Delayed Penalty (The Dartmouth Cobras #5)

by Bianca Sommerland

  Akira swallowed. Her hand drifted up to her throat. She tried so hard to pretend like she didn’t care what happened to Ford. Told herself she didn’t care. But she did. “He looks that bad?”

  “Don’t feel sorry for him. He’d hate that. He’s a tough bad boy, remember?” Concern creased Jami’s forehead. “But yeah, someone roughed him up really bad. Maybe even more than Mr. Kingsley wanted, but I don’t think he gives a shit that they almost killed the man he raised.”

  “Damn it.” Akira’s lips thinned. She still had a clear image of Ford’s smile and the intensity of his golden eyes when he was close to her. She shook her head hard to get rid of the image as she strode into the hallway, grabbed her coat and tugged on her boots. “Don’t think this means anything, Jami. I just need to see for myself because otherwise, I’ll think the worst.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Stop it.” Akira frowned at Jami’s knowing smirk. “You know I’m with Cort. And you telling me he’s no good for me makes absolutely no sense with you trying to play matchmaker between me and Ford. His past is no better.”

  “But that’s the thing! It’s his past! I can’t see Cort ever really getting out of his father’s business. You’ve never seen how those biker chicks throw themselves at him and—”

  “Are they any worse than the puck bunnies that throw themselves at Luke and Sebastian?” That ended that conversation. Akira gave Jami a quick hug while Jami’s mouth still hung open. She tapped under Jami’s chin before opening the front door. “I’m seriously considering being on speaking terms with Ford again. I know you two are still friends, and this will make things easier on you. But I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop pushing for more.”

  “All right, I’ll stop.” Jami had the grace to look embarrassed. “I have been a little pushy about it. Guess I just want to see you both happy.”

  “I think . . .” Akira nibbled at her bottom lip, not sure she should share her suspicions. But maybe it would end the meddling once and for all. “You and Ford ended bad because of the drugs and everything. Without that, you might still be together. Maybe you’re trying to fix things for him because you feel like it’s your fault that things went bad. You couldn’t be the kind of girl he needed and you think I can.”

  “You think I’m trying to use you as a replacement for me?” Jami’s eyes narrowed. Her face reddened a little as she pursed her lips. But then she went still, her tone uncertain. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Not intentionally.” Akira’s phone beeped, letting her know she had two hours left to get ready for the game tonight. She’d have to keep the visit with Ford short. “It’s okay as long as you stop. Ford will find someone, but it won’t be me.”

  * * * *

  The temperature inside the hospital made the cold outside seem tepid in comparison. Akira stuffed her hands in her pockets as she made her way past the waiting room, dodging stretchers and a mother pacing with a child whose face was blotchy, either from fever or his pain-filled screams.

  She’d been pretty lucky so far, never having spent much time in the hospital herself, and visits for friends and family had always been short because the wounds or illnesses hadn’t been life threatening. She’d seen worse injuries in the Cobra locker room than she’d been exposed to in her whole life.

  But after following a nurse’s directions to Ford’s room and stepping inside, she realized the worst of that was nothing compared to the damage that had been done to Ford. Her heart stuttered as she took in the dark brown and purple surrounding one of his eyes. The stitching on his cheek, his forehead, along his jaw, all surrounded by more bruises. He sat up quickly when he saw her, and the strain in his features proved his face held the least of his injuries.

  Jami hadn’t been exaggerating to gain Ford sympathy. Akira felt sick to her stomach considering that his own father—damn it, Roy Kingsley was his father despite the truth of DNA—had done this to him.

  “Hey, shorty.” Ford pushed himself up to prop his back against the headboard. The tube trailing from the back of his hand made soft wispy sound against the blankets as he adjusted them. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “It’s so much worse than I expected.” She approached the bed, stopping about a foot away from him. She spotted movement from the corner of her eye and saw Cam—Dominik’s brother—standing by the window. He inclined his head to her, then walked out. Her throat tightened. “Cam’s here to make sure they don’t come back, isn’t he?”

