Solitude (Cunningham Security Book 4)

by A. K. Evans

  I made sure she was settled and eating before I started. I’d ordered both of us egg white omelets with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. We both had a side of wheat toast and fruit as well.

  She was still eating when the door to her room opened. Her brothers walked in.

  Jolie looked up from her plate, finished chewing her bite of toast, swallowed, and said, “Good morning, guys.”

  I wasn’t sure if she was just being friendly or if she knew who they were.

  “Jolie?” Colton called.

  “Colton?” she returned.

  “You remember me?”

  Clearly caught off guard by his question, her eyes darted back and forth. “Um…you’ve been my brother since I was born. Why would I not remember you?”

  Colton walked right over to her, sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled her in for a hug. Jolie was completely caught off guard.

  When he pulled back, she asked, “Why do I feel like I’ve missed something?”

  Memphis answered, “We were here yesterday, and you had no idea who we were.”

  “What?”

  They both nodded at her.

  I explained, “They were in their uniforms and you kept asking if you were in trouble and if they were going to arrest you.”

  She blinked her eyes at me. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh my God,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  Memphis shook his head and maintained, “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t forget us on purpose.”

  She grinned at both of them. “Never.”

  We spent the next half hour keeping the conversation light while Jolie finished her breakfast. Over those thirty minutes, I felt myself begin to relax a little bit. My conversation with Detective Baines that morning had left me feeling unsettled, but seeing a little bit of Jolie’s spunk back and the confusion gone helped. I knew my girl was going to recover and that’s all that mattered to me.

  “Damn it!” I snapped.

  I was sitting on the edge of my bed in my room. It was morning and I needed to use the bathroom. Unfortunately, when I reached out for my crutches, I accidentally knocked them over and they slid along the wall to the floor away from me.

  There was still a lot of swelling in my knee and ankle and no matter how tough I was, I knew there was no way I’d be able to put any weight on them.

  Lorenzo stayed with me last night, but it seemed he got up before I did and had gone downstairs already. It was likely he was making breakfast for us since he’d been doting on me since before I even left the hospital.

  Since I had no idea how quickly he’d be back and my bladder felt about ready to burst, I had to improvise. I scooted my body to the edge of the bed and shifted so my right leg was hanging off the bed. Thankfully, the dizziness that I’d felt Monday evening and Tuesday morning started to subside by the late afternoon yesterday. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to even consider what I was about to do.

  As carefully as I could, I put all my weight on my right leg and slowly hopped toward the crutches. Every time I jumped, I thought I was going to wet myself. Once I made it around my nightstand, I put my hands against the wall to steady myself. It was as I was squatting down with my left leg outstretched in front of me that I realized how lucky I was that I did one-legged squats from time to time.

  No sooner did I lower myself to just a few inches above the ground when I heard, “Jolie?”

  I was so startled, I fell to my behind and threw my right arm back to catch my fall. As I did that, my hand hit the nightstand and I cried, “Ouch!”

  “Christ, Jolie,” Lorenzo muttered. “What are you doing?”

  “The IV fluids they gave me have done a number on me. I need to use the bathroom,” I answered, my frustration beginning to take over. I hated this.

  He came around, put his hands under my arms, and lifted me before he bent down and grabbed my crutches. As soon as I had them positioned properly under my arms, I made my way to the bathroom.

  “Thank you,” I murmured when I came back into the room.

  “Why wouldn’t you just call me if you needed help?” he wondered.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t like feeling helpless. And I wasn’t sure you’d hear me anyway.”

  Lorenzo moved closer to me, stopping only when he was close enough to wrap an arm around my waist.

  “Baby, you were hit by a car two days ago,” he reminded me. “You’re hardly helpless. Cut yourself some slack.”

  I didn’t have it in me to argue with him, so I gave him a gentle nod.

  “I made you breakfast,” he shared. “I thought you might want a change of scenery, so I left it downstairs.”

  “Downstairs would be nice,” I answered.

  “Can I help you downstairs or do you need to prove your independence to me?” he teased.

  My shoulders fell. “I’ll be honest,” I began. “In the very short time I’ve been awake, I’ve already worn myself out.”

  Lorenzo took a step back, kept one arm around my back as he put both of my crutches in that hand, while he bent down to put his other arm under my legs. He was careful not to squeeze too tight as he held me against his body and carried me and my crutches down the stairs.

  After getting me settled on the couch, Lorenzo brought me a plate of scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, and fruit. Unfortunately, as much as I could have used a cup of coffee, the doctor had suggested I stay away from the caffeine for as long as possible while I gave my brain the time to heal from what I’d been through. Lorenzo was adamant about sticking to the doctor’s orders because he set a glass of water down on the coffee table.

  “I can’t wait to have a cup of coffee,” I sighed.

  He leaned over and kissed me on the lips. “I know, but I want you to heal. Just a few more days, please?”

  Since he was going out of his way to take care of me and wasn’t allowing me to go through this alone by joining me in the caffeine ban, I gave in.

