Game of Lies

by Amanda K. Byrne

  I have never wanted so badly for my instincts to be wrong.

  Isaiah’s endgame was never in doubt, at least when it came to me. I killed Marc. I needed to die. His jealousy and anger toward Nick were understandable because everyone discounted his smarts and savvy and, well, he had us running around in circles. But it didn’t quite feel like enough then. It doesn’t feel like enough now. Isaiah held his position for two years. There was always the possibility that as time went on, his strengths and intelligence would be recognized and he’d be given his due.

  I pause at the window. I need to see Nick’s face, and Tish is still blocking my view. Since I can’t see anything, there’s no real reason for me to stay. Getting out of the hospital before Andreas shows up would be prudent, and I’m sure Nick would understand.

  But I promised. I’m not leaving.

  Rubbing my arms to warm them, I count my steps to the wall, turn, count my steps to the opposite wall. It’s paranoia. Desperation. Part of me knows that Isaiah is dead and my task is complete, and the rest of me is still trying to catch up. He could have found out about the house the old-fashioned way—we weren’t careful enough and someone spotted us. I could be spinning something out of nothing because I don’t know what’s supposed to happen next.

  I press my hand to the glass. Dead, and Isaiah’s still fucking with me. It was so clear before: remove the threat, Nick and I go on with our lives.

  The threat’s gone. Nick has a life to go back to. I’m not sure I do anymore.

  My thoughts circle and twist as I put one foot in front of the other, stopping every so often to try and catch a glimpse of Nick on the table. Finally Tish steps back, and Simon glances up, meeting my gaze. He dips his head in that way he has and walks away from the table.

  It’s over.

  I run from the room. Simon intercepts me before I can dash down the hall to look for Nick. “He’ll be awake shortly, and you can see him then. I’ll have someone come get you when he’s ready to leave.”

  “Was the surgery successful? What happened?”

  He sighs. “I won’t give you that information, Cass.” I open my mouth to protest, and he cuts me off with a sharp look. “Dom might trust you. Constantine might. You are not family to me. If he asks for you to take him home, I will discharge him into your care.”

  This is normal behavior. I shouldn’t expect Simon to give me the information I want just because I ask. “You’re going to talk to his father, right? If I’m there while you’re talking to him, would that be a problem?”

  Simon gives me a critical, considering once-over. “Andreas would be the one to make that decision.” He gestures to the double doors leading to the unrestricted area of the surgical floor. “Come with me.”

  I’m surprised to see Andreas is sitting alone on one end of a fake leather couch and calmly leafing through a magazine. He must have an amazing amount of faith in Simon’s skill. He sets the magazine aside as we approach, his gaze flitting to me before settling on Simon. A month ago, the casual dismissal might have hurt.

  Tonight, I couldn’t care less. All I want to know is how severe the injury is and when I can take Nick home.

  Simon takes a seat on a nearby chair, so I sit in the middle of the couch, close enough to hear. He raises his brows in question, and Andreas waves it off. “Dominic?”

  “In recovery. The surgery went well. The bullet tore through the muscle and glanced off the bone. Had to clean out a couple of fragments. Lucky the bone didn’t break, or he’d need a cast. He’ll have to stay off the leg for a while as it is. Usual instructions for cleaning the wound.”

  “Wait,” I interrupt. “What are the instructions? He’ll need drugs and crutches, right?” He shouldn’t try to walk on that leg.

  Andreas turns to me. “I’ll take care of it, Cassidy.”

  I. Not including me. He’s so much like Turner. So cold, so absolute. I shake my head. “Nick specifically said he wanted me to drive him home. I’m staying with him. If he’s going to be a difficult patient, I need to be prepared.”

  “We’re already equipped to deal with a wide range of injuries.” Andreas switches his attention back to Simon. “When will he be ready to leave?”

  “Soon. Once the anesthesia’s worn off, he’ll have to go.”

  Which gives me an indeterminate amount of time to figure out how to get Nick out of the hospital and away from his family.

  Andreas’s phone rings. He stands and walks to the elevators before answering. Simon stands as well. “I need to check on Dominic.”

