Four Hard SWATs Read Free

done.”
    “Only difference is,” Gray added as he slammed the cruiser door, “we can take care of ourselves. She went and got herself cold-cocked.”
    Wyatt scowled at both of them. Niko didn’t really blame the man. He felt just as protective of Tawni as Wyatt did. “She’s one of the academy’s top graduates. Her skills as a fighter are well documented. So what if she’s a little wet behind the ears? She’ll learn.”
    “Assuming she doesn’t get herself killed first,” Grayson added, probably just to piss off Wyatt.
    “That’s enough,” Niko interceded. “All this can wait until we’re sure she’s OK. Then you guys can have your turn with her. Once everything is said, we’ll start training again. She’s going to be a good addition to the team. No one is disputing that.”
    “I repeat—Gray hung on tenaciously to his argument—”assuming she doesn’t get herself killed first.”
    “Which is why I’m in command,” Niko said. “I’m not letting anything happen to her.”
    No one questioned Niko’s ability to protect his team. He’d bring Tawni to heel one way or another or she’d be gone. And he’d never lost a team member to anything other than a transfer from the higher ups. Tawni would be no different.
    Tawni .
    Why in the world Nicholas had agreed to take her under his wing was beyond him. Probably because he couldn’t stand the thought of another team getting her. She just... fit with them. In more ways than one. Since she’d joined them, all of them had been in a heightened state of sexual arousal. The tension was sometimes so thick he could cut it with a knife. Normally, he’d have insisted she be transferred. Figure out some way to separate them before things got out of hand. But with Tawni , he just couldn’t. Like it or not, comfortable or not, she was one of them.
    “How about we discuss this later?” Wyatt groused. “The quicker we get this wrapped up, the quicker we can get to the hospital to check on our partner.”
    Niko couldn’t argue with that.
    An hour later, the three of them marched into the Emergency Room, demanding to see Tawni . Which didn’t work very well considering the nurse manning the entrance took the “one visitor in trauma” rule very seriously. Even Niko couldn’t intimidate her into letting them in. Fortunately, Sebastian chose that moment to exit, a slight smile on his face.
    “She’s doing fine. They did a CT scan of her head just to be sure, but if she has a concussion, looks to be mild. She’s sporting a bandage on her upper left arm, but seems otherwise unharmed. Should be ready to go in a few more minutes.”
    “Are they sure she’s OK to go home? I mean, that looked like a pretty hard hit to her head.” Niko preferred caution, but this decision wasn’t up to him. “One of us will have to stay with her. You know, to wake her up and shit.”
    “Actually, that’s not necessary. Checking on her in the morning will be enough. Her scan came up normal—no bleed in her head or anything–so the best thing for her is to rest tonight.”
    Niko raised an eyebrow. “That your final say on the matter?”
    Sebastian grinned. “Well, that and I’ve already told her I’d stay with her.” Typical Bastian. Leaving out the most important part.
    “I don’t need anyone staying with me.” A nurse rolled Tawni out of the ER in a wheelchair. Niko’s gut clenched to see the dark circles under Tawni’s eyes and the large knot still evident on her forehead. “I’m perfectly fine. Doc says it’s not necessary.”
    “Nevertheless–” Niko began, but Tawni cut him off.
    “I said no.” The stubborn set to her jaw was all Niko needed to know her mind was made up. Which was fine. They’d simply take shifts sitting outside her house.
    “Let us know if you need anything, Ms. Bolten .” The nurse gave her a warm smile as she helped Tawni out of the wheelchair.
    “Thanks.” Tawni smiled, but it was a weak effort at best.
    “I’ll take you