by Debbie Mason
Chloe’s sister-in-law, Skye, looking pretty but wan, entered the room with her brother. The couple waved, and Ethan got his wife settled a few rows back before making his way to Chloe.
He greeted Ty and Jill, then leaned in to kiss Chloe’s cheek. He pulled back with a frown. “You’re not nervous, are you?”
Chloe was surprised he asked. She loved public speaking and had every angle of their defense covered and memorized. Beau had done an incredible job on the renovation end of things. With donations of materials and a mostly volunteer workforce, they could come in fifty percent below what the board had projected—with the added bonus of providing much-needed jobs for veterans. And Easton had come through, too. Three board members had a vested interest in the outcome; a definite and provable conflict of interest. They had grandchildren enrolled in the other schools, and two of their children taught there. Chloe planned to demand they recuse themselves from the vote. “No, not at all. Why?”
“You’re pale.”
“He’s right, you are.” Ty tutted.
While Ty pinched color into her cheeks, Chloe asked her brother, “Have you heard from Cat?”
“No, they’re probably on their way. The Martinez estate is eighty miles west of here.” He glanced around the crowded room and lifted his hand. “There’s Gage, Madison, and Annie. Mom and Paul should be here any minute. They had to pick up Nell.”
Chloe turned, and the McBrides smiled and gave her a thumbs-up before taking their seats beside Skye. She spotted Vera Woods and the principal, Mr. Lowry, a couple rows behind. The seats around them were filled with other members of the staff, as well as students and their parents. And as Chloe returned their waves and smiles, she realized the reason behind the unsettling weight.
Ethan crouched in front of her, a look of concern on his face. “Chloe, what’s going on? You’re rubbing your stomach.”
She stilled her hand and glanced once more over her shoulder. “They’re all depending on me to save Christmas High. I don’t want to let them down.”
“No matter the outcome, we’re all proud of what you’ve done. Madison said you’ve accomplished more in a couple of weeks than she did in months. None of us believed the school could be saved, but you’ve made believers out of us, Chloe.”
She sniffed, a little emotional at her brother’s praise. She’d never doubted Ethan’s love for her, but her older, conservative brother hadn’t exactly been her biggest fan the past few years. She didn’t blame him.
Ethan stood up and leaned over to give her a quick hug. “Love you, Chlo Chlo,” he said, using his childhood name for her. “Give ’em hell.”
Ty fanned his hand in front of his face. “He’s so hot, and that was so sweet, I think I’m going to cry.”
“Don’t,” Chloe said, feeling the same. “My mascara isn’t waterproof.”
Ty gave her a horrified look and took her purse from her. Digging through her makeup bag, he found her mascara and held it up. “Really, Diva, what were you thinking?”
“You threw out my false eyelashes, and I couldn’t find the brand you use at the drugstore in town,” she said a little defensively, though secretly relieved the conversation had distracted her, and she no longer felt the urge to cry.
“What’s wrong with that mascara? I use it all the time,” Jill said.
Chloe and Ty shared a look. “And why am I not surprised,” Ty said to Jill, then wagged the mascara at her. “You’re lucky I’m still speaking to you after you didn’t show up for your appointment last Friday.”
Jill grimaced. “Sorry about that. I meant to call, but I had to work overtime.” Chloe arched an eyebrow. As promised, she’d gone looking for Jill. Caught in her lie, the other woman sighed. “Fine, I was at the shooting range, but it was work related. Besides, I don’t want or need a makeover.”
“If you want Sawyer Anderson to stop seeing you as his best friend’s baby sister, you do, too.” When Jill opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, Chloe added, “I saw you watching Brandi and Sawyer.” The couple had been the first to arrive, and Jill had glanced at them so often that Chloe wouldn’t be surprised if she had a crick in her neck.
Ty twisted in his seat. “Sawyer’s dating Brandi? How come no one told me?”
“They’re not dating. They’re just friends,” Jill gritted out.
Ty said something that had Jill whipping her head around, but Chloe was no longer engaged in the conversation. A sharp pain lanced through her back and upper abdomen, causing her to double over.
“Diva, what’s wrong?”
“Chloe, are you okay? Do you want me to get Gage?” Jill asked. Gage had been a paramedic before going into law enforcement.
“No,” she said, breathing through the pain. “I’ll be okay.” She carefully straightened, slowly turning to look over her shoulder. There was still no sign of Easton, Cat, and Chance. Or her mother, Paul, and Nell. She caught her brother’s eye. He mouthed What’s wrong? Afraid she was overreacting, and not wanting to worry him, she mouthed back Nothing and managed a smile.
The pain subsided a bit, but not her fear that something had happened to her sister. Chloe pulled her cell phone from her purse and checked for messages, then texted Cat. She had to know that she was all right.
But she didn’t have time to wait for a response; members of the school board were taking their places at the table. The chairman, a white-haired man with bifocals, called the meeting to order and introduced the other board members. Her eyes drawn back to her phone, Chloe willed her sister to respond.
Ty gently nudged her. “Chloe, you’re up.”
She handed him her phone and whispered, “Keep trying to reach Cat. Let me know as soon as she responds.”
