“Found Cody, Hunter and Alyssa at the Donovan place. She’s been whipped to shit. Hunter and Cody’ve been beaten all to hell. Place was full of hookers, drugs and some other fucked up shit. We’re gonna find who did this on our own,” I inform him in a rougher growl than I usually have.
“I’m with you,” Jordan says immediately. Devlin starts to argue and Jordan hits him with a fierce gaze that backs him off. “Anyone call Joyce yet?”
I’m assuming that’s Hunter’s mom. I sure as shit haven’t called her because I’ve never met the woman.
“Been tryin’ her. She’s not pickin’ up,” Devlin grunts with a hint of annoyance.
“Typical,” Jordan scoffs.
We quickly get our stories straight and then head into the ER waiting room. Jenna and Emily are sitting together holding hands whispering to each other. As soon as I enter the room, my woman jumps to her feet and launches herself into my arms.
I crush her tiny frame as her body shakes with emotion. She’s not crying which makes this only on the edge of bearable. I drop into the closest chair and gather Emily onto my lap. We just sit with each other not uttering a word.
Devlin has Jenna in his lap, muttering things in her ear as tears stream down her face. Jordan greets Clyde and Arlene when they come in. I shoot the old man a look to convey what’s happening and he tips his chin in understanding.
I can’t sit here much longer. I need to do something. I want to get back to the Donovan place to find the piece of shit that caused this.
“I love you,” Emily finally whispers into my ear after about an hour with no updates. “You make them pay.”
I look down into her face and see a mask of determination covering her stunning features.
“You know what that means?” I ask, wanting her to be certain she can handle what’s about to happen.
“You. Make. Them. Pay,” she dictates before pressing a hard kiss to my lips.
Fuck, I love this woman.
“Family of the James children?” a nurse asks the room.
“Yeah,” I grunt.
No one can get a hold of their mother. Someone needs to step in.
“The doctor would like to speak to you and your wife alone,” the nurse says.
I push away the heat growing in my gut at Emily being referred to as my wife. This is not the time to find warmth.
My woman hops out of my lap and I follow, Jordan offering me a proud nod as we trail behind the nurse. She leads us to a curtained off area where Alyssa’s small body is on her stomach with her back being stitched and bandaged.
Rage encapsulates me as the doctor working on the girl begins to speak.
“I’m Doctor Crane. Hunter’s been taken to surgery for an exploratory laparotomy to investigate the source of internal bleeding in his abdomen. We’re doing everything we can. Alyssa’s injuries are mainly here on her back. There’s no evidence of sexual assault,” he says clinically as he cuts the end of a suture. “The sheriff’s department and county social services are on the way. What I want to know is if this is Joyce’s doing?” he asks, finally making eye contact with me.
The middle-aged man looks as possessed with fury as I am. His light blue eyes are flickering and his lips are set in a thin, hard line.
“I don’t know who did this,” I answer honestly.
“Are you their family?”
“No. I’m Cody’s brother.”
“I’ll take you to see him next. We can talk as we walk.”
“Garrett,” Emily’s strained voice calls out.
I look down into her sad golden green eyes and see her struggle. She doesn’t want to leave Alyssa, but she desperately wants to get to Cody.
“Can you have Jordan Monroe brought back here?” I ask the nurse.
She nods her agreement before striding from the room. I wrap a tight arm around Emily’s shoulders as we leave Alyssa and head toward my brother.
“Cody sustained multiple facial fractures that will require surgery. They aren’t life-threatening injuries and we’ll need to bring in a maxillofacial specialist because we don’t have one on staff. Most of his ribs are fractured and one of his lungs was collapsed. I expect him to make a full recovery, but he’ll need to stay in the hospital for a while for observation,” Dr. Crane finishes, pulling back the curtain to reveal my broken baby brother.
“He has a concussion. The good news is his skull is intact. There’s no brain swelling, but he hasn’t regained consciousness,” the doctor explains as Emily drags a chair to the bedside and cradles Cody’s battered hand. The doctor checks a few things and then leaves us alone.
