Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1)
Page 37
Cooper pushed a chair toward Ingrid, and she sat down beside Beth’s bed.
Gabrielle sat in the other visitor chair. “Wow, you look awful, Beth,” she said.
Beth chuckled, then whimpered in pain. “Hurts... to... laugh,” she said, gasping each word.
“Then don’t laugh,” Gabrielle said, unable to refrain from smiling.
“I can’t... help it. Everyone... keeps... telling me... how terrible... I look.”
“You always look beautiful, honey,” Ingrid said, brushing Beth’s hair back. “Even now.”
A young woman arrived with Beth’s dinner tray.
Ingrid surveyed the dinner plate. “Chicken broth, mashed potatoes, and Jello. Looks like you’re on a soft food diet.”
Ingrid jumped to her feet and arranged the tray for Beth. “Here, honey, let me help you,” Ingrid said to her daughter. “Let’s raise up your bed a bit so you don’t choke. I’ll feed you.”
Shane watched Ingrid Jamison go into full mother mode with Beth, and he smiled. Having Ingrid here was just what Beth needed.
As Ingrid offered Beth a spoonful of broth, Shane glanced at his sister who was sitting on the window sill with her knees drawn up. “Why don’t you go grab some dinner? I’ll be here.”
Lia hopped down from the window sill. “Text me when they’re gone,” she mouthed to Shane. “I can only take so much family time.”
Tyler glanced at his mother and Gabrielle, who were busy helping Beth manage her dinner. Then he caught Shane’s gaze and cocked his head toward the hallway, motioning for Shane to join him.
“I’ll be right outside in the hallway, sweetheart,” Shane said to Beth. Then he followed Tyler into the hall.
“Does Beth know you want to move her into your house in Kenilworth?” Tyler said.
“No,” Shane said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell her. I will once things quiet down a bit.”
Tyler shook his head. “No. I want her to come live with me for the time being,” Tyler said. “At least until the issue of Kline has been resolved. The last place she needs to be is under your roof. She needs to be with her family.”
Shane stood with his arms crossed. He’d been expecting this. “She’s not a child, Tyler. She can make up her own mind.”
“Not under these circumstances, she can’t,” Tyler said. “She’s been traumatized, and she’s overwhelmed. Her mother and I will make this decision. She’ll be fine in my condo. I live in a secured building. She’ll be safe there.”
“Like I said, Tyler, she can make up her own mind.”
“We’ll see about that. But what about tonight?” Tyler said. “How late are you staying?”
“I’m staying here all night,” Shane said. “I’m not leaving her. I’ll spend the night with her, here in her room. A few of my people will be staying overnight, too. We’ve got it covered.”
Tyler frowned. “Jake told me Kline bought a gun.”
“He did,” Shane said. “And this morning he bought ammo at a local gun shop. We’re monitoring his PC and phone 24/7. There’s not much Kline can do that we don’t know about. Don’t worry. We won’t let him get anywhere near her.”
Ingrid and Gabrielle left at 8 pm, when the nurse popped in to remind everyone that visiting hours had officially ended. Tyler hung around for a little while longer, reluctant to leave Beth. There’d been such a stream of people in and out all afternoon and evening that he hadn’t had a chance to be alone with her.
“I’d like to be alone with my sister for a while,” Tyler said to Shane.
Shane nodded. “We’ll go get some coffee,” he said, referring to himself and Lia, who was back up on her window sill perch.
Tyler had been taking care of Beth one way or another for her entire life. That wasn’t about to change just because Shane was in the picture now. He knew it had to be hard for Tyler to adjust to having another man claiming rights where Beth was concerned. Besides, Shane wanted his own private time with Beth, and he knew that wouldn’t happen until Tyler finally left for the evening. And Tyler wouldn’t leave until he’d tried his best to talk her into staying with him.
Lia followed Shane out of the room.
“I’ll stay here,” Cooper said, outside Beth’s door. “You two, go get some coffee.”
“Forget coffee,” Lia said, as she and Shane headed to the elevator. “Is there a bar nearby?”
“I could sure use a drink,” Shane said, punching the button to summon the elevator. “It’s been one hell of a day.”
They took the elevator down to the basement, where the cafeteria was located. But the cafeteria was closed for the night, so they each grabbed a cup of coffee, and Shane got a sandwich from a self-serve vending machine. They found a table and sat.
Shane watched Lia dump half a cup of sugar into her coffee and shook his head in dismay.
“Beth broke up with me yesterday morning,” Shane told Lia.
Her eyes shot up at him. “What? Why?”
“Gabrielle told her that Tyler had hired us. She was... hurt,” he said. “She felt betrayed. I was trying to give her some space, waiting for an opportunity to talk to her – to work things out with her – when the attack happened this morning.”
“Oh, God. Poor Beth.”
Shane grimaced. “Yeah, she’s had one hell of a week, and it’s only Tuesday.”
“What are you going to do now? About Beth, I mean.”
“I’m going to talk to her as soon as Tyler leaves,” Shane said. “We did talk a little bit earlier today, but she was in no shape to discuss our relationship. Honestly, she still isn’t, but I can’t put it off any longer.”
