I snort at her teasing, then fill her in on why we were going to go to my parents’ house.
She smiles when I tell her our plans. “That would be wonderful if you’re right. I’d love to know too—”
“Talia,” Sebastian says. “See if you can reach Elijah. The doctor we normally use won’t be back in town until tomorrow morning.”
“I’m fine, Bash.” Calder grunts to cover a wince as he swings his legs over the side of the island to sit up.
My heart squeezing with worry, I stare at the stretchy bandage wrapped around a thick wad of gauze taped to his side. The only reason for that bandage is to keep pressure on his wound. Which means he must still be bleeding. I immediately pull my phone out of my pocket. “You’re getting those stitches. I know someone.”
Calder frowns as I quickly send Sebastian’s address along with my text.
Me: It’s Cass. I need your help. Please bring your medical bag.
Sebastian ignores Calder’s attempt to brush him off and lifts his cousin’s arm over his shoulder, helping him off the island. “I’ll take you to the bedroom. You need to keep pressure on that wound until Cass’s friend can help.”
“I told you I don’t need stitches.” Calder tries to sound fine, but tension laces his tone. “I wouldn’t turn away a couple shots of whiskey though.”
“Don’t you dare give him alcohol,” I say, walking toward the elevator.
“Where are you going?” Talia pauses in the process of tossing bloody gauze into the trash.
I push the elevator button. “To wait for my friend downstairs.” When the door slides closed and I start to descend, I mutter, “And hope I can convince him to help.”
My hip hurts like a son of a bitch, but I’ve had worse, and honestly I’m more worried about Cass. I don’t like that she went downstairs by herself. Rationally I know that very few people know about Bash’s apartment and there’s security downstairs. That’s partially why I told Cass to bring us here, but once she brings her friend upstairs, at least one other person will know where we are. I hate this out-of-control feeling of not knowing who the hell just tried to kill us. I hope they were after me. The thought of someone trying to hurt Cass, especially when I’m not one-hundred-percent, really fucks with my head. I hate this shit.
Propped up with pillows against the headboard, I snap at my cousin, who’s leaning on the doorjamb after handing me a pair of his lounge pants. “I don’t need a babysitter. Go downstairs with Cass.”
Bash shakes his head and crosses his arms. “She’s safe or I never would have let her go. Tell me as much as you can remember, starting with your address—you’ve got to stop this reclusive shit.” Pinning me with a hard glare, he continues, “After Cass’s friend gets here, my team and I will head over and see if we can find spent casings or anything else that might give us a clue as to who’s after you.”
Once I relay as much as I can remember, Bash’s brow furrows. “Isn’t your apartment in the revitalized part of the Lower East End?”
“Just…it’s on the edge,” I say, daring him to challenge my choice with a hard stare.
“So for all you know, the shooting could’ve just been random sketchy shit?” Bash frowns, then calls over his shoulder, “Talia, did any of the buildings in the revitalized part of the Lower East End pop up in your research?”
When she doesn’t answer, he walks away and a couple seconds later curses as he steps back into my doorway with his phone to his ear.
“Where is she?” I ask, suddenly tense.
“Being Talia,” he says before speaking into the phone in a clipped tone. “Theo, I need you to track Talia’s cell and follow her. You’re the only one she won’t rip into if she sees you.” He pauses and sighs. “Yeah, just…keep her safe and text me once you locate her.”
When he hangs up, I chuckle, then instantly regret the agony that shoots across my hip. “She challenges the hell out of you, doesn’t she?”
Bash slips his phone in his pocket, muttering, “Every day.” Glancing up at me, he snorts. “What are you chuckling about? If Cass hasn’t already barreled through your bullshit, get ready for the freight train, Cald.”
I smirk. “She literally sacked me in a fit of rage earlier.”
Bash holds his hand to Cass’ height. “Little Cass?”
“She packs a punch,” I grunt. Not that I’ll ever admit that my back still hurts from hitting the floor, but I’d take the hit and pain all over again just to know that Cass cares. She’ll never know how much her extreme reaction meant to me, even if I’ll never be worthy of her.
