Protected by Shadows Read Online Free PDF

dig it out. Or I can go get it.”
    He walked her to the door and she gratefully sat on the leather seat. The phone taunted her from the passenger side as she dug for and found both requested items.
    “Here.”
    “Stay put.” He walked away.
    She dropped her head back with a groan and closed her eyes, exhaustion overtaking her.
    “Here you are, Dr Camden.”
    “Thank you.” She opened her eyes and took the cards back from him. “Anything else?” She tossed the items on the passenger seat.
    “No, ma’am. Drive carefully.” Black gloves tipped the hat and he strode away.
    “Just fuckin’ great.” She buckled herself back in, used her blinker and got back on the interstate after shutting off her hazards. Not wishing to be stopped for speeding, she held back. It took her longer to get home and her eyes burned furiously as she made her way up the steps of her antebellum house.
    “Crap, I’ve not been this tired since vet school.”
    She walked to her bedroom, where she leaned against one of the pillars of her four-poster bed and reached down to remove her stilettos. Flexing her toes, she groaned in relief.
    Lord, my bed looks so good. Eyes half lidded, she stumbled to the master bath and turned on the shower. A bath sounded divine. Truly.
    “I’d probably drown.”
    She stripped and stepped beneath the showerhead. Palms on tiles, she exposed her neck to the pounding spray. As much as she wished to linger, she had to get some rest before she went to visit her brother.
    Once finished, she wrapped a towel around her body and did the same to her hair. Then she flopped across her bed, set her alarm and gave into the demands of the Sandman. Hard to keep ignoring him, given how he’d pretty much been beating her over the head with a sleep stick.
    * * * *
    Every inch of her was sore when she flailed about trying to shut off the loud, ear-splitting beeps which pierced the air. Two hours of sleep was not enough.
    “I need more,” she muttered to no one in particular.
    With a grunt, she pushed up, her hand going to her head and encountering the towel that now sat haphazardly and precariously where she’d placed it. Fighting another yawn, she blinkingly made her way to the bathroom.
    “Shit. I look like I went ten rounds with the devil.” She frowned at her raccoon eyes. “And I lost.”
    After her shower, she dressed and got on her way, opting to swing through a drive-thru for a coffee instead of making one. In the hospital parking lot, she headed in after locking her car. Sipping on the elixir, she walked up to the admin desk.
    “Can I help you?”
    “Hope so. My brother Eugene Camden was admitted yesterday. I need his room number, please.”
    Thankfully the nurse was quick and got her the information. Armed with the destination, Lexy strode to the elevator bay, her tennis shoes making very little noise on the floor. Muzak played in the lift and she rode up leaning in the corner, her hat pulled low over her eyes. Exiting once the doors opened, she followed the signs to her brother’s room.
    She knocked before entering. The room was mostly dark, though the lights from the machines hooked to him cast his bed in an eerie glow. Tears pricked her eyes as she saw the battered face of her elder brother.
    “Oh, Eugene,” she said.
    His head had been bandaged with white gauze, one eye as well. There were cuts and abrasions all over his exposed skin. One leg had a cast on it, as did one of his arms. The part of his face not covered in bandages also had large bruises.
    She turned on a lamp, placed her coffee down and winced even more when the light illuminated better the damage done. With the tips of her fingers, she tenderly touched his cheek.
    “Who did this to you?”
    The door opened and she hastened into Hector’s arms once he had fully entered the room.
    “What the hell happened, Hector?” Her voice trembled.
    “Something went wrong with his car and he ran it off the road.” Hector held her tight.
    “Has he