“Enough.” Gavin raked a hand through his hair. He knew how his cousin, Miser—Nilan was his actual name—tended to take care of things. It usually resulted in missing appendages. Damn how he hated all that shit.
They came up to a door at the end of the hall. Gavin braced a hand on Mike’s shoulder, stalling his hand on the knob.
“Faith had a friend at the hospital named Diego who looked after her. Where was he when Miser was mastering his interrogation skills?”
“He’d stepped away, I guess.”
“And Danny? Where was he?”
“He’d gone to the cafeteria to grab a sandwich before it closed for the night,” Mike said low, and started that weight shifting from one foot to the other.
On the one hand, Gavin was pleased that they’d obtained the necessary information about Dale from Faith. On the other, if Miser had so easily gained uninterrupted, direct access to Faith, Dale could have done the same to Sienna. That unnerved him. The reservations he’d had about using his father’s men to look after her were now gone.
“Did that dude, Kevin, ever leave my lady’s side?”
“Only when the hospital staff came to check on her. Even then, it was less than five minutes or so, and I made sure to be there when he wasn’t. I let him know when I needed to take a leak. Trust me, Mr. Crane, your lady was well-protected. There was always one of us there at all times.”
Satisfied, Gavin beckoned a hand at the door, and Mike opened it. Seated behind the metal framed desk was the man that started it all, Dale Carter. To his left, Miser stood with a shoulder braced against the paint-chipped wall, his attention centered on his cell phone. The man’s casual bearing contradicted just how lethal he could be.
When they were kids, Gavin had nicknamed him Heat-miser because of his flaming red hair, that no matter how he tried to tame, always stuck straight up. Back then, it made him look amusing. Now it personified the man’s ruthlessness. To Dale’s right was a man that Gavin didn’t recognize, who looked just as unfazed. The fact that the man didn’t bat an eye said he didn’t miss much.
Gavin brought his attention back to Dale. Two empty Five Guys burger wrappers were on the table in front of him as he sucked from the straw of a 7-Eleven Big Gulp. He looked as though he was merely hanging out with his buddies, not realizing that the man to his right would love nothing more than to use him to practice his surgical skills.
Snapping back to the here and now, Gavin stuck his hands in his front pockets to project a relaxed vibe. “Good, they fed you as I instructed.” He received an unflappable look up and down.
“Who the hell are you supposed to be, and what do you want with me?” Dale angled a thumb over at Miser. “He said they ain’t cops, that someone needed to speak to me about a job that will pay off big. I’m guessing that’ll be you. I don’t know you, so what the hell you think I can do?”
Feeding the man and seeing to his comfort gave him a false sense of bravery. It was precisely how Gavin wanted him to feel. It put them on an even playing field. He’d also instructed the men not to lay a single finger on the fool.
“Well,” Dale said, showing his impatience by checking his watch.
“No, we’re not cops.” Gavin stepped forward and dragged the desk away that separated them. Miser came out of his relaxed pose and towed it the rest of the way out of the room. The other guy followed. Edwin remained standing behind Gavin, his back against the wall.
Gavin moved in a bit closer. “It was my lady that you beat, shot, and left for dead.”
Awareness registered in Dale’s bloodshot eyes for a moment, then his stare flattened as he came to his feet. “So that’s what this is about? Not some job for me to get paid? Your lady, huh? Which one of those bitches are we talking about?”
Gavin smiled, a tight smile. “Bravado.” He nodded. “I like that.”
“Am I supposed to be scared of you?” Dale’s mocking laughter echoed up through the missing ceiling tiles. “Dude, I dealt with wannabe badasses like you in lock up.” He gave Gavin a hard once-over and took a threatening step forward, lips curled upward. “Look at you in your designer get-up and pretty-boy haircut.” A rough chuckle. “You got your boys there at your back.”
Gavin grinned, not allowing his composed expression to falter. “If you think they’re here to help me kick your ass, you’d be sadly mistaken. Their only job was to locate you.”
“So it’s like that?” He smiled, a wide display of dingy teeth.
