by Grant, Livia
“She needs IV fluids. Pain meds. A catheter. Access to specialists.”
“We can buy or hire anything or anyone we need to in order to care for her. I’d like you to join the team, but we can find someone else if you aren’t up for the task,” Jaxson pressed.
“I didn’t say that. I’m on duty.”
“Dr. Patel will clear you to leave. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, and how do you know that?”
“Because he’s the one who suggested you. Get her ready for transport. The ambulance will be here within thirty minutes. Also, make a list of all the medical supplies we should have delivered and waiting for us when we get there.”
* * *
Shane needed to plug his phone in. He’d been on calls non-stop since they’d arrived at the Cartwright-Davidson’s house two hours before, and he still had a half dozen more calls to make.
He looked across the massive living space and took in the small army Jaxson had assembled in just a few hours. Security guards talked with official police investigators. Doctors and nurses conferred on the best care they could provide their patient. Nalani’s friends and co-workers made up a third grouping in the corner, looking grim. Along the wall, the mammoth flat-screen TV had three different channels displayed, keeping tabs on the media coverage as the world woke up on their Monday morning to find out Shane Covington had ended his Oscar’s celebration by carrying an unconscious and bleeding woman into the ER, soaking wet and bloody himself.
And in the middle of the room, out of place, the trio’s adorable six-month-old twins gurgled and cooed good-naturedly in their infant swings, unaware of the tragedy that had happened the night before.
Beyond them, the sun was up and shining as if the dark horror of the night before had been just a bad dream. The throbbing in his right eye and fist were the constant reminders the nightmare was real.
“She’s awake and asking for you.”
Shane’s heart lurched. He should be relieved to have Nalani safe and awake, but the truth was, he felt ready to jump out of his skin. He’d never felt as out of control, so furious at his core. He knew with a certainty, no matter how things shook out between Nalani and him, his life would be forever changed.
The worst was the crushing guilt. The day he’d met her, he’d seen the way Ainsworth had treated her. Why hadn’t he done more to intervene? Why hadn’t he been checking with her to make sure the asshole hadn’t bothered her again? Why hadn’t he insisted she go to the Oscars with him?
Why?
He had no answers.
“Did you hear what said?” Chase had braved approaching him.
“Sorry, man. I zoned out.”
“I get that. I said she needs you.”
Shane doubted that.
“The sexual assault nurse, Sarah, is back there with her.”
“So? She wants you.”
“I doubt that. I fucked this up.”
Chase’s chuckle was out of place in the serious atmosphere. Shane glanced up to see Jaxson’s husband smiling kindly.
“I knew you were gonna blame yourself, which is total bullshit, by the way.”
Shane already felt like shit. He didn’t need someone else trying to make him feel worse.
“Sorry, man, but I don’t think you know enough about this to butt your nose in someone else’s business.”
“You’re standing in my living room. You dragged my husband out in the middle of the night and have him mixed up in the middle of a felony investigation. Nalani is our employee and friend. If not my business, whose?”
The answer annoyed Shane.
“Listen, I’ve got some calls to make.” He went back to searching for a number in his contact list, but Chase wasn’t deterred.
“That can wait. She needs you.”
Forced to face his own reticence, Shane was brutally honest.
“I can’t go in yet. I don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“Boo-fucking-hoo. This isn’t about you. You don’t need to say anything. Just hold her while she cries. Tell her you love her while you let her fall asleep in your arms.”
Chase made it sound so easy, but he’d already tried to tell Nalani how he felt while still at the hospital, and it had come out as an awkward confession of how desperately he’d let her down.
“I need to call my publicist back. And my mom left me a text after getting calls from friends while on the cruise. And…”
“Those calls can wait. She’s only gonna be awake for a bit before the drugs knock her out again.”
Shane wanted to tell Chase to mind his own business, but truthfully, he knew what he was saying was the truth. Maybe he should be truthful himself.
