Under Pressure [IAD Agency] (Siren Publishing Classic)

to open her eyes, but her lids felt as if they were weighed down. She could hear people talking, but she couldn’t find the energy to move. A woman’s soft voice filtered in through the darkness.
    “Mac, calm down. I can’t let you in there if you are going to upset her.”
    Huh, that made Bella want to giggle. Good luck with that. Someone trying to stop Jason from doing something was like stopping the sun from rising in the morning.
    “Dixie, you tell me what’s wrong with her and you tell me right now.” Jason’s soft menacing voice made Bella want to reach out to him to sooth.
    The woman sighed heavily. “We’ve stabilized her, and she’s resting comfortably. So is Tara. Slade and Shannon are with the twins questioning the spa staff to see if they know anything. Bella’s going to be okay, but you have to keep her calm. She passed out while they were at the spa, and Liz and Sal were able to get them back here fast. We’re lucky Bella threw up most of the poison before, Mac —”
    Bella heard the doctor sigh, then a male grunt as Jason most likely threw someone out of his way. A few seconds later she felt him by her side.
    Jason lifted her tiny hand in his and bent his head to hers. “Darling, it’s Jason. Love, I’m here. I’m right here with you. I’m sorry, baby. I should have protected you better. Forgive me.”
    Bella tried to speak, but all that came out was a low moan.
    Man, her throat hurt.
    “Bella? Sweetheart, can you hear me?” Jason squeezed her hand so hard that she could barely feel her fingers.
    Jason had never been so fucking scared in all of his life as he was when he got the frantic phone call from Sal saying that Bella was being rushed to IAD’s medical facilities. Jason had left the consult he was at without saying a word, leaving one of his agents to make excuses for him. He didn’t give a damn. Nothing was as important as getting to Bella.
    When he arrived and saw Bella laying there with a stark white sheet covering her small frame, he wanted to howl with rage. If anything happened to her, he would singlehandedly rip through the city with a vengeance until his found that son of a bitch Dane and tore his head off with his bare hands.
    Jason’s hand shook as he brushed the hair off of her face. He cursed himself for not being with her. It was stupid, stupid to let her out of his sight for one minute while the threat against her still existed. God, she was so pale. She had to be all right. There was no other option. She was his soul.
    If anything happened to her…
    “You’re home, baby. We’re in the clinic down in IAD. You’re fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. You’re just a wee bit sick now, but you’ll be okay. I need you to be okay. I love you, Bella. Sweetheart, open your eyes.”
    His deep commanding voice was rough with emotion, and Bella struggled to comply.
    “Mac, don’t push her,” the woman snapped.
    Bella opened her eyes, wanting to see the woman bold enough to yell at Jason. She was a pretty woman with direct hazel eyes and pixie-short pale blonde hair the color of moonbeams. Her impatient glare changed the moment she saw Bella’s eyes open.
    “Bella? My name is Dr. Sydney Dixon.” Her voice softened as she approached the other side of the bed. “You were drugged, but you’re going to be fine. The heat and the massage worked the poison through your system faster than it normally would have. That’s why you got sick so quickly. But we’re very lucky that you didn’t ingest more and that you got sick when you did. I just need you to relax and rest for a while. Mac,” she said sharply. “Mac, you’re going to break her hand. Loosen the grip, big guy, and give her some room to breathe or I’m going to have to kick you out of here.”
    “Try it, just try it.” Jason voice was a low dangerous rumble in his throat, but his grip had already relaxed.
    Bella struggled to keep her amber eyes open. Jason thought they were the most beautiful sight that he’d ever seen.
    Her vision was cloudy and unfocused, but Bella thought she could see tears in Jason’s eyes. No that couldn’t be. There was something she had to tell him. What was it? Damn, she hurt all over and her throat felt like it was on fire. Oh, yeah. “Water…the water.”
    “What, baby? You want some water?”
    “No…water…the water at the spa. Someone came in my room…and left a glass of water. My throat hurts,” Bella rasped out drowsily.
    “I know, baby, just rest.” He