And she didn’t even want to think about why, but there was no stopping it. It was all she could think about.
Parker had threatened her—threatened her parents’ jobs—and he’d warned her about Sabrina, but he was Parker. He’d scared her the day Gabe had punched him, but she never, ever in a million years thought that something like this would happen.
But as she’d sat in the apartment, waiting for the cops to show up, her brain slowly clicked things together, and maybe she was wrong, but she doubted it.
Her gaze drifted back to the cop. With her rapidly swelling left eye, she couldn’t make out the cop’s features. They were blurry. As she stared at his back, she thought of . . . Sabrina.
Parker had come after her because of his sister.
She never thought they were capable of something like this, but Parker was Sabrina’s brother. Was. Parker . . . wasn’t anything anymore.
Oh, God.
Her lower lip trembled, and that felt like crap, because it was split and it freaking hurt. She was surprised he hadn’t knocked any of her teeth out.
“Are you sure there’s no one you want us to call for you?” the doctor asked, drawing her attention.
“I’ve called my friend.” That wasn’t exactly true, but she planned on calling Rosie whenever it got close enough to the time they were going to release her.
The doctor stared at her a moment and then nodded. “All righty then. A nurse will be in shortly to get some pain meds in you.”
“Thank you,” she said, and then watched him walk out of the curtained room.
And then she was alone with the exception of the cop. Why was he here? Probably because Troy didn’t believe for one second that she had no idea whatsoever why Parker wanted to hurt her.
But if she said why, then she’d have to explain what she saw and that, well, that dragged the de Vincents into it. Part of her wasn’t even sure why she sought to protect them. Perhaps it was something ingrained in her because of her parents. Either way, she wasn’t saying anything to any cop.
Closing her one good eye, she tried to get comfortable on the bed, but every time she moved, her body protested. The blanket was thin, and she was . . . so damn cold.
She drew in a stuttered breath as tears crawled up the back of her throat.
She killed a man.
And she . . . she didn’t know how to feel about that, because even though she was glad to be alive, killing someone was . . .
She felt detached from all of this. Like she was above her own body, tethered by thin, fragile strings that could snap at any given moment. She had no idea what would happen when they did break.
The nurse came in, asking Nikki how she felt as she administrated whatever pain meds. She felt it when it hit her system, washing over the back of her skull and pooling in her mouth.
Nikki closed her eyes and waited for whatever they gave her to take the pain away, along with the memory of Parker’s eyes, wide with shock.
Chapter 33
Gabe was aware of Lucian following him as he stalked down the hallway of the hospital, heading for where he’d been told Nic was being kept. His heart lodged somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Troy.
“There you are,” Troy said. “We need to talk.”
“It can wait.” He sidestepped Troy.
“No.” Troy grabbed his arm, halting him. “It can’t.”
Gabe looked down at Troy’s arm. “You know I respect the fuck out of you and think of you as a brother, but if you don’t let me go, things are going to turn ugly as fuck.”
Troy didn’t let go. “Look, I know you want to go see her, and you will. She’s right down that hall, living and breathing, but you’ve got to give me a couple of minutes.”
“Gabe.” Lucian was there, placing a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes met Lucian’s. “She called me and I didn’t answer.”
“But you’re here now and you’ll see her.” Lucian squeezed Gabe’s shoulder. “Give Troy a couple of minutes.”
Cursing, he turned to the detective. “Make it fucking quick.”
“It was Parker Harrington,” he said, keeping his voice low. “He broke into her apartment—”
“I know this,” seethed Gabe.
“But what we don’t know is why he would do that. You know I’m no fan of Parker’s, but beating the shit out of a girl and trying to kill her? That seems out of character for him.”
Gabe couldn’t feel the floor again as Troy’s words coursed off him. If it wasn’t for Lucian’s hand on his shoulder, he would’ve done something crazy. He knew it.
“Where is Parker?” Gabe asked, thinking they better have him locked up real damn good to keep him away from the piece of shit.
Troy glanced between the brothers and when he spoke, his voice was low. “Parker’s dead.”
“What?” Lucian exclaimed.
Everything in Gabe stilled.
“Nikki took him out. With a chisel,” Troy said, and Gabe’s mind went absolutely blank—blank with fucking rage. “The damn patrolman had to pry the chisel out of her hands when he got there.” Troy looked down the hall. “She got the son of a bitch right in the chest.”
“Jesus.” Gabe turned, shrugging off Lucian’s hand as he thrust his fingers through his hair.
“It was self-defense,” Lucian said.
Troy cocked his head to the side. “We know. That shit is obvious, but we don’t know why, and Nikki ain’t talking.”
“What do you mean she isn’t talking?” Gabe demanded.
“She’s saying she has no idea why Parker would want to hurt her, and I’m thinking that’s bullshit.” Troy met his stare head-on. “I’m willing to bet she isn’t telling the whole story, and the only reason I can fathom she’d be doing that is because it has something to do with one of you. And since Parker’s sister is Dev’s goddamn fiancée, it’s not a big leap of logic.”
Gabe stiffened. Fucking Sabrina. He turned to his brother. Their eyes met, and he knew right then Lucian was on the same wavelength.