“I don’t know why she wants to see me. It’s all my fault this happened. I knew Ainsworth had bothered her weeks ago. I should have done more then. I should have been following up with her. I should have…”
“Stop! You sound exactly like Miguel. And Madison. And Elijah. Everyone is so damn sure this is all their fault. Well, that’s bullshit. There is only one person to blame—Henry Ainsworth. The police issued an arrest warrant for him. They’re going to find him and put him behind bars where he belongs. He’s the only one who deserves blame.”
Shane accepted the words with his brain, but in his heart, he just couldn’t shake the fury and guilt.
“I’m not good company for her right now. I need to get my head on straight before I—”
Chase stepped into Shane’s personal space. Despite being several inches shorter, the normally jovial guy had no problem schooling him.
“Get your ass back there. Now. I know you’re scared. I can only imagine how I would be feeling if that was my Emma lying back there. Every damn thing you’re thinking and feeling is legit, but it’s irrelevant. Nalani needs you, so get your head out of your ass and go to her.”
People didn’t talk to Shane like that. He wanted to get angry and storm out but was man enough to know Cartwright-Davidson had just done him a huge favor.
That didn’t mean he liked it.
“Fine. Here. My phone is gonna die. Find a charger.”
The men’s eyes met. Shane didn’t apologize, his nod as he handed off his phone was his only admission of appreciation.
The hallway back to the guest bedroom-turned-recovery room was littered with security guards and a medical equipment rental company employee rolling a wheelchair in from the direction of the back entrance along with a portable oxygen machine.
He had to hand it to Jaxson. Within two hours of making the call, he’d arranged to have the equivalent of a state-of-the-art hospital room setup in their guest room. The club owner spared no expense to make sure Nalani was not only safe but would receive around-the-clock medical care.
He paused outside the door, trying to push down his anger and guilt, knowing those emotions were useless to Nalani right now. She needed his love, his understanding.
Only he didn’t understand a damn thing about this. Why the fuck had a man like Henry Ainsworth—powerful and rich—risked everything to hurt an innocent woman?
Unable to stall any longer, Shane opened the door, realizing too late he should have knocked. He stood frozen in the doorway, unable to take his gaze off the broken body of the woman he loved. He’d touched every inch of her, but if he didn’t know with certainty it was Nalani in the bed, he wouldn’t have recognized her.
Bile rose as his stomach rolled at the sight of the dozens of open cuts peppered across her breasts, stomach, and upper thighs. The nurse, Sarah, was talking softly to Nalani as she applied medicated cream to the wounds. Nalani’s whimpers of pain tore at his heart and finally got him moving.
She flinched as she heard him approaching.
“It’s just me, kitten.”
“Shane. No. I don’t want you to see me like this.” Her voice was hoarse—that it had gotten that way by screaming out for help broke his heart.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m not here to see you. I’m here to hold you.”
She accepted his answer as he leaned over, nuzzling in against her neck now visible since they’d taken the neck brace off. Unable to lift her arms without hurting her ribs, Nalani grasped his T-shirt.
“This one is especially deep. I regret not having the doctor stitch it at the hospital. I’d like to stitch it now.”
When she didn’t answer, Shane pulled out of their embrace enough to look down at her swollen and bruised face. The tears streaming down the outside of her eyes broke his heart. He reached to gently cup her cheek, barely brushing for fear of hurting her worse.
“What do you say, kitten? You can squeeze my hand while she stitches you.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He was grateful when she closed the slits of her eyes. He didn’t want her to see his own anguish as he watched her suffering through the necessary medical attention.
He had no feeling left in his hand by the time Sarah announced she was finished, and Nalani released the death grip she’d had on it. The nurse pulled the oversized hospital gown down to cover her patient before lifting the light sheet over Nalani.
“I’m going to go see if the oxygen tanks have arrived yet. I’ll let you two have a few moments alone.”
