Page 104 of Reset

“No kidding.” Sarah agreed. “Elle says he’s a teddy bear.”

“Elle grew up in the mob. It’s all relative,” Joe drawled.

“Sarah,” Callum shouted. “Get over here. The paramedic is ready to do his bloody job now.”

Joe laughed while Julia looked sympathetic. “I can come with you, if you like,” she said.

“It’s okay. Looks like someone already intercepted him.”

Callum had been waylaid by two more ferocious-looking men, and Sarah hurried over while he was still occupied. When his conversation finished, he nodded at Sarah, growled at the paramedic, and headed over to talk to Lake Benson.

Meanwhile, the two men who’d been talking with Callum came to see her.

“I’m Harvard, Rachel’s better half,” said yet another American. “Welcome to Paris.” There was a twinkle in his eye that made Sarah like him instantly.

A smaller, nondescript man stood beside him. “David, the blue-haired wonder belongs to me. I’m glad you made it, Sarah. I just wanted you to know that we’re following leads on who’s behind your abduction, and I can promise you we’ll get answers soon. In the meantime, if you need anything, call out. We’re all here for you.” He smiled before heading over to his wife.

“He’s kinda scary,” Sarah found herself saying to Harvard.

“Most people don’t pick up on that,” he told her. “Don’t worry. He’s on our side.” He shook his head at the sight of Ryan annoying his wife. “I have to go rescue Ryan before Rachel runs out of patience with him.”

Sarah thought it was interesting that he didn’t feel the need to rescue his wife. As they passed each other, Ryan and Harvard slapped hands, as though they were tag teaming Rachel. It struck Sarah then that this team was closer than family. They were bound together by a trust that ran deeper than most relatives ever had. It was amazing, and a little intimidating, to witness.

“How you doing, Stats?” Ryan said as he sat close beside her on the ambulance tailgate.

“Bit overwhelmed,” she said honestly. “And hungry. And tired. And desperately in need of a bath.”

“Let’s get you checked out properly first, then we’ll deal with the rest of it.” He tapped the paramedic on the shoulder. “I had to perform CPR on her after she almost drowned. Can we get an X-ray to check her ribs? And I think some of her scrapes might be infected; it wasn’t clean down there. Oh, and maybe a saline drip. She hasn’t had much to drink for days, and I’m pretty sure she’s a little dehydrated.”

“Ryan!” Sarah felt her cheeks heat. “Don’t tell the man how to do his job.”

He shrugged and spoke to the paramedic. “There’s a bump on her head, so we should check for a concussion. And her feet were pretty torn up too.”

The paramedic grinned. “Best we go to the ER and do this properly,” he said.

“Good man,” Ryan agreed.

“Welcome to Benson Security,” Elle called to Sarah, flashing a cheeky grin. “The men were born arrogant.”

“And sexy,” Ryan replied.

“True,” Elle said. “That is a plus.”

“Climb inside, both of you,” the paramedic said. “It’s easier to drive you over to the ER building than wheel you there.”

“Come on, Stats.” Ryan took her hand and pulled her into the ambulance. “There’s bound to be a snack machine in the hospital.”

With perfect timing, his belly rumbled as the driver closed the door.

Sarah was absolutely mortified to find that she had to walk through the lobby of one of Paris’s most prestigious hotels while she looked like a disaster victim.

“Somebody could have brought us clean clothes,” she whispered to Ryan, who seemed not to notice all the staring eyes.

“Julia offered, but I didn’t see the point. We need a shower first.”

“She offered and you said no?” And yes, her voice had gone back up into dog whistle territory again.

“The lift is right there, Stats. Just smile at the curious people and get in it. They’ll have forgotten us by the time we make it to Rachel’s suite.” He grinned wickedly. “Wave if you want to. It’ll give them a thrill.”