Through The Water: Fairest Series Book Two

by Myers, Shannon

  Love you, but…

  There it was. The caveat—because, apparently, I wasn’t worthy of something without a catch. My dad loved me, but I could do better. On the verge of being offered a slew of contracts, but I blew out my knee. I finally met a nice girl, but there was a catch.

  Maybe it was asking a lot, but just once, I wanted the universe to give me something without that damn conjunction attached to it.

  Although, if experience had taught me anything, it was that there was always going to be an angle.

  Moving up to the majors was like winning the lottery. Ex-girlfriends… long-lost relatives… there was always someone popping up out of the woodwork, looking to capitalize on my success.

  I’d had women claim they were friends of my sister’s in an attempt to get close to me—failing to bother with even the most basic of Google searches. If they had, they would have discovered I was an only child.

  Then there were the particularly vicious few who’d claimed to be pregnant with my ‘love child,’ only to balk when my lawyers insisted on a paternity test. Those cases had only solidified my decision to remain celibate for the remainder of my natural life.

  There had been so many over the years. I’d learned to spot a con from a mile away. The women were all the same, blinded by their own expectations of who I was. When the girl-next-door persona failed to get my attention, they seemed to have no issue with browsing the supermarket tabloid covers for new ideas.

  But Ari—I could honestly say she was the one I never saw coming. I hadn’t wanted to believe someone like her could ever have a motive.

  News had spread throughout True North in a matter of hours. All anyone wanted to talk about was Ari’s ridiculous outfit. As much as it irritated me that people had nothing better to do, I had to remind myself it wasn’t my problem anymore.

  It was over before it even really began, but my sex-starved brain hadn’t gotten the memo. I’d had dreams of Ari all night, none of which ended with a kiss on the jaw.

  Oh no—I’d mentally exhausted all the ways in which a woman could be claimed. It was best just to get it all out of my system. No more waking up to damp sheets and the lingering image of us in the shower, Ari’s green eyes trained on mine as she lowered herself to the tiles before taking me in her mouth.

  Why hadn’t I just asked her where she’d gotten her old-fashioned advice, or why she’d used it on me? While I was at it, why hadn’t I gone for the kiss?

  I balled my hands into fists and counted to ten until my heart slowed its galloping into a more respectable trot. Only a masochist would look for ways to turn the fantasy into reality—which I clearly wasn’t.

  Nope. I had my eyes on the prize.

  Maybe after lunch, I’d take ol’ Joe’s advice and reach out to Theo, see where we stood on things.

  I ignored the first dramatic sigh, hoping my unwanted visitor would take the hint and leave. My teeth came together at the second, and by the third, my patience was shot all to hell.

  I jerked my head up with a gruff, “What?”

  “Oh, Killian. I didn’t see you there,” Helen said, dabbing at her dry face with a tissue. “Might I have a word with you?”

  I shrugged and gestured toward an empty chair across the table. She shuffled over before fixing me with a pointed stare, clearly expecting me to jump up and pull it back for her.

  She had the wrong guy.

  Bailey was the gentleman. I was—well, right now, I was the brooding asshole. A role I surprisingly found quite enjoyable.

  With a small grumble of disapproval, she scraped the chair along the floor while muttering something about ‘young people today.’

  This was her fault.

  If she’d left Ari alone yesterday, then—then what—I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to protect her?

  The old woman made a show of settling into her seat, radiating with excitement despite the grave look on her face. The sudden change was either the result of a new medication, or Helen had finally found a way to sue True North for not living up to her high expectations.

  With the way she was leaning across the table, I wouldn’t have to wait to find out. “I’m sure, by now, you’ve seen my face and have some questions.”

  I narrowed my eyes, seeing the exact same wrinkles and fine lines as the last time I’d been forced to interact with her. “Do you mean now, or was it off wandering the building alone?”

  Helen slapped her palm against the table and cackled before becoming solemn again. “Yes, well, you’re very kind not to draw attention to it. If you must know—” She paused dramatically. “I was attacked this morning by another patient. It seemed only fitting you should be told.”

  “What happened?” Despite my every attempt to remain indifferent, the old bat had piqued my curiosity. I took another glance, still seeing no visible evidence that she’d been injured or maimed in any way.

  She paused to sniffle into her tissue before palpating her cheek with a sharp wince. “Well, I was sitting in the gardens, just enjoying the sun when she came out of nowhere—”

  “Who came out of nowhere?”

  “That girl, of course,” Helen snapped as if there could be no other culprit.

  “Ari?”

  It didn’t make sense.

  She lifted her shoulder before spearing a piece of chicken. “Is that what people call her? I swear, she’s more hellhound than human. I told the staff that she is a danger to everyone here, but it seems they’re not making my injury their top priority. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to warn as many people as possible. If enough of us speak out, they’ll be forced to transfer the little demon to another facility.”

  I scratched at my jaw, watching Helen shovel food into her mouth, and growing more confused by the second. Ari might have been a little different, but she wasn’t a violent person.

  Not even remotely.