“So, you hadn’t told her you were the hired help?” Lia surmised, smirking at her brother.
“Gabrielle beat me to it. Beth was devastated, to say the least.”
“Well, you can’t blame her, can you?” Lia said.
“No,” Shane said. “I can’t. I admitted to her that I’d fucked up, but she was hurt. Really hurt. She has trust issues to begin with, and this didn’t help. But I’m not giving up on her. I love Beth. I’m not going to lose her.”
“Well, if this evening was any indication, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She couldn’t keep her eyes off you. She doesn’t want to lose you any more than you want to lose her. It’ll work out.”
“I certainly hope you’re right,” Shane said.
“Let’s just hope her brother doesn’t fuck things up for you.”
Chapter 41
Tyler closed the door to Beth’s room and dropped into one of the empty visitor chairs. Like everyone else had done that day, he took hold of her good hand, taking care not to touch her battered knuckles. He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I love you, Beth,” Tyler said, his eyes pained as he studied her face. He reached out with his index finger, just barely skimming the surface of her face, taking care not to put any pressure on the multitude of bruises. “When I got the call that you’d been hurt, I swear my heart stopped in my chest.”
Beth’s eyes started watering. “I love you, too, ” she said, attempting a small smile. It hurt.
She was exhausted. Every bone in her body ached, her face was a minefield of pain, and every muscle in her body had turned to mush. More than anything, she just wanted to sleep, but she knew she and Tyler needed to talk. Surely he knew about her relationship with Shane by now.
She tried to sit up. “Tyler, I – ”
“No, lie down,” he said, reaching out to gently ease her back down. “It’s okay. I know about you and Shane.” A muscle flexed in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. He swallowed hard, his eyes glittering like diamonds.
She knew he was upset, but he was holding it in. For her sake.
“He told me he loves you,” Tyler said, watching Beth’s face for her reaction.
A small smile made the corners of her mouth curve up. Shane said that to Tyler? Well, that made it official. “I love him, too,” she said, h
eaving a deep sigh. It felt good to say that aloud.
“You don’t sound very excited about it,” Tyler said.
“I am excited. But it’s just so new,” she said, her fingers nervously playing with her blanket. “And so unexpected. I never thought I could feel like this with someone. I never thought that someone could feel this way about me.” Her eyes teared up. “Tyler, he knows everything about me. He knows how I am, and he still wants me. He’s so patient, and he’s so considerate. He’s never made me feel that I’m less than what I should be.”
Tyler chuckled, his voice harsh. “Shane McIntyre is a lot of things – arrogant, controlling – but he isn’t stupid. He knows a good thing when he sees one and you, kiddo, are a good thing.” Tyler squeezed her hand. “How did you meet him?”
Beth grinned. “At Clancy’s, a couple of weeks ago. He was there on a Friday evening. We spoke, and then he asked me to join him in the cafe.”
“You couldn’t have known who he was.”
She shook her head. “No. I thought it was just a random meeting. That he was... you know, picking me up.” She felt her face flush.
Tyler shook his head, clearly displeased. “He deceived you, Beth. He knew exactly who you were.”
“I know,” she said. “We’ve... talked.”
“How did you find out?”
“Gabrielle told me yesterday morning. I spent most of last weekend with him. When I told her I was falling in love with him, she – well, she told me everything. She thought I should know the truth.”
“I’m sorry, Beth,” Tyler said, squeezing her hand.
“It was... difficult. I realized he’d lied to me the entire time we’d known each other. That was hard to take.”
Tyler sighed. “I’ve known Shane for a long time, Beth. I may not always see eye-to-eye with him, but I’ll admit he’s an honorable man. He didn’t set out to deceive you. He was ethically bound to silence, because of our... business arrangement. And to be honest, he wanted to tell you everything from the beginning. I wouldn’t let him.”
Beth nodded. “I just wished he’d told me himself, before I heard it from Gabrielle.”
Her gaze sharpened as she eyed her brother. “Shane’s not the only one who kept things from me,” she said, unable to completely mask her resentment. “You kept Howard Kline’s parole from me. That was wrong. And you told Gabrielle, but not me! I had a right to know.”
Tyler frowned. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want you to worry.”
Beth shook her head. “You can’t keep information like that from me, Tyler. It’s my life.”
“You’d been through so much already. I wanted to protect you from all that.” Tyler’s expression turned serious. “Shane’s going to ask you to stay with him until we get Kline back behind bars. I think that would be a mistake. I want you to come live with me, at least until it’s safe for you to be on your own again.”
Beth gave her brother a melancholy smile. “Don’t you think that should be my decision?”
There was a quick rap on Beth’s door, and then Shane walked in. He was alone – there was no sign of Lia. Beth was sure Lia had better things to do than hang around her hospital room all evening.
Tyler stood as Shane approached. The two men stood, practically glaring at each other across the foot of Beth’s hospital bed.
“Were you listening?” Tyler said.