  I grab his hand to stop him from leaving. “Simon. Please. I’m not lying. Constantine spent a good part of the car ride here trying to convince Nick to allow him to take us home. Nick’s got his reasons for hiding from the rest of his family. I don’t know what they are, but shouldn’t your patient’s wishes come first?”

  His mouth firms into a thin line. “I will ask him once he wakes up.” He tugs his hand free and stalks off, the double doors opening with an angry slam. I’m left alone with a man who reminds me entirely too much of my deceased father and no allies of my own.

  Except Liana.

  I slip my phone from my pocket and call Nick’s sister, holding my breath while I wait for her to pick up.

  “Cass? What’s up?”

  Her tentative, cautious tone reminds me I haven’t spoken with her in a while, but I don’t have time to tiptoe through this. “I need a favor. A big one. Nick’s been shot, and everyone seems determined to keep me away from him. Can you—”

  “Nicky’s been shot? What? Where? Where are you?” I hear her rustling around, muttering curses.

  “In the thigh. He’ll be fine, didn’t break any bones, just the usual risk of infection and such. Simon just finished working on him, and he’s in recovery. Your dad’s here, and he wants to take him home as soon as he’s awake. Constantine tried to convince Nick to tell him where we were staying, and Nick refused. He wants me to take him home, and no one believes me.”

  “Ha, well, lucky you because I do. Dad’s a worse mama bear than Mom is, and if Nick doesn’t want Con to know where you are, it’s probably because they’re in the middle of a project, right?”

  “Launch is a couple of weeks away,” I confirm. “I can call a cab to pick us up, but I need to get Nick out of the hospital before Andreas kicks me out.”

  “Hospital? So you’re at General then. Nicky will probably sleep off the anesthesia for another fifteen, twenty minutes. I need about a half hour unless traffic’s with me. Can you distract everyone until then?”

  Dragging Lia into the middle of this mess wasn’t my intent. “I thought maybe you could call your dad or something in a couple of minutes, keep him on the phone while I try to get Nick out.”

  “Cass. You’re my friend. I love my brother. I want to help.”

  She’s the only one. “How do you know he’ll be asleep that long?”

  Something slams shut on the other end of the line. “I know Simon. He’s a stickler for procedure and patient safety. Not even Dad can get him to budge, and since having Simon on staff at a major hospital is a good thing, he doesn’t try too hard.” She sounds a little out of breath. “Half hour,” she repeats. The call disconnects, and I shove my phone back into my pocket.

  Somehow I have to keep both Simon and Andreas occupied until Lia arrives.

  Nick’s father is still on the phone, and Simon hasn’t returned, so I take my first good look at the waiting area. The elevator bank is to my left. The hallway runs through the waiting area and off to the right. The double doors to the surgical suites are in front of me. Using the elevators to the left is out. Nick won’t be able to walk down stairs. A place as large as Angels General will have multiple elevator banks. The question is finding the next one and figuring out where it ends up.

  A quick glance shows Andreas hasn’t moved. I walk to the hallway entrance to my right, searching for a You Are Here map. What I get is a diagram directing
me to the nearest emergency exits. I hurry down the hall, ready to stop the first hospital employee I find to ask for directions.

  Up ahead, a slim blond woman turns out of a doorway, and I rush to catch up with her. “Excuse me.” She half turns, and I stop short. It’s Tish, and the last person I expect to help me. “Never mind,” I mutter.

  “It’s Cassidy, right? Are you looking for Simon? He’s back the way you came.”

  I inch closer as a couple of people pass us, discussing some hospital policy. “Actually, I was looking for the elevator. I know where the one we came up in is,” I add hastily. “Is there a different one I could take?”

  She makes a sympathetic noise. “Andreas is a pain in the ass. If you want to avoid running into him, just continue down this hall and turn right. There are two elevators there.”

  I flash a smile. “Thanks.” Next order of business: get to Nick. If I can get him in the wheelchair and to those elevators, we can figure out where the exit is once we’re on the ground floor. “Restroom’s behind me?”