  Violent people didn’t brush their lips against your jaw or smile up at you in admiration. They didn’t look at you like maybe you deserved a life without caveats.

  Christ, what was I doing?

  The old woman startled at my sudden grunt before going back to her chicken.

  I shook my head, fighting to clear my head. “Wait. You’re telling me that Ari, the woman you had lunch with yesterday, attacked you?”

  “Yep.” She nodded emphatically. “I’m telling you, there was evil in that girl’s eyes.”

  “Ari, the woman who is usually in a wheelchair with a nurse present, came at you, unprovoked?” I drummed my fingers against the table, suddenly keyed up.

  Given the way Helen had treated her, Ari would have been well within her rights to lay the old woman out.

  But it didn’t fit with the girl I knew.

  “I don’t know what you’re not understanding here, young man.” Helen’s voice grew louder. “She attacked me and that—that oriental nurse of hers practically encouraged it! And do you know the worst part? That mulatto director says I can’t claim it was racially motivated, even though it’s obvious the cow worshipper has it out for me.”

  Jesus Christ.

  I didn’t even know where to begin in tackling half the things she’d just said. “Uh, Tsega is Ethiopian, Helen. You’d know that if you’d taken the time to read the staff bios in the hallway. And I’m like one-hundred percent sure that every term you just used is politically incorrect, not to mention, offensive to—well, to basically everybody.”

  Her lips curled up in a sneer. “Are you calling me a liar? Look, I’m just telling you to stay away from that girl because she’s a menace. And after everything I did for her—”

  “What exactly did you do for her?” I instantly regretted asking.

  “Um…” Helen cleared her throat and lowered her chin to her chest, suddenly finding her half-eaten chicken riveting. “Nothing, really.”

  The old woman was more crooked than the Brazos.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t quite understand your mumbling. Did you say nothing?” I pushed.


  “Well, I…” She danced around it for several more seconds before admitting, “I guess, in hindsight, I did it for you. Saved you from being manipulated by that snake.”

  “How in the hell do you figure that?”

  So, I was a little defensive.

  For whatever reason, the mention of manipulation had triggered some very detailed fantasies involving the aggressor in question and a pair of handcuffs.

  Helen mashed her lips together firmly, glaring across the table. “I will not be spoken to like that, young man. I don’t give a hoot who you think you are!”

  Clearly, if I wanted the old woman to admit to anything, it was going to require me to stop fixating on a certain redhead.

  “Look,” I sighed. “I just want to know what you did, so I can thank you properly. It really sounds like you put yourself out there.”

  Helen nodded along to every word, the hard line of her jaw softening. “I did. I most certainly did. The way she was watching you during our lunch yesterday was downright deplorable.”

  “Mmm-hmmm…” I mashed my lips together, fighting to remain serious.

  “People like that need to be taught a lesson in manners. Someone failed her along the way, so naturally, it fell to me. I was certain she was after you because of who you are, so I might have gone a bit overboard.” She snorted. “That girl read over my notes like she was going to be tested on them later!”

  “That’s—”

  Impossible.

  If what Helen was saying was true, then Ari had dressed up because she liked me enough that she was willing to take someone else’s advice no matter how crazy it seemed. She could have thrown the old woman under the bus when I came to her room, but that wasn’t who she was.

  And Helen was a woman in dire need of a few tread marks.

  Confused irritation grew into a simmering rage when Helen began cackling again. “That’s not even the best part! Turns out, the little monster didn’t even know who you were until this morning. She saw a newspaper article—oh, you should’ve seen her face! Like someone just ran over her dog!”

  Well, she was absolutely correct on one point. There was a psychopath in this facility, and she just happened to be sitting directly across from me.

  “Wait—” I released a pained breath, unable to decide which was worse—the fact that Ari had gotten hurt by this hateful and entirely racist bitch of a woman, or that I’d been the cause of it.

  I’d finally found a girl who liked me, and I’d let her down—thrown her to the wolves.

  Clearly, I deserved every one of the caveats in my life.

  I forced a hand through my hair and stared down at the white tablecloth. If I’d done more to put a stop to the condescending way Helen had treated Ari over lunch, none of this would have happened.

  “—she was gardening and saw the paper,” the old woman droned. “Then, it was like something took over her body, and she flew into a rage. I was lucky enough to escape with my life. The next patient might not fare as—”

  Enough. I held up a finger, silencing her. “Thank you for coming to me with this.”

  “Absolutely, we have to stick together in here. Especially you, now that she knows who you are. No one is safe anymore. We can’t even lock our doors at night!”

  My control slipped as I got to my feet, briefly unmasking the fury underneath. “I meant, thank you for showing me exactly the kind of person you are. It’ll make my request to have you removed from the facility much easier.”

  The fork slipped from Helen’s fingers, clattering loudly against her plate. “You wouldn’t”—

  “Oh, you bet your ass I would, and will. My only regret is not doing it yesterday before you had a chance to humiliate Ari. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it seems I have an appointment I just can’t miss.”

  I got several feet from the table before turning back, unable to resist one last dig. “Remind me again what you called the director? You know what—never mind. I’m sure it’ll come to me by the time I get to her office.”