“Good, maybe she knocked some sense into that thick skull of yours.”
I ignore his comment and focus on his earlier question, hoping to distract myself from the pain in my side. “What research of Talia’s were you referring to?”
“She’s working on several angles between researching both Brent and Phillip’s backgrounds. I’d like to know if that building across from yours turned up in any of the paperwork.”
“Did Talia uncover anything related to the Opera house and Thomas?”
“Surprisingly, one of Phillip’s subsidiaries owns that Opera property.”
“Phillip?” I frown my confusion.
“Yeah, that was unexpected. As for Thomas’s murder, my police contact says he’ll pass along the medical examiner’s report on Thomas’s autopsy, hopefully by tomorrow.”
“Phillip doesn’t strike me as a MMA enthusiast. Did Talia look to see if he has any connections with MMA fighting in New York or elsewhere?”
Sliding his hands into his pants pockets, Bash nods. “It’s the first thing she did, but she couldn’t find anything. At least not yet. We’re still look—” He pauses, glancing into the living room. “Cass is back. I’ll see if they need anything.”
“I’ll just wait right here,” I say to the empty doorway, then glance down to see blood wicking up my bandage and grunt my annoyance. “Slowly bleeding out.”
A minute later, Cass walks in and the determined look on her face puts me on instant alert. I cut my gaze to the friend walking in behind her and snarl, “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“You don’t get a choice in the matter,” Cass says, approaching my side of the bed.
“The hell I don’t. He’s not touching me.” I narrow my gaze on Ben Hemming setting his medical bag on the end of the bed. I might need stitches, but the last thing I want it is to owe a fucking Hemming anything.
“Show me your wound,” Ben says in a stern tone after flicking his gaze to the tattoo on my shoulder, arm, and ribs.
I consider flipping him off, but Cass glares at me, so I peel back the tape and show him my wound, then quickly push the bandage back into place to keep more blood from flowing.
Ben picks up a pair of rubber gloves and snaps them on. “Actually, you don’t have a choice, so stop being an asshole and let me do my job.”
“Screw you, Hemming. I know the only reason you’re here.” When I cut a pointed gaze to Cass, she crosses her arms and sets her jaw at a stubborn angle.
“Ben said you’d be a pain in the ass, but you’re going to let him sew you up.”
“I sure as hell would hate to disappoint,” I bite out, eyeing them both.
“And surly too.” Ben looks at me after threading a curved needle. “Do you want a shot to numb the area first?”
I look at Bash, who’s standing in the doorway like he’s ready to tackle someone if necessary. “Whiskey, straight up.”
Ben shakes his head at Bash. “Alcohol will thin his blood. That’s the last thing he needs right now. I recommend juice.”
“What am I, five?” I growl, then grit my teeth at the pain my snappy response caused.
Setting down the needle on a sterile pad, Ben glances at Cass and Bash. “I need everyone to clear the room, please.”
Cass’s gaze pings nervously between Ben and me. When Bash walks away, she bends close and whispers harshly in my ear, “Behave.”
O
nce they close the door, Ben gestures to the bed. “Scoot down and lay on your side.”
Grunting my annoyance, I do as he says.
When he rubs something that smells like astringent across my wound, I growl and jerk upright, my fist clenched and ready to punch. He quickly shoves me back down. “Lay still. I need to clean the area. Aren’t you supposed to be a SEAL?”
“It’s a knee-jerk reaction,” I grumble and suck up the pain the second time he runs the pad across my wound.
While Ben sews my injury closed, his movements swift and professional, I set my back teeth together and stay quiet.
He’s done in a matter of minutes and once he puts a clean bandage on my wound, he looks at me. “Cass says you have some kind of fight you’re doing in a couple of days. Your stitches need to be kept clean and take at least a week to heal, two weeks is better based on the location. Fighting is not recommended.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” I mutter.
