Dead Heat
fall back onto his shoulder and thought maybe Cole wasn’t as bad as he seemed.
    “You mean I can come see Dani and Kenna with you?” She was so relieved she almost kissed Cole right there in the waiting room. Wait. Kiss Cole. Oh no. That would not be a good idea. They would likely run screaming from each other or spontaneously combust. Either way, it was too much for her to think about right now.
    “Yes. You’d get to see them. But before you jump in and take over like you are prone to do, I need to ask them questions to get their take on what happened before you fill in any pieces for them. I don’t want you accidentally confusing their testimony.”
    “Deal! Thank you, Cole.” She rose up on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before she could even think about it.
     
    Paige followed Cole over to the nurses' station.
    “I need to see McKenna Ashton and Danielle De Luca. Can you give me their room numbers and buzz us back please.”
    “Sorry, immediate family only,” the young nurse in cupcake dotted scrubs said as she filled out a chart, never looking up to where Cole had opened his badge.
    “Immediate family and FBI only sounds like a good policy.” He tapped his badge on the desk and waited for the nurse to look up and examine it.
    “Okay. Ashton is in ER room 23. She’ll be moved up to a regular room in the next few hours. I think we’ll have her in 429. De Luca is in the ICU, bed six.”
    “Thank you. While you are looking that up, is there any way to put down that I want their records completely private. Anyone who calls you can’t even acknowledge they are here or if you even ever heard of them?”
    “Sure. I can do that.” The nurse started typing away. “They need extra security?”
    “Yes. Danielle De Luca is the fiance of the Sheik of Rahmi. He’ll be providing private security as well. Please make sure you accommodate them. Further, McKenna Ashton is the wife of Will Ashton.”
    “You mean UK quarterback Will Ashton who threw for 4,358 yards his senior season?”
    Cole had managed to grab the nurse’s attention with that. Diplomat, siplomat... but a UK football legend was something else entirely.
    “One in the same. Also, when it comes time for Danielle to be moved, can you try to put her close to Kenna? It will be easier on the guards and the nurses for that matter.”
    “No prob. Hold on, I am just notifying security and the nurses on the fourth floor. Can I classify De Luca as a diplomat? That would allow a lot more leeway for the security team. I can also classify Ashton as a celebrity for further safety measures.”
    “Yes, that’s fine.” Cole reached back into his wallet and pulled out a business card and handed it to the nurse. “Here’s my contact information. I want to know the second someone calls inquiring about either woman. I also want to know if anyone stops by. If anyone does that is not cleared by me, make sure security saves the footage for me to review.”
    “Got it. I’ll spread the word in the nurse’s station. We’ll keep a good eye on them.”
    “Thank you.” Cole slipped his hand into hers as he heard the ER doors buzz open. They walked past the nurses’ station and the ER chart board. A nurse was already there erasing Kenna and Dani’s name and replacing with Jane Doe 1 and 2.
     
    They walked down a long corridor until they reached another station. They were instantly pointed in the right direction and found room 23. Paige stood on her tip toes and tried to look over his shoulder into Kenna’s room. It wasn’t an easy task considering he was just over six feet tall, a good six inches taller than her. She smiled as she saw Will sitting next to the bed holding Kenna’s hand. They were smiling.
    “Paige! We’re going to have a baby!” Kenna squealed over Cole. Forgetting her promise to let Cole do all the talking first, Paige pushed past him and rushed to Will’s side of the bed to give her a gentle hug. As quickly as the celebrations
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