“It’s precisely like that,” Gavin returned. Without warning, Dale came at him with no finesse, attempting a sucker punch. Dodging the bitch-move, taking steps to the left and right, Gavin caught him in the jaw once, twice, a third time, and followed with an upward jab to his chin, knocking him on his ass. His rage unleashed now, he grabbed Dale tightly by the throat, squeezing as he dragged him up until he stood braced against the wall. “You like to beat up on defenseless women.” Blood oozed from Dale’s nose and the split of his lip, dripping down onto Gavin’s wrist. “Motherfucker, I’m going to show you what it felt like for them.”
“They gave as good as they got,” Dale strained out around his narrowing windpipe. He spat out a mouthful of blood, that Gavin managed to dodge with a quick head tilt, his shoulder catching the brunt of it. “Especially that black bitch.” Dale laughed, a foul, grating laugh.
Gavin’s surprise knee to the groin and several jabs to the midsection had the man doubling over, gasping for breath. With a sharp gag, Dale upchucked his dinner and Big Gulp.
“Give me a gun.” It had been said to no one in particular. In a flash, four revolvers appeared before Gavin. He grabbed Mike’s Glock by the barrel and struck Dale in the face twice with the butt of the gun, sending him to his knees. Blood spewed from the gashes above his left eye and across his temple as he lay unconscious in the puddle of his dinner.
“Night that motherfucker, bro.”
Gavin’s head swung over to Edwin, censuring the boy’s tongue with a laser-sharp glare as he handed off the gun to Mike. With clear understanding, Edwin shrunk back and offered up a wad of napkins. As Gavin wiped the blood from his hands and from his shirt, he said, “Drop his punk-ass off a block from the nearest hospital.”
“That’s not how this works. I got it from here,” Miser said without even a hint of interest in his tone, completely disconnected. “Your pop gave me instructions.”
“I don’t give a shit what he gave you.” Gavin now shot his cousin a dagger-sharp look. Miser opened his mouth to argue, then smartly snapped it shut. Though he despised the piece of shit sprawled out at his feet, he wasn’t about to have parts of the man incinerated . . . alive or whatever morbid creativity Miser chose to conjure up. “The hospital, Miser, understand? He’s wanted by the cops, and likely a number of people would be thrilled to get their hands on his ass. He’ll keep his mouth shut about this, believe that.”
“Mr. Crane, your father does business with that detective out of Baltimore,” Mike put in. “I can contact Mr. Kavanagh for an alternative if you want.”
Gavin nodded.
Mike fished out his phone from his back pocket. After a short conversation, he ended the call. “It’ll be taken care of. I was told to tell you it’ll mean that you now have an additional assignment added.”
Gavin flinched, though it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Everything with his father came at a price.
Giving a look down at Dale, he spoke directly to Mike, “Get him out of here.”
“It’ll get done. I got it, Mr. Crane.”
“He’s a Kavanagh now.” Edwin grinned, throwing out right and left air jabs. “Gav, you beat the shit out of that dude. That was epic, bro.”
“Shut the fuck up before I perform a repeat on your ass,” Gavin snarled and headed for the door.
“Hey, Pop wanted me to find out when to expect you at the house?” Edwin called out.
“When I’m standing in front of him is when he’ll see me,” Gavin answered on his stroll down the hall.
Chapter Thirteen
Sienna woke in a darkened room, the window shades blocking all light and shadow. If not for the digital clock on the nightstand illuminating, in vibrant red, 5:41 p.m., she’d have been unable to see her hand in front of her.
Lethargy crept into the depths of her fuzzy mind, slowly dragging her back under. She’d slept nearly three hours and felt she could sleep another three. Damn pills. She fought against it—too many memories of seeing her mom comatose after taking whatever it was she’d managed to bum off one of her shithead boyfriends.
“Gavin?” When he didn’t stroll in, she tried again, and listened for footsteps. Nothing.
With her bladder about to burst, she sat up slowly—achy, groggy—and turned on the table lamp. The wheelchair was parked across the room by the door . . . too far away to be bothered with. Taking a tight inhale of breath, with a hand pressed firmly at her side, she left the bed, and trekked the short distance to the bathroom. As she relieved herself, she wondered if Gavin had returned with the food and left again. Her stomach growled on cue, calling attention to its hollowness.
