As instructed, he sat down to relieve himself and sighed. In hindsight, it had been foolish, perhaps even reckless, to spend the night in his Clairemont house. He should’ve stayed in La Jolla with Holly. Whoever attacked him probably knew about his La Jolla home as well. The end result would’ve been the same, except that his La Jolla home would be trashed rather than Clairemont. All things being equal, he preferred the latter. The thought of armed thugs breaking into his La Jolla home one really frosted him. They would’ve had to kill Grant and Sherman—there’d be no other way to get past his dogs. Maybe they had killed his dogs. What if they’d gone there first?

“You okay in there?”

“I’ll be right out.” He washed his hands and ran a warm washcloth over his face.

Dr. Rosson helped him get back into bed.

“I’d like to leave as soon as possible. No offense.”

“None taken. I’ll sign your release, but only on the condition you take it easy for a few weeks. I’m serious. If you jar your brain again.…”

“Understood.”

“No driving for a few days either.”

That wouldn’t be a problem. Nathan disliked driving anyway. “Thank you for patching me up, Doctor.”

Alone, he looked at the IV plugged into his wrist and waited. Whoever was out there would be walking through the door in moments.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Senator Stone McBride entered his room and shut the door. Nathan’s father radiated confidence and leadership, even with a concerned expression, although today his usual suit and tie had been replaced with tan slacks and a cobalt sweater.

Nathan smiled to ease the tension.

“How are you feeling?”

“All things being equal, not too bad. Thanks for coming. How’s Mom?”

“She wanted to be here, but her hip is still bothering her. She’s a nervous wreck, though. Truth be told, so am I.”

“I’ll call her later.”

“She’d like that. You okay?”

“My La Jolla home, my dogs—”

Stone held up a hand. “They’re okay, but they proved to be a bit of a problem. They wouldn’t let anyone get out of their vehicles. Harvey took care of it. He imprinted the two federal agents to them.”

“FBI?”

“They’re watching your house as we speak.”

“Who else is out there?”

“I’ll let you see for yourself.” Stone opened the door a crack and nodded.

Two people in dark business suits stepped in. One man. One woman. They were roughly the same height, but the woman looked ten years younger. Nathan knew she was in her early fifties. Attractive and alluring. Perhaps it was her eyes. He liked her, but wouldn’t give that up. Both had graying hair and both looked all business. The woman’s hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Stone closed the door.