As Chloe made her way to the podium, the people who’d come out to support both her and Christmas High cheered, reminding her that she had a job to do. They were depending on her, and she wouldn’t let them down. She said a quick and silent prayer for her sister. Then pushing her worry aside, addressed the board members. She walked to the table and handed each of them a twenty-page copy of her proposal. Two-thirds of the way into her presentation, she asked Beau to join her to take questions from the board.
From the attentive expressions on their faces, they were obviously impressed with both Beau and his plan. At least the members who didn’t have a vested interest in the closure of Christmas High. It was then that Chloe alerted the board to her findings. Outraged at the charges, the three members threatened to sue. Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe noted that both Jill and Gage were headed toward her. They walked to where she stood, taking up their positions on either side of her. Arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart, Gage and Jill stared down the angry board members. The chairman covered the mic and addressed the three men. After a brief but heated exchange, he called the meeting to order.
“Ms. O’Connor, I assure you we will be looking into the charges you’ve made. Now, if you’d like to continue.”
Just as she was wrapping up her presentation, thanking the committee members for their time, there was a chirp of a cell phone, and then another, and another. It sounded like half the cell phones in the room had gone off at the same time. On either side of her, Gage and Jill reached for theirs. Chloe glanced at Ty. With a worried look on his face, he shook his head.
As the chairman called for order, Chloe looked back at Ethan. He was heading for the door.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Easton paced in front of the entrance to the hospital. He wanted to be here for Chloe when she arrived. It would be hard enough on her knowing that Cat had been injured, doubly hard dealing with her own issues. A few weeks ago, she’d had a panic attack at the mere thought of meeting the psychiatrist at Christmas General. Given that, he should probably ask his dad to write her a script for anti-anxiety meds.
He looked up to see his brother coming through the doors. Chance shoved his cell phone in the inside pocket of his black jacket and stepped outside. “Gage says they should be here in fiftee
n minutes.”
“How’s Chloe?” Easton had been trying to reach her for the past ten minutes. He’d thought it best to wait until they knew the full extent of Cat’s injuries before calling her.
“Don’t know. Gage said it was like she already knew something had happened to Cat. He’d barely gotten two words out of his mouth, and she was gone. Jill mentioned Chloe had been acting strange before the meeting started. She kept rubbing her back and stomach like she was in pain. Weird thing is, timing coincides with when Cat got hit.”
When the first hour of the exhibition passed without incident, Martinez got antsy. They should have realized the man wouldn’t be able to hold it together for long. Cat got a read on him right away and took him to the room that contained the private collection of sculptures to calm him down. She didn’t realize Tara Martinez had followed them until it was too late.
Neither did Easton and Chance. Easton was shadowing the artist while Chance kept an eye on two men he suspected were the buyers. From what they could piece together, Tara overheard her husband’s and Cat’s conversation. The room was dimly lit, and she hid behind a display pedestal, pushing it and the heavy, bronze sculpture onto Cat. Once Cat was down, Tara went after her husband.
Because of the lighting, it was difficult to pick up much movement in the private viewing room. But when Grayson, who’d been monitoring the situation from the surveillance truck, swore he saw a shadow moving behind the exhibits, he searched the other screens for Tara and noticed she was missing. He alerted Easton and Chance through their earpieces, and they headed for the private viewing room. Easton didn’t know how the agent got there so fast, but Grayson was right behind them. Members of the DEA and FBI surrounded the place, rounding up the artist and the two buyers when they tried to leave the estate.
Cat had been conscious, which was a good sign, but she had excruciating pain in her side and upper abdomen. By the time the ambulance arrived, she was vomiting. The doctors were in with her now.
“E, did you hear me?”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just worried about Chloe. And Cat obviously. Any word on her condition?”
“They’re looking at traumatic kidney failure.”
Easton swore low and viciously under his breath. “We should have brought in extra security.”
“There was nothing to indicate Tara would react like she did, or for that matter, Martinez. Up until then, he hadn’t given any indication he’d break under pressure. If he had, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Grayson will never speak to us again.” Easton wouldn’t, if he was in the other man’s shoes.
“He’s angry, and he’s scared right now…What the hell?”
Easton turned at the sound of squealing tires. A black Mustang with red racing stripes roared into the hospital parking lot. “What kind of moron…Wait, that’s Chloe’s car, and she’s driving. What was Gage thinking letting her get in her car in the state she’s in?” Easton reined in his temper as he strode across the parking lot. She didn’t need his anger right now. She needed his support. He’d save the lecture for when they knew Cat was okay. And she would be okay, dammit.
His brother followed after him. “Doubt he could have stopped her if he wanted to, but Ty and Jill are with her.”
“Lotta good that did,” Easton muttered.
The Mustang had barely jerked to a stop when the driver-side door flew open and Chloe jumped from the car. Her gaze shot to him. He took in the panic in her glassy green eyes and the black streaks tracking down her ghostly pale face, and opened his arms. She ran the few yards that separated them.
He closed his arms around her, holding her tight, murmuring words of comfort as she buried her face in his chest. Ty and Jill got out of the car. If possible, they were paler than Chloe. Ty leaned against the trunk with his palm pressed to his heart and said, “I thought we were going to die.”
