by Liv Morris
Forced to nearly shout over her chatter, I assured her I was alive and coming home today. She praised Jesus, Joseph, and Mary and finally calmed down. I can only imagine what poor Eddie endured when he met her at my apartment to retrieve my clothes.
“Hey, Eddie,” I say as he approaches the bed.
“Morning, sir.” Eddie raises his hand, and he’s holding my black Bosca duffle bag.
“My clothes?” I question although I know the answer.
“Yes, sir.” Eddie places the bag next to my bedside table and turns to Kathryn. “Good morning, Mrs. Delcour.”
“Good morning, Eddie.” Kathryn stretches up on her tiptoes and gives Eddie a kiss on the cheek. My happily married driver now has a blushing grin on his face. “That’s a thank-you for all you’ve done today.”
While the paramedics were prepping me for the ride to the hospital, Eddie tried to comfort Kathryn. She wasn’t hysterical, but she was clearly traumatized. He drove her straight to the hospital, following close behind the ambulance, and according to Kathryn, he ran red lights when she told him to step on the gas.
He bows to her, and I think she’s embarrassed this poor man beyond words. But finally Eddie begins to speak, “My pleasure, ma’am. Sir, I’ll wait outside for you with Hayes.”
“Pardon me, Mr. Kingsley,” the nurse interjects since her instructions were interrupted. “I’d like to advise you on your aftercare.”
“My apologies, please go on.” I want to get out of here, so I give her my full attention.
“Thanks. You’ll need to keep the stitches as dry as possible.” She hands me a stack of bandages.
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod and smile back at her. She becomes disarmed, turning several shades of red while looking back and forth between me and the papers in her hand.
“Well, I think I’ve gone over everything.” She pulls a pen out of her pocket, and hands it to me.
When I reach for the pen, I flinch. Moving too quickly sets off a sharp pain through my ribcage. I try to hide my reaction, but I’m pretty sure I failed.
“Adam, are you all right?” Kathryn moves closer in concern, and I need to set her mind at ease.
“I’ll be fine.” I try to wave away her worries. “I need to remember to move more slowly. That’s all.”
“I’ll bring you some pain meds before you leave.” My nurse sets her papers on the raised table in front of me, pointing to a signature line. “If you’ll sign right here.”
“Thanks,” I say with a wink after signing the papers. My nurse blushes and looks away.
Kathryn rolls her eyes at the exchange. I can’t help it, but I feel a little twinge of satisfaction knowing that maybe Kathryn’s a tad jealous. Or maybe I’m reading her wrong and she’s only annoyed at me.
“You’re good to go now, Mr. Kingsley.” Marla tears apart the papers and gives me a signed copy.
“Appreciate it, Marla.”
“You’re more than welcome.” She returns my wink before walking away.
Marla heads to the door, and a mocking Kathryn takes her place. Oh boy, here it goes. So much for sympathy.
“Really?” Kathryn lifts her brow, and I know she saw everything, including the wink good-bye.
“What?” I reply, playing dumb.
“Oh, never mind.” Kathryn laughs while shaking her head. “It’s your snake-charming ways.”
“Get over here.” I move my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up carefully, still wearing the piece of shit hospital gown over my pants. I cover her hand with mine, needing to connect with her.
“It’s okay. You had the same effect on me, too,” she says while threading our fingers together.
“Lucky for me, I did. Because I don’t even want to think about where I’d be if I hadn’t.” I place my left arm around her, cautious to keep my right side still. “I can’t wait to be alone with you later.”
“Me, too,” she whispers while leaning into my chest. She stiffens as she tries to be watchful with my injury.
“Hey, I’m tough. Like the man of steel,” I boast, then pull her harder into my side—the good one.
“Steel?” She gazes at me with smiling eyes. “Yes, I can confirm that.”
“If we keep this up, I think everyone else will confirm it, too.”
