THE COUGAR'S BABY - 5

C H A P T E R F I V E - - - D A N I E L L A

His eyes are captivating.

Dani did as she was ordered without saying anything, feeling an acute sensation in her shoulders as she went forward, his presence making her squirm slightly. She came to a halt at the entrance and almost ran into him. Her knees were wobbly from being so close to him. It was truly absurd. She wasn't the type of girl to swoon over any man, no matter how damned scorching gorgeous and deadly he was.

Yet, here you are, she thought, a momentary feeling of irony in her voice.

However, the scene in front of her was not pleasant. She knew the man on the cot right away as the lucky motherfucker who hadn't been shot in the head a few hours before. His side and arm were shredded and torn, and blood was still pouring through while two guys worked on him, one much tenser than the other.

"I brought a visitor," the guy behind her stated stiffly, his voice sweet in her ears.

"Oh, look, Jordan, it's your knight in shining armor," one of the men remarked, looking up and nodding.

“Great. She needs to save me first, and then she has to watch my humiliation," the guy rasped, his body tensing.

Dani took a step closer, frowning. She could see the jagged edges of the wound, where the bullet had ripped through his hand and side. It appeared to have gone completely through, which was a good thing. Even though his lung hadn't collapsed, the individuals tending to him were plainly not doctors. After enough time in the field, every soldier would have received adequate instruction in what to do in the event of severe injuries, but this would only get them so far.

"Have you guys have a medic on staff?" She questioned after noticing the tattoos of the SEAL eagle, trident, pistol, and anchor on Jordan's ribcage, just above the entry wound.

He screamed, his eyes gleaming with anguish, "I am the medic." She said, struggling to hold back the grin, "Ah. , see that you planned this properly."

"Oh, screw you. Please maintain your sense of superiority and leave your wit at the door. I'm in agony and can't strike girls right now."

"Man, you couldn't punch anybody. Are we going to watch as your friend loses the use of his right hand or are you two fools going to break the ties that are around my wrists so I can aid your friend here? ”

The four men were pressed together, and Dani inclined his head to one side. When it came to her, if that was all they had to worry about, she was in excellent standings, despite the skepticism in their eyes.

An authoritative voice from behind them said, "Cut them off."

When Dani turned back, she saw the man who had been sitting in the passenger seat glaring at her and crossing his arms over his chest. He had to be in charge of the team. Thankfully, the man who appeared to be about to go on a rampage stood up, pulled a knife from his belt, and slashed the ties around Dani's wrists. Before signaling for the guys to disperse so she could get a better view of the injured man, she swiftly massaged them.

She knelt down and brought the medkit to her, mumbling, "Thank you."

She wasn't a qualified medic either, but she'd made it a point to study as much as she could after witnessing two of her squad mates bleed to death when the medic wasn't on duty. The side wound had been sufficiently cleaned up by the guys, but the hand was so fragile that they were at a loss for what to do with it other than debride it. As she observed the exposed tendons and bones with the blood coagulating around them, her nose scrunched.

"Can you clench your fist?" She whispered, seeing that Jordan was in excruciating pain but maintaining remarkable composure.

She could tell that everyone in this group was a shifter, which both made life simpler and more difficult. However, at least no one was holding a pistol to her head. Nevertheless, she could still feel the towering, powerful presence of the man with the gray-blue eyes. She was far more relaxed and at ease than she probably should have been as a result.

"Are you concerned that I'll punch you? " Jordan enquired, making a sardonic jest.

He hissed in pain as he twisted his hand into a fist despite her expression. The tense-looking man was clearly fidgeting.

The person in charge responded, "Easy, Mitch," placing a hand on the man's shoulder and yanking him back. "You're not helping at all. Will you send Tim and Tom to clean the equipment? ”

The two men who had been working on Jordan, Tom and the driver Tim, rose up and nodded solemnly. They exchanged glances with Jordan, who then waved them off while maintaining enough composure to hide his distress. Jordan, the person in command, Dani, and her mysterious favorite remained in the bunker as the trio marched off.

Before any of them could say anything, the upper hatch had already closed with a loud thud.

"It's fantastic that your hand can move. You must be a shifter, then. Is she your twin? "Is that where the other man went?" Dani said while pointing with her chin in that general area.

“That cheerful motherfucker? Sure is," Jordan said with a chuckle. “He doesn't like it when one of us tries to end our lives, so don't worry about him. I believe he has it against me.”

She said, "That'll assist with the healing then." Twins have always had the advantage of healing more quickly from injuries when their partner is nearby.

"I'm grateful, by the way. For what you did there," Jordan remarked, losing all sense of humor.

Dani brushed it aside and responded, "No problem."

As she worked on Jordan's hand and side, making sure the side wound hadn't ruptured anything crucial and stitching it up, the temperature in the room seemed to fall a few degrees. Jordan's hand was kept in a fist while she removed shrapnel from the wound because she was aware that if there were any remaining foreign objects in the area, shifters' accelerated healing may cause significant harm. When she got her hands in the flesh of one of their comrades in arms, it seems like no one wanted to question her too much, but she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

They used to be SEALs, if not now. What in the name of God are they doing in the jungle?

She had an idea, but she dared not say it since the knowledge had shaken her too much. She finished up her work in silence and then picked up a syringe, holding up a bottle of mild sedative for Jordan to see. It wasn't entirely out of the question that these men were from The Firm, and when she'd thought "losing patience" meant "getting fired," it could have also meant "being collateral damage during a raid."

"All right, I'll give you two milligrams of this. You won't sleep otherwise, I'll wager. Are you okay with that? ”

She also cast a peek behind her. Both the stony-faced commander and his depressed companion were resting against the wall, arms crossed, looks unreadable.

"All OK. Confirmed that she's giving me a two-point-five, Lieutenant."

Dani extracted the prescribed quantity from the syringe and handed it out for the lieutenant to see.

Lieutenant... most likely a shifter squad, she reasoned.

Few shifters ever went through officer training, preferring to battle rather than sit at a table cramming theory that their animal sides could accomplish without thinking. That meant they were frequently commanded by twerps considerably beneath them, something Dani had discovered while in the service herself.

He nodded and took a step back, saying, "It's the correct amount, Jordan."

Jordan's arm was the location where Dani swabbed and inserted the needle to immediately deliver the medication. Inhaling deeply, Jordan tilted his head back and peered up at the ceiling.

Finally, sounding exhausted, he replied, "I owe you a beer, Miss."

She sneered, "You owe me at least three."

She wasn't expecting the guy behind her to laugh. Looking back, she can see that it was the one that gave her brain a headache and made her stomach lurch. He was even adorable when he was grinning, by golly.

This was really unjust. Being imprisoned against her will while dealing with a botched mission, facing her own death, treating a wounded soldier she didn't know was difficult enough, but now she had to cope with becoming wet because a hot man made a sexy as fuck sound when he laughed? Oh my God, that was a lot.

As soon as Jordan was out like a light, Jerome stated, "Miss, I think it's time you and we have a conversation now." Jerome then stood up straight.

Dani inhaled deeply, quieting her pounding heart.

In an effort to persuade her frail body to stop acting like a girl and start thinking like the professional she was, she pleaded with herself, "Get your mind back in the game." It almost succeeded.

Her knees were still a little wobbly, though, as she got to her feet and left the room in the direction she was pointing, with her lovely tormentor following close after. And that was just very unfair.