Where’s the kiddo?” she croaked out.

Relief echoed in Jeremy’s expression. “Jake and El ie have him. How do you feel, Regina?” He and Michel e moved closer to the bed, and Michel e gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Do I look that bad?” Regina asked.

Before Michel e could answer, a cool hand fluttered across Regina’s forehead.

“Birdie,” Regina whispered. “I’m sorry to have worried you, but I’m so glad you’re here.” The older woman smiled and bent down to kiss Regina’s cheek. “As if I’d be anywhere else.”

“You’ve been here al night, haven’t you?” Regina frowned. “For that matter, how long have I been here?” She looked up at Jeremy as more of what happened came back. “Did you get him? And damn, why does it sound like I’ve got a horde of frogs in my throat?”

Jeremy grimaced. “One thing at a time, okay, girl?

No, I didn’t get him. But we wil . And you sound like shit because he tried to choke you after beating the hel out of you.” His eyes glittered with anger.

His wife put a reassuring hand on his arm and squeezed.

Another thought hit her, and panic gripped her throat. “My gun, Jeremy. He knocked it out of my hand.”

“It’s al right. We recovered it on scene. It’s being processed, so you’l have to do without it for a few days. Not like you’l be coming back to work tomorrow anyway.”