Hearing her cell phone ringing on the nightstand, she finished up, washed her hands, and then as fast as her body would allow, made her way back to the bed. The ringing stopped. Bailey’s name showed on the display. She scooped up the phone and crawled across the bed atop the covers. The effort of it exhausted all her strength. With her right cheek pressed into the cool, soft puff of the comforter, eyelids heavy, she tapped the number. A couple of rings in, the line picked up.
“Hey, Sie. I hope I didn’t wake you. I wanted to see how you were getting along.”
“You didn’t wake me.” It came out muffled and raspy. “I’m good.”
“You don’t sound good. Where are you? Where’s Gavin?”
Sienna eased onto her back with much effort. “I’m in bed, well, partially in bed.”
“Partially? What do you mean partially in bed? Where’s Gavin?”
“He left to get food.”
“Left to get food? When did he leave?”
“About three hours ago.”
“Three hours!”
“Bails, you sound like an echo. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
“The man lives in Georgetown. There are restaurants and eateries on practically every block. It shouldn’t take three hours to pick up a meal. Most of the places deliver anyway. There was no need for him to leave you alone. I shouldn’t have encouraged you to stay with him. I see now it was a mistake. Sienna, we’re coming to get you. Lucas?” she yelled.
“Bailey, calm down.” The girl had leaped to DEFCON 5 in a hot second. “Don’t bother Lucas. I’m fine. Gavin has been great, really. I’m going to rest before he gets back.”
“Are you sure? Because I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Silence. “Really, Bails, all is fine here.” Why worry her best friend? Besides, Sienna had yet to meet a man that didn’t disappoint her eventually. That said, she hadn’t expected Gavin would be at her beck and call.
“I’m going to rest. You’re pregnant and should try to do the same.”
A long sigh. “Fine, but I’ll be checking on you.”
“All right. Talk to you later.” Sienna disconnected. She dropped the phone on the bed, dragged the comforter over her, and closed her eyes.
Thinking of the text message Gavin had received earlier, it seemed to trigger something. His eyes had glazed over in a way she had never seen before, toughening his handsome features into a grim mask.
Kinda scary.
Chapter Fourteen
Gavin entered his apartment and rushed into the kitchen. The damn restaurant had taken forever with his order. Calling ahead evidently didn’t make much of a difference.
He set the bag on the counter and washed his hands, then quickly prepared a bed tray with the soup and breadsticks. Pulling a glass from the cupboard, he filled it with ice and poured a can of ginger ale while giving a look at his watch. Shit. Sienna should’ve taken her meds over an hour ago. He shook two pills from the bottle into his palm. With the tray in hand, he headed to the bedroom.
The lamp on, Sienna lay asleep horizontally across the bed, the comforter tangled between her legs. Gavin took in her gorgeous body, long and lean, admiring every tantalizing curve, remembering the feel of her satiny smooth skin, the way her breasts filled his palms as he’d bathed her. Her nipples strained against the scant fabric that exposed her flat belly. Her satin panties draped low on her hips.
He gave himself a mental kick in the ass. Here he was conjuring up the many ways he’d like to explore her body when the woman was in pain and needed his care. Get a damn grip why don’t you.
Setting the tray on the ottoman over by the fireplace, he moved back to the bed, and ran the tips of his fingers along the arch of her right foot to her pink polished toes, tugging lightly. “Sie-Sie, sweetness?”
Her eyes slowly rolled open, then closed as a measured breath breached her lips. “You’re back.”
“I had to make a stop. It took longer than I’d expected.” No reply. “I see you sleep pretty rough.”
Her eyes fluttered open and met his. “I went to the bathroom. When I climbed back in, this was as far as I could manage. I chose not to move.”
Gavin’s stomach tightened. She’d needed him, and he wasn’t here. It wouldn’t happen again.
Carefully, he helped situate her beneath the covers, and propped pillows behind her against the headboard, then brought the tray over, settling the short leg stands across her thighs.
