Clash (Gentry Generations)

by Cora Brent

  Thomas was crumpled in the chair. But now he raised his head and gave a sick nod. “I understand.”

  Paul nodded. “That’s very good to hear. You two enjoy your evening.” He finally stepped out the door and laughed as he walked away.

  I shut the door and locked it. I was shaking. I flung the gun on the couch and ran to Thomas.

  “Oh my god,” I cried when I got a good look at him. “I’m calling 911.”

  “No!” Thomas shouted. His hand was a hideous color and swelling rapidly. His right knee looked like someone had reached beneath the skin and rearranged the joint as if it was a lump of clay.

  “You need an ambulance. I can’t carry you.”

  He shook his head. “No, Taylor. No police, no ambulance. We’ll drive to the hospital ourselves.”

  “Thomas.” My voice cracked. My heart was broken.

  He held out his good arm. “Just help me get up and out to the car.”

  I tried to lift him out of the chair but the task was impossible. I wasn’t strong to begin with and he outweighed me by at least sixty pounds of hard muscle. Plus when he tried to stand a pitiful cry of pain escaped his lips.

  We needed help. I frantically looked around for my purse and found that I’d dropped it near the pile of food bags. I pulled out my phone and Thomas barked at me.

  “I mean it, Taylor! No fucking ambulance. No fucking police.”

  He was thinking of what Paul had said. My thumb hovered over the 9 to call 911 but Thomas was so agitated. He was in this situation because of me. I couldn’t defy him.

  I called Kellan. There was no answer. I called Paige and got her voicemail. I tried Kellan again but he still did not pick up, probably because he was busy at work. Aside from Paige, I had no contact information handy for any member of their family. I looked around for Thomas’s phone but for all I knew Peter had taken it with him.

  When I asked Thomas for his parents’ number he just shook his head and begged me not to call them yet.

  There was no way I could get him out of here by myself. Thomas and Kellan had no shortage of friends but I didn’t have their numbers.

  Except, maybe, for one.

  I scrolled through my phone and found a group chat Paige had started between me and her and Samantha. It was from two weeks ago when we’d been planning to meet for lunch.

  I exhaled with relief when Samantha answered. In a near hysterical rush of words I explained that Thomas had been badly injured and I needed help getting him to the hospital. She didn’t ask me to explain.

  “I’ll be right there,” she said.

  I stood helplessly beside Thomas as agonizing seconds passed. I didn’t know what to do for him. Every time I looked at his hand, the same hand he planned his pitch his way to the major leagues with, another piece of my soul shriveled and died. I tried to call Kellan yet again but there was still no answer.

  Samantha must have sprinted from her apartment. I would swear that less than a minute had elapsed since I got off the phone with her when I heard banging on the door.

  “Sam?” I asked, terrified for a second that the Crestwood brothers had returned with reinforcements.

  “It’s me!” she shouted back. “Damian is here too.”

  Sam and Damian didn’t bother with a bunch of questions that could be answered later. Their primary concern was Thomas. Damian swiftly fashioned ice packs and applied them to the monstrous swelling and the two of them worked out the best way to support Thomas so they could get him to the car. I trailed behind, choking back tears as they half carried him out of the apartment.

  My phone rang as I locked the door with shaking fingers and I couldn’t contain my sobs when I heard Kellan’s voice on the other end. I tried to summarize what had happened but the words were garbled and uttered through hysterical weeping.

  Then a new voice began speaking. This was Deck Gentry, Kellan’s uncle. I didn’t know how they happened to be together but it didn’t matter. Deck Gentry had orders and he demanded that I follow them. I wasn’t inclined to argue at the moment.

  “Taylor,” Sam called from where she and Damian had managed to lay Thomas across the backseat of her car. “Meet us at St. Luke’s!”

  “We’re taking him to St. Luke’s,” I told Kellan’s uncle. He wouldn’t let me go until I promised not to speak to the police. Deck and Kellan were leaving for the hospital immediately. I was not to talk to anyone in any position of authority until they got there.

