by D. A. Young
Holt looked at Cruz and sneered, “Seriously?! Wasp injection knives? Where’s your craftsmanship and dedication to what we do? I know a toddler who could have done that in her sleep!”
“I told you I have a “situation” later. And look, not a spot on me!” he boasted proudly. “I must say those skills are quite impressive. The blade cut through them smooth as silk! What kind of blade it that?”
“Son, please! Nobody knows steel like us Swedes,” Holt stated arrogantly, holding the bloody ax up to the ceiling lights. “This particular ax I designed to skin large game. I can dress and quarter an animal in five minutes flat with it. It’s sharp enough to remove the hide from an animal, even a frozen one.” He bent down and used the suited jacket of one of the dead men to wipe the blade clean before sheathing the weapon on his back. “Nineteen-inch hickory handle, under two pounds, I designed the blade to be able to chop through bones as tough as the pelvis and ribs.”
“You know, you really do look like Thor when you hold the ax up?” Cruz observed with amusement, turning to look at the skinny, trembling young man that they’d flown halfway across the world for. “What do you think, Magnus? Can you see the resemblance?”
Scared shitless after witnessing the swift and gruesome deaths of his assigned bodyguards and the sight of their body parts now scattered all over the place, Magnus couldn’t speak.
“He looks like he’s going to be ill,” Holt guessed grabbing the young man by the arm and leading him to the couch, kicking a head out of the way to get there. He plopped him down and shoved his frizzy head between his legs, ordering, “Breathe, Magnus.”
Cruz walked over and opened the travel-size bottle of Scotch he’d swiped from the bar and spoke contemptuously, “Bah! So, he has no fear of breaking into Scotland Yard but crumbles like a cookie over a few body parts. Stop being a baby and drink this! We need to get out of here. Madre de Dios! Will we need to feed and burp him and then change his diaper too?”
Holt laughed uproariously as Magnus grabbed the bottle and downed its contents, gasping as the fiery liquid hit the back of his throat. He glowered at them, bristling with indignation. “When Kat finds out how you treated me, you’ll be sorry! You know she and I go way back? We’ve been pen pals since we were five years old. I’m practically the Romankovs’ son-in-law!”
Holt told himself not to be jealous of this boastful man-child that he could crush with just one of his massive hands, but he couldn’t resist taunting Magnus. “Well, you’ll be glad to know she’s upgraded. Get your ass in gear and grab your shit. You’ve got some serious explainin’ to do.”
Holt watched him scramble for his things, and Cruz leaned over to whisper, “Surely, “The Woodsman” is not threatened by an acne-ridden youth???”
Gnashing his teeth, Holt didn’t bother answering as he watched Magnus with dagger- filled eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Casey watched from outside of the private hospital room as Sidra sat in the chair next to Dominick’s bed. She’d barely left his bedside since he was admitted yesterday and was barely speaking to him. Casey could still remember the shock at her words that didn’t register until after he’d hit Dominick two more times. Sidra had thrown herself over the unconscious man, and he cringed thinking about how he’d come so close to hitting her.
Footsteps echoed at the end of the hall, and he turned to see Jack, Ian, and Darby heading his way. Their grim expressions jolted a fresh wave of shame that flowed hotly through him. He straightened from the glass partition wordlessly and entered the empty room across from Dominick’s to wait. Ian entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. His honorary father’s expression was one of severe disappointment as he stared at him, and Casey felt the heat creeping up his neck.
“I’m sorry, Ian,” he mumbled, lowering his eyes. “I don’t know what came over me. I saw them together, and their clothes were disheveled. They appeared to be in a very compromising position. I lost my head, even though Sidra tried to reassure me it wasn’t what it seemed.”
“I’m told she explained to you that he was her brother? And yet you didn’t stop?” Ian inquired coldly as he observed Casey’s less than stellar appearance. His hair was unkempt and his dress shirt and suit pants were wrinkled. Dark shadows lay under his bloodshot eyes. The younger man obviously hadn’t slept since the incident occurred a day ago.
