by Lauren Runow
“In his garage and without a scratch on it,” he grits through his teeth.
“But, obviously, this has to do with racing. Edward, don’t you see? This is it. If we can prove he was at the race tonight—”
“That’s enough!” Edward demands, making us all jump slightly. “My son is in surgery. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead, and you want to talk about a race? Sit down and keep your mouth shut. All that matters right now is Austin.” He turns back to Gregg and me, both of us stunned to silence.
My mind is spinning faster than the Gravitron at a carnival. So many things are running through my head—from Edward’s words to that look he gave Missy and Austin’s crash. It’s all too much.
Edward reaches for his phone from his coat pocket and steps away from us.
The silence around us is killing me. Missy looks more annoyed than anything as she loudly flips pages of a magazine, shaking her leg and snapping her gum.
Gregg’s been texting on his phone with so many people.
I can’t keep anything straight. All I know is, I’m losing my mind with each second that ticks off the clock, which sounds like a metal drum rather than a silent click, taunting me with every movement.
I inhale a deep breath, trying to calm the queasiness from my stomach and tightness in my chest. Dropping my head back, I fight the tears that come even though I thought I had no more to cry.
A girl’s voice at the nurses’ station startles me, and when I open my eyes, I see Edward arguing with the attendant.
“This is ridiculous. Why haven’t we heard anything yet?”
“Sir, I’m sorry. The doctors will come out as soon as they have an update.”
Another hour goes by before a doctor enters the room and approaches Edward.
After all the awful things I’ve heard Austin say about his father, right now, none of that matters. In this moment, all of their history, their fights, their stubbornness flies out the window. Standing in front of me is a dad who is scared shitless to hear the fate of his middle son.
“Mr. Sexton,” the doctor says, reaching out his hand to him.
“How is he?” Edward chokes out.
“He has some brain swelling, but we were able to stop the bleed. He’s not completely out of the woods, but I suspect he’s going to be just fine.”
Edward covers his mouth and takes a deep breath.
“He’s coming out of surgery now. He’ll be in recovery, and then we’ll move him to a private suite. He’s going to be out of it for a while, so we need to keep things calm around him and not get him too excited. I’ll come get you when he’s ready.”
“Thank you,” Edward says.
“It’s my pleasure,” the doctor replies before turning and leaving us alone again.
When the door closes, Edward continues to stand there for a few beats more. His eyes are like glass as he stares at the door the doctor just left through.
“Let’s go,” he says, not turning to face any of us.
Missy rises, clutching her long trench coat and glaring at me in the process.
I look up at them, confused. “Where are you going?”
“We’re leaving,” he states.
I rise. “What about all that talk about being concerned whether your son is dead or alive? He’s gonna make it. Aren’t you happy?”
Edward stops, angles his head, and looks down at me. He blinks a few times before speaking, “Austin never brought a woman to dinner before. I was surprised until you made your little speech, and it all made sense. You remind me of his mother. I mean that as a compliment.”
I glance at him. I’m sure I look awful, red-faced, with makeup everywhere and tears staining my face. Still, I know my face of worry is better than the face he is making right now. The face of indignation.
“That’s why I’m telling you this only once. This is Austin’s last chance. One more screwup, and I won’t hesitate to take every share away from him and do what I feel like doing with that company. He’d better not do as little as jaywalk, or I will make his life a living hell.” He points a finger toward my face. “You got that?”
Gregg pops up behind me. “She heard you.”
I hold a hand up to Gregg. “It’s okay, Gregg. I got this.” Gregg backs off a little as I step closer to Edward and speak quietly, “I’ll tell him, Mr. Sexton. I’ll let Austin know you were here. I’ll also let him know his father was sick with worry. You’re so busy with trying to take from him that you almost forgot how much he has to give. Maybe, the next time you think about screwing over your son, you should remember how scared you were of losing him.”
Missy places her hands on Edward’s shoulders and guides him forward. “Let’s go home, darling. Our night has been disrupted enough. And you,” she speaks toward me, “fraternizing with your boss is against company policy.”
I smile. “Technically, he’s my boss’s brother.”
Her nostrils flare, and she walks out of the waiting room with Edward in tow.
When they’re gone, I fall back to my seat and feel the relief of having them gone and knowing that Austin is out of surgery. I lay my head on Eva’s lap, close my eyes, and fall asleep.
22
AUSTIN
There’s an interesting thing that happens when you wake up from just having crashed your girlfriend’s brother’s car while driving one hundred miles per hour.
Your head hurts like a motherfucker.
“Ugh,” I groan as I try to lift my head, which feels like it weighs a million pounds. When it hits the pillow, my eyes immediately close. The effort to move my head just wiped me of every ounce of energy in my body.
When I open my eyes again, it’s to the last thing I ever thought I’d open my eyes to—Beckett Smith sitting at my bedside.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask with a parched mouth.
He gives a wary smile. “Jalynn’s sleeping in the waiting room, and no one has the heart to wake her. I thought I’d sneak in here and say thank you.”