  “There’s another one near the elevators I told you about, but yes, the one behind you is closer.”

  I thank her again and turn around. The restroom is about halfway between where I ran into Tish and the hallway entrance. I duck inside, count to a hundred, then do it again. I poke my head into the hallway. No Tish. I make my way to the waiting area. Maybe I can talk Andreas out of taking Nick home, and I won’t need Lia’s help after all.

  But he’s nowhere to be seen.

  Heart thudding, I push through the double doors to the surgical suites and scan the hallway. Two men in green scrubs are standing far enough away I can’t hear what they’re saying, but no sign of Andreas or Simon. I tug at the hem of my scrub top as I weigh my options.

  I glance down slowly as an idea forms. Simon did me a favor when he gave me these scrubs to wear. As long as no one looks too closely, I should be able to get Nick in a wheelchair and push him right through the front doors.

  Straightening my spine, I start down the hall, straight past the two men. I sneak a quick look at the doors as I pass. All I see are operating rooms, and my heart rate kicks up the farther I get from the waiting area. Recovery should be on the same floor, and with the layout, it makes sense it would be nearby.

  I round a corner, still scanning doorways. Another set of double doors is ahead, which will be convenient only if it connects with the rest of the floor and doesn’t dead end in a more restricted section.

  I’m starting to lose hope I’ll find Nick in time when I look through an open door and spot him. He’s still unconscious, blankets halfway up his chest, his face pale. A wheelchair’s conveniently sitting in a corner. I step inside and shut the door. My shoes squeak lightly as I cross the room.

  He stirs, eyelids fluttering, then opening completely.

  “Hey,” I say softly. I ease a hip up onto the bed and take his hand. Relief slides through me as he curves his fingers around mine. “Your dad’s here.”

  “Where?” he mumbles.

  “Not sure. I figured either he or Simon would be in here waiting for you to wake up.” He shuts his eyes and mutters something. I ease in. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “Get me out of here.”

  “Lia’s on her way to run interference. I thought I could get you out with her help, but I need your crutches and pills first, and I don’t think Simon will hand those over voluntarily.”

  Nick lets go and strokes his hand roughly up my arm, coming around to cup the back of my neck. “Dad wants to take me with him, right?”

  “He mentioned it.”

  “He won’t allow you to come along. Get me in the chair. We’ll worry about the rest of it later.” He releases me and pushes at the blankets, his movements feeble and weak. He’s not ready to move. Not yet.

  I place a hand on his shoulder. “Stay in the bed for a little bit longer. You can barely move.”

  “No time. Help me into the chair.”

  Sweat breaks out on his forehead, his mouth pinched tight as we maneuver him off the bed and into the chair. I rip one of the blankets free of the bed and cover his legs. My phone buzzes as I’m attempting to open the door and push Nick through at the same time. Thinking it might be Lia, I pull the chair back into the room and answer. “Where are you?”

  “A few blocks away,” Lia replies. “Where do you need me? Is my father around?”

  “I don’t know. I’m trying to get Nick out of recovery, but we need his medications and his crutches.” I don’t tell her my growing fear of leaving the room; I don’t want to get us lost, but I think that’s exactly what will happen.

  “If Dad’s not around, it might be simpler to just get to the front. If Nicky gives the okay, I can drive you home.”

  I tip the phone away from my mouth. “Lia’s offering to drive us.”

  “Fine,” he grits out. “We need to go, Cass.”

  When we get back to the warehouse and Nick’s had a couple of pain pills, I’m going to ask him why he’s so insistent on avoiding his family. I tell Lia we’ll meet her outside the front entrance, hang up, and stick the phone into my pocket.

  As soon as I open the door, I hear voices. Familiar ones.

  Andreas is coming toward us.

  Chapter 7

  “What are you doing?” Nick reaches out to grab the door as I roll him back into the room. “We’re leaving.”

  “Your father is in the hallway. I’m really not in the mood to find out what happens if he confronts me. Get in the bed.” A bead of sweat slips down the back of his neck. He shouldn’t be up yet. “Let me text Lia. She should be here by now. She can come up and distract him.”