“She did explain that to me.” Casey’s jaw clenched when he remembered the horrified expression on Sidra’s face when Dominick remained motionless.
Dominick’s personal security team was hired by Darby, and they’d drawn their weapons while they called it in to Darby. Sidra wept over him, only moving when the guards insisted they had to check him while they waited for paramedics.
Casey attempted to talk to Sidra, his hands reaching out for her, but she flinched away. “Baby, let’s go over here and let them do their job-”
“Don’t touch or talk to me right now,” she replied icily, walking away from him to hover in the background and check Dominick’s progress. Soon the paramedics arrived in a black van, and the prone man was carefully lifted into it while another van pulled up and tended to the injured security guards.
“Where are you taking him?!” Sidra yelled, and they gave her an address. It was the private hospital where all the local celebrities and politicians went to avoid scandal.
“Come on; I’ll drive,” Casey urged, reaching for her, desperate to feel the connection they’d had this morning when she left for work. Sidra shrugged away from him and walked over to the other car to retrieve her purse. before walking over to the passenger side of the Prius to get in. Casey started the car, and they drove to the hospital in tense silence.
“What happened to your car?” Sidra asked looking around the small vehicle.
“It was vandalized,” Casey said curtly. “I’m sorry. I overreacted when I saw you guys like that. You hadn’t returned any of my calls, and I didn’t know what to think.”
“I gave Dominick my notice, and he asked if he could show me something, so I said yes. He showed me where he grew up and took me to see his mother in a nursing home,” Sidra explained shortly. “We were on our way back, and that’s when he confessed his feelings for me. It was weird at first, and I initially did think he was trying to do something, but then I saw it, Casey! He has the same birthmark on his shoulder that I do! After that, you came and beat him unconscious, and that’s all I know for the time being.”
“I really am sorry, Sid,” he implored. “You just weren’t answering my calls, and it made me think of all the doubts that I had about him. And then Nina-”
“Nina! What the hell does Nina have to do with any of this?!” Sidra demanded sharply.
Fuuuuck. He glanced over at her uneasily and saw her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared straight ahead. Her mouth was an inflexible line and her chin was tilted stubbornly. “She came to see me this morning and let me know that she’d met with Dominick and to tell me that… he seemed obsessed with you.”
Sidra said nothing and stared straight ahead for the remainder of the trip. When they arrived at their destination, she finally spoke. “I have never loved anyone but YOU, Casey Sullivan. I may have been a bit of a flake, but it was always and will only be you for me. You say you love me, but then my psychopath of a sister is able to easily infiltrate your mind and have you driving over to wherever I am to check on me. I just found out that I have a brother. That SHE has a brother, which obviously she knows nothing about either, or she wouldn’t have tried something so fucked up. The fact that you readily believed her says a lot about your issues that need to be addressed. You beat a man unconscious and injured two others.” Sidra shuddered and rubbed her forehead with frustration. “Now, I am going to go make a couple of calls to Jack and Vivienne, and then I will sit with Dominick. I don’t want to talk to you right now. I. Need. Space. From. You. Okay?”
“Okay,” Casey said quietly, so full of remorse that he felt like he would chok
e on it. Sidra got out of the car and entered the facility without looking back.
“And please tell me again why you felt like you had to exercise your fists so rigorously?” Ian asked caustically.
“I was given some misleadin’ information, and again, when I arrived on the scene, it appeared to be a compromisin’ position,” Casey said tiredly. “I would give anythin’ to take it back, and I’ll pay for his medical expenses.”
“Are you sure you graduated cum laude? And if so, was your major ‘Jackass 101’???” Ian fumed. “Because your insecurities have got you as blind as a bat when it comes to Sidra!”
The door opened and Jack and Darby walked in; Casey rushed forward. “How’s Sidra doin’? I haven’t been able to speak to her, and no one will tell me how Dominick is either.”
Jack’s fist shot out and slammed into his jaw, and Casey saw stars as he staggered back to the wall before falling to his knees. Then he was being picked up by his oldest brother and forced to look into hazel eyes just like his, except these were filled with anger and disappointment. “Sidra’s fine. Dominick is not so lucky, you stupid sonofabitch! You damn near broke his jaw, and his ribs are bruised on top of the concussion you gave him. WHAT WERE YOU THINKIN’?!”