I know the nurse in recovery gave me some strong painkillers, but I’m thinking they might have been hallucinogens. “For what?”
“Being a man my sister finds worthy of saving.”
I smile, and it hurts my face a little. “Maybe that explains why I’m here in a hospital and not in county lockup. I vaguely remember Jalynn trying to pull me out.”
Beckett rolls his eyes. “The pip-squeak thought she was gonna get you out alone. Gregg and I barely got your ass out of there.”
“Hey, hey, hey. I’m a hundred ninety pounds of solid muscle,” I correct, and the guy actually laughs. “Did you get in a lot of trouble?”
His brows rise. “Remember that, too, huh? I stayed with the car, and the cops arrested me for street racing. Gregg missed the security camera on the Southside of the warehouse when he was scouting. It recorded part of the race, but don’t worry, it was just enough for them to identify my car and not the driver. Since I stayed there, I’m taking the heat. Imagine how shocked I was when a fancy-pants lawyer came rolling into the station and declared himself my attorney.”
“Gregg called Bryce,” I guess, which makes sense, considering why I’m in this particular hospital. “You’re in good hands. And the car?”
“Totaled.”
“So, I guess you won the race?”
He shrugs in agreement. “I did. Though, to be fair, the tire blew. There was nothing you could do. If you weren’t as good of a driver, who knows what could have happened?”
“All right, now, I’m really starting to think those nurses doubled my dose. Did you just pay me a fucking compliment?”
“You tell anyone, and I’ll kill you,” he says seriously, and I believe him.
My eyes close again, but I try to keep them open. “I guess I have to be nice to you. You have my secret.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, shaking his head. “I ain’t gonna get involved with any of that. The Falcon’s secret is safe with me.”
I look at him through one eye. “Why? Yesterday, you were ready to seek revenge and race me to the death.”
“Let’s just say, seeing Jalynn try to pull you out of that car let me know that you mean far more to her than I ever thought. Just be good to her, okay? She’s special. She won’t let you know when she’s having a bad day—or a good one for that matter. Jalynn’s the type to always mirror her actions based on what yours are. You have to watch out for that.”
I smile, knowing that I’ve uncovered some of her little secrets. From times as simple as treating her to lunch when she was having a bad day to giving her the adrenaline rush she needed to holding her while she shared stories of her past and trying to give her brother the prideful victory he needed. There’s still so much more I want to uncover about Jalynn, and I’m confident I’ll get to know her better than she knows herself.
“Is this part of the if you hurt her, I’ll throw you over the Bay Bridge speech?” I ask.
He nods. “Absolutely.”
“Then, I should also take the time to say thanks to you.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“Saving my life. You’re a real hero, man.”
Beckett bows his head. He knows what he did tonight was more than just putting me in a getaway car. I stay silent, staring at his dark head as he looks down at the linoleum floor.
I give him the space he needs to work through whatever it is he has going on through his mind. Then, my eyes grow heavy, and I fall back to sleep.
“Back from Tahoe so soon?” I say when I open my eyes again to see Bryce standing next to the chair where Beckett was sitting in what feels like only a minute ago. “Please tell me you got some before you came rushing back here.”
“You wake up from brain surgery, and that’s the first thing out of your mouth?” Bryce asks.
I try to laugh but end up coughing instead, which causes me to close my eyes and roll my head back at the splitting pain that radiates through my skull.
“That’s what you get for talking shit about my sex life,” he says. “Good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
“Still as charming as ever.” I smile
Bryce drops his head to his chest and pushes his hands deep into his pockets.
“You had me worried there.” Bryce sighs, looking up to the ceiling.
“I know you can’t live without me but no need to cry, big bro.”
Bryce chuckles to himself while shaking his head. “No, I can’t.”
This is now two for two conversations I didn’t think I’d have. Maybe I should crash my car more often.
Bryce takes a seat and pulls the chair close to the bed. He’s dressed in slacks and a button-down, more uptight than when he left for Tahoe. His eyes look red with worry and lack of sleep, which has me wondering if he’s upset for more than my accident.
He runs his hands through his hair and then leans his elbows on the bed. “You have to stop scaring the shit out of me. I’ve had to come see you in the hospital two too many times now.”
I purse my lips at the realization. “I guess I have given you my fair share of scares. Though, in my defense, the first one was a bomb. I had nothing to do with that shit.”
“No more daredevil shit, you hear me? Tanner and I need a brother.” He pauses. “That reminds me.” He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a book. “Tanner asked me to give you this.”
I glance at the worn copy of Pride & Prejudice and remember the last conversation I had with him. He thought I needed a lesson on romance. Turns out, he was right.
“Looks like someone’s been reading this?” I say, eyeing up the creases on the spine.
“It was Mom’s.”
I questioningly turn to him. “You are just like her, willing to read everything and anything.”
His eyes crinkle at the compliment. “Tanner has me reading The Great Gatsby. When he moves back home he’ll have to cool it with the life lessons through literature.”
“He can’t get here soon enough, right?”
“It will be great to have both my brothers working along side me.” If I weren’t staring I’d miss the look of pride that forms on his face. “He can’t get a flight out of New York tomorrow.”
