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“What happened?”
I turned and saw Harley aiding Gavin into the room.
“He wouldn’t stay out there,” Harley answered my questioning gaze. “He heard her scream.”
“The baby’s fine. He’s been cut, but it’s not bad.”
Gavin’s already pale face whitened even further. He stumbled over to Kalin, who was rocking a now calming Indie, and pulled them both close.
“I’m sorry.” His words were choked. “Kalin, I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault,” I snapped. “It’s Brandy’s. Why else would people like this be here?”
Gavin didn’t answer. He continued to hug Kalin and Indie. After a few moments, he moved and sat on the edge of the bed before he lay flat on his back. Kalin saw his stomach then and sucked in a breath. In the blink of an eye, I found my nephew being thrust into my arms as Kalin zoomed out of the room and returned with a first-aid kit. She was silent as she hurriedly pulled out items and began to clean Gavin’s wound. I quickly remembered then that she was going to school to become a nurse and had already completed her first year.
“I can’t stitch it because I don’t know if there’s internal damage.” She looked at JJ, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed. “We need to get him to the hospital.”
“I have a doctor on the way.”
We all turned when Kane Slater’s voice filled the room.
“I phoned him,” Harley said, explaining his presence. “I wanted to know how they got in the buildin’.”
“A security staff member didn’t bother to do the checks he was supposed to,” Kane explained. “I fired him. He’s already grabbed his shit and left.”
I shook my head, furious but glad the arsehole was sacked.
“A doctor?” Kalin snapped, ignoring the latter part of the conversation. “He needs the fuckin’ hospital!”
“Trust me,” Kane said gently. “This doctor is used to dealing with injuries such as this.”
That made me curious, but I said nothing. If this doctor could help my brother, then I was all for it.
“But why?” Kalin sniffled. “The hospital is only fifteen minutes away.”
“I can’t go to a hospital, Kal,” Gavin said, wincing. “It’ll draw attention to me.”
“This is about Brandon Daley, isn’t it?” She went rigid. “I don’t fuckin’ care about him. I care about you!”
“I know ye do.” Gavin reached for her and pulled her close. “Please, don’t cry.”
I wasn’t sure how the woman had any tears left in her small body. She had surely cried enough for ten lifetimes in the past twenty minutes. Eventually, she agreed with Kane’s doctor, seeing to Gavin, and focused on keeping pressure on his wound. She looked at me, then the baby in my arms. He was awake but no longer crying.
“Is his neck still bleedin’?”
“No,” I answered. “It’s just a nick, Kalin. It looks worse than it is. I’m sorry I scared ye.”
She nodded, her eyes watering again. She turned to Gavin and pressed her face against his neck. He comforted her and kissed the crown of her head. He looked like he was the one who needed to be comforted. He was in a bad way.
“Why did they do this?”
“Bad deal,” Gavin answered me. “They tried to short Brandy by over one hundred grand on a deal last month. I ran the numbers, found the error, and exposed them.”
“Who is they?”
“The Russians.”
Well, fuck.
“Christ, Gav.”
“I know, but this is what I do now,” Gavin said. “I don’t do deals, run product, or anythin’ like that anymore. I was never any good for that shite, but I run numbers because I’m good at them. I always have been.”
I knew he was good with numbers. He did the garage’s taxes every year. The freak of nature enjoyed it.
“So what?” I pressed. “You’re a glorified accountant now?”
He snorted humourlessly. “I guess so.”
I didn’t notice that Kane left the room, but when he returned, he wasn’t alone. Brandon Daley was with him.
“The woman’s gone,” Kane announced. “The man is still in there, but not her. She slipped out an emergency exit and set off an alarm in the security room when she opened the door.”
“Fuck.”
Brandon Daley stared down at the unconscious man on the bedroom floor.
“I would say I missed one hell of a bout.”
The man smiled like this wasn’t a serious situation. I wasn’t fucking around, and the urge to flatten this bastard was almost getting the better of me.
“They stabbed Gavin,” I said, my fists clenching. “They cut part of his fuckin’ throat. They cut me nephew too. He’s only a newborn!”
Something flashed in Daley’s dark eyes as they zeroed in on Gavin. He moved closer and assessed him.
“Who was it?”
“Ivan’s crew,” he answered. “They know I caught the short. Someone told them.”
“Meanin’ one of me men ratted?”
Gavin nodded. “How else?”
Brandy’s jaw clenched. “I’ll phone the doc.”
“No need,” Kane said. “I’ve got a guy on the way.”
Brandy nodded once, then looked down at the man on the floor, then over his shoulder before he returned his gaze to Gavin.
