The cabin door swung open, and James Smith strolled off the plane.
Once he ditched the airport, James flagged down a cab, lugging his suitcase along. He told the driver to head straight to the cemetery where his old man was laid to rest.
Just a week ago, while he was knee-deep in a mission in Moscow to take out a big-time drug lord, he got the news that his dad was in bad shape. No matter how tough the gig, James never botched a job.
But this time, for the first time ever, he bailed on the mission and raced back home, hoping to catch his dad before it was too late.
Sadly, he was a day late and a dollar short. The day after he got the news, his dad kicked the bucket despite all the emergency efforts.
When he got to the cemetery, James paid the driver and hauled his suitcase up the hill to find his dad, David Smith's, tombstone.
James popped open his suitcase, which was packed with prepped offerings. After burning all the stuff in front of David's grave, he laid down a bunch of flowers and dropped to his knees, sobbing, "Dad, I'm sorry I got here too late!"
After the tears dried up, James couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy about his dad's death. Why the hell would he just fall off a building? No way David offed himself.
"Dad, don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this!" James locked eyes with David's photo on the tombstone for what felt like forever before finally leaving the cemetery, his face hard as stone.
Next stop, the hospital where David used to work. James was on a mission to dig up some dirt.
He hadn't been there in seven or eight years, and man, had things changed. At the reception desk, a young nurse in a pink uniform kept sneaking peeks at him, probably thinking he was a total hottie.
"Hey, can you tell me which floor Mary Cooper on?" James asked, his eyes flicking from her face to her generous chest under that uniform. The nurse, probably around eighteen or nineteen, had a cute face and looked extra fine in her getup.
"You're looking for Mary? She's on the eighth floor. Turn left when you get out of the elevator; it's the last room," the nurse said, blushing and her heart pounding as she caught him checking her out.
"Cool, thanks!" After thanking her, James hopped in the elevator and rode up to the eighth floor, only to realize it was the inpatient department.
At the office door, he noticed it was open, and inside, a young female doctor in her twenties was scribbling away at some medical records. She kept frowning, probably an intern stressing over her work.
"Hey, is Mary around?" James knocked on the door and asked.
The intern, deep in her paperwork, jumped a bit and looked ready to snap. But when she glanced up and saw this ridiculously handsome guy, her anger melted away, and she flashed a smile.
"You need something from Director Mary? She's off today!"
James was surprised. Mary was just an attending physician back in the day. Now she was a director? Time flies.
After a moment, James said, "Can you give me Mary's phone number? I really need to talk to her. It's urgent."
The intern hesitated but eventually caved, reminding James to keep it on the down-low that she gave him the number. James promised to keep it hush-hush, took Mary's number, and headed out. Just as he was about to hit the stairs, a scream echoed down the hallway.
James spun around to see a super sexy nurse being held by a middle- aged dude, who had a fruit knife pressed against her throat. The guy was clearly losing it, yelling, "Get your director here, or I'll slit her throat!"
The nurses were paralyzed with fear. An older nurse tried to calm him down, "Why take it out on a nurse? If you have an issue, I can report it to the hospital leadership for you!"
The man sneered, "I've written complaint after complaint, and no one gives a damn. I can't even get a meeting with your leaders. I don't want to hurt anyone. Just bring the leaders here, and I'll let her go!"
James sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for the desperate guy. But taking a nurse hostage? That was crossing the line. He quietly crept up behind the man, and the nurses, seeing James move closer, got even more jittery.
The middle-aged man sensed something and whipped around, but before he could even register James's face, he was out cold. The knife clattered to the floor. The nurse, still in shock, collapsed into James's arms. He caught her, and suddenly realized his hand was gripping a soft, bouncy part of her body. His fingers even gave it a little squeeze.
A weird tingle in her chest snapped the nurse back to reality. When she saw James's hand on her chest, her face went beet red.
"You good?" James asked, all chill, not even thinking about moving his hand.
The nurse quickly got her bearings and yanked herself away from James, still blushing like crazy. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks!"
That's when James finally got a good look at her. She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with that grown-woman vibe. She had this rosy glow, perfectly arched brows, and big, bright eyes. Her lips were all red and kissable. And those full, firm breasts under her nurse's outfit? Yeah, his mind went there.
A few other nurses finally rushed over. The head nurse, still freaked out, asked, "Eva, you alright?"
"Head nurse, I'm fine!"
So her name was Eva. Beautiful name for a beautiful woman, James thought.
"Quick, get security! We don't need him waking up and causing more drama!" one of the nurses said, eyeing the knocked-out middle-aged dude on the floor.
The hallway was buzzing with chatter, and some on-duty docs came out to see what was up. Taking advantage of the chaos, James slipped into the elevator and headed downstairs.
After ditching the hospital, James whipped out his phone and dialed up Mary. She picked up in no time. "Mary, it's James!"
"James? No way! When did you get back to the States? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? Where are you? I'll come get you." Her rapid-fire questions made James feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"Mary, chill. No need to go out of your way. Just drop me your address, and I'll head over." Mary was tight with David back in the day. James always thought highly of her not just because she was a knockout, but she had a heart of gold too. He even considered playing matchmaker with David, but then he found out she was already hitched, so he let it go.