  “The less you know about that, the better.” Ford ran his fingers through his hair, glancing toward the chair by the bed. “You stayin’ for a bit? You can come sit and tell me how things are going with the Ice Girls. And with you.”

  His eyes met hers and she felt exactly as she had when they’d first met. When he’d touched her cheek and they’d shared a moment in their mutual concern for Jami. And something more. Something that made it so hard to keep the distance between them now.

  She lowered to the chair, trapped in his gaze. His eyes were the color of amber in the sun, warm with an entrancing glow. His skin was pale under the bruises, but despite that he didn’t look weak. She could sense his inner strength and it made it impossible to pity him. He would heal, and once he did, he’d get out of the hospital even tougher than he’d been before.

  Ready to face his father, which suddenly made her very afraid for him. She didn’t want to talk about the Ice Girls, didn’t want to have an idle chat about her life.

  She needed to know he wouldn’t do anything stupid. Before she had a chance to think about what she was doing, she’d stood and taken his hand in hers. “You need to get better, then you need to leave. Get far away from your father and everything he’s involved with. Don’t give him a chance to—”

  “I can’t do that, shorty.” Ford dropped his gaze to her hand as he lightly stroked her knuckles with his thumb. “But I’ll be okay. He caught me off guard this time. That won’t happen again.”

  “He’s dangerous. If you’re going to stay, you need to get the cops involved. Tell them everything you know.” Actually, she liked that idea. His father couldn’t hurt him from behind bars. “I know you don’t want to tell me anything, but you should think about it.”

  “I have.” Ford gave her a slanted smile. “But it’s not that simple. And you’re right. I don’t want to get you involved in this at all. I’m just happy you don’t hate me anymore.”

  “I never hated you.” She laughed as his brows shot up. “Okay, maybe I did.” Recalling why, she withdrew her hand and looked away from him. “You should have spoken up about what he was doing then. It would have changed so much.”

  “I know.”

  “And you’re doing the same thing now. There’d be cops outside your door instead of just Cam if you’d reported this.” Of course, having Cam for protection was no small thing. Except, it meant Ford was no further removed from his father’s business. Voluntarily or not. “When will you learn—”

  “I have learned, Akira.” Ford’s tone turned sharp. He shoved away from the pillow, his relaxed posture gone. “You might think what happened to Jami didn’t affect me, but it did. I loved her once. I still care about her, very much.”

  Back to him and Jami. Damn, those two had a lot of unfinished stuff to work through. Not that what they did or didn’t have mattered to her in the least. She crossed her arms over her chest, glad that she hadn’t taken off her jacket. There was no reason to stay any longer.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Ford let out a bitter laugh. “Did I do something else to piss you off?”

  “I’m not pissed.”

  “You’re a liar.”

  Arg! The man was infuriating. “I am not a liar, you fucking—” She covered her mouth with her hand. And all the angry heat that had spread through her body seeped out, giving way to cold. She knew better than to swear at people. Her mother would be shocked. Her father would give her one of those disappointed looks, letting her know he expected better. She
inched closer to the bed. “I-I’m sorry. I need to go.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I love that spunk.” He took her hand in his, her fingers against his palm, and pulled her toward him. “You’re so much stronger than you were just months ago. Not afraid to speak your mind. Don’t stop now. Tell me why you’re upset.” He leaned forward, drawing her so close that his lips brushed her cheek as he spoke. “There’s nothing but friendship between Jami and me. There’s only one woman I want.”

  “That has nothing to do with me.” She should push him away, but she didn’t want to hurt him. And didn’t really want to move. Something stirred inside her as she stared at him.

  “It does. You’re that woman, shorty. You always will be.”

  “No.” She swallowed, turning her head so his lips grazed her chin, rather than her lips. “Ford, I’m with someone. You need to let me go.”