  “I’m so sorry,” I choked out to the man who Kellan and Thomas held in such high esteem. It seemed like someone should be sorry. I was responsible for bringing this horror into their lives. If Thomas was permanently maimed then it was my fault.

  And I was so sorry. So very sorry I could hardly breathe.

  He sighed. “I know. Now remember what I said.”

  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to drive but once I was behind the wheel I breathed deeply a few times and settled down. The hospital was only ten minutes away and I drove there with remarkable calm, parking in the front Emergency Room lot. I saw Sam’s Honda Accord idling by the entrance. Thomas would need a wheelchair to get inside.

  Once again a heartsick feeling filled my chest. Thomas was more than just my boyfriend’s brother. He was my friend. One of the best friends I’d ever had.

  I switched the engine off and leaned my forehead against the steering wheel.

  I had promised Deck Gentry that I wouldn’t speak to the police until after his arrival. And I wouldn’t break that promise.

  But I’d come to a decision.

  Tonight was the end, one way or another.

  Kellan couldn’t be a part of it. This was my problem to fix. Only mine.

  There was one more phone call to make. Luckily I remembered his number. I was glad when he answered or else I might not have had the courage to say what I needed to say.

  “Aiden, it’s Taylor. Listen, we need to meet tonight. I’d like it to be at your house. Call Sierra and tell her to be there at eight. You both need to be there. Just the two of you. If you are, then I’ll tell you everything.”

  I paused, knowing I only had one carrot to dangle in front of their noses to get them to agree.

  “I’ll tell you where the money is.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Kellan

  I sped to the hospital on autopilot, not even fully aware of the road in front of me. Aunt Jenny would have called my parents by now. I could only imagine what they were going through. The word would spread quickly through the family. Within the hour I expected the hospital waiting room would be primarily populated by my relatives because that’s the kind of family we were. Trouble for one meant trouble for all.

  I was in agony over Thomas’s suffering but my fears did not end there. The Crestwood brothers had done this. They’d come for Taylor. And they’d come for her again unless they were stopped. Once she was safe in my arms then maybe I’d be able to think straight again.

  I have failed.

  Somehow I’d managed to fail Thomas. The moment in his life when my little brother needed me the most I hadn’t been there and right now it was hard to envision a time when that guilt would fade.

  The red letters of the Emergency Room entrance blazed a crimson warning in the twilight and I was grateful to find a parking spot near the entrance. Deck was right behind me. I saw his pickup truck on the other side of the lot hunting for a place to park but I didn’t wait. I ran for the door and nearly collided with Damian, Samantha’s boyfriend, at the entrance.

  “They already took your brother back,” he said. “Taylor’s over in the waiting room.”

  “Level with me,” I said. “How bad did he look?”

  Damian didn’t mince words. “His left knee was crushed. At the very least he’ll have a broken kneecap and need months of physical therapy in order to walk normally again. Surgery is a possibility.”

  I swallowed. “And his hand?”

  “Fractured in multiple places. I can’t guess how ma
ny. There are so many small bones in the hand. Even without seeing the x-rays I would imagine he’ll need surgery if he ever hopes to regain functionality of his right hand.”

  Thomas’s right hand.

  Thomas’s major league dreams.

  I was going to be sick but that would have to wait. Damian followed me into the waiting room where Taylor was being comforted by Samantha. Tears streamed down her face and there were spots of blood on her dress. She looked up, saw me, and her face crumpled into fresh torment.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Kel, I’m so sorry.”

  I pulled her up and folded her against my chest. Her breath came in shaking sobs and I stroked her hair for a few seconds before pulling away to get a good look at her.

  “They didn’t hurt you?” I asked, brushing my thumb over her right cheek, which appeared to be slightly bruised.

