Page 12 of Shadow of Fear
“Senator,” her voice rasped and she swallowed. “How are you?”
He grunted and took a step toward the bed before stopping. “I should be asking you that. You doing okay?”
She nodded, “Just sore, mainly. And tired.”
The nurse silently started taking vitals as they talked, all but invisible.
“Did you get exposed?” She asked and he shook his head.
“You got me out of the room in time,” he said gruffly. “Quick thinking.”
“Gavin’s quick thinking,” she said and looked down at her hands gripping and twisting the sheet. “I almost got you killed.”
“You did no such thing. No one expected that envelope to contain poison and you reacted like anyone else would have.”
“No, I didn’t. I’ve had training on poisons and their presentation.” She could feel her breathing increasing, knew the sense of panic she was feeling wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t stop herself from the sensation.
“Training isn’t the same as field experience,” Senator Mitchell said. “You did what most people, even those trained, would do.”
“Senator, Ms. Payne needs to take her morning medications, if you don’t mind,” the nurse said in a steady but firm voice. The Senator glanced at her and gave Rachel one last look before he left, saying he was going to check in on Gavin before starting his day.
Rachel went to the bathroom and washed up quickly before changing into another set of soft sleep pants and shirt. By the time she'd made it back to her bed, she was aching, exhausted, and weepy. The nurse urged her to take the medications, a handful of pills including vitamins, muscle relaxers, and a "mood stabilizer". Rachel quietly took the drugs and downed the water in several gulps before leaning back on the pillow. "Why do I feel so tired?"
"Your muscles are spasming and your adrenal gland is working overtime right now. You'll be feeling tired for several days but hopefully, the mood swings and muscle spasms will ease off in a day or so." The nurse took her temperature with a swipe of her forehead and then made notes on a tablet. She puttered around the room for several minutes before taking Rachel's pulse again. "Good, your body is calming. Take advantage and get some rest." She left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Rachel laid on her back staring at the ceiling, wanting to get out of bed, dress, and report to the Senator, but her body didn't agree. Within minutes she was asleep and dreaming of running on the beach, her bare heels hitting the packed sand, the vibration of the movement traveling up her legs and into her torso. In the conscious part of her mind, Rachel figured her muscles were spasming again but the mixture of tablets she'd taken had sent her into a state of relaxation that nothing could pull her out of.
The Brotherhood Protectors arrived that evening, two men built like tanks and a reed-thin woman who had the look of an assassin. Petite but dangerous, she stood beside a blond god, his arm loosely around her waist and his eyes taking in the room around him. The other man, a tanned hulk with roped forearms emerging from rolled-up shirt sleeves chatted with Gavin near the door. Rachel, her head slightly muzzy from sleep and medications, stood beside the Senator as he introduced them all. Vince "Viper" Van Cleave and his wife, Dallas, worked as a team, taking assignments that required two or more security members. She was expert in weapons and surveillance, he in "whatever it took". Tate "call me Bear" Parker, looked like he could bench press a truck and had the air of someone who'd never met a stranger and never lost a fight. Rachel felt her frazzled nerves finally start to calm. They had enough people to manage the situation, surely.
“Welcome. You’ll be given rooms as soon as possible. Since we’re all going to be working together, I figure there’s no sense in sending you to different hotels. Things are heating up and we’ve no time to waste.”
“No kidding,” Dallas muttered and threw a frown at her husband when he tightened his hold on her. “Just tell us what you need sir,” he said.
"First of all, we'll get your quarters squared away then we'll debrief," the ex-general said and gestured toward Mrs. Finch who was tucked into a corner of the room, looking slightly overwhelmed. "Mrs. Finch will take care of that."
He left the room, gesturing for Rachel and Gavin to follow him. As she walked behind the men, she glanced over her shoulder. The three Brotherhood Protector agents were in a tight knot, waiting for their room assignments, much like they’d done years ago in the military. If the Senator had any say, she thought, it might be boot camp all over again.
They settled in his study, Rachel and Gavin on the small loveseat and the Senator pacing the room. He looked up at them finally and said, “What do you think of them?”
Rachel shrugged, she had no knowledge of the operatives. Gavin, however, had more to say. “Viper has a reputation of being a precise shooter, was a sniper in D Force. Bear may look all cuddly and act like your best friend but he was a member of D Force as well. He could take you out in seconds.”
“And the woman?”
“She’s serious,” Rachel said. “I don’t know what branch she was in or anything, but she means business and I have a feeling she won’t take any crap from anyone.”
Gavin snorted a laugh. "She's ex-military, Ranger. Has a prosthesis but that hasn't slowed her down in the Protectors. She takes assignments that require a lot of surveillance work. Works alongside Viper for the most part. They've been married a few years."
The Senator frowned, “I’m not sure I like the idea of a husband and wife put in the same danger.”
"Don't tell them that," Gavin said and Rachel nodded, already wincing at the response she figured Dallas would give that.
“Well, we need to figure out the assignments and get on with our work.” He took a seat behind his desk and looked at Rachel. “Will you be up to the job by Monday?”
She hesitated for a moment. “I think so, sir. My head is clear and the muscle spasms are not as frequent.”
“Luckily neither of you appeared to get a lethal dose of the stuff,” the senator said and eyed Gavin. “You?”
"I feel about the same as Rachel, I suspect. Tired and sore but clear-headed and ready to work. I really want to catch these bastards."
Rachel couldn’t agree more. They finally decided on having Bear as a backup security agent for the Senator and Dallas and Viper were to be assigned to work themselves into the staff. They drafted a story that would be shared that the couple were constituents/donors who wanted to do a volunteer vacation. As silly as it seemed to Rachel, apparently it happened frequently enough that it wouldn’t be strange.