Lucian stepped to the side. “I need to call Dev.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Troy turned to Lucian.
Done with this conversation, he ignored Troy calling out his name as he stalked down the hall. Her room was easy to find, because of the police officer standing guard. The man’s gaze moved over his shoulder, and Troy must’ve signaled him, because the officer stepped aside.
Walking into the hospital room was like moving through quicksand. The sensation of having been right here before nearly took his knees out from under him. It didn’t matter that Troy had said she was breathing and alive.
Breathing and alive didn’t mean shit.
Gabe knew this.
Drawing in a shallow breath, he tugged the curtain aside and then he saw her—well, he saw her back.
Nic was curled on her side, facing away from the door. He saw one IV bag and the bare minimum of monitors. That was good, all things considered.
But she looked so small in the bed, too small.
Gabe made his way around the narrow bed, his gaze desperate to see those beautiful brown eyes. Then he really saw her.
His heart fucking broke right then.
Knowing what Troy had said about what Parker had done to her couldn’t have possibly prepared him for what he saw. There didn’t appear to be more than a few inches of her face that wasn’t battered. Her lip was red and angry. Bright red bruises were forming along her jaw, turning purple around the edges. Her fucking left eye was swollen shut, blue, and purple. There were scratches on the one cheek he could see.
His knees weakened on him.
Gabe wished Parker was alive for several reasons. One of them being that Nic wouldn’t have had to do something like that. She was too damn good to carry that kind of weight. But the most selfish reason? He wanted to beat that motherfucker to death, paying him back for every bruise, every second of pain she felt.
He sat down in the empty chair in front of her, wondering where in the hell her parents were. Resting his elbows on his knees, he dragged his hand down his face.
Goddamn, she didn’t deserve this. No one did, but she really didn’t deserve this.
His eyes . . . his damn eyes felt damp.
He should’ve seen this coming. The mindset that Sabrina and her brother were harmless annoyances was proven false the moment he realized just how much Sabrina had known about him. He should’ve anticipated one of them going after Nikki. Neither Sabrina nor Parker ever believed that Gabe would be the one to tell Dev. He knew this, so he should’ve been there for her.
God.
Nic shivered, catching his attention. Gabe exhaled heavily, glancing down at the blanket. It had slipped to her waist. Carefully, he leaned over and tugged it up to her shoulders.
She stirred, wincing. His gaze flickered over her. What else was wrong with her? What couldn’t he see? A shudder worked its way through him.
Nic moved again and then one eye opened. Awareness crept over her features. “Gabe?”
“I’m so sorry.” His voice was thick. “So fucking sorry.”
Her brow knitted as she tried to sit up. “What . . . ?” She sucked in a sharp breath.
He reached for her, but froze, unsure of where to touch her that wouldn’t hurt her. “How can I help you?”
Nic’s lips thinned as she eased onto her back. “What are you doing here?”
The question surprised him. “Where else would I be?”
She didn’t answer as she looked away. Her neck. Holy fuck. He saw the bruises on her neck, bruises that looked an awful lot like fingers.
“Jesus,” he growled.
Nic’s hand stilled. “Do I look that bad?”
He realized he was clenching his fists. “You look beautiful.”
A hoarse, choked laugh left her. “I think . . . you’re having problems with your vision.”
“I’m seeing just fine.” His hands opened and closed. “Where are your parents?”
Her one eye closed. “I haven’t called them yet.”
“Nic.”
“I don’t want them to see me like this. They’d freak out . . . and my mom doesn’t need this right now.”
Gabe couldn’t believe she was worrying about upsetting her parents. “Babe, they’re going to have to see you eventually.”
“I know.” She swallowed and then winced. “But they don’t have to see me right now.”
“You called me,” he said after a moment, voice rough. “I didn’t answer. I was talking—”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters, Nic.”
Nic was quiet for a moment. “I called you afterward. I wasn’t thinking straight. I thought Devlin . . . should know.”
She hadn’t been calling him for help, and God, that cut him deep. When she needed him the most, he’d created a situation where he couldn’t be there—where she wouldn’t even think about coming to him.
That wasn’t something he would easily forgive himself for.
Nic lifted a hand, prodding gingerly at her lip. “Ow.”
A wry smile twisted his lips and he leaned over, gently catching her wrist and pulling her hand away. “Don’t poke at it.”
Her gaze met his and then darted away. A moment passed and then he let go of her wrist. God, he wanted to gather her in his arms and never let go.
“Do you know if they’ve . . . um, if they’ve removed the body yet?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but I can find out.”
Her lip trembled. “There was a lot of blood. It probably ruined—”
“I’ll take care of it.” And he would. She would never have to see any of that again. “I don’t want you to worry about that. I’ll make sure everything is the way it was before.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You don’t need to thank me. I should’ve . . .”
“You should’ve what?”
Been there. He should’ve been there to protect her. He should’ve handled things differently with her. He should’ve told her about William, and he should’ve . . . he should’ve let himself feel what he was feeling instead of being a closed-off jackass who had been terrified of feeling what he was beginning to feel for her.