  It’s a mark of how poorly he’s feeling when he doesn’t argue. I shut everything out, my rising panic, the growing pile of questions, worry over Nick’s recovery, and get him in the bed and snap the blanket out. I’m smoothing it over his legs when the door opens.

  “Good. You’re awake.” Andreas strides into the room. His eyes narrow a fraction as he takes in Nick’s face. “Anesthesia not quite worn off? Simon assured me it should have by now.”

  Nick grunts. “I’m awake enough to know I feel like shit. I need pain pills, but I don’t see anything. Could you go find him?”

  “Cass can go.”

  “You know Simon won’t hand them over to her. Besides, I want to speak with her alone. Give us a minute?”

  Andreas flits his gaze between his son and me and back again. “Rest for a few minutes. I’ll get the pills and arrange to have the crutches delivered to the house.” His mouth curves into a faint smile. “Your mother is looking forward to having you home, if only for a few days.” He spins on his heel and stalks out the door, off to look for Simon.

  Nick sits up so fast a hiss of pain escapes, and he swallows audibly.

  “You okay?” I ask, moving to his shoulder. I slip an arm around his back, and he pushes the covers aside.

  He swallows again and shuts his eyes. “Little nauseous. Need a moment.”

  I stare at the door, willing it to stay closed while Nick fights to get his stomach under control. He squeezes my fingers, and I help him into the chair a second time. I tuck the blanket around his legs, unlock my phone, and hand it to him. “Text Lia. I’d feel better with her up here getting in your dad’s face than having her waiting out front to drive us.” We’ll have to get the pills some other way. I’m most concerned with the antibiotics. I’ve heard too many horror stories about the bugs people pick up in hospitals, and the thought of Nick getting sick on top of all this makes me ill.

  He taps at my phone as I ease open the door and stick my head into the hallway. Someone wearing scrubs and studying a chart is at the corner, and there’s a man walking away, but other than that, it’s empty. I push the chair out of the room and move toward the double doors. “Any idea where these lead to?”

  Nick shakes his head and puts my phone down. “The building’s set up like a s
eries of interlocking rings. Eventually this hallway will dead end in either a T or an upside-down L. If we hurry, we might be able to make it to the elevators in the west hallway before they come looking.”

  Running through the halls pushing a wheelchair is a great way to attract attention, scrubs or no scrubs, but we’re low on time. I jog as fast as I can, occasionally checking over my shoulder to ensure no one’s seen us. I slow to a walk as we pass an admin desk of some kind.

  The hallway ends in the upside-down L Nick mentioned, leaving me with no choice but to go right. Tish mentioned the next bank of elevators was in this hallway, but I don’t see them. It’s busier, too, forcing me to slow down.

  My phone buzzes in Nick’s lap, and he picks it up. “Password?”

  “I can’t exactly enter my password right now. Unless you’ve magically developed the skills to steer this chair yourself.” I glance down the adjoining corridor as we pass, searching for Andreas or Simon. At the far end is a tall man with dark hair stalking toward us. He’s too far away for me to make out his face, but his stride is purposeful, almost angry.

  I abandon all pretense of belonging and pick up the pace to a jog, mind clicking along as I think through the next steps. Into the elevator, down to the ground floor, out through the front. I’ll check my phone in the elevator.

  And once Nick is able, I’ll ask him why the hell we’re doing all this sneaking around.

  I skid to a halt in front of the elevators and jab at the down button. “Did you happen to look down the hall we just passed? I think I saw your dad, but I’m not sure.”

  “Might have been him.” The elevator doors open, and I push him inside, hit the button for the ground floor, and stab the door close button repeatedly. They slide closed seconds later, and I take my first deep breath since we left recovery.

  Five floors aren’t a great distance. Nick hands me my phone, and I barely have enough time to unlock it before the doors open again and we’re forced into the corridor. I toss my phone onto his lap. “What did she say?”

  The hallway is busy, fluorescent lights flickering and buzzing. An intercom squawks overhead, and a group of people with stethoscopes hanging out of their pockets walk by. A sign hanging on the wall in front of us points to the ER on our left.