  We ate for a while in silence before I said, “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “This. Everything. Thank you for being here for me through this. I know I’m getting frustrated easily. You’re being amazing even when I’m irritable.”

  His face softened. “You’ve been through a serious trauma. I don’t know what it feels like to be in your shoes right now, but I can understand your frustration. Even if none of that happened, I’d still be here dealing with your irritability over just about anything. And I’d be doing that because I love you, baby.”

  “I’m so lucky to have you,” I breathed.

  Having finished his food, he set his empty plate on the coffee table. “I love that you feel that way, Jolie, but I’m the lucky one. You know I was living quietly before you came along. I went to work, focused on my job, was there for my friends, supported my brother, and made sure my mom was safe, but that was it. You said it yourself; I was living in solitude. I found comfort in hiding because it was the only real peace I managed to find after everything happened with my father. But then you came along and, no matter how hard I fought giving in to it, you were a miracle in my solitude. You, being the woman you are, brought me a peace I didn’t even know could exist without silence.”

  I swallowed hard, my lips parted, and tears welled in my eyes.

  My voice was rough when I spoke. “You can’t say things like that. I’m not supposed to be working my brain too hard.”

  “Nothing I said should be making your brain work, Jolie. I’ve been silent for a long time and I’m finding, especially after what just happened, I don’t want to be like that anymore. I’m not going to hide anymore, particularly not how much you mean to me.”

  Unable to speak, I held my nearly empty plate out to him. “My head…I think I need to rest,” I murmured.

  Lorenzo took the plate from me and chuckled. “I’ll let you play that card right now, but from now on you need to be prepared. I won’t stop myself f
rom telling you everything I think you deserve to hear.”

  With that, he got up from the couch, handed me my water, and took the plates to the kitchen. I sat there with the glass of water to my lips, trying not to think too much about anything he’d just said because I was certain my brain was working harder than it ever had before in my life.

  When Lorenzo came back in the room, he grabbed the remote and shifted me on the couch so I was settled between his legs, my back to his chest, with my leg elevated on a pillow.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Relaxing with you.”

  “Don’t you need to work?” I wondered.

  I felt his body vibrating with laughter behind me. “Do you think I’m just going to leave you here alone to fend for yourself?”

  “I’m just going to lie around,” I noted. “It’s not like I’m planning to do anything crazy.”

  “Baby, you nearly injured yourself again just trying to get to the bathroom this morning. The boys are working with the WPD to figure out what they can on your hit-and-run case. They’ll contact me if and when they find something. In the meantime, I’m staying here with you for the next few days and taking care of you. Deal with it.”

  “No need to be so bossy,” I shot back.

  “Jolie?”

  “Yes, boss?”

  “Close your eyes and rest.”

  If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I would have gone toe-to-toe with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the stamina.

  Lorenzo turned on the television and I watched for about three minutes before my eyes drifted shut.

  Two days later

  “I’m not, by any means, complaining, but I feel so bad you did this.”

  “You’re family, Jojo,” Ekko announced. “That’s what you do for family. Besides, we knew the kids missed their auntie, so there really was no choice. I think that’s why they cooperated so well today.”

  Dom and Ekko came over and brought Hank and Gracie with them to visit me. They also brought dinner. Lorenzo had been doing a phenomenal job taking care of me, making sure I was getting fed regularly and resting all the time, so I was very grateful to my brother and sister-in-law for giving him a break tonight.

  Over the last couple of days, the swelling in my knee and ankle had gone down considerably. I still had quite a way to go before I could really start any sort of therapy. I knew enough about the body to know I wasn’t ready to start finding the range of motion I had prior to the accident.

  The bruising was still very prominent down the side of my body, but my face had been healing nicely, only a bit of redness remaining from some of the scrapes I’d gotten. The worst of the bruising was on my shoulder, my hip, and my outer thigh.

  Despite all my injuries, now that I’d had a few days of sitting around doing nothing, I had time to reflect on the accident itself. I didn’t know much at this point other than I was a victim of a hit-and-run and that the Windsor Police Department and the Cunningham Security team were working together to locate the suspect. Most important of all, I realized just how lucky I was. I still didn’t remember the accident itself, but I’d been given a full account of what happened. Based on what I’d been told, I knew things could have been much worse for me.

  Lucky for me, I was still alive and well enough to do things like sit on the couch and give kisses to my cuddly niece while she and her family visited me. We’d finished having dinner a little while ago and now I was getting in my cuddle time with her.

  Yes, for the first time in a very long time, I was in the same room as Lorenzo and Gracie and I was holding her. Lorenzo was holding Hank. I had gotten my cuddles with Hank before dinner.

  “Well, I really appreciate it. I’ve been going a bit stir-crazy here. Mom and Dad stopped by on Wednesday, but I wasn’t great company.”

  “How are you feeling?” Ekko asked.