“Tell him to stay home. I’m fine. He graduates soon enough and will be home full-time. He needs to enjoy his final months before the real world kicks in.”
“Yeah, I don’t have to worry about him joining the military and leaving us like you did.”
“But you do have to worry about him painting peace murals on the sides of buildings.”
Bryce runs his hand down his face. “Missy’s going to eat him alive.”
“He’s a good guy. He knows whose side to be on.”
“He was so young when Mom died. I don’t even know if he remembers her anymore.”
“Tanner knows us. He knows we’re brothers and that tops everything.”
“Sexton brothers. The war with Missy isn’t over, so stop getting yourself hurt, okay?”
He tries to give me a stern look and I laugh to myself. “Fine, Dad. I’ll play safely from now on.”
“Jalynn needs you, too.”
I take a deep breath. The last time I spoke to my brother, he was screaming at me because of Jalynn. “She says I need to stop being so hard on you.”
He laughs to himself. “Funny. She says the same thing to me about you. What the hell does she see in you?”
I smirk. “Have you seen this face? I could be the next James Bond.”
“Not with the black eyes you’re sporting. You’d make a better Rocky.”
“Nice,” I drawl. “When we get out of here, we’re telling everyone I got into a bar brawl. You have to use the typical punch line—”
“You should see the other guy,” he finishes my joke. “We’ll work on your alibi. I’m thinking you should take a few weeks off and recuperate.”
“And not go into the office? Bryce, you’ve been riding my ass for eighteen months about not working hard enough, and now, you’re kicking me out?”
“About that.” He raises a dark brow. “I’ve been looking over your financials and productivity reports, and”—he pauses, as if the sentence he is about to say is the most painful thing ever—“you’re doing a really great job.”
“Wow. A compliment from the great and powerful Bryce Sexton? I never thought I’d see the day.” I’m grinning despite the splitting headache that is forming in between my eyes.
My head might be killing me, but Bryce’s heart looks like it’s aching worse. I know he’s worried about me, but for a guy who went to Tahoe for a romantic getaway, he doesn’t look like he’s riding on a blissful high.
“So, um, in all seriousness … are you gonna tell me about the girl?” I ask tentatively.
His chest rises as he shakes his head.
“Didn’t go so well?” I assume.
His brows crease into a deep V as he looks at the white sheets of my bed and stares off into space. “I fucked it up.”
Bryce and I never talk about relationships. He had one long-term girlfriend in college, and since they broke up, I’ve only known him to be with a few assistants, although I always assumed there were other women. I just happened to enjoy harping on the assistants. But to have him take someone away with him the way he did and now sit here like he fears he lost her, this is … new.
“Do you love her?”
He quickly looks up at my question. He doesn’t answer, but from his sudden jerk, I know it’s a yes.
“Run to her, bro. If there’s a girl out there who is worthy of making you want to change your life for the good, then go to her. Get her back. Stand outside her door for days until she answers. Fall to your knees and beg for forgiveness. Life’s too short to let love pass you by. Don’t let your fears hold you back from having it all. That’s not what Mom would have wanted for you.”
He opens his mouth, as if to say something and then closes it. “It’s complicated.”
“So is running a billion-dollar business.”
He laughs and then sits back in the chair as my eyes start to grow heavy again. Damn, I can’t seem to stay awake longer than ten minutes at a time.
“You mind if I sit here with you for a while?” he asks.
“Of course. Just make sure, when I open my eyes again, it’s to a hot female. Preferably of the hazel-eyed, peach-smelling variety.”
23
JALYNN
I slept for three hours and woke up in a panic. Eva was quick to pat my back and tell me Austin was okay. He was moved to a private room, and his brother just left. When I berated her for letting me sleep, she assured me that I looked like a madwoman in need of a nap, and everyone, including Gregg, who was sitting next to us, agreed.
“Have you seen him?” I ask Gregg.
“No. I passed out, too. Do you mind if I go in with you?”
“Not at all.”
We rise, and Eva stands, too, opening a package of makeup-removing wipes from her purse and fixing the makeup that is smeared all over my eyes. I pull my hair up in a scrunchie and follow Gregg through the hallways. When we get to Austin’s room, 423A, I see the patient sign on the door. It’s for A. Powers.
Austin Powers. Clever.
We enter the room, and my knees buckle at the sight of him. The white bandage covering most of his face and head takes away my breath and makes my stomach flip upside down. I walk up to the bed and lean over him.
“I’m here, baby,” I whisper. “I won’t leave your side.” I rest my head on his arm, closing my eyes, wishing I could say the words dying to come out, but my mind and brain aren’t communicating properly.
Gregg stands at the end of the bed, staring at his friend, his expression completely blank. We sit in silence, praying for Austin to move, talk, anything.
Time seems to stand still with the only sound around us being the beep of his machine.
That damn beep.
I keep imagining it changing, speeding up or slowing down. If it flatlined, I might just die right along with it. My nerves are completely shot, and I’m having trouble with just breathing.