  “Ask me to and I will.” He gave her a tender smile when she didn’t move. “You can’t, can you?”

  “I shouldn’t have to.”

  He took a deep breath, then nodded and released her hand. She swallowed as he reached up and tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear. “Now I need to be saying sorry. You took a big step just coming here. Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

  “Because I can’t.” She made a face, aware by the knowing look in his eyes that they were both thinking the same thing. She couldn’t have asked him to let her go. She hadn’t wanted him to. Squaring her shoulders, she did her best to hold his gaze without letting him see how hard it was to maintain her distance. Her words were as much a reminder to him as to herself. “I’m with someone.”

  “You keep saying that.” Ford shrugged as though it really didn’t matter. “I’ll wait.”

  She scowled at him. “Don’t. If things go the way I hope they will, you’ll be waiting forever.”

  “If that was true, you’d be gone already.”

  “Oh, I’m going. I should just tell you, he’s—” Her lips snapped shut. She couldn’t tell him, not without speaking to Cort first. They were friends, and she didn’t want to ruin their friendship because she’d said the wrong thing while she was irritated with Ford. But she had to say something. “He means a lot to me. Just . . . just remember that. I don’t want you getting all upset when—”

  “I won’t. And . . . fuck, I’m being a jerk. Let’s call a truce.” He gave her his most charming smile and her heart melted a little. “Maybe give the friend thing a try?”

  It would have been so much easier if you’d kept being a jerk. But she let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “I’d like that.”

  “Can I call you?”

  “Yeah. Or . . .” Her lips slanted as she recalled the first time he’d asked for her number. “You could try smoke signals.”

  His laughter made their rough start a little easier to forget. And not being mad at him released a tightness in her chest that came whenever he was around. Maybe being friends with him would help when he found out about her and Cort. Maybe he’d just be happy for her. For his best friend.

  She said goodbye, then left, her steps just a little lighter. Once she reached the parking lot, she took out her phone and saw two missed calls. One from Jami.

  The other from Cort.

  She called Cort back first. “Hey! How’d the meeting go?”

  “Not bad. Keane’s got everything in hand. Got nothing but good stuff to tell Ford when I talk to him.”

  Akira held her breath. Then spoke in a rush. “I just saw him, but I didn’t tell him anything. We agreed to be friends though, so I think it will be fine. I’ll talk to him if you want, but it might be better coming from you.”

  Cort was silent for a long time. His sigh couldn’t mean anything good. His next words weren’t promising. “I’ll talk to him, but I don’t think anything’s gonna make this go over well.”

  “Why not? We’re just friends. He’ll have to accept it.”

  “He won’t. But let me deal with it.”

  “Cort, this doesn’t have to be complicated.” Who was she trying to convince? Cort or herself? “It’s my fault for lying to you about who I was.”

  “I’m not sure it would have mattered, Tiny.” He let out a low chuckle, easing some of the tension. “I was hooked from the moment I found you sitting out in the snow.” His tone turned rough. “But . . .”

  “But what?” She fumbled with her new car keys. “You know him better than I do. He won’t lose it, will he?”

  “No, he knows better. He’ll just calmly ask me to do what I always have.”

  “And what’s that?” She knew. She already knew. But she needed to hear it from him.

  Cort let out another sigh. “He’ll ask me to step aside.”

  The resolve in his tone made her stomach clench. She couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat. However she reacted with Ford, he wasn’t the one she wanted. But her wants didn’t change the way things worked. She’d watched enough biker shows to figure out what Cort would do.

  “You still there, Tiny?”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes.”

  “Good, then listen to me very carefully.” He paused and she held her breath. “My answer will be no. Now, I dropped your car off—locks changed and all—in front of your place. Slipped the new keys under the door. I gotta go, but I’ll see you tonight.”

  She must have whispered something to make him think the conversation was over, because she heard the click as the call ended. Her mouth was dry and her emotions were all over the place. She was still a little worried about how Ford would react, but only one thing stuck out in her mind.