It was absurd that he was nervous. He couldn’t even fathom what Nalani had gone through. So, he took Chase’s advice.
Shane toed off his shoes and gently lay down next to Nalani, careful to avoid pulling her IV out. He knew she couldn’t roll into his arms with her cracked ribs, so he put his arm over her torso, trying to avoid the worst of her wounds.
He had been so wound up that only after he had his head on the pillow next to her, his lips close to her right ear, he realized how exhausted he was. None of them had got any sleep the night before.
“You’re safe now. You should try to get some rest. It will help you heal faster.”
Shane thought she might have already nodded off when she didn’t answer him for several long minutes.
Her quiet “I’m so sorry” pissed him off.
“What in the world do you have to be sorry for?”
“All of this. You were supposed to be having fun after the Oscars, not taking me to the hospital. I feel so guilty, making everyone do all of this because of me.”
An ugly bark of laughter escaped before he could stop it. He felt Nalani tense up again under his arm and was quick to explain.
“Nalani, I laughed because before I came in here, I was spouting to Chase about how guilty I felt. And I’ve heard Madison and Jaxson saying they feel guilty. The bullshit thing is Chase is right. No one is to blame—no one else should feel guilty—except Henry Ainsworth. So, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll stop saying how guilty I am if you do too.”
He felt her relax under his arm. Although he would never say it out loud, he knew without a doubt, he was going to carry the guilt with him for a long time to come.
Finally, their exhaustion got the best of both of them as they fell into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 22
The pancakes were getting cold.
Nolan had suspected Piper would drag her feet in the bathroom, anxious to hide from him. He’d purposefully made several phone calls to put his ‘Win Piper Over’ plan into action before starting to make breakfast. Still, the food was ready and waiting for her… just like he was.
Unable to resist, he popped a slice of bacon in his mouth just as Piper emerged from the direction of his master suite. Even wearing an old pair of his sweats and a faded T-shirt from his college days, she was breathtaking—not a drop of makeup, her long, dark hair hanging loosely around her face, still damp from her shower.
She’d never been more beautiful to Nolan, right up until the moment she spoke.
“I can’t stay. My phone’s dead. I need to use yours to call a car.”
Stay calm.
He’d expected this. Nolan turned his back to her, hiding his disappointment as he started the microwave.
“You can stay long enough to eat. Then if you still want to go, I’ll drive you home.”
“You don’t need to bother. I have people—”
He turned, cutting her off, “I know you have people, Piper. So do I.”
“Good for you. Then you know you don’t need to drive me.”
She’d remained standing at the entrance to the open kitchen, most likely afraid to come too far, fearing he’d try to convince her to stay.
She wasn’t wrong.
The microwave behind him dinged. He turned his back to her again to grab the plate of fluffy pancakes, turning back to put the platter on the eat-in counter that stretched out like a dividing line between them.
He took a deep breath and moved forward with his risky plan.
Pinning her with a domineering glare, Nolan commanded, “Sit. Eat.”
Her eyes widened at his demand, but he took it as a positive sign when she didn’t bolt from the room or cuss him out. Lightening his tone, he took his own seat on his side of the counter and invited her again with a wave of his hand.
“Be a sport. I made the whole pound of bacon. My scale will appreciate you eating some of this food.”
She took her time answering. “Maybe I don’t eat meat.”
“I watched you polish off a half dozen hot wings at one of the parties last night. Nice try.”
“Fine. Maybe I don’t eat pork,” she countered, faster this time.
So, Miss Kole wanted to test him already, did she? He’d known they had a lot of tug-o-wars ahead of them.
Let the games begin.
“Piper.” Nolan crossed his arms across his chest, pinning her with one of his most intimidating glares. “I suggest you sit that beautiful ass of yours down on the stool in the next ten seconds. If I have to help you sit, I can assure you, your ass will be sore as hell while you eat.”