“Obviously, I wasn’t,” Casey groaned and gingerly touched his jaw, “you bastard!”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Jack barked. “Since you’re a lawyer, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much trouble you’re in if he decides to press charges. I’m inclined to urge him and Darby’s employees to do just that. Get yourself some help asshole before you go anywhere near Sidra or Dominick again.” Jack shook his head in disgust. “She doesn’t want to see you right now anyways.”
Upon hearing Jack’s words, Casey began to struggle and swing frantically, but Darby grabbed his other arm, and even then, it was hard to hold onto Casey. The thought of Sidra leaving him was killing him.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Ian fumed as he too had to join in. “We’re going to have to sedate him!”
Suddenly, Casey stopped struggling, but they held fast, unsure of why. From behind them, Sidra spoke quietly, “Let him go.”
They did and he approached her warily. Slowly, she pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. Casey held fast as he whispered starkly, “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry! I’ll tell Dominick how sorry I am. I never meant to go this far…and I shouldn’t have listened to Nina. Please forgive me! I love you and ‘Bean’ so much, baby!”
Sidra kissed his cheek, dying inside at the frantic look in his eyes. “I love you too, Casey. It would just be for the best if you leave, though. I need to figure all of this stuff out and make sure Dominick doesn’t press charges against you. Go home and get some rest. I’ll meet you in The Row this weekend, okay?”
Ian also reassured Casey, “I’ll stick around as well, dummy.”
She didn’t wait for his response, but heard Darby ask, “What or who the fuck is ‘Bean’?”
***
Sidra watched Dominick sleep, exhausted herself, but refusing to leave without getting some answers. Twice he’d woken up, seemed relieved she was there and drifted back off to sleep. Now, she watched as his eyes flickered before slowly opening. Sidra sat up and poured him a small cup of water. “Welcome back.”
Dominick slowly sipped the water, feeling bad as he saw how tired she looked. “Thanks for sticking around.”
“Ummm, it was the least I could do after what happened,” Sidra said worriedly. “Are you feeling okay?”
“My jaw hurts like hell, and so do my sides. How bad is it, and what the fuck is Casey’s problem?” he demanded, gingerly touching his jaw.
“A couple of bruised ribs, and you were concussed,” Sidra replied, hoping he didn’t ask for a mirror. “The doctor says you should heal splendidly.”
“Why did he do it?” Dominick ground out. “I knew that asshole was crazy! You should break up with him. If he can do this with no provocation, what will he do to you?”
“What he does to me is not your concern, Dominick,” Sidra snapped. “I’m here because I’d like to discuss that little tidbit you dropped on me before…well you know.”
“Before your boyfriend beat my ass you mean?!” Dominick asked cynically. “Yeah sure, we can get into that. It’s pretty simple, though. Before Nero’s thot ass married Cecelia or took up with your mother, he used my mother first. The price she paid for his deception was a kid, dishonor to her family, and now what I’m sure he considers her blessed silence. The only reason I found out he was my father is because the couple he paid to take me in was complaining about needing more money when I was ten. So, I went to see him at his father-in-law’s firm, and he quickly escorted me out. He took me for a hot dog and just talked to me about staying in school. He informed me that he was the one taking care of mom’s medical bills. Nero said we couldn’t tell anyone that we were related, or they would find out he was in the country illegally and deport him. Then we would never see each other again or take care of Mom.”
“He told you he was here illegally?” Sidra’s voice was filled with disbelief. “And you believed him?”
