Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Camryn
“Thank God it was only a sprain,” Mia says when we get to her and Knox’s house after a visit to the ER. “God, it could have been so much worse.”
Barrett is sitting on one side of me, having never been more than three feet from me since the accident, and Syd sits on the other side.
Barrett and I made the decision to lie to Syd about the accident.
I fucking hate lying to my niece. We’ve always been honest with each other, even with hard truths.
But telling her that it looks like someone intentionally caused the crash would do nothing but scare the hell out of her.
It’s bad enough as it is that she lost her mother to a car accident.
The second I walked through the door, she ran up to me and threw her arms around my middle.
I immediately dropped the crutches the hospital had supplied me with and wrapped her in my embrace.
Barrett held me around the waist so I wouldn’t topple over and the three of us stood for a few minutes until Syd’s shaking ceased.
Even though Barrett and I were relatively fine, she was a scared mess.
Obviously, Barrett and I are rattled, but it’s more than just the fact that we were in an accident. It’s how the accident happened.
“I’m totally fine,” I say more for Syd’s benefit than anything else. “Doctor says I just need ice and an anti-inflammatory. No big deal.”
It was a huge deal, but none of that needs to be discussed in front of Syd.
“I should get you home,” Barrett says.
I release a relieved breath. “Yes, please.”
Syd gathers her things, and Barrett helps me stand, handing me my crutches. We all head out the front door with Mia and Knox following us. As soon as Syd’s in the truck and shuts the door, Barrett turns to Knox.
“It’s no coincidence we were run off the road after those guys talked to Cam at the bar. If this isn’t the Russians, I don’t know what it is.”
“I think you’re right, brother. Do you think they know you have the flash drive? Cam’s apartment was broken into sometime between her going to Connecticut and going back to get her stuff.”
Barrett’s jaw works back and forth. “I think it’s all connected to Sokolov, yeah.
Sami was involved with someone from the organization and was scared for her life, and that person killed her.
I don’t know much about how Petrov runs his organization now, but he’s never been one to strike me as someone who would okay killing a woman. ”
“Did you talk to Ozzy about this yet?” Knox asks.
Barrett shakes his head. “No, the only thing I cared about was getting Camryn checked out.”
“Alright. I’ll have him talk to Petrov about ramping up his search for his old comrades.
He’s got a better shot at finding them, but I think we should involve Liam.
If they’re going after you and Camryn, what’s to stop them from going after anyone else—like Lucy?
That idea will be enough to get Liam invested in finding these guys posthaste. ”
I have no idea who this Petrov or Liam is that Knox is talking about, but I say the more people working to find the threat to the club—and apparently those associated with the club—the better.
“I’m keeping Syd home and putting her on”—Barrett turns to me—“what’s it called?”
“Independent study,” I reply.
He looks back at Knox. “I don’t want her alone or a target.”
“I don’t blame you, brother.”
Barrett turns and places a hand on my back to keep me steady as I make my way down the stairs using my crutches.
When we got here, he attempted to carry me up the stairs, but I shot that down quickly.
I’m not an invalid, just a little slow right now.
He grumbled about me being stubborn, but at least he didn’t ignore my protests and pick me up anyway.
Honestly, I’m a little surprised he didn’t.
But Syd needed to see that I was okay, and Barrett carrying me around would not accomplish that.
On the drive home, Barrett is constantly checking his rearview mirror.
I can tell he’s tense by the way his jaw is set in a hard line and the death grip he has on the steering wheel.
I put my hand on his leg, and he shoots me a tight smile, grabbing my hand and kissing it before setting it back in his lap.
Once we pull in the driveway, I exhale a sigh of relief. Syd is quiet in the car, which isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary, but I feel the worry radiating from her. She helps me out of the passenger seat before Barrett has a chance to run over and take my arm.
I grab my crutches and start hobbling toward the front porch. “I got it, guys. Really, I’m okay.”
I smile at Syd, and she offers me a weak one in return.
Fuck, this kid is going to need so much therapy, I’m going to have to take out a second mortgage on a house I don’t even own yet.
Syd opens the door as Barrett stays next to me, prepared to catch me if I fall getting up the stairs. Once inside, I head over to the couch and have a seat, setting these stupid crutches to the side.
“I’ll get you some ice,” Syd says, dropping her bag on the floor next to the couch before going into the kitchen.