I can’t move. The blood whooshing past my ears has rendered me deaf to anything other than the wrath begging me to act. He’s swollen and bruised over every surface of his skin. He’ll never look the same. The innocent good looks are gone now. He’s been stolen. A beating like this will scar his soul worse than what was done to his body.
I want to hold him, to ease his pain. I want to rip the person that did this limb from limb. I want to…
“Garrett!” Emily shouts.
I come back to myself and look to her furious, worried face before Cody wheezes “Garrett,” and I move.
I’m practically on top of him instantly, leaning close to his face and pulling his oxygen away from his mouth a little.
“I’m right here, Cody. I’m right here,” I assure him.
He can’t open his eyes, but he forces his free hand up to my forearm.
“Are they dead?” he asks dejectedly.
“Hunter and Alyssa are here in the hospital. Nobody’s dyin’,” I growl.
“I couldn’t…” he trails off in a whimper.
“Don’t talk anymore, bud. I’ve got you. I’ll fix it now. Don’t worry.”
“Em,” he says with longing.
She climbs to her feet, wiping tears from her face.
“I’m right here, sweetheart,” she says softly, gently rubbing his buzzed head.
All of the tension seeps from his body as a few tears leak from his puffy eyes.
I can’t fucking do this. I’m not equipped for it. I don’t know how to comfort him. I want to though. I need to.
“You’re safe now,” I whisper and he squeezes my arm he’s clinging to.
Then his grip loosens as he falls asleep again. I move his hand to his side before rounding the bed to get to Emily. I wrap her in my arms and hug her as tightly as I can without hurting her.
“I’ve gotta go deal with this, Sugar. Are you okay on your own here?” I mumble into her hair.
“I’m gonna have them put the kids next to each other so we can be close to all of them. I can manage this. I’m so mad right now; it’ll do me good to have all of them to watch over. You need to find Hunter’s mom. I can’t believe she’s not here for this,” she huffs, turning her angry eyes up at me.
“Devlin’s crew can find her. I need to get who did this before the sheriff gets too involved. Do your best to hold them off questioning the kids. I need to know you’re okay with this, Emily. This means me doin’ shit I told you I was done with. Things someone like you shouldn’t be involved with.”
“Do you think the sheriff’s department will find who did this if you don’t?”
“Probably not. Money allows shit like this to go away,” I snarl, thinking that will happen over my dead body.
“That’s what I thought. I’m fine, Garrett. What they did to Cody…to Alyssa…” she pauses before continuing. “I’m not a vengeful person. I’m forgiving at the core of who I am. But what they did is unforgivable. The person or people that did this are evil, soulless cowards that deserve to hurt. You make them pay. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
“I love you, Sugar,” I growl before taking her mouth in a rough, possessive kiss.
I let her catch her breath as I press my lips to her forehead. Then I pat her ass and leave the area to find Jordan. He’s leaning against the far wall, looking out the window with his back to Alyssa when I g
et to him.
“Let’s do this,” I grunt.
He lifts his chin at me before stalking to Alyssa, kissing her head softly. We walk together in silence back to the waiting room. Everyone climbs to their feet as we enter.
“Hunter’s in surgery. No word on how he’s doin’. Emily’s in with Cody so someone needs to sit with Alyssa. Make sure they get rooms next to each other once they’re outta the ER. Somethin’ goes wrong with Hunter…” I trail off because I don’t know what to say about that possibility.
“We’ve got this,” Clyde assures me with a clap on the back.
I leave the room with a chin lift. I have to get out of here. I’m quickly losing it.
“Mister Sharp,” the sheriff calls out as I exit the building.
Fuck me.
“Sheriff,” I grunt.
Jordan and Devlin walk out of the hospital as Sheriff Belcher shakes my hand. I’m beyond thankful for Jordan as he passes me a cigarette. If I could smoke twenty at once right now, I would. Devlin lights up along with us as we wait for the sheriff to start with his questions.