“I was a stupid fucking kid! Of course, I believed him!” Dominick shouted. “He came to visit me twice a month at the house. It wasn’t until Nina was five that I found out that I had a sister. I asked him why I couldn’t meet her, and he said that he wasn’t allowed to see her either because of her mother, but he would try for my sake. I didn’t see him for three months and was going crazy with worry. When I finally saw him again, he told me he’d been deported. That Nina’s mother had pressed harassment charges against him. That was the reason we would leave them alone. So I didn’t press the issue again. But then I kept coming to the conclusion that two plus two isn’t five and went to the library to investigate his rights. I started to ask questions and snoop around in my guardians’ personal things and realized he made everything up. I confronted him, and he didn’t admit everything was a lie, but he didn’t deny it either. The only thing he did say was that if I ever told anybody that or anything else about myself, he wouldn’t pay for Mom’s care anymore.”
“What do you mean anything else?” Sidra asked furiously, damning Nero to hell, but even there was too good for him.
Dominick closed his eyes, hating his weakness and struggling for words. He tried to speak but couldn’t. A movement by the door caught his eye, and Ian Rusnik stepped in and quietly shut the door and spoke.
“The fact that he is gay, Sidra. Isn’t that right, Dominick? Your father wanted nothing to do with an illegitimate child, much less a gay one.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack handed Casey a new ice pack that he took and placed on his aching jaw. His head was throbbing as well, but he’d be damned if he told his mean as a rattlesnake brother that.
“Thanks,” he said sarcastically. Jack ignored him to pull out a chair at his dining room table. Darby was busy reheating the leftover spaghetti and garlic bread for them. “D, I already told you that I’m not hungry.”
“Who said anything about you?” Darby retorted. “Jack and I haven’t eaten since this morning when my wife sent us off with breakfast-to-go. Dealin’ with your dramatic ass has left me extremely ‘hangry’.”
“You wanna tell us what made you fly off the handle like that?” Jack demanded curtly.
“I don’t, and I already said I was sorry,” Casey said quietly, the tic in his jaw betrayed the turmoil he was struggling to conceal.
“Sorry, my ass!” Jack barked, pounding his fist on the table and making an already rattled Casey jump.
“You might be my older brother, but you’ll lower your voice when you talk to me in my own goddamn house,” Casey snarled as their hazel eyes clashed across the table, neither willing to back down.
“Or what? You gonna gimme some of what you gave Dominick?” Jack mocked with a smirk. “Well, come on, lil’ brother! Let’s see what you got!”
“Back. Off.” Casey’s lips barely mov
ed as he advised Jack. The already thick tension between them was growing by the minute.
“Motherfucker, you back off!” Jack laughed contemptuously. “Oh, I see how it is! So you can come to my house and ambush me with a fuckin’ intervention on how to get my shit together, but I should keep quiet as you unravel??? Fuck you, Casey!”
“Enough, Jackie!” Darby intervened, moving to stand at the head of the table and give himself time to get between them. “This ain’t what we came here for!”
“It’s exactly what we came here for!” Jack yelled, turning to him. “Don’t you dare try to coddle him! He can throw all the hissy fits he wants, but we ain't leavin’ until we figure out what’s goin’ on here!”
“SHUT. UP. JUST SHUT UP!!!” Casey roared and stood up, swiping the centerpiece case off the table as they watched it crashed to the floor. “Y’all wanna know why I lost my fuckin’ mind with Dominick?! Because I thought he was tryin’ to take her from me. Like Patrick took Ma! Loving Sidra scares me to death because I want her to stay with me always, but what if she goes too?! What if I smother her with my love, and it’s too much for her???”
“It’s like Sidra’s rock-bottom in your face crazy, but he’s the emergency crazy in the hidden panic room,” Darby whispered loudly to Jack, who was studying his brother with a furrowed brow.
“Sidra is strong and knows her mind. Unlike you, we’ve never doubted her love for you,” he said quietly. “Help us to understand, Case.”
Casey tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling and tried to collect his thoughts. “The day Ma was murdered, I got mad at her. I wanted to go to a stupid birthday party, but she said that I couldn’t and had to go straight to the laundromat after school. I’m ashamed to say that I said an awful thing to her… I told her that I hated her…” Casey swallowed convulsively and hung his head in shame. “I’m so ashamed of myself, but it was the last thing I ever said to her, and then everything happened. I froze up and should have told her I was sorry, but I didn’t think that was the end…that I’d never see her again…”