“Smells good.” She brought a spoonful of soup to her mouth. Her brow lifted, and she smiled. “Yum. It’s really good.”
“It’s minestrone from Filomena’s.” He pushed the pills on the tray forward. “You need to take these.”
Her hand shot out and gripped his right hand, studying his inflamed knuckles, then her eyes flashed to his, locking on like magnets. “Where exactly was this stop you had to make?”
Gavin eased his hand free. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“No, you’re going to stand there and talk to me.” Her inflexible tone left no room for argument. “Where did you go?”
His lips pursed to tell her the truth, that he’d beaten the living shit out of Dale for hurting her, but with the Amazonian warrior air she was sending off, she might get up out of bed and kick his ass, despite her injuries. “I met up with my brother, Edwin.” Not a complete lie.
“What did he do to deserve a beat-down?”
“He doesn’t know when to shut his mouth.” That much was absolutely true. Gavin turned to leave.
“We’re not done talking.”
Turning back, he met her hard, steady stare. If any other woman had spoken to him with that level of sharpness, she would have found herself standing outside of his apartment. But this was Sienna Keller. The throaty rumble of her voice was like an intimate stroke across his senses, easily rousing his pinned-up yearning for her. Add to it his adrenaline that was running on overdrive from the ass-kicking he’d given Dale. He needed to come down from the unexpected rush that it all provoked. Since sex with her was out of the question, a hot shower to cleanse, followed by a cold blast to stabilize, should do the trick.
“I’m going to take a shower, then—” She started to speak, likely to object, no doubt, but he took her hand and pressed her palm to the light scruff on his cheek. “I will return, and we can talk.” To his surprise, her fingertips tenderly scratched his jaw, her gaze softening. Slowly, he leaned in, and her eyelids fluttered shut as he came within a whisper of her lips, but he veered off, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek. He drew back from the irresistible temptation, and her eyes flew open. “I won’t be long.”
“That’s what you said earlier.”
Ignoring the pucker of those smooth, pouty lips, giving her soup a stir, he took in a spoonful. “This soup’s the bomb.” Smiling, he left the room.
Gavin wasted no time climbin
g into the shower. He slumped under the ceiling spout, head down, letting the water douse his frame. The high pressure pounded away the tension in his neck and shoulders.
They were going to talk. The entire drive home, he’d worked out in his mind how he’d explain everything—his family, and where he fit within it. If he told her the truth, would she accept him or would she run? She wouldn’t be the first.
He avoided building something solid with a woman. At some point, he’d have to tell her who he really was. Or she’d somehow discover it and end up putting heels to the pavement.
It would be easier to explain that he had leprosy, than to discuss his family. But he wanted long-term with Sienna. Damn, how he wanted that. She’d become his obsession from the moment they’d met. She was beautiful, smart, strong, and knew what she wanted out of life. Most of all, she didn’t take his shit, and she spoke her mind. Very few women challenged him the way she did.
He looked at his reddened knuckles. He’s a Kavanagh now.
As he shampooed his hair and soaped his body, Edwin’s words grated his conscience. What he’d done to Dale was in retribution for Sienna, but he’d enjoyed it, every damn minute of it. That bothered him.
The ring of his cell laying atop his jeans on the floor broke into his thoughts. He poked his head out of the spray and saw that it was Lucas. He’d leave a message. The ringing stopped for a long moment, then started up again. Shutting off the water, he grabbed the towel from the hook, then stepped out, and picked up the phone, answering, “What’s doing?”
“Where are you?”
Gavin rubbed the towel over his head before wrapping it around his waist, then crossed the hall into his bedroom. “What do you mean, where am I? I was in the shower. And why are you whispering?”
“Then I’ll ask, where were you?”
Roughness scraped up the guy’s tone. “Who are you, my A.A. sponsor?”
“I’ve spent the past four hours trying to convince my wife that her best friend is in good hands. Bailey called to check on Sienna and was told you were out getting food. You can throw a stone in any direction and hit an eatery. I would’ve called or texted you, but Bailey was worried and wouldn’t leave my side. She kept trying to convince me that we needed to remove Sienna from your care. So, where did you really go?”
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