Now that I have my discharge papers, I’ve had enough of this flimsy hospital gown and I’m ready to change into the clothes Eddie brought me. Kathryn helps me get dressed and promises to help me undress later... and I can’t fucking wait.
Eddie and Goliath are outside my room, waiting to take me home. I haven't checked my phone once since Kathryn arrived. She can be a bit distracting, to say the least. I scan through the missed calls and texts, realizing the report I heard earlier has detonated a PR bomb at Kings Capital. Meg Daniels, my communications director, practically begged me to call her back. Yes, the shit has hit the fan.
“I think we’re ready to leave, finally.” Ignoring the demands for my immediate attention, I move away from the bed, fully dressed in black designer track pants and a matching jacket with a pocket the perfect size for stuffing my phone out of sight.
“I’m so grateful you’re okay.” She clasps my hand. “I don’t think I could stand losing someone important to me again.”
“Me, too, beautiful. I felt the same way when I saw you with Simon and all because of me.”
“Everything happened so fast. By the time I figured out what was going on, he was waving the gun around, and then you rescued me. I can’t tell you what went through my head when I heard the first gunshot,” she says, her voice shaking with emotion. “And then I saw you go down.”
“Ah, babe. You were so brave today,” I say, comforting her and hoping to soothe her worries. “I have to believe I made it through with barely a scratch for a reason.”
“Me, too.” She nods and caresses my arm softly letting me know how much she cares.
Hand in hand we walk to the door, ready to leave. When I open it, I'm surprised by what I see standing in front of me. Peters and Tom, my business partner at Kings Capital and longtime friend, are blocking our exit from the room. Ah, shit.
“I kept them out while you were changing, sir.” Goliath addresses me before the other men speak, as though he’s trying to win more brownie points, but I’m thankful he barred the door.
“Good move. No need to give everyone a show.” I laugh as I face my new guests in the hallway. But I feel the effects immediately when a pain hits my side from the small chuckle rippling through the muscles in my abdomen.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath and grab my side.
“Easy, Adam.” Kathryn’s by my side, gently rubbing my arm.
“I’m all right,” I say, straightening up to my full height. “The pain’s more a twinge than a constant ache.”
“That bad, buddy?” Tom asks with a concerned look on his face.
“Only when I see your ugly face.” I tease him back and grip my side more. “And right now I’m really hurting.”
“Good one.” Tom chuckles because it’s usually me on the end of his jokes. It does feel good to pick on him for a change.
Tom turns to Kathryn and introduces himself, holding out his paw. “Tom Duffy.”
I can’t miss the hint of mischief in his eyes.
“Kathryn Delcour. Nice to meet you.” Kathryn shakes his hand, a broad smile on her face. It’s impossible not to like him. He’s just one of those guys everyone wants to call a friend.
“And Peters we all know.” I acknowledge him with a tip of my chin and see that he’s dressed like it’s a workday. All business. “I take it you didn’t like the text I sent you earlier?”
“You’re correct, sir.” He stands a little straighter as he speaks his mind. “Perhaps we can discuss things inside your room.”
Peters looks around him as if what we have to talk about is top secret.
“We’re in a hospital, for Christ’s sake. I don’t think I’m in any danger here. But okay, if for
no other reason than we need to clear the hall.”
I turn to Kathryn before I let the new entourage of guests back into the room I was hoping to leave behind.
“Beautiful, would you mind giving us a few minutes? I have a feeling this powwow with Peters and Tom could take a while, and I hate to bore you.” She looks confused, likely wondering why I’m dismissing her. The truth is I don’t want her knowing about the crap in the press concerning the shooting.
“Sure, I can take a hint when I’m not wanted.” She gives me a wink followed by a quick kiss on the cheek. “How about I get you a coffee. Cream, right?”
“Yes, thanks.” I pull her close to me so I can whisper in her ear. “And believe me, babe, I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you.”
Releasing her, I turn back to the men in front of me. “All right, gentlemen. This better be good. You’re keeping me away from this pretty lady.”