Her eyes widened at his promise, but she hadn’t run out yet, so once again, he softened, trying to ease her into their new dynamic.
“Come on, you need to eat. I have food. I have hot coffee. There are two pain-killers there next to your plate and a tall glass of water to help fend off dehydration.” He paused to enjoy watching her scan the spread in front of her. “I mean it. If you still want to leave by the time we finish eating, you can go.”
Her eyes snapped back up to meet his gaze.
“Oh, I’ll want to go, alright.”
Not if I made the right phone calls while you were in the shower, you won’t.
He resisted celebrating when round one of their breakfast game of tug-o-war went his way as Piper dumped the shopping bag he’d stuffed her things into the night before onto the floor and reluctantly took a seat across from him. He watched as she snapped up the pills and downed them and half the water. He worked hard not to gloat.
When she failed to load her plate with any of the food, he stabbed a few pancakes and flopped them onto her empty plate before lathering a layer of butter on top.
“You like syrup?”
“Duh. Who eats pancakes without syrup?”
She was trying to goad him into an argument. They had a lot of serious things ahead of them. Fighting over condiments wasn’t one of them. He let it go.
After loading several slices of bacon on her plate, Nolan went back to eating his own food.
“Do you need me to feed you?” he taunted when she sat frozen,
He had to hide his smile when his question got her to pick up her utensils and start eating. They ate in amicable silence for a few minutes. He’d expected fireworks, so the quiet stretched out between them awkwardly.
“I can’t believe you stuffed a half-million dollars in diamonds in a zip-lock bag,” she accused.
He finished taking a sip of coffee before answering.
“Would you rather I’d have let you lose them last night? One of your earrings fell off in the limo when you were… indisposed.”
“Indisposed?”
“You know… puking… vomiting…”
“Okay. Okay. You don’t need to rat
tle off like a thesaurus again.”
“You sure? I’m really good at it.”
“Really? What other words would you use for asshole?”
“Oh, that’s a complicated one. On the one hand, I’d say fucker, shithead, or prick. Maybe even bastard or jackass. But more intimately, I’d say anus, bud, pucker...”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake…”
“Let me use it in a sentence for you. ‘I can’t wait until I get to fuck Piper’s asshole.’”
“You’re certifiable, you know that?”
She may be complaining, but Nolan didn’t miss the corners of her lips twitching as she worked to squelch her smile.
“Hello? Everybody decent?” The shout came from the entrance near the garage.
Nolan kept his eyes on Piper as she looked around frantically. She resembled a kid who just got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar, trying to turn invisible before someone found her in his kitchen. As soon as Wendy came into view, he didn’t miss the hardening of Piper’s gaze as she watched his too-chipper personal assistant dump her armload of parcels on the counter near the platter of food.
Piper swung her glare back at him. “Looks like you forgot to tell your girlfriend you were having a sleepover.”
He didn’t have to defend himself. Wendy did a fine job of filling Piper in on her own with her peel of laughter.
“Fat chance of me ever being his girlfriend.”
The smile on Piper’s face grew victorious.
“Oh, so it seems we may have a quorum for a Nolan ex club.”
He couldn’t resist. “There might be a few I’d put on that list, but neither of you would make the cut.”
“Oh, and why’s that?”
“For one, Wendy bats for the other team if you get my drift. And more importantly…” He paused, leaning forward to pin her with a dominant glare. “We are far from over, Piper Kole.”
He had Piper off base.
“For the other team?”
“Yeah, you know… a rug muncher… a dyke… butch…”
“I’ve told you a million times,” Wendy cut him off. “Those are really offensive, you know? It’s a good thing I like this job.” Wendy reached into a bag and came out with a green smoothie, placing it in front of Piper. “I’ve worked for this jerk for three years now. I’ve explained to him I’m a lipstick lesbian a dozen times. If you get tired of this thing you have going with him and want to give a different kind of relationship a try, give me a call. I’ll leave my card.”