  “Rested, that’s for sure,” I joked. “In all seriousness, I’m doing a bit better now on the sleep front. I don’t take as many naps throughout the day, which is a good sign. It’s just been hard because I’m trying to limit my television time since I know I shouldn’t be watching too much of it. I was a bit bummed since Rocco had a hockey game the other day. Not only could I not stay awake to watch the whole thing, but when I was awake, I didn’t look at the television. I just kept my head in Lorenzo’s lap, closed my eyes, and listened to the game.”

  “It was the most relaxed I’ve ever seen her during a game,” Lorenzo added.

  “I made an appointment for a follow up with my doctor next week, so I’m hoping I’ll be cleared for some activities.”

  Ekko shook her head in frustration. “I’m still just so shocked that someone actually did this to you.”

  “It could have happened to anyone. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  A look of confusion washed over Ekko’s face. As quickly as it was there, it was gone.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “What? Nothing.”

  “Bullshit,” I shot back. I looked between Lorenzo and Dom. “Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?”

  Dom’s jaw clenched as Lorenzo put his free hand on my good ankle to give me a squeeze. “Let’s not worry about it right now,” he urged. “You just need to focus on healing and getting yourself better.”

  I studied him a minute and thought about what I’d just said.

  Wrong place. Wrong time.

  Unless it wasn’t.

  “Did someone do this on purpose? Was I targeted?” I asked, feeling myself grow anxious.

  “You need to stay calm, Jojo,” Dom reminded me.

  “Calm?” I repeated. “Bro, someone purposely hit me with a car. I could have died! How many people do you know that can remain calm when someone tries to kill them?!”

  He had no reply.

  I closed my eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” Ekko lamented.

  I turned my head toward her and opened my eyes. “It’s not your fault,” I replied.

  Slowly shaking my head in disbelief, I looked down at my niece. I ran the backs of my fingers down her soft, chubby cheek. I didn’t even know how to begin processing what I was feeling in that moment and a single tear rolled down my cheek.

  Suddenly, I felt movement at my side. Lorenzo had given Hank back to his Dad and come over to me. He sat down on the edge of the couch next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

  “Nobody is going to touch you, Jolie,” he promised. “Until we find out what’s happening and find whoever is behind this, you aren’t going to be left alone.”

  I leaned into him and whispered, “I have a headache.”

  He put his hand in my hair, kissed the top of my head, and suggested, “Okay, how about you give me Gracie and we get you up to bed?”

  I nodded in response.

  As Lorenzo took my niece from my arms, he spoke, “Hi, Princess. I know you probably want to cuddle, but I’ve got to take care of your aunt right now. Can you be a good girl for your mom and dad so I can do that?”

  God, I loved him.

  Before Lorenzo handed Gracie over to Ekko, she came over and hugged me. “They’ll keep you safe,” she whispered in my ear. “You just have to put your faith in them to do their job while you rest and let yourself heal. Okay?”

  I nodded again. “Thanks, Ekko.”

  Dom walked over to me, lowered his body with Hank in his arms so he was eye level with me, and vowed, “Nothing is going to happen to you. We’re doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this.”

  “I know.”

  Wrapping a hand behind my head, Dom gently tugged me forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Love you, Jojo.”

  “Love you.”

  After he walked them to the door and locked up, Lorenzo came over to me, lifted me in his arms, and carried me upstairs.

  I’d been trying to reclaim my independence over the last few days, refusing to allow him to carry me everywher
e, but tonight was different. Learning what I did tonight coupled with the headache I now had, it just wasn’t in me to prove anything.

  “Do you need the bathroom before I take you to bed?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I need to brush my teeth, too.”

  Lorenzo carefully carried me to the bathroom. Once he set me down, he kept his hands on me to make sure I was steady and asked, “Are you good?”

  “Please don’t leave me,” I pleaded.

  “You’re not feeling good, I’m not leaving you alone. I’ll leave the water on and brush my teeth while you take care of business.”

  Relief swept through me. After I took care of business, washed my hands, and brushed my teeth, Lorenzo took me to my bed.

  I was tucked close to Lorenzo, his hand behind my head as his fingers massaged my scalp and stroked through my strands, and his lips were at my forehead.

  “There isn’t anything I won’t do to protect you, Jolie. I promise you.”

  “I’m scared,” I admitted.

  “I know you are, but I won’t let anything happen to you, baby.”

  I wanted to believe that and I knew that he would do everything he could to see that I was safe. It still did little to help me come to terms with the fact that it was even necessary.

  Why was someone after me?

  “You’ve got to calm yourself,” he said softly.

  “I know. I’m trying.”

  With his hand still putting gentle pressure at my scalp, he maintained, “Relax, Jolie. Your whole body is still wound tight. That’s not good for your head. I need you to heal, baby. To do that, you’ve got to trust me to keep you safe and stop worrying.”

  I didn’t respond because there was nothing for me to say. Everything he said was the truth. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that I was still going to worry.

  “I understand it,” he went on. “I get where you’re coming from, but I really want you to get better. Just try your best to think about good things, like Hank and Gracie, and let me worry about everything else.”

  “Then I’ll be worrying about you.”