“Yes,” Shane said unabashedly. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Anything that concerns Beth concerns me.”
Tyler scowled at him. “You presume a lot, Shane,” he said. “I think it’s in Beth’s best interest for her to come stay with me, and I’m sure our mother would agree.”
“That’s Beth’s decision to make, not yours. She’s an adult, Tyler.”
“Guys,” Beth said, raising a placating hand as she glanced from one to the other. The two men in her life were eyeing each other like junkyard dogs, each one waiting for the other to make a wrong move. She couldn’t help grinning.
Beth reached for Shane with her good hand. He smiled at her, relaxing his stance, and pulled one of the chairs around to his side of the bed and took a seat. He cupped her hand in his, then kissed the back of it.
“Everything okay?” Shane said, looking from Beth to Tyler and back.
“All good,” she said, smiling at him.
Shane looked up expectantly at Tyler, who stood glowering over them both. “It’s late, Tyler,” he said. “She needs to rest.”
Shane knew this had to be hard for Tyler. Tyler was used to being the only man in Beth’s life. Now he had to share that role, and Shane knew that couldn’t be an easy adjustment.
“You’re staying the night?” Tyler said, confirming what Shane had already told him.
“I’ll be here all night. So will Cooper, Lia, and Miguel. She won’t be alone, ever.”
Tyler nodded. He leaned down and kissed Beth on the top of her head. “I’ll be back in the morning, kiddo,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”
“I will.” Beth looked at the two men flanking her. They were so different from each other, and yet they were so much alike. She loved them both, and the fact that she had both of them in her life filled her with a degree of contentment she’d never known. “Tyler?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
The evening shift nurse stopped in Beth’s room and took her vitals. Then she helped Beth walk to the restroom to take care of business. Beth’s ribs burned, making standing very difficult, let alone walking. With the nurse’s help, Beth used the facilities and brushed her teeth and hair before shuffling back to her bed.
“Don’t get out of you bed during the night without help,” the nurse told her. “Don’t even stand up without help. You could easily fall.”
The nurse looked at Shane. “Are you staying the night?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Don’t let her get out of bed by herself.”
When they were alone, Shane dialed the lights in the room down to a low, twilight setting. He didn’t want Beth to wake up in the dark and panic. A movement in the partially open doorway caught his attention. It was Jake, standing there with his hands on his hips, looking like business.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Beth. “I need to have a quick word with Jake out in the hall.”
Shane stepped out into the hallway. “What is it?”
Jake frowned. “Well, it’s not good news,” he said. Jake quietly closed the door to Beth’s room. “Kline’s been looking at bus routes that service Hyde Park, specifically the Kingston campus.”
“Fuck.”
“Yep. That’s what I said.” Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “He has a gun, ammo, and now he’s planning transportation to her workplace. He’s going for her.”
Shane nodded. “Good.”
“Excuse me?” Jake said, raising a cynical brow.
“I want him to go after her. That’ll give me the justification I need to take him out.”
“Shane, I know you want to put an end to this guy. We all do,” Jake said. “but you’ve got to be careful.”
Shane nodded. “I’m not going to let this asshole hang like a bad cloud over Beth’s head for the rest of her life. I just have to figure out how to do it without putting Beth at risk and without breaking any laws.”
Shane walked back into Beth’s room, closing the door behind him, and took a seat beside her bed. “We need to talk, sweetheart,” he said, taking her hand.
“Hmm?” she said, turning to face him, blinking her tired eyes.
“You look like you’re about to pass out. Never mind. It can wait until morning. You need sleep.”
As if on cue, Beth yawned, and they both chuckled. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “I’m so tired.”
Shane lowered the head of the bed to a suitable sleeping position. “Go to sleep,” he said, stroking her hair.
“You’ll stay with me?” she said.
He smiled at her. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
Smiling, she closed her eyes again, letting her muscles and bones relax for the first time that day. “Shane?”
“Yes?”
“I regretted walking out on you,” she said. “When I realized what I’d done, I was miserable, but I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“It was my fault, Beth. All of it. I should have told you the truth sooner.” He kissed the back of her hand. “And I was beyond miserable; I was devastated, terrified I’d lost you.”
She made a sleepy sound. “Never,” she said, her voice drowsy. “Can we start over?”
“I would love that.” Shane stood and leaned over her, his mouth hovering over hers, just short of touching her. “I would give anything to be able to kiss you right now,” he whispered against her lips.
His warm breath on her lips made her shiver. “Do it,” she whispered. “Kiss me.”
“I can’t,” he said. “Not until your lips are healed.”
“Do it,” she whispered against his lips. “Please.”
He made a sound, part frustration and part resignation, then he touched his lips to hers, just barely making contact.
Beth sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” he said, smiling as he sank back into his chair. He sat there without moving, watching her fall asleep.
Lia came up behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want the cot?” she said quietly, indicating the narrow bed the nurse had rolled in for them.
“No, you take it. I’ll sleep here, in the chair.”
* * *
Beth’s scream rent the air in the dead of night, wrenching everyone in the immediate vicinity fully awake.