  She shook her head. “Not really. They hurt Thomas. His hand, Kel. His hand…”

  She couldn’t choke any more words out. I wanted to ask whose blood had landed on her dress but in the scheme of things it seemed trivial. Taylor continued to cry and I would have cried with her but I wanted to stay calm for the sake of my parents. They’d surely be here soon.

  Deck had arrived in the waiting room by now and he was quietly speaking to a nurse at the front desk. He nodded over whatever she told him and then he headed our way.

  “Thomas is getting x-rays,” he said and motioned to a distant corner where no one was sitting. “Over there. We need to talk.”

  Damian sat down beside Samantha and I acknowledged them both with a nod before leading Taylor over to where Deck had already taken a seat in a bright yellow plastic chair.

  He wasted no time getting to the point.

  “Taylor, the police are going to question you. You don’t know who did this to Thomas. Two men broke into the apartment to rob the place. When you and Thomas arrived home they smacked you around and attacked Thomas before running off. You don’t have a description because they were wearing ski masks. You don’t know what they look like or even what color they are. Do you understand?”

  Taylor shook her head. “No, I don’t understand. Thomas wouldn’t allow me call the police because Paul Crestwood threatened me. But I’ll be damned if he’s just going to get away with this.”

  “He won’t,” Deck assured her. “But right now I need you to do as I say.”

  Taylor was confused. “But what about-“

  Deck was finished explaining for now. He stood up and addressed me. “Kel, this is non negotiable.”

  I squeezed Taylor’s hand. “Taylor doesn’t know anything. We get it, Deck.”

  Deck obviously thought there was good reason to worry about retaliation from Paul Crestwood and his underworld associates. And he figured law enforcement would not be able to stop them. I hoped he had some ideas about what would stop them.

  Deck nodded. “Good. Now I need to go have a word with Thomas.”

  “They’ll let you back there?”

  He shrugged like the question was ridiculous. “Of course.”

  Deck approached the front desk once more and spoke to the same nurse again. She appeared uncertain but finally sighed and indicated he ought to follow her through the double doors that led into the bowels of the hospital.

  “Now I understand why everyone turns to your Uncle Deck,” Taylor said. She dug a tissue out of her purse, blew her nose and then slumped in misery once more.

  I tipped her chin up. “Tell me about it. I need to hear exactly what happened.”

  She winced and shut her eyes for a moment against the onslaught of terrible new memories but then she opened them and started talking. The story was brief and ugly. I’d known it would be.

  Taylor had arrived home to find the Crestwood brothers had taken Thomas hostage at gunpoint. I gritted my teeth when she repeated some of Paul Crestwood’s more colorful threats. But when she came to the part of Thomas’s attack she had to cover her mouth for a moment. I thought she might be about to vomit all over the floor but then she removed her hand and said the most terrible things yet.

  “I heard him scream, Kellan. Paul used a baseball bat. I don’t know how much worse it would have gotten if Peter hadn’t dropped the gun.”

  “My god.” I lowered my head into my hands. “Why Thomas? What the fuck did he ever do to them?”

  “They thought…” Taylor said and then hesitated to continue.

  I looked at her. “They thought what?”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “They thought Thomas was my boyfriend. I told them he wasn’t but they didn’t listen. And he pretended like it was true. I think it was because he was afraid they’d come after you. They were trying to make me crack. They did this to him because of me.”

  It was a bitter pill, hearing that your brother suffered the destruction of his future because he was trying to protect you. I knew that fact would haunt me forever.

  “Kellan.” Taylor had begun to sob quietly once more. “I wish they’d hurt me instead. I’m so very sorry.”

  She thought this was her fault. Of course it wasn’t her fault. I wanted to hold her, to console her, to dry her tears and vow to walk through fire for her. But I saw that my wide-eyed, frantic parents had just walked through the door and they needed me.

  “Go to them,” she urged. “I’ll stay here. I’m such a coward. I can’t face them.”