“I understand you’re the one that found the James siblings and Cody Matthews,” he starts, flipping open his notepad.
“I did. I went lookin’ for my brother when he didn’t come home and wasn’t answering his phone,” I say as calmly as I can, blowing a steady stream of smoke from my nose as I finish.
“Your brother being Cody Matthews?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your current guardianship status with him?”
“Social services granted me temporary guardianship this week.”
“Where did you find the car crashed?”
He’s not looking at me as he writes. I’ve barely said anything and he’s creating a manuscript. The sheriff is coming up on retirement age with bright white hair and leathered skin. I think he’s a good cop, but you never can be too careful where law enforcement is concerned.
“I found them crashed in a ditch on highway one twenty-nine,” I lie seamlessly.
“And you decided not to call the authorities?”
“I knew Caleb could get to us faster. My main concern was getting the kids to the hospital.”
He grunts as he writes but doesn’t respond.
“Where was Cody last night?”
“He was supposed to be spending the night with Hunter.”
“All right. That’s all I need from you right now. You’ll need to make a full statement soon, but I’ll let you get back to your brother,” he says, finally looking up at me with harsh pale blue eyes.
“I know their injuries weren’t from a car crash, Sheriff. Any idea what happened to them?” I lay it on thick with a pained face and dramatic exhale of smoke.
“Not at this time. I’ll let you know when we have any leads,” he says blankly.
That was a lie if I’ve ever heard one.
He shakes my hand and moves around us into the hospital.
“Let’s talk in my car,” I growl.
The three of us climb in and each light up another cigarette.
“I’ve got that Donovan punk and a few other suspicious people at my clubhouse. We needed to get ’em off scene before the sheriff showed. You two meet me there and we’ll get this shit movin’,” Devlin directs.
“Why don’t you ride with me and I’ll fill you in on what happened? Then you can explain to me the deal with Joyce bein’ MIA,” I say to Jordan.
He nods and we send Devlin to his bike before following him to the Mayhem clubhouse. The closer we get and the more I learn as we drive the more certain I am that this day will resurrect the Garrett Sharp of my past. Only this time he’ll be smarter. He’ll be more vicious. He’ll be more calculating. And he’ll be more deadly.
“I’m gonna head down to the cafeteria. Can I bring you some dinner?” Arlene asks, poking her head in Cody’s room.
“Maybe a salad. I don’t have much of an appetite,” I answer honestly.
She gives me a sad smile before walking away.
Cody’s woken up a few times since he was brought up to his room. I demanded Alyssa and he be put next to each other. I’m not the most forceful person in the world, but I made my point and Alyssa is right next door with Jenna at her side.
Clyde and Arlene are going back and forth between us and spending some time down the hall in the waiting area.
I’m petrified for Hunter. A nurse came in an hour ago to tell me they found the source of his internal bleeding. There’s been damage to his spleen and his liver. They thought they had it stopped, but while he was in the recovery room something happened and he was taken back into surgery.
His mother still isn’t here. I’m becoming worried something happened to her along with her children. I haven’t asked Cody any questions. When he’s awake, I simply try to reassure him and tell him how much I love him. He doesn’t need to be bombarded. I let the sheriff and his deputies know the same thing.
Sheriff Belcher keeps asking me where Garrett is. I’m not sure what to tell him. So I’ve answered honestly every time saying I don’t know, but I think he’s looking for Joyce. That’s the most I’ve told him and I don’t plan on changing my answer.
I gave Garrett carte blanche to avenge his brother. That’s not something I expected from myself. But the moment I laid eyes on Cody, I knew someone had hurt him badly. This wasn’t a car crash. I didn’t need to see Alyssa and Hunter to confirm my feelings, but when I did, I was certain what I wanted.
Vengeance.
Someone associated with the Donovan family did this. The Donovans have the money that Adam’s family does. I know people with money like that don’t find the consequences for their actions. I’m not stupid enough to trust the justice system with something like this.