Ben quietly puts his bag back together and when he’s done, he walks to the door. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he turns back to me, his dark eyebrows pulled together in a determined expression. “I had no idea what all Cass had been through until now. She thinks you’re worth fighting for. Do right by her and help her forget or I’ll fight you for her.”
The fact that Cass confided in him about her past really rankles. I narrow my gaze. “Thanks for the stitches, Hemming asshole.”
His jaw muscle jumps as he turns the knob. “Right back at you, brother.”
My gaze narrows to thin slits as I watch him open the door and walk out.
I let go of the tightness in my chest when Ben leaves Calder’s room without them coming to blows. After he nods to Sebastian, who’s on the phone in the kitchen, I walk him over to the elevator.
“Thank you so much for your help. I know Calder wasn’t the easiest patient.”
He twists his lips in a wry smile. “That’s an understatement. I told him he definitely shouldn’t fight with those stitches, but you’ll probably be calling me again in a few days. Next time, I’ll take a beer as payment when I’m done.”
“It’s a deal,” I say, putting my hand out.
Ben takes my hand and nods toward the kitchen where Sebastian keeps one eye on us while carrying on a conversation. “I’m glad you have so many people watching over you, Cass. Their protectiveness eases my worry over this shooting business, not to mention my own guilt.”
“Sebastian runs a security business, so I’m in good hands. And don’t you dare feel guilty. You can’t control your father or your brother’s actions. Your friendship means too much to me to let you feel bad about that.”
Ben cups his other hand over our clasped ones. “My family is just whacked, Cass. My mom is still in denial about my dad. Can you believe she’s worried about him? She said he came home furious that his release from jail was contingent on a gun-free home. Makes me think he loves those freaking guns more than his family.”
He sighs and releases my hand to slide his fingers through his dark hair. “Jake sounded pretty unstable when he called me yesterday, ranting about how he planned to destroy our father for what he did. He says he’s going to take away the only thing that ever really mattered to him. Other than money, I have no idea what he was going on about.”
“Do you think Jake would try to hurt your dad?” I ask, unsure how I would feel about one bad guy taking another one out.
His mouth thins as he pushes the elevator button. “After what you told me tonight, I’m so disgusted with both of them…I don’t really care.”
“I’m sorry, Ben.”
He shrugs. “Don’t ever be sorry for telling the truth. I plan to stay away from family drama and focus on building my practice. Work is the only thing that makes sense right now.”
I wince. “And here I dragged you into ours.”
The elevator opens and he walks in. Turning to face me, he smirks. “At least I see caring here. That’s far more than I see within my own family.”
I hold the sliding door to keep it from closing. “You have family here too.” I glance toward Calder’s room and then turn back to him. “If you want.”
He snorts. “I don’t see that happening. He hates the sight of me.”
I shake my head. “He hates the pain and suffering your last name represents. But you just showed him today that not all Hemmings are evil. It’s a start.”
Ben clears his throat, his tone gruff. “Make sure he keeps those stitches dry for forty-eight hours.”
I nod. “Night. And thank you again.”
Once the elevator door shuts, I join Sebastian in the kitchen and glance around. “Where’s Talia?”
“At your parents’ house,” he says, setting his phone on the counter.
“What?” My eyes widen. “When did she leave?”
“She left while you were downstairs and I was distracted with Calder.” Sebastian snorts his displeasure as he opens the fridge and takes out a carton of orange juice. “You were right, by the way. A partial recording was on your parents’ answering machine. That was Talia calling to ask me the Deceiver’s phone number.”
I pull down a glass from the cabinet and set it on the counter for him. “Don’t keep me in suspense. Does it match?”
Sebastian pours the juice, then holds the glass out to me. “Take this to Calder…along with the good news. That bastard was careful for so long, but Phillip Hemming finally screwed up. Thanks to you, he’s going down.”
I start to take the glass, but he holds tight. “That was a hell of a risk you took bringing Ben here. That could’ve gone South very quickly.”
My hand is steady on the glass even though I’m shaking on the inside. Calder may never forgive me for revealing his secret to his half-brother, but Ben had to know the whole story to understand the depth of Calder’s anger and self-disgust. I could only hope that learning the truth would be the push Ben needed to offer his help. “You have no idea how much Calder needed that, Sebastian.”