  “Taylor,” I said firmly. “You are not to blame for any of this. My parents will understand that.”

  “But I am to blame,” she whispered. She hooked her hands under her knees and rocked slowly back and forth. “I am. I need to fix this.”

  I kissed the top of her head and shot a look to Sam. She got the message and rose from her seat to take my place beside Taylor.

  My mother reached for me the instant I rushed over. I could feel the fear in her embrace. I told them what I knew. Thomas’s injuries were bad but not critical. Deck had already talked the staff into allowing him back there to find out a more complete diagnosis.

  “What happened?” asked my father and he was so bewildered and devastated that it hurt to look him in the eye.

  A pair of uniformed cops had just entered through the glass doors. I wondered if they were here because the hospital had called them.

  In any case, I couldn’t give my parents all the details when there might be other ears listening. I’d have to lie to them for now.

  “Some men broke into the apartment,” I said. “A robbery, most likely. They were wearing masks. They pushed Taylor around, attacked Thomas and then they ran off.”

  “Oh my god,” gasped my mother. She noticed Taylor sitting on the other side of the room. “Is Taylor all right?”

  “She’s fine. Just shaken up.”

  My father knew I was lying. I could tell by the look he gave me. We were too much alike, he and I. He couldn’t be fooled.

  Derek and Paige were the next to arrive. Paige hugged my mother and then hugged me before going over to check on Taylor. Derek wanted answers right now and he actually rolled his eyes when I repeated the story about the mysterious masked men. It seemed I was a rotten liar. And here I’d always thought I was a gifted bullshit artist. Maybe my smooth tongue only served me well when the story didn’t matter.

  Uncle Deck emerged through the double doors in the company of a woman who introduced herself as Dr. Alvarez. She did not have a cheerful report. Thomas’s knee was a mess. In all likelihood his surgery would be scheduled the following morning. His hand was even trickier. Broken in twelve places, included the three shattered fingers in the middle. Four smashed knuckles. He’d been given pain relievers for now but a team of surgeons were being consulted to decide how best to proceed. Dr. Alvarez warned us that his rehabilitation would be substantial.

  “I understand he’s a baseball player,” she said and her face was full of sympathy.

  “He is,” said my father with sadness. “A damn good one.”

  “I can recommend
some excellent specialists in sports medicine,” offered Dr. Alvarez but I could tell she didn’t quite believe her own optimism. After hearing the extent of Thomas’s injuries it was hard to imagine he’d be retaking the mound anytime soon. Or maybe ever.

  “Oh,” she said before she walked away. “Just before I left Thomas, a pair of police officers arrived to take his statement about his attack. He wanted to talk to them so I allowed it.”

  “Thank you, Dr.,” said my father as he eyed me. “Can we see him soon?”

  “I can take you and your wife back now,” she said. “But I will ask everyone else to please wait out here at least until he’s admitted to a room.”

  Mere seconds after my parents disappeared through the doors a tribe of Gentrys invaded. The noise level in the lobby increased exponentially. I left Deck to deal with my aunts and uncles and went to go check on Taylor.

  Derek was hot on my heels. He grabbed my elbow before I got three steps.

  “What really happened, Kel?” he demanded. “And don’t give me any cock and bull about masked robbers or some shit.”

  I shook him off. “Not here,” I whispered.

  We weren’t the only ones in the waiting room. A smattering of strangers waited tensely for unknown reasons. Hospitals were the centerpieces of so many conflicting events. The night Derek drove drunk, resulting in a horrific accident, the whole family showed up in the waiting room to comfort each other. Throughout my childhood the birth of each new cousin always sent us all running to the hospital to share the joy. Now here we all were again in the midst of anguish.

  Taylor, seated between Paige and Sam, was no longer actively sobbing, although her eyes did fill once more when I relayed the extent of Thomas’s injuries. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Uncle Deck having a hushed discussion with two of my father’s brothers, Cord and Creed.