His voice was a hoarse whisper, and Easton laid odds he’d been screaming the entire ride there.
Jill pointed at Chloe and opened her mouth, then closed it.
Chloe stepped away from him. “How is she?” she asked, wiping her cheeks. He was a little surprised at the steadiness in her voice. He’d been preparing for the worst.
“Doctors are with her now. She’s conscious, and she’s not in pain,” he said.
She nodded and rubbed her side, then searched his face. “Are you all right?”
“I’m good. What about you?”
“I just want to see my sister. I need to see her.” Her chin trembled, but she held it together.
He took her hand. “Okay, come on.” He glanced back at his brother and mouthed Give us a minute. Chance nodded. Easton knew how Chloe felt about people witnessing an attack and wanted to save her from embarrassment. He watched her closely as he held open the door, noting her momentary hesitation. But just as he was about to reassure her, she squared her shoulders and headed for the bank of elevators.
As they reached the elevators, he heard raised voices and glanced to his left. Ethan, Skye, and Gage were coming through the front doors followed by Ty, Chance, and Jill.
Ethan threw up his arms when he spotted his sister. “Chloe O’Connor, what the hell were you thinking?”
“Calm down, Ethan. She’s fine,” Easton said, drawing her closer.
“You weren’t trying to follow her. She’s lucky to be alive.”
“So are we,” Ty murmured from behind.
Chloe didn’t say a word. She just stared at the elevator doors. Easton looked at Gage and lifted his chin. His brother leaned in to Ethan and said something only he could hear. Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded.
As the elevator doors slid open, they all crowded inside. Skye rubbed Chloe’s shoulder. She gave her sister-in-law a weak smile. Gage asked Chance what happened, and his brother filled them in. Easton kept his eyes on Chloe, noting the instant she raised her hand to her chest. But just as he was about to take her into her arms, she let her hand drop to her side.
He drew her against him and whispered, “You’re doing great, baby.”
She reached back and touched his face.
He glanced over to see Ethan watching them and saw the moment Chloe’s big brother clued in. Ethan briefly closed his eyes before he said to his sister. “Chlo, Chlo, Cat’s going to be fine.”
She nodded, rubbed her side again, and said, “I know.”
Easton was beginning to think he’d prefer a panic attack to her eerie calm. From the looks of everyone in the elevator, they were as concerned as he was. When the doors slid open, he held her back. As the others headed for the fifth-floor waiting room, Easton pressed the hold button, then turned her to face him.
“Talk to me,” he said, as he searched for signs she was in shock.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m focusing on Cat. I’m trying to send her healing energy…” She lifted a shoulder, a hint of pink coloring her pale cheeks. “Does that sound weird?”
“No, baby, it doesn’t sound weird.” He brought his hand to her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “You keep rubbing your side. Are you in pain?”
“It’s duller now.” She touched her upper abdomen, bringing her hand around to her back. “Is that where your kidneys are?”
He nodded. “Yeah, they think they were damaged by the blow she took to her back.”
“Did they arrest the woman?”
“Yeah, they did. Her husband feels real bad about it. He’s offered to pay Cat’s medical expenses. He blames himself for what happened.” He rubbed his chin. “We all do.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t feel guilty for something that was beyond your control. The only person responsible is Tara Martinez.” She leaned over and released the hold button. “I need to talk to the doctors and see my mother.”
There must have been a part of him that worried she’d hold him responsible for what happened to Cat, because something loosened inside him when she made it clear that she didn’t. As they stepped out of the elevator,
he tugged on her hand. She looked up at him. “You know you don’t have to be strong for me, right?”
“I have to be strong for Cat.”
“You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you to lean on. Remember that.”
“I won’t pretend this is easy, but having you by my side makes it better. I love you, Easton McBride.”
“I love you, too, baby. And I’m not going anywhere.”
They walked toward the waiting room hand in hand. The room was packed. Two doctors stood talking to his dad, Liz, and Ethan, who sat in the waiting room chairs. They looked up when he and Chloe entered the room. Chloe let go of his hand and went to her mother. Liz started to cry. Several of the other women in the room did, too. So did Ty.
Ethan stood up, motioning for his sister to take the seat beside Liz. He looked at Easton as though asking if Chloe was okay. He nodded. She was better than okay, she was amazing. But the man standing alone by the window was not okay. Grayson was barely keeping it together.
Easton sensed his presence wouldn’t be welcome and instead focused on the doctors.
“Urinalysis, blood tests, and scan indicate that her one kidney is barely functioning and the other one is at a limited capacity. It’s possible we’ll see some improvement over the next several days after the initial swelling goes down, but I’m afraid we’re not hopeful.”
“What does that mean?” Liz asked, sending a panicked look from the doctors to his dad.
Before Paul could reassure her, the older doctor said, “We recommend a transplant.”
“What’s my sister’s prognosis without one?” Chloe asked, over her mother’s quiet sobbing.
The two doctors shared a look. “If her kidney function doesn’t improve, she would have to be on dialysis every day for the rest of her life.”
