Shelter from the Storm (Finley Creek Book 2)

by Calle J. Brookes

The hospital moved Brynna quickly.

  Brynna was still trembling at what had happened. At how lucky they had been that Mel and the rest hadn’t been hurt.

  Mel wasn’t talking much when they got her into the bed. She was pale and hurting, though. Brynna couldn’t miss that. She waited until they had her sister set up in the bed, then slipped out of her own.

  It took more energy than she’d like to cross the small room and slip into the chair next to Mel’s bed.

  “Well, this is a crappy way to end the evening, isn’t it?”

  “How badly do you hurt? What happened out there?”

  “Someone took a few potshots. Gabby and Elliot were close enough to the doors, but Chance and I were a bit more exposed.” Her sister was obviously struggling to speak. Like she had before. Sometimes Mel had trouble breathing; no so much from missing part of her lung, but from muscle weakness. She’d suffered a lot of damage when the bullet had entered her left side and tore through her lung. If she hadn’t been knocked out of the way that night, she would have been dead. Everyone knew it. Brynna had never forgotten that. “Chance knocked me out of the way, but he wasn’t exactly gentle about it. There wasn’t time to be gentle.”

  “No. He’s not exactly gentle, is he?” Brynna wrapped her hand around her sister’s, as Jilly came back in the room and covered Mel with a blanket. Jilly glared at Brynna then back at Brynna’s empty bed. “In a minute, Jilly.”

  “ASAP.”

  “So how badly is Mel hurt?”

  “She’s just staying overnight as a precaution, Bryn. They want to do a few x-rays in the morning. And a few other tests. Just to make sure there wasn’t too much damage to the area around her lungs.”

  “Lung-and-a-half,” Mel said.

  “Lung-and-a-half,” Jilly amended. “What is going on, you two? How much longer do we have to be afraid?”

  Mel reached for Jilly’s hand. Then they were connected, the three of them. “We’ll figure this out, Jilly. I promise. We’ll get through this, like we have everything else. We’re Becks, after all. Nothing is going to keep us down for too long. Nothing. Remember that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

  * * *

  MEL got lucky. She got to go home around noon the next day. Brynna wasn’t so fortunate. They were going to keep her one more day because she was showing signs of infection.

  They switched her antibiotics out for some stronger, then told her the best thing she could do was rest.

  It was all she could do not to snarl.

  Jillian was going to drive Mel home, then she was returning to work the evening shift. She’d talked to Gabby on the phone earlier, and her friend was scheduled for the ten o’clock shift at the TSP, along with Elliot.

  Brynna’s father was off somewhere talking to some of his cronies about who might be responsible for the Marshall murders. And Syd was at school.

  She hadn’t dared ask where he was.

  Everyone was doing something productive but her.

  Mel had snagged the spare laptop Gabby had brought her and taken it while Jilly was helping Brynna take a shower in the small bathroom.

  Before Brynna realized the laptop was missing her sisters were gone.

  Damn them. She was so going to get even with Mel, as soon as she was out of this yellow-walled Hell.

  She grabbed the remote as another nurse came in and took her vitals.

  “Some of your sisters are on the news again,” the nurse said. Brynna thought her name was Annie something or rather. She’d seen her with Jillian a time or two. “Channel 7. Jillian and your older sister, I think.”

  Brynna watched Mel frown at the reporters. Her sister was irritated, wasn’t she? She hadn’t mentioned anything about a press conference before she’d left. Had they been ambushed outside the hospital? Brynna thought she recognized the parking lot where her father would often drop Jillian off before her shifts. “Is it true what happened to your sister and Chance Marshall has to do with the Marshall Murders? There’s some speculation that she stumbled onto some crucial new evidence in her work with the TSP.”

  Stumbled onto? Please. Brynna knew she was a better computer forensic tech than that. What she’d found she’d done with skill. Stupid reporters.

