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“Frank?”I asked.
“Mr. Lewis, yes. Can you get down here tonight?”
“I’m on my way,”I replied, hanging up without another word.
I jumped out of bed and quickly threw on sweats. Talking to Frank before the police was important, and the man knew that. I was thankful he was pulling through the ordeal, but at the moment, the most important thing was the information he had about the attack and where Brooklyn could be.
I jogged down the stairs while pulling a t-shirt over my head. I was brought up short by Oliver, who was sitting at the kitchen island, a bottle of whiskey open in front of him with an empty glass in his hand. His blue eyes flashed over to me when I entered, and the pain I saw there was staggering.
“What is it?”He asked, standing up to meet me.
“Frank’s awake and he’s freaking out at the hospital. I’m going to help.”
“I’ll drive,”Oliver said, turning toward the mudroom.
“You sure, brother?”
I looked pointedly at the empty glass he had set down next to the whiskey. When Oliver turned, he saw where I was looking and he stared for a moment.
“I was remembering back in the day, getting high and feeling nothing. I never want to go back there again, but this pain is more than I think I can handle. I thought about getting drunk, thought I could force myself to sleep through some of thisnightmare. But I haven’t actually started yet. I’ll feel better with something to do.”
There was nothing I could say that would make Oliver feel better, so I just nodded my agreement. He grabbed his keys, and we piled into his classic GTO. The roar of the engine was loud, and I grimaced, hoping if Aiden or Jaxon were able to sleep, we weren’t waking them up. As we got to the gate, I realized no one in the house had been sleeping, as our group text chat lit up on my cell.
Aiden: Where are you guys headed?
Jaxon: Is there news?
I gave them the update and promised to call as soon as I talked to Frank. Glancing at Oliver in the darkness of the vehicle and I saw his focus trained on driving, but I also studied the dark circles under his eyes and tightness around his mouth that wasn’t usually there. We all looked like a mess, but Oliver always seemed to feel things in a more physical way.
Brooklyn hadn’t been missing twenty-four hours yet, but it felt like ages. I closed my eyes and leaned against the headrest, picturing her laying in the middle of the meadow I took her to. Her pencil skirt shoved up around her hips, her mouth parted on a moan, her hands in my hair or how she kissed me. The stolen moment felt like a dream now.
We arrived at the hospital and Oliver didn’t bother with appropriate parking. Pulling the car into an emergency visitor spot, we quickly ran into the hospital and took the elevator to the ICU floor. When we exited, I found a nurse’s station and waiting for someone to come to the counter.
A small redheaded woman rushed around a corner, a bellowing man’s voice following her. When she saw us, she focused her frazzled walk in our direction, but slowed when she took us in. Between our size and our disheveled appearances, we painted an intimidating presence.
I tried to force a smile on my face, but when the nurse’s eyebrows went up, I knew I hadn’t accomplished reassuring. However, it did seem to ease some of the tension from her. She stopped in front of us and looked up, her gaze going back and forth.
“Mr. Knight?”
“Yes,”both Oliver and I said at the same time.
“Uh,”she said, looking uncertain again.
She glanced down at the file in her hand and back up at us.
“It’s me. I’m the Mr. Knight you’re looking for. This is my brother,”I said, gesturing toward Oliver.
The nurse looked relieved, just as a bellow came from the same man. I recognized the voice and knew it was Frank causing hell in the ICU unit. When he yelled, the nurse grimaced and looked up at me again. I didn’t wait for her to explain.
“I’ll talk to him.”
I moved toward the room that held my employee, with Oliver on my heels and the nurse following behind at a distance. As soon as we turned the corner that lead into his room, something crashed behind a curtain and I rushed in, pulling the fabric back.
Frank was on his feet, swaying dangerously, holding onto an IV pole. When entered, the nurse rushed to his side, trying to guide him back into bed.
“Stop it! I’m not getting back in this damn bed,”Frank yelled.
“Frank!”
