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buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID. “Hey, Bobby.”
    “Sis. Any news?”
    “No,” she mumbled gloomily. “The doctor said it would be a little while longer before anyone could go in to see him. You coming up here soon?” Someone besides herself needed to be there for Mason.
    An only child, raised by a single father who drank himself to death, Mason had no other family members except a mother who was never around. Growing up, the Reeds had been like a second family to him. He and Bobby had been best friends and inseparable during high school. Most of the time Kendall was right there, tagging along with them, until the boys hit high school and their interest turned to girls. Kendall gladly gave them their needed space then. They were incorrigible. Mason was the worse. He went through girlfriends as often as she changed her clothes.
    One night after breaking up with one of Kendall’s friends, he fell apart. The desolation and confusion in his eyes and voice nearly tore her heart in two. “Ken, I just don’t know if I have what it takes to make a commitment to one person. If a girl even hints at getting too close, I shut her out and move on. Must’ve gotten that from my mom.”
    Her brother’s voice brought her back to the present. “I’ll be there as soon as Marks and I finish up these reports. Sorry I wasn’t there earlier, but I was stuck on another call.”
    “That’s okay. Bobby,” she hesitated. “When did Mason come back to New Orleans?”
    “Oh, probably about four months ago.”
    Kendall sat on the doctor’s stool and rolled it next to the far wall so she could lean her head back. She listened intently as her brother explained the circumstances that brought his best friend back to their hometown. The joy in his voice at having Mason back in town struck a chord deep inside her. Bobby hung up with a promise that he would hurry.
    Kendall sat, lost in thought at what Bobby had revealed to her. It wasn’t coincidence that Mason was in New Orleans. Kendall was in more danger than she would have ever dreamed. People she knew and worked with weren’t the people she thought them to be. Her nice quiet life wasn’t so quiet after all. And according to Bobby, Mason was hell-bent on saving her. Joy and trepidation swarmed in her head.
    When Mason and Bobby graduated from high school, Kendall was only a junior. Bobby had stayed in New Orleans while Mason had moved to Beaumont. Both wanted to pursue careers with the FBI, only Mason wanted to get away from New Orleans. Since then, Kendall could count on one hand the number of times she and Mason had seen each other. Once she enrolled in college in Baton Rouge, their paths crossed even less. Except for once during her fourth year at LSU. A night she would much rather forget.
    Now it was an unexpected shock to see him again after so long. And to think he was in the hospital, hurt, because he tried to keep her out of danger. Who would’ve ever thought he would put his neck on the line for her? Protecting her from Tom. And why had her boss been chasing her through an alley, shooting at her?
    The hospital door swung open, startling her out of her thoughts. Dr. Webster placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Miss Reed, you can come back now.”
    ****
    Kendall’s heart pounded crazily in her chest. She rubbed her neck and throat, trying to calm her jittery nerves. Even though the doctor said Mason would be fine, she wouldn’t let herself believe it until she saw with her own eyes. She tried to convince herself that checking up on him didn’t involve personal feelings; she just had to see if he was all right. She owed him that much considering he saved her life tonight. It was the right thing to do. She hesitated outside his room before pushing open the door.
    Inside, the cool, antiseptic air hit her in the face. Her stomach lurched as she took in the sight of him. Whatever she was expecting to see, it wasn’t Mason laid up in bed, helpless. Helpless