  Mel glared. Oh, Mel really was mad, wasn’t she? “What we know at this time is that my sister and Chance Marshall were attacked by a trio of men in a stolen vehicle. As far as we know, the attackers were simply trying to cover their tracks and preserve their own hides. Any other questions about that should be directed to the Texas State Police.”

  “Does this case have anything to do with who shot you, Ms. Beck?” Some stupid man in the front asked. Of course it didn’t; Mel had been shot in St. Louis when a mad man was targeting Ari’s older sister Paige. Mel had been with Paige on their way to the hospital when Carrie was giving birth to baby Maddie. It had nothing to do with now.

  “Of course not. The men responsible for shooting me are in prison, where they belong. Now, I’m sure you all understand, but standing here is rather painful for me, and we need to get back to our sister.”

  Her sister was hurting; couldn’t they see that? Mel hurt anyway from the damage done by the bullet. And she’d been bruised when Chance had knocked her out of the way the night before. She needed to be resting, not in front of the media.

  “Rumor has it Handley Barratt of Barratt-Handley Enterprises is directly involved in the attack and the Texas State Police is looking for him. Is this true?”

  How did they know that? Brynna thought Elliot said they were keeping that quiet? “If the TSP is looking for someone, shouldn’t you be asking the TSP? I’m hardly out there looking for anyone. I’d probably fall over if I tried.”

  The crowd laughed. Brynna didn’t. It always upset her when Mel joked about what had happened to her, about what she could or couldn’t do now. Her father had told her it was Mel’s way of dealing with what happened. Brynna didn’t understand it. But she’d never said anything to Mel about it. She didn’t want to hurt her sister’s feelings, if she did. Another reporter stepped closer. “Ms. Beck, if the Barratt family is involved, is there anything your family wants to say to them?”

  “Only that we have complete confidence in Elliot Marshall and the rest of the TSP. Whomever was involved in the attack on our sister will get what they deserve. It’s just a matter of time. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. But we really do need to get back inside.”

  Brynna hoped Mel was right. Hoped that they found those men soon. How much longer could they all go on like this? She wanted her normal back.

  Hospitalizations and press conferences weren’t her normal at all. How much longer could she deal?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

  * * *

  HOME. Brynna had never been happier to see the house at the end of their street that had stood as her sanctuary for as long as Brynna could remember. It was now painted a light gray with shutters that were in need of an updated coat, but it was home.

  Her gaze slid to the slightly larger house across the street that she was one day hoping to buy. If the computer software she’d designed for Lucas Tech sold for high enough she would be able to do it. If the house didn’t sell before she could get it.

  It seemed weird to remember the goals she had in place. Weird to realize that other than what had happened to her out there, nothing about her future had truly changed.

  She wanted that house. Wanted that signal to herself that she had finally gained control of her life in every way possible. It was a sign to her, one that told her she had finally grown up.

  She certainly felt like she had. She felt like she had aged three decades over the last week or so.

  Her father reached into the back of the SUV and helped her out. He was hovering, wasn’t he?

  A dark SUV pulled in behind them.

  Brynna drew in a sharp breath. Her father looked down at her.

  “I’m ok. I just...wasn’t expecting him so soon. I figured he’d be busy with Elliot.�
��

  “Baby, did something happen between you out there? Something that you’re confused about?”

  Brynna looked at her dad—he would never see her as fully grown, would he? “I know what happened between us, Dad. And I’m ok with it, I promise. But as long as he’s here, isn’t it a reminder of what happened?”

  “I can make him go.”

  She thought for a long moment as the man in question in climbed out of the SUV. “No. He needs to do this. To finish this thing with his family’s murders. If I can help him, I’m going to. If...if it was my family...I would be just like him. He’s hurting, Dad. And I think he needs to see a family again. Or he’s going to be hurting forever.”

  “You have always been one of the wisest girls I’ve ever known. I’m glad you’re my daughter, Brynna.”