  No. She bit her lip hard and hugged herself, loving the sound of that word. His answer will be no.

  Chapter Nine

  Cort checked his watch and quickened his pace along the hospital hallway. He’d promised Akira he’d be there to watch her perform before the game, but he was cutting it close. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be put off any longer. Ford finding out that Cort was dating Akira from someone else would only make things worse.

  The nurse stopped Cort in the hall to Ford’s room. “His doctor told him it would be good for him to get out of his room for a bit.” She gestured toward the elevator past the nurse’s station. “He went to the cafeteria with Cam. Second floor.”

  “Thanks,” Cort said before heading to the elevator.

  He didn’t find Ford and Cam in the crowded cafeteria, but he knew Ford well enough to check the outside smoking sections, set short distances away from the hospital in intervals. The boy shouldn’t be fucking smoking in his condition, but Cort wasn’t gonna tear into him about it. Yet.

  Maybe after he dropped the bomb about him and Akira, though. He pulled out a cigarette of his own as he joined the other men.

  “Hey, Cort.” Ford puffed away, smiling as he let out a stream of smoke. He was off his IV and wearing his own clothes under his thick black bomber jacket. Hopefully a sign that he’d be released soon. “Didn’t think you’d make it today. You going to the game?”

  “Yeah, just have to talk to you first.” Cort met Ford’s eyes, which narrowed as though he knew whatever Cort was about to say, he wasn’t going to like it. Might as well cut to the chase. “I’m dating Akira.”

  Ford blinked. Cam frowned.

  Cort waited.

  “You?” Harsh red stained Ford’s cheeks as he stepped up to Cort, hands fisted at his sides, half his cigarette snapped in the snow. “You’re the one she’s seeing?”

  “Yes.” More waiting as Ford fumed, pacing away from him, then back. The way Ford clenched and unclenched his fist made Cort wonder if the younger man would take a swing. He’d let him get in one, but that was it. He didn’t want the kid hurting himself.

  Bringing one hand to his mouth to rub his lips, Ford let out a sharp laugh. “That’s what she meant by ‘I don’t want you getting upset.’ And . . .” He tipped his head back and dropped his hands to his sides. “Jami gave me a few hints. Jesus fuckin
g Christ. Anyone else know you were fooling around with my—”

  “Your what, Ford? From what she’s told me, you guys just became friends. I know how you feel about her, but shit happens. By the time I figured out who she was, I was in too deep to end things.” Cort shrugged, well aware that the way he was laying things out was harsh, but he didn’t sugarcoat. “It is what it is.”

  “Fuck that! Cort, I know you! You got bored of the chicks that hang out at the clubs. You found someone fresh and innocent, and you’ll fucking play with her until you get tired of her too.”

  “No. She got to me, Ford. I can’t say how long it’s gonna last, but if I gotta end things for any reason, I’ll be gentle.” And he couldn’t see that happening. Unless Roy became an issue, but he wasn’t bringing that up with Ford. Not yet. He watched Ford pace a bit longer, then dropped his cigarette and approached the younger man. “Give me some fucking credit, man. If I wasn’t serious about her, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you.”

  “Yeah, but you just proved my goddamn point. ‘If you gotta end things.’ You’ll find a reason. Might take a couple weeks, a month, but it’ll happen.” Ford stopped in front of Cort, his eyes hard. “Spare her the fucking pain and end it now. Me and her are friends, but that’s just a start. With you out of the way—”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, kid.” Cort hooked his thumbs to his pockets, his tone level, his expression as calm as he could make it. “I’m not going anywhere. If there’s something between you two—if she chooses you—then . . .” He shook his head. He wouldn’t let her go that easily. “I’m willing to fight for her, Ford. I don’t want to have to fight you.”

  “Then you should back the fuck off.” Ford raked his fingers through his hair. “Why bother? You’re thinking with your fucking dick.”