“I’m worried about her,” I whisper as I listen to her rummaging around.
Barrett blows out a loud breath through his nose.
“I know. She’s had a lot to deal with, and this just made everything worse for her.
The way she was shaking when you held her…
” He looks away and swallows hard. “I felt that same fear for the brief minute I didn’t know where you landed, or if you were okay. ”
“Hey,” I say, holding out my hand. “Come here.”
Barrett sits next to me. We’re both in desperate need of a shower, and I could go for some dinner, but right now I need to reassure him that we’re safe and home. Nothing is going to touch us inside these walls.
Barrett sits next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. He kisses the top of my dusty hair but doesn’t say anything, simply relaxing into the comfort of my touch.
Syd walks back into the living room and grabs the coffee table to slide it closer, then places one of the pillows on top and pats it.
“Elevation and ice are good for a sprain,” she informs me as though the doctor didn’t give me the same course of treatment.
I rest my foot on the pillow, and Syd nestles the bag of ice over my ankle.
“Maybe you should think about being a doctor. You’re a natural at taking care of me,” I say.
Syd chuckles and rolls her eyes. That’s actually a good sign, so I don’t take offense. “It’s just some ice and what I read online.”
“I wouldn’t mind having a doctor in the family. Then I can rub it in everyone’s face what a genius my kid is,” Barrett says.
“Yes, Syd. Go to medical school so your dad has bragging rights,” I say in a flat tone.
“I’ll brag about you no matter what,” Barrett says, shooting Syd a wink. Then his face gets serious. “We should talk about some stuff, though.”
Syd looks between me and her father. “You aren’t pregnant, are you?”
I nearly choke on my breath as Barrett laughs like she just asked the funniest question ever.
“Would that upset you?” Barrett asks. “If your aunt and I had a baby?”
“Barrett!” I smack him in the chest, then turn to Syd. “No, I’m not pregnant.”
Syd shares a smile with her father. “I mean, I always wanted a little brother or sister, so…”
“Right? They would be the second coolest kid in the house,” Barrett says.
“We aren’t talking about this, you guys. What the hell is wrong with you two?”
“Aunt Cam, are you saying you don’t love my dad enough to get married and have babies?” She looks at me with wide eyes, but there’s mischief in them so similar to Barrett’s it would be impossible for anyone to deny that she’s his kid through and through.
“I love your father very much, but the babies part is going to take a few more conversations and a whole lot more planning.”
Syd’s smile widens, and Barrett kisses the side of my head. Guess everyone knows where we stand now.
“As much as I want to hear your aunt talk about how much she loves me and can’t wait to have my babies, that’s not what we need to discuss,” Barrett says. “Some stuff is going on with the club, Syd, and I want you aware of it.”
“Barrett, we talked about this,” I say, slightly annoyed that he’s bringing this up right now.
Barrett looks at me. “I know. But I’m not going to lie to her.”
I could get pissed about the timing, but I know him and I know that part of being a good dad—at least for him—is absolute honesty.
“Her is sitting right here,” Syd says, her gaze darting between me and Barrett.
“We think someone might be targeting the club, honey,” I start. “And because of that, we want to keep you home for a little while.”
“Why do you think that?” she asks.
“A couple things have happened that have us asking questions,” Barrett answers without giving details.
“But nothing is more important to me than keeping you and your aunt safe. So that just means there’s going to be a couple changes.
Nothing that’s going to last forever. We just want to be sure of what, if anything, we’re dealing with. ”
Syd inhales and blows out a long breath. “So, what exactly does that mean?”
“Independent study. Neither of you goes anywhere without me or one of the brothers—or at the very least a prospect. I’m not saying life is on hold, I’m just saying I want to make some adjustments until we can put everything to bed,” Barrett explains.
Syd looks down at her hands and starts picking at the skin around her thumbnail. Dammit, she’s freaked out. I knew if we told her she was going to have this kind of reaction. “Was the motorcycle accident not an accident?”
“Hey, you don’t need to be worried,” I say, trying to calm her down, but she doesn’t look at me.
“We aren’t sure,” Barrett says. “But, Syd, no matter what, you are going to be safe. All of us are. I just want you to be aware. If something feels off, or you see something that doesn’t sit right, I want you to tell me.”