“Actually, I do.” He releases the glass and stares at the closed door. “I want Calder back. Make it happen, Cass.”
My heart rams against my chest as I stand outside of Calder’s door. I have no idea what kind of reception I’ll get, but I take a breath and turn the knob.
Stepping inside, I smile. “I have some good news. Talia went to my parents’ house and the phone number on the recording matches the Deceiver’s. Hopefully that will be enough for them to revoke Phillip’s bail.”
Calder doesn’t react other than to narrow his gaze on the glass of juice in my hand. “I see you’re following doctor’s orders,” he says in a tight, controlled voice as I set the glass on his nightstand. “What else did my brother convince you to share?”
I jerk my gaze to his furious one. “He told you?”
“Why did you tell him?”
My chest tightens at the anger and betrayal reflected in his gaze. Sebastian was right…my risk failed. But if Calder and I are over, then there’s no reason for me to hold back.
I take a breath and keep my voice strong. “I didn’t just tell him the truth about you, Calder. I told him what Jake did to me too.”
His mouth thins as if that answer only pisses him off more. “Why, Cass?”
I swing my hand toward the closed door. “Ben stood there in that lobby downstairs and had to hear all the horrible things his brother and father have done, and yet, even knowing you despise every Hemming, he selflessly came here and helped you anyway. That’s why, Calder.”
When he just pins me with a stoic stare, I swallow and tilt my chin up, standing my ground. “You needed to see that DNA doesn’t define the person, the heart does. Who better to show you that than your brother?”
“He’s not my brother,” he snaps, his hand clenching on his thigh.
“He is and it’s your loss if you choose not to acknowledge that.” Lifting my shoulders, I sigh. “You may never forgive me for revealing your secret, but I did it becaus
e I was fighting for us, Calder. You needed to experience good in action so you’d realize you are worthy of your family’s love, no matter whose genes you have. And so you’d accept my love, but you’re apparently too freaking stubborn to acknowledge any of it.”
My heart breaking, I start to walk away, but Calder’s fingers suddenly clasp mine. Holding me in place, the heat of anger is gone from his voice. “Look at me.”
When I lift my gaze to his, he slides his fingers between mine. “I admire that you’re not afraid to go the distance, that you never let another person define your worth, and that you refused to let me hide from a past I couldn’t control, but mostly…” He pulls me down to the bed beside him and thumbs the tears off my cheek. “For being the strongest fighter I know. For all those things…and not just because you’re sexy as hell, I love you, Cass Rockwell, so fucking much it hurts every time I look at you.”
Emotion swells in my throat and I exhale a sob of happiness as I lay my head on his hard chest. “It’s about time. I love you too, you beautiful, bull-headed man.”
Calder exhales and slides his fingers in my hair, pulling me close. “One day, I’ll find a way to make Jake and Brent pay, Cass. I promise.”
Careful to avoid his wound, I burrow my nose against his chest and breathe in his wonderful smell. “All I care about is you. The rest is just noise,” I say, smiling that I finally understand the peace behind my sister’s statement.
Calder presses a kiss to the top of my head and grumbles, “Ben’s still a Hemming asshole.”
I lift the mug of hot coffee to my lips and take a long sip. Swallowing its warmth, I set the cup down and push my hands against my lower back, grimacing at the tightness.
Talia walks into the kitchen yawning, her hair a mess of wild red tresses. She stops when she sees me. “Good morning. What are you doing up so early?”
“You look well-tumbled. How was your evening?” I say with a wicked chuckle, remembering last night.
Sebastian had just informed me that they didn’t find any bullet shells on the rooftop across from Calder’s apartment, but they did get a partial shoe print and were running it down when Talia walked in. She barely got out, “Hi, Cass. Your parents said for you to call them,” when her husband walked over to the entryway and scooped her up, saying gruffly over his shoulder as he carried her off to their bedroom, “Night, Cass.”
Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) Page 23
