What Remains_Reckoning by Kris Norris

change the bandage every day for a few days, just to be safe.” His mouth tightened around the edges. “Damn thing’s going to scar for sure.”
    She laughed, the absurdity of the situation bleeding through. “I’m pretty damn sure that what would have come next would have scarred far more. So I’ll take this.”
    Her words made the anger flare in his eyes again, and he leaned in, his mouth nearly touching hers. “If anyone tries to hurt you again, they’ll have to go through us. And I can assure you, they’d never make it.” He eased back, visibly pulling himself together. “You’ve got a couple of broken ribs, too. You’ll have to take it easy for a couple of weeks. Ensure they don’t get any worse.”
    “I’ve broken ribs before. I’ll be careful.”
    He tsked. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
    She smiled. Not that she knew enough about them to guess at their personalities, but they sure as hell didn’t come across how she’d envisioned simply by looking at them. Their sheer strength suggested brute force, but all three of them touched her as if she might break. And the way they looked at each other—shit. She could tell they’d been a team for years, each one seemingly reading the other’s thoughts.
    She cocked her head, wondering if there might be more than idle friendship between them when a thought popped into her head. She glanced around the circle, catching each man’s gaze. “Hey. How did you know?”
    Wolfe laughed. “I’m afraid we’ll need a bit more than that, sweetheart. How did we know what?”
    She huffed. “That I’d had a nightmare.”
    His face sobered. “You talk in your sleep.”
    Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “I talk? What the hell did I say?”
    Hamilton sighed. “We were hoping you’d tell us. It wasn’t really coherent. Though whatever it was, it scared the shit out of us. You tried to leave more than a few times last night, fighting us every time we helped you back to the couch.”
    “I tried to leave? But…” She pouted. She didn’t remember any of that. “I’m surprised you didn’t resort to tying me to a chair or something.” She arched her brows at their identical expressions of disbelief. “What? You boys are obviously used to getting your way. And you don’t seem like the type to just give up. I can only imagine you’d do whatever you thought necessary to complete your mission. All that ‘special training’ bullshit you got.”
    Gunner grinned. “You aren’t going to let us live that down, are you?” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. And yeah, if it had come to that, we would have found a way to keep you from getting yourself killed while you were out of it. But once Hamilton settled down on the couch with you draped across his legs, you quieted.”
    “With me what?”
    Wolfe gave her thigh a pat. “All he did was hold you. Man’s a bloody saint.”
    “Somehow I doubt that, but…” She cursed inwardly. Shit. This changed things. Now she owed them a double debt. Triple if she counted the escape. She released a weary breath. “I owe you my thanks.”
    Hamilton shrugged around her, the play of his body against hers making her stomach flutter with anticipation. Damn, she was in trouble.
    He pressed his chest firmer against her back. “You got us out of that bloody stall. I’d say we’re even.”
    “Even? Damn, you’re not a math person, are you? I still have a couple of other debts to repay.”
    “You don’t owe us anything. Ever.”
    His words hit home, and she wondered exactly who these men really were. They were obviously military trained, but they took duty and dedication to a whole new level. And what the hell had Gunner meant about getting her somewhere safe? She didn’t recall saying she’d go anywhere with them, other than this cabin. Though they all seemed to assume they were some sort of unit now. That she’d joined their ranks and become a partner of sorts.
    She let her head loll back against Hamilton’s