Chapter 8 #2
I only hear her side of the brief conversation, but I can tell she’s doing her best to remain calm as she explains things to her son.
When her eyes catch mine, as she tells the boy to expect a pickup, I take it as my cue.
Reaching out to brush a strand of her hair from her face, I nod to confirm, and turn to the door.
In the parking lot I bump into Hugo Alexander.
“How is he?”
“Concussion, bruised ribs, a few stitches. He’ll be okay,” I summarize.
“Good. Taking off?”
“Just going to get his brother,” I explain. “Tessa’s in there, still waiting to see him. Any news?” I add.
“Not much. Bike was still in the alley. I’ve got a few guys knocking on doors but it’s mostly businesses around there. They would’ve been closed when it happened. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find some security footage from somewhere.”
“I just had Battaglia install security on the firehouse last week, but that end of the alley would be out of sight of the cameras.”
“Still, it might be helpful. You never know.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Then be my guest. Battaglia Security monitors the feed, so give them a call. I’ve gotta pick up this kid.”
“Go,” he prompts me. “I’ll check in with Tessa.”
I hustle to my truck and hop behind the wheel, making the mistake of looking over my shoulder into the back of my crew cab.
The back seat is smeared with Remi’s blood.
Not something I want the kid’s brother to see.
Leaning into the back and rooting around, I find a dirty sweater tucked under the back of my seat, and a plastic bag holding a couple of timing belts I forgot I had in here.
I spread the old sweater over the stains and toss the bag of belts on top to make sure it doesn’t slide off.
Tessa’s place isn’t far, not even a ten-minute drive.
I’m about to pull into the driveway when I see the front door open, and a tall, athletic-looking guy comes tearing out of the house.
I assume this is the oldest kid, Linc, even though it’s hard to believe that linebacker body belongs to a boy.
His brother, Remi, is a shrimp in comparison.
My passenger side door is yanked open before I even come to a full stop.
“Who did it?” the man-child barks as he climbs in and fits his long legs under the dashboard.
Heck, the kid makes me feel like a damn garden gnome. His head is almost hitting the ceiling, he’s got to be at least six three or four.
The lack of introduction or polite pleasantries doesn’t bother me in the least. I appreciate where he’s coming from.
“Don’t know,” I answer, immediately backing the truck back on to the street. “All I can tell you is he left the firehouse on his bike, and when I left—at most—ten minutes later, I found him lying at the end of the alley near Main Street.”
I can feel the kid’s scrutiny as I check traffic in the intersection before making a turn back toward the hospital.
“Did he say anything?”
I shake my head. “No, he was out cold. But Deputy Sheriff Alexander is already looking into what happened. I just saw him at the hospital and I’m sure he’ll be trying to get some more information from your brother.”
Maybe the knowledge law enforcement is on the case will discourage the teenager from doing something stupid.
“Good,” he returns.
A quick side glance shows him closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the rest.
“By the way,” he starts a moment later. “I’m Lincoln, but everyone calls me Linc.”
I grin and nod. “I figured. Clem’s the name.”
“I’m glad, otherwise it’d mean I got into the wrong truck.”
I chuckle at his comment. The kid’s got humor. I’m starting to see why his younger brother might feel a bit overshadowed. For one so young, this kid has quite a presence.
There aren’t a lot of vehicles left in the hospital parking lot when I drive up. Not surprising, given the late hour; it’s already after eleven. I pull into an empty spot next to Tessa’s Jeep, and barely have a chance to turn off the engine before Linc is already halfway out of the truck.
I follow at a slightly slower pace and find him standing just inside the doors, his eyes scanning the lobby.
“Where is she?” he asks without turning around.
I can’t see her either, but spot Hugo standing near the desk on the other side.
“Let’s go find out.”
This time the kid lets me lead, his long strides easily keeping up with me.
“She’s with him,” Hugo shares as he watches our approach. “Through the doors and down the hall, third door on your right.”
Linc doesn’t waste any time and darts down the hallway, leaving Hugo and I staring after him.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Remi?” I ask.
“For a few minutes.” Hugo shakes his head.
“Insists he fell, but can’t explain how it’s possible he ended up with two eyes swollen shut, a split lip, a laceration on the back of his head, and the mark of a boot print on his side, all with one fall.
Stubborn kid is lying about what happened and I’d like to know why. ”
“Yeah, the doctor mentioned he claimed to have fallen off his bike. I don’t buy it either,” I concur. “Did Tessa say anything?”
“Not in words, but she gave me a look to drop it for the time being. The kid was pretty tired and uncomfortable. Probably not a good time to push it. It’ll keep ’til tomorrow, unless Tessa has a chance to give it another try later.
I should probably head home anyway, get an early start on this tomorrow. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you staying?”
I don’t want to leave, but I’m not sure whether I can be of any more use here. Plus, I guess I have an early start in the morning as well. I don’t want to go without letting Tessa know though.
“I’m just going to check in with them and probably head home too.”
“Well, tell Tessa I’ll be in touch first thing.”
As he walks off, I make my way down the hall toward the patient rooms. The third door on the right is open, and I catch sight of Remi lying in the bed, his face almost unrecognizable from bruising and swelling.
Tessa is in a chair beside him, and Linc is at her back, staring at his brother with barely contained rage.
Tessa will have to keep an eye on her eldest.
She spots me first and waves me in. I don’t want to intrude though, so I shake my head and motion for her to join me in the hall. I watch as she exchanges a few words with Linc before she slips out of the room.
“Are you heading out?”
“Yeah. I should head home. I’ve got a full schedule tomorrow morning. Besides, all of you could probably use some rest.”
“I guess, although I’m not sure how much sleep we’ll get.”
She blows at another hank of hair escaping from the braid on her back. I reach out and twirl the strand around my index finger before tucking it behind her ear. There’s a shine in those brown eyes she has fixed on me. It might be nothing more than fatigue, but it sure as hell warms my blood.
Not the time or the place, I drop my hand.
“Let me know how he does in the morning.”
“I will,” she promises with a smile.
I turn and start walking to the double doors to the lobby, when I hear my name called. I stop and turn around just in time to catch Tessa, who comes running after me. Her arms wrap around my neck as she presses a hard kiss on my mouth.
“I can’t thank you enough,” she mumbles, her lips moving against mine.
“No need,” I return, not moving an inch.
She’s the first one to drop her arms and take a step back. I’m surprised to see a deep blush on her cheeks.
“