  “Well, I can’t think of a better family to be a part of.” It wasn’t cheesy emotion that drove her to say it, but honest belief.

  She had one hell of a family. A rush of grief for her mother had her turning back toward the rear of the house. Where the roses her mother had loved waited.

  Home.

  It was where she belonged.

  “Daddy, I want to go inside. I want my own room. Can you...deal with Chance for a little while for me?”

  “Consider it taken care of.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

  * * *

  CHANCE remembered the Beck house from his childhood. He’d been there before, after all. It had changed color over the years—it used to be a light mint green with dark green shutters. Flowers were everywhere. A Welcome Home, Brynna sign waited in the yard, written in a feminine hand. One of the younger sisters, probably.

  The sun reflected off carrot-red hair and drew his attention to the porch.

  Brynna.

  He hurried to her.

  Her father stopped him on the porch, just as the woman in question pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  “Marshall? You and I need to talk for a moment.”

  Chance tensed. “About what?”

  “About my daughter. I’m not a stupid man, nor am I blind—I know something probably happened between the two of you. I’m not sure how it couldn’t have. But whatever it was, my daughter needs to heal. She needs peace. And she needs you not to upset her. If you can promise me that, then you are welcome to stay here and help me keep her safe. If not, well...Daniel McKellen is more than willing to help. He’d be here in a heartbeat—all Brynna has to do is ask.”

  McKellen again. The thought of the other man just pissed him off. Chance knew it and accepted it. And he knew the reason. “All I want is her safe and whole. I won’t stop until I can guarantee the threat to her and her family is removed. You have my word on that.” Chance looked at the man who had been his father’s close friend and felt himself opening up in a way he hadn’t in a while. “There’s something about your daughter that makes me feel again, Beck. And I’m not sure what I want to do about that. But I know I’d cut off my arm myself before I ever do anything to hurt her. So she’s probably better off with me staying as far away as possible. But...she has to be safe. She has to. If that means my body between hers and whoever is out there, then so be it. You won’t let me sleep in the house, then I’ll damned well sleep on the front porch. Or the back. Or in the tree in the front yard. Whatever I have to do.”

  Kevin stared at him a moment, from the eyes his daughter had inherited. “I know. Come inside. We have a guest room just down the hall from Brynna’s and Mel’s. You’re welcome to it as long as you need.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY.

  * * *

  THE third day after she’d been released from the hospital, Brynna was about to go nuts. She was able to move around quite a bit easier than she had been, and she was ready for normal to come back to her world.

  It didn’t help that she had a never-ending roster of baby-sitters watching every move that she made. From her father down to Jilly’s friends Lacy and Ari, someone was always with her.

  They were taking two hour shifts sitting with her. She appreciated it, she truly did. But Brynna liked being alone.

  The worst of the lot was currently sitting at her dining room table, watching her where she sat on the living room couch. The house was open concept and unfortunately Chance could see every move she made.

  If he was watching. He seemed to alternate between ignoring her presence and staring at every move she made. Micromanaging every move she made. He was driving her crazy and she was going nuts from boredom, too.

  She finally got sick of the inactivity, and grabbed her new laptop out of her bedroom. It was a present from Carrie and Sebastian and had been delivered by special courier the first afternoon she’d been home.

  Brynna had almost cried when she’d opened it.

  She sat it on the opposite end of the dining room table from that man. Brynna was going to make herself useful somehow. Even if it was only on finishing the coding she was still trying to figure out for Lucas Tech. Elliot dropped Gabby off early and the two of them spread notebooks and laptops over the table until Chance looked up and glared at them from the files he had spread out in front of him.

  Brynna smirked at him. Having him there but not having him in the way she wanted was making her feel a bit contrary.

  She worked with Gabby for several hours until her stomach got the best of her.

  Brynna went into the kitchen quietly and grabbed a bowl and the box of cereal. It wasn’t the best lunch, but it would do. She wasn’t the greatest of cooks, after all. Mel and Jilly usually handled meals; Brynna and Syd dealt with clean-up.