My father told me once when I was young that some bad guys get extra punishment in life. He was the person who handed out that punishment when necessary. I’m tempted to call my father now. My father carried out the government’s punishments and I don’t think he’d be willing to commit murder as a civilian. I can’t be sure about that though. If Garrett doesn’t find who did this, I will call my father. I won’t rest until the animals that hurt these kids pay for what they did.
“Hunter’s still in surgery,” Cody’s nurse, Karen, announces striding in the room.
She’s a middle-aged woman with a kind face and a warm heart. The type of person I’m happy to see caring for Cody.
“Will you let me know when I can see him?” I croak, praying he pulls through.
My throat is raw from crying and holding back the screams that I desperately need to let loose.
“Of course. How’s our man doin’?” she asks as she changes his IV bag.
“He hasn’t woken up again.”
“It’ll take some time. The rest is good for him,” she assures me sweetly. “Visiting hours are almost over, but I talked to the attending on duty and he agreed you all can stay with the kids tonight. We’ve got some extra cots down in pediatrics that I’ll have brought up so you don’t have to sleep in that chair.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, holding back another round of tears.
Karen squeezes my shoulder before exiting the room. I rest my head on the edge of the bed and spill a few tears in silence. I hate this. I hate this helpless feeling. This is worse than what I went through with my mom.
She was the parent, the fighter. I was the support and the child. I’m the adult this time. I’m not the parent, but I’ve been responsible for Cody for the last week. I feel guilty that I didn’t keep him safe. That I didn’t check on that party before he went. That I didn’t do something more to protect this boy who’s already endured enough in life.
“Emily,” Clyde’s gruff voice tries to soothe me.
I sit up and wipe my face with my free hand. I haven’t let go of Cody since I sat in this chair hours ago. I don’t plan on it until my bladder demands I relieve myself.
Clyde slips into the chair across the bed from me, taki
ng off his John Deere hat to give his baldhead a rub. His honey-colored eyes are a combination of anger and grief.
“Arlene and Beverly are gonna run your shop until Cody’s back on his feet. You stay here with your boy as much as you need to, honey.”
“Okay,” I agree because I have no argument with that plan.
“Sheriff givin’ you trouble about Garrett?” he grumbles.
“A little. I don’t have any answers for him so he can keep asking and I’ll keep telling him I don’t know anything. I don’t.”
“You’re a good woman, Emily Garner.”
“And you’re a good man, Clyde Lester.”
He snorts at that as he picks up Cody’s battered hand. His knuckles are stripped of their flesh from him fighting. I can only imagine how he ended up this way. I’ve actually tried to stop imagining it. I want to know as much as I don’t.
“Em?” Jenna calls from the doorway.
“Yeah?”
“Alyssa’s awake and cryin’ for her brother. I don’t know what to do,” she says in a pained voice.
“I’ll go over,” Clyde says, climbing to his feet.
Jenna trades spots with him and he kisses each of us on the head before he exits. I would like to go to Alyssa, but she doesn’t know me. She knows Clyde and Arlene a little from what they’ve told me. I wish her mother were here for her. Where is that woman?
“I fuckin’ hate this,” Jenna says quietly, cradling Cody’s hand much like I am. “I hope Caleb rips these people limb from limb. How could anyone do this to a bunch of kids?”
“I don’t know,” I huff.
“If Sheriff Belcher tries to talk to Alyssa one more time, I’m gonna end up in jail for assaulting an officer. She’s barely awake and when she is, she’s cryin’. I know the man has a job to do, but fuck me, let the girl recover a bit.”
“We can be cellmates,” I joke.
We both smile at that, but it doesn’t feel good. It hurts.
“You two in prison would cause a riot,” Cody wheezes.
“You bet your ass it would,” Jenna spouts confidently. “How’re you feelin’, kid?”
“Like shit,” he says through a grimace. “You’re both smashin’ my hands.”
Mugs of Love Page 24