  As I took the elevator down to the first floor, I couldn’t help but feel that by not giving Ari the benefit of the doubt, I’d earned my final strike.

  I couldn’t change what happened, but I could damn well ensure that everyone here knew I wasn’t fucking around when it came to her.

  * * *

  I was empty-handed when I knocked on Ari’s door a little later that afternoon. There were no carefully rehearsed speeches tucked away in my pocket. No words would fix what had already been done.

  Kinda like trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube once it was out, it would just make a bigger mess.

  Apologies only worked when there was a marked change in behavior. Otherwise, they were just pretty words that meant nothing. It was time to suck it up and let the chips fall where they may.

  Granted, I wasn’t physically opposed to groveling on my knees if needed. Theoretically, of course, as I was still non-weight-bearing.

  Strange, I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d be willing to sacrifice anything for a woman—but Ari wasn’t just some woman.

  Not that there was a chance in hell of me ever admitting it, but Bailey had called it.

  My teammate had seen in one evening what I’d missed in weeks. I might have been good at reading people in baseball but hadn’t even cracked the spine on her. She wasn’t like the rest of them. And maybe if I hadn’t been so damn cynical, I would have realized it sooner.

  Tsega gave me a cursory glance when she opened the door before shaking her head. She was like a guard dog, which I appreciated. Ari needed someone who did the right thing for her. “Now’s not really a good time—”

  “I won’t stay long,” I interjected, catching the closing door with my right foot. “Look, I heard what happened. I came to see how she was doing.”

  “You want to know how she’s doing?” she hissed. “See for yourself.”

  The cryptic response came out sounding more like a warning rather than an invitation to enter, but I was just desperate enough to overlook it.

  Ari lay with her back to me, facing the window. Her arms were tucked beneath her chin, making her appear much smaller than she was. I assumed she was sleeping until she sucked in a ragged breath.

  Hearing her cry demolished the last of my control, and I didn’t think. I couldn’t. By the time I stopped to consider how it might look, the crutches were already forgotten on the floor, and she was wrapped up in my arms.

  “I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair. “I’ve got you.”

  She hiccuped against my chest, gripping handfuls of my t-shirt before releasing another anguished sob. The raw sound shredded barriers I hadn’t even known existed. I felt the depths of her pain as keenly as my own.

  The truth was like a fastball between the eyes. I might have had feelings for this woman, but I would never deserve someone like her in this lifetime.

  Maybe not even in a million lifetimes.

  “I spoke to the director. They’re transferring Helen to Oak Lake. She won’t hurt you ever again—”

  Ari lifted her chin to meet my eyes. “Why?” The word came out like a strangled gasp, and she touched her throat before repeating, “Why would you do that?”

  This was no whisper, either. I heard Ari loud and clear, in a voice almost as familiar to me as her face. Even Tsega seemed to be fighting surprise, although she quickly channeled it into a stoic expression.

  “She speaks,” I chuckled, keeping one hand tangled up in her loose hair and the other firmly around her shoulder as if afraid she was going to disappear on me.

  “Why did you do it, Killian?” Her chest heaved, but she held the sob back, pressing her cheek to my chest. “I’m not Terry, and you’re not Nickie! I’m not a good person, don’t you see that?”

  Who?

  Tsega cracked a rare grin. “It’s a movie with Cary Grant—you know what, it’s not important.”

  “You were given bad advice, Ari. It doesn’t make you a bad perso
n.” I remarked as I stroked her shoulder blade with my thumb. “Nothing could be farther from the truth.”

  “What, um, what exactly prompted your little visit with the director?” Tsega asked in a tight voice.

  If I wasn’t mistaken, the aide seemed a little nervous.

  I placed my hand on Ari’s cheek and lifted her face to mine. “I did it for you. You don’t deserve a quarter of the bullshit that woman put you through. And pretending to be an expert on relationships? Please, I doubt the old bat would know what do with a man if one came right up and kissed her.”

  Any rational thinking on my part ceased when she released an audible breath, her swollen eyes intently focused on my mouth. I wondered if she was thinking about last night. Did she know how many times I’d relived that almost kiss?

  “I thought—” I paused and took a deep breath before swinging for the fences. “I thought that last night was you, but it’s not. And I know I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to make you feel welcome, but I want to change that. I want to get to know you—the real you, I mean. All I’m asking is for a chance.”

  Ari burrowed her face into my neck, letting her fingers move lightly along my back. It felt right, holding her like this.

  I just hoped she felt the same.

  “What do you say, slugger?” I leaned down to whisper in her ear.

  “Slugger?”

  “Yeah, figured with your fighting skills, girl just wasn’t gonna cut it anymore. So, wanna team up? See who else we can get thrown out of this joint?”

  She brought her gaze back up to mine, a smile tugging at the side of her mouth. “Okay.”

  Tsega cracked another grin before catching herself. “He’s going to have to do the training.”

  “Deal.” I released the breath I’d been holding and grinned like a damn fool, almost hearing the roar of the crowd as the ball left the stadium.

  13

  Ariana