Page 80 of Contentious

“Carson’s been stabbed at Cresley’s house. It was most likely her ex.”

“What the hell? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good. I’m on the way to Cedars. Can you let Mom, Dad and the others know?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll meet you there. Jules… Is he…”

“He was alive when they took him from Cresley’s. That’s all I know. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes and will text an update.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Julian disconnected the call and tried to focus on driving so he wouldn’t cause another emergency as every memory he had of Carson seemed to run through his mind on continuous repeat. Wrestling as kids, playing basketball, surfing, countless concerts, dinners, rounds of golf, Dodgers’ games. They worked together every day, but that barely registered compared to thirty-six years of brotherhood and best friendship. And all they’d done lately was argue or so it seemed.

Isla took his hand and held on tight.

For the first time since he met her, he wanted to shake her off, to tell her not to touch him out of fear he might come apart at any second.

As if she knew, Isla held on tighter. “Breathe, Julian. Just breathe.”

“Trying.” He approached an intersection and considered running the red light.

“Don’t go!”

A car came whipping through the intersection and would’ve hit her side of the car if he’d run the light. He put his head down on the wheel and wept.

Her hand landed on his back. “We’re almost there, love. It’s just a little farther.”

He raised his head, wiped his face and forced himself to concentrate on driving.

“Keep breathing,” Isla said.

Nodding, he navigated the last couple of turns before he pulled into the parking lot at the Emergency entrance.

Holding hands, they ran inside and found Cresley, her son and his former client Marlene Powers.

“Have you heard anything?”

“He’s in surgery,” Marlene said. “His condition was critical when they went in.”

The word critical hit Julian like a punch to the gut.

Isla guided him into a chair.

He dropped his head into his hands, feeling helpless and distraught.

Marlene sat on the other side of him. “I’ve spoken to the LAPD. They have officers spread out throughout the Hills looking for Beckett.”

“I never saw him.” Kaidan’s employee twitched from the stress. “And I was watching. I don’t know how he got into the backyard.”

Over the next half hour, other members of the Remington family arrived: Gillian, Ethan, Griffin, Jackson, Kaidan and Jordan, followed by their parents, who arrived together.

“Rome’s trying to get home,” Jackson told the others.

“What do we know?” Corbin asked, his tanned, handsome face pinched with strain.

Kate looked like she’d been crying.

Julian conveyed the information he had, which wasn’t much.