He should’ve let himself love her.
The outcome could’ve been different. Easily. Instead of going to a hospital room, it would be a morgue and a funeral. Like with Emma, he wouldn’t have gotten a third chance to make things right.
And he needed to make things right.
It was funny how in moments like this you realized what mattered the most and how everything else was fucking background noise.
Nic broke the silence. “I’m going to . . . I’m going to call Rosie and I’ll go home with her. I can’t go back there until it’s cleaned up.”
“You’ll come home with me,” he said, frowning. “And you’ll stay as long as you need to.”
“I don’t think . . . that’s smart.”
“Why the hell not?”
She stared at him a moment and then looked away. He needed to tell her what he’d been thinking and feeling, but now was not the time.
Gabe picked up Nic’s hand. Her knuckles were red, swollen. There was dried blood under her fingernails, between her fingers. Seeing all of this pissed him off, but there was no denying that his girl was a fighter.
His girl.
Those two words felt just as right as they did the first time he thought them, but this time, he let himself welcome them, feel them.
“Are you up for telling me what happened?” he asked after a moment.
“I didn’t even know it was him at first,” she said, her voice soft. “He was wearing a ski mask and he came at me. I was trapped in the bedroom and he . . .” A shudder rolled through her.
Every muscle went rigid as he folded both hands over hers. Troy hadn’t mentioned any type of . . . of sexual assault, but a whole new wave of fury and horror was building inside him. “He what, sweetheart?”
“I think he was trying to, you know, rape me.” Her eyes were closed, and thank fuck for that, because he was sure there was no hiding the murderous rage he could feel brimming to the surface. “I fought back and I guess he decided to give up on that and tried to . . . end it.”
He gently squeezed her hand. “Did he say anything to you?”
“Yeah, he did.” Her inhale was shaky. “He said something I don’t even know how to tell you.”
“You can tell me anything.” He kissed her knuckles, and her one good eye flew open.
A long moment passed. “He pretty much said he was there because of Sabrina. She’s . . . she’s dangerously obsessed with you. I don’t know why he’d do what he’s done for her, but Gabe, he said . . .”
His gut churned. “He said what, Nic?”
Nic let out a shaky breath. “He said that he wanted to play it like he had before, but Sabrina said two car accidents would be suspicious.”
Gabe stilled.
“I think . . . God, I think he was talking about Emma. I know that sounds insane, but they’re obviously insane. I don’t know how Emma had a car accident, but Gabe, I think that’s something that needs to be looked at.”
He couldn’t even feel the hand he was holding. He didn’t see Nic or hear the steady beeps of the monitor. When he drew in a breath, he didn’t catch that overpowering disinfectant smell that cloaked hospitals. He was there, in the room with Nic, but he also wasn’t.
Did Sabrina and Parker have something to do with Emma’s accident?
It was possible. From what he knew of the accident, Emma had appeared to lose control of her vehicle less than a handful of miles from her parents’ house. She’d been leaving to pick William up from them. Her car had struck a tree. Could someone—that someone being Parker—have run her off the road?
It was more than possible.
I did your dirty work again.
Sabri
na practically admitted it herself.
His entire being felt like it shifted, but he knew he hadn’t moved—hadn’t even blinked. The ever-present rage resurfaced, and damn, it was like his skin was on fire.
“Gabe,” Nic whispered.
He heard her, but he also didn’t. He was stuck on what she’d said. Emma’s death hadn’t been an accident. It had been murder, because that woman was obsessed with him. He couldn’t process it, couldn’t think around it.
“I’m sorry,” Nic said softly. “I’m so sorry.”
His entire body jerked at her quietly spoken apology and her bruised, battered face came back into focus. Nic lay on that hospital bed. Not Emma. They took Emma away from their son, but they hadn’t succeeded in taking Nic from him.
Lifting her hand to his mouth once more, he kissed her palm and closed his eyes. He’d lost a piece of Emma the night she’d been assaulted and then he’d lost her the night he retaliated. They’d come together once in the last five years, and that gave him his son, but Gabe had long since accepted before he learned what had happened to Emma that it was over between them. Why Sabrina would’ve gone after her, after all this time, was beyond his level of understanding.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Was he? Fuck no. Anger compounded with helplessness was a dangerous mess, but he pulled it together. He had to. For her. Again, her concern shook him to his core. She shouldn’t be worrying about him right now.
“I’m okay.” His eyes opened. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I didn’t tell Troy or the cops anything about what . . . Sabrina or Parker had said to me.”
He lifted her hand to his forehead. “Dev will be appreciative of that, but I don’t give a fuck if you told them. You didn’t have to lie to avoid a scandal. You shouldn’t even be worrying about that.”
She was quiet for a moment. “What’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know.” Whatever was going to happen wouldn’t be pretty. “I talked to Dev today. He came home early. Told him everything.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s ending it with her.”
A harsh laugh parted her lips. “So, if . . . Sabrina got Parker to silence me it was all over nothing? Or was it just out of anger or was it jealousy?”
Moonlight Seduction: A de Vincent Novel (de Vincent series) Page 33
