Chapter 5 - Blood and Thread
The medical suite was instantly filled with the sharp scent of antiseptic and iron. Frank collapsed onto the operating table, gritting his teeth as Harper expertly cut away his ruined suit jacket and shirt with surgical shears.
"Entry wound is two inches below the acromion process," Harper muttered to herself, her fingers flying over the wound with precise, practiced movements. "No exit wound. The round is lodged against the bone."
Gabriel stood against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, watching every single move she made. His expression was impassive, but his keen eyes caught every detail—the speed of her hands, the absolute focus in her light green eyes, the way her posture straightened, completely discarding the timid maid she had been moments ago.
"I need local anesthetic," Harper said, holding her hand out toward Gabriel without even looking at him. "Lidocaine, two percent. Top drawer on your right."
Gabriel didn't hesitate. He stepped to the cabinet, retrieved the vial, and handed it to her.
Harper drew the clear liquid into a syringe, tapped out the air bubbles, and injected it directly around the perimeter of Frank’s bloody wound. Frank groaned, his large body tense with pain.
"Hold still, Frank," Harper said firmly. "If you move, I might nick the brachial artery."
She grabbed a pair of sterile forceps and a scalpel. "This is going to hurt despite the numbing."
With steady hands, she expanded the entry wound slightly, inserted the long metal forceps into the flesh, and searched for the bullet. The sound of metal clicking against lead echoed softly in the quiet room. Frank squeezed the edges of the table until his knuckles turned pure white.
Gabriel watched her face. A single bead of sweat rolled down Harper’s temple, trailing over the faint scar above her left eye—the scar Derek had given her six months ago when he threw a glass mug at her head.
Twang.
Harper pinched the flattened 9mm lead slug between the forceps and slowly pulled it out of Frank's shoulder, dropping it into a metal tray with a sharp clink.
"Bullet is out," she breathed out a long sigh. "No major artery damage. Clean irrigation, now."
She flushed the wound with saline, applied antibacterial compound, and grabbed a curved needle threaded with black suture line. Her fingers moved with mesmerizing speed, weaving neat, perfectly spaced stitches across Frank's skin, closing the wound completely in under three minutes.
She wrapped the shoulder in sterile gauze, secured it with medical tape, and stepped back, stripping off her bloody rubber gloves.
"He needs two days of bed rest and fifty milligrams of broad-spectrum antibiotics twice daily," Harper said, her voice slightly breathless as the adrenaline slowly ebbed from her system. "He’ll keep the arm."
Frank looked up at her, his pale face filled with genuine gratitude. "Thanks, doc. That was... damn clean."
"I'm not a doctor," Harper said softly, returning to her quiet, reserved demeanor. "Just a nurse."
"You were brilliant," Gabriel said from the shadow of the corner.
Harper turned to face him. He was stepping toward her, a fresh linen towel in his hand. He took her right hand in his—his fingers warm and surprisingly gentle despite the dark power he wielded—and gently wiped away a smudge of Frank’s blood from her wrist.
Harper felt a sudden, electrical shiver run down her spine at his touch. She tried to pull her hand back out of reflex, but Gabriel didn't let go immediately.
"You have talent, Miss Queen," Gabriel said softly, looking down into her eyes. "It was a crime for anyone to force you to give this up."
"Derek said my place was at home," she whispered, unable to break his gaze.
"Derek is an idiot," Gabriel said coldly. "He threw away a diamond because he preferred holding stones."
He released her hand slowly.
"Frank, go up to the quarters and rest," Gabriel ordered his man. "Harper, clean the room and then report to my study. We have a situation developing in the city."
May you like
"What situation?" Harper asked, a sudden cold dread creeping back into her stomach.
Gabriel looked back at her from the doorway. "Your ex-husband just filed a missing persons report with the State Police. He’s claiming you kidnapped your brother."