  “What are you doing up? I can get that for you. Get your ass back in that chair. Better yet, the couch.” He barely looked at her as he gave the order. “Now. You need a break.”

  It was her home, not his. “I’ve been sitting for three days. I’m not used to doing nothing. And look—the stitches are half-healed.” She yanked her nightgown up enough to expose the area beneath her blue sports bra. Brynna hadn’t bothered with constrictive clothing since she’d gotten home from the hospital—today was the first she’d bothered with a bra and a pair of loose cotton sleep shorts. The nightgown was light cotton and covered with Mario and Princess Toadstool. “I am certainly capable of getting up out of the damned chair. I don’t need someone to wait on me hand and foot.”

  Chance’s gaze went straight to her stomach, then rose to the sports bra above. “Pull your damned shirt down.”

  “Quit telling me what to do! We are not lost in the wilderness anymore, in case you’ve missed it. This is my home, and I make my own choices!” She busied herself with pouring rice milk over the Cheerios. “Why are you even here?”

  Mel and Gabby looked up from where they were sitting at the dining room table. Mel had her own notebook spread in front of her. Brynna suspected her sister was writing stories of some sort—from the glimpses she’d had of her sister’s notebooks that made the most sense. Her sister had always been gifted with words. More than that, Mel understood people and emotions so much better than a lot of people.

  Mel used to write horror stories in high school to entertain herself. She’d read them to Jilly and Brynna just to scare them.

  Her sister hadn’t written much in the past five years, as far as Brynna knew. Until she’d been shot, anyway. Now Mel was rarely without a notebook of some sort. Just like Brynna was rarely without a computer. She just didn’t think Mel was ready to share her writing again; not yet.

  “I’m here because some bastards are out there who think nothing of shooting at me and Gabby and my brother and your sister. I’m here to keep you safe.”

  “I didn’t ask you to be here.” She sprinkled sugar liberally over the cereal. “Why don’t you leave? Go play with Elliot.”

  “Bryn—” Mel said, and Brynna looked at her sister. Mel shook her head side-to-side. “Play nice.”

  “I am being nice. I don’t want him here...telling me what to do. It was one thing when we were stuck together or
running for our lives for him to be in charge. But this—what I do with the rest of my life is my business, not his.”

  Gabby stood. “Why don’t we make brownies? Chocolate makes everything better. I’ll even make them allergen-free, Bryn.”

  “Brownies would be wonderful,” Mel said, her eyes still on Chance. “In the meantime...”

  Brynna took a scoop of her cereal and ate it, leaning against the counter. “I need a break. I need to get outside. To get away from everything.”

  Chance stepped closer. “You aren’t stepping a foot outside, damn it. If you do, I’ll spank you myself.”

  “Whoa boy,” Brynna heard Gabby practically squeak. “This is so not going to end well.”

  Brynna looked into dark green eyes and carefully placed her cereal bowl on the kitchen island. “You, Chance Marshall, have no right to tell me what to do at all. It is not your place. You are not my father, my brother, my boss, or anyone else to me. I make my own choices.”

  She didn’t know why she did it—she certainly had no intention of going outside. She was still dressed in pajamas—clean ones, yes, but pajamas, after all. And the knowledge that someone had shot at her sister and Gabby was still right there in the front of her mind.

  But something inside her rebelled at the idea of Chance giving her orders when she hadn’t given him that right; it angered her beyond anything she had ever felt before.

  “Damn it, Bryn! I know that. Until you make stupid choices.” He stalked her around the kitchen island.

  “Don’t call me stupid, you ass!” She grabbed the first thing she could reach and tossed it right at his head.

  Cheerios went everywhere.

  Mostly they clung to his head and shoulders. He blinked and one oat ‘O’ rolled down his cheek. Had it actually landed in his eyebrow?