“Goddammit, Adam. You’ve got it bad.” Tom tries to hit me on the arm, but I give him a death glare. He pulls back, realizing I’ll be in pain if he does. “Sorry, buddy. I got carried away.”
“I’ll leave you boys to your business.” She shakes her head at the testosterone-filled crowd before turning to leave.
As she walks away, the eyes of every single man standing next to me follow her sweet little sashay. All I can think is yes, by God, that sweet little ass is mine, and the other eyes fixed on her are starting to piss me off.
“Okay. Enough gawking, boys. You have ten minutes, tops, because I want to get the hell out of this place. I swear it’s like fucking Grand Central Station around here.” I turn to face Eddie and Goliath. “You two wait outside. And pull up a couple of chairs for fuck’s sake.”
I push back through the door and both Peters and Tom follow behind me. I’m actually happy to see Tom. I think it will take us both some time to fully process what’s gone on since Wednesday night.
I sit back down on the bed as Tom and Peters pull up chairs. “So, Peters, I’m assuming you’ve heard the latest news. The media has linked me to Simon’s fiancée and claim a love triangle is the motive behind his actions.”
“Yes, sir. The media circus you’re facing needs to be handled carefully.” Peters sits back in his chair. It looks like he’s about to give me news I don’t want to hear. “I’ve been downstairs trying to keep reporters out of the hospital. They’re sniffing for blood, and I want to keep Hayes guarding you at all times until things settle down.”
“Fuck.” I bury my hands in my hair. I owe Hayes my life since he killed Simon to save me. A split second later and Simon would’ve blown my head off. “Okay. I’ll let him stay around for a little while longer.”
“Good.” Peters’ lips form a sly grin now that he’s won the point with me. “I just got off a call with the detectives who were initially on Simon’s case. They want to speak with you this afternoon.”
“Great.” I don’t disguise my frustration. I wanted to decompress and spend the rest of the day alone with Kathryn. So much shit has gone on since we’ve met, and now it looks like a quiet afternoon isn’t in the cards, either. “What exactly do they want?”
“Just basic questions surrounding the shooting so they can close the case. I believe they want to speak with Mrs. Delcour, too.
“She’s been through enough since she met me.” I want to keep Kathryn from getting tangled in the web of my troubles as much as possible.
“It’s too late for that. The local news covering the shooting is calling her an innocent bystander. They haven’t connected the dots that she was outside of The Pierre with you.”
“Dammit,” I say under my breath. This is more unwelcomed news.
“They’ve tagged her as the Widowed Heiress,” Peters continues. “Since her late husband was wealthier than her own parents. And they were Vanderbilts, too.”
“I had no idea her late husband was that wealthy.”
“It was all in the background report you asked me to do on her,” Peters says in his defense. I was sidetracked by her photos on the front of his report. With everything else going on, I haven’t given the report another glance because I had Kathryn, the real thing, with me instead.
“You had a background report done on her?” Tom, who’s been silent, finally inserts himself in our conversation. It’s clear he doesn’t approve of Peters prying into Kathryn’s private life one damn bit. “That’s really low, buddy.”
“I wanted to know more about her after we first met.” I put my hands up, trying to concede some ground to Tom. “I swear I don’t normally do this type of thing. Back me up here, Peters.”
Sneaky Peters smiles. “He’s right. This is the first time he’s asked me to run a background check on a woman for personal reasons.”
“Remember who we’re talking about here.” I stop and have to laugh. “I’ve never been interested in anyone for over an hour... two, tops. That says something, right?”
They both look at each other and shrug, but Tom has a knowing grin spread across that big mug of his. One I’d like to smack right off because I know there will be more jabs at my expense later. All along the lines of the fact that the mighty playboy, Adam Kingsley, has finally fallen.
“Back to Kathryn and the media. I want to keep her out of this whole debacle as much as possible. Peters, keep tabs on this situation and alert me the second you see anything that even remotely connects her to me.”
“Unless you keep your relationship underground, it’s only a matter of time before they find out,” Peters says, and I know his words are likely the truth.
“After a couple of news cycles, this will be forgotten if we play it right. I want the press on my ass, not hers. Anything else, Peters?”
“Nope.” He stands. “I’ll meet you back at your apartment. I’m going to scout for the media. The Pierre is usually good about keeping cameras away, and there’s always the service entrance if need be. I’ll instruct Eddie with the logistics once I know more.”
“Fine.” I remember one more important thing before he heads out. “Make sure you call my lawyer. I want him in attendance during the detective’s questioning. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. See you, Mr. Duffy.” Peters shakes Tom’s hand before exiting the room. I feel the tension in the room leave as he does. Peters is invaluable to me, but he's intense as hell. I also win very few arguments with him. He’s like the bossy uncle I never had.
“Forget about the press shit for a minute. I want to talk about Kathryn,” Tom says, starting in before the door’s fully shut. He’s moved his chair right in front of me. With his football player build, I’m going nowhere until he’s finished. “She’s quite the woman to tame you this quickly. Patrick and I always bet it would be this way. One solid whack from the right woman and you’d fall like a dead tree. Boom! So what are you two? Boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Yes, I’m pretty much willing to be her anything right now.” It’s the truth, because I would wear any label for this woman. I regain my composure and say, “I have no idea where this thing between us will go, but she hasn’t run screaming from me yet. Even after almost getting shot by Simon and hiding me from him last week.”
“Well you know how to show a girl a good time.” Tom wiggles his bushy brows. "Maybe she’s an adrenaline junkie. Or just after your junk.”
“Funny.” I smile, remembering how she went after said junk. “If you and Patrick are going to give me a hard time about possibly settling down, it’ll be no different than all the times you called me a male slut.”
“Hey, you’re right, man.” Tom gets a deadpanned look on his face. All kidding aside. “I’m happy for you, but mostly I’m fucking happy you’re still with us.”
“Me, too. When I think about everything, it seems like a dream. Then I move a little and feel the pain in my side and I know it’s real.”
“I still can’t believe our Simon is gone. It’s obvious mentally he left us a long time ago, but holy shit, we’ve been together since college. Things weren
’t supposed to happen this way. Even Patrick is pretty shook up.”
“I can imagine.” Patrick, the stoic one of the group, is our other business partner. Patrick, Tom, Simon, and I started Kings Capital together. Four high tech wizards from MIT. All for one and one for all. Now with Simon gone, we are down to three.
“Patrick’s coming back from Boston today. He called and told me to get my ass to the hospital since you haven’t answered a single communication from any of us. Meg’s already formulated solid talking points for us if we’re questioned by the media.” Tom raises his finger, prepared to count off the suggestions from Meg.
“First, stress that Simon was removed from his position at Kings Capital on Wednesday. Completely disassociate him from Kings when he started acting crazy. Second, we are to say we offer our condolences to his family for the tragedy that occurred. Third, we are to conclude that we wish we had known he was suffering so we could have gotten him help.”
“I have to say Meg’s brilliant, and everything you just said is completely true.” I pause and take a deep breath. “If we’d only known.”
“No kidding.” Tom tilts his head, and I can feel a question coming on. “What do you think it was? And I’m confused about the whole love triangle thing blowing up in the news involving you.”
“I know the main reason he snapped. It’s ugly.” I glance at the floor and prepare to bulldoze through the truth. Tom goes still in his chair, which for him is quite the feat.
After clearing my throat, I say, “I slept with his fiancée—way before he met her. Don’t remember it, either. She was just some random hookup in the Hamptons. But she became obsessed with me. Used Simon the entire time to try and get to me.”
“No way.” Tom shakes his head, anger brewing in his eyes. “One of your casual fucks, I take it.”
“Yes,” I say and bow my head, ashamed. Which is something new for me, and I don’t fucking care for it at all. “When she broke off the engagement with him, she told him everything, and he snapped. He really loved her.”