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"I'm sorry you got caught in the middle." My voice is low, like we're in this together. I guess we are, but I don't know her, and she shouldn't be here in the first place.
Her gaze flicks to mine, and her lips wobble like she's going to cry. "You shot them all."
The words sizzle through me, touching sore spots, leaving behind guilt. I need to get her hands free and move away from her. She's doing things to my emotions that I don't want to feel, and my body responds to her proximity, leaving me with desire I can’t have.
Some days I hate this life we've crafted. I could have been happy without the extracurricular activities the society brings with it. If I can get control of Dad, then life will get better.
“I don’t want to injure you. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
She shakes her head. “No. I was just scared. I’ve never…”
I reach out and place my hand on her shoulder. She leans into my touch. “It’s okay to be afraid.”
“Son, why are these men here?” Dad asks. “What did you do?”
“Shit,” I curse under my breath as I turn to make sure he’s still holding pressure on the guard’s injury. He is.
Adali narrows her gaze. “What’s going on with him?”
I shrug and lift my eyebrows. “I don’t know. I’ll have to put him in a home if I can't find someone to look after him full-time. I don't know what else to do. This came up fast. He wasn't this way a few weeks ago." I remove another section of tape, and it's almost gone when I hear someone pull up out front. "I need to let them in."
"Sure. I can do the rest." Adali takes over, working on the tape as I head to the front door.
The paramedics know not to ask questions. They take over from Dad and work efficiently on the guard. The next time I glance over, they’ve hooked him up to an IV and are about to wheel him out.
I need to call Adali’s father, but I don’t want to. Dealing with Eric Gale will be a nightmare. I’m about to pull out my phone when Adali moves in close, her head down. Her gaze flicks to mine for a second then she’s looking at the ground again.
“Please don’t call my dad.” Her voice is low enough I don’t think the paramedics across the room can hear.
My stomach churns. Why doesn’t she want me to call him? I turn so the men can’t hear as I speak. “Okay. Why not?”
She glances at the men then shakes her head. She won't speak in front of them. We have a few hours before the guy wakes up, but once he's conscious, he'll tell anyone who asks exactly what happened. I can’t hide this from a man as powerful as Gale.
I take her hand, ignoring the desire whipping through me, and lead her out to the patio. We can still see the men working on the guard, but we have some privacy.
“Tell me why?”
Again with the head shaking. “He won’t let me stay if he knows the truth.”
“Why would you want to stay?”
Her brows knit together tightly. “It’s complicated.”
One of the paramedics stands and turns to wave me inside. “I have to take care of this.”
Adali follows me inside and stands off to the side while I speak with the paramedic. The guard is still breathing, which I'm happy about, but it may mean the end of me.
“We’re taking him now. The doctor will call you.”
I nod, hoping I look sad enough they believe this wasn’t my doing. “Thank you.”
They leave, and I'm left assessing the cost of cleaning this up. Once Gale’s money hits the bank, I’ll be okay, hopefully. Until then, who knows?
Dad hasn't moved since the paramedics arrived. He's sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. His slide downhill has come fast. My stomach clenches. I don’t want him to die any time soon. We should go see his doctor.
No time like the present, so I call, not waiting for the cleanup crew to fix this mess. “It’s Neo Foster. My father needs to come in and see Doctor Ansley.”
Computer keys click in the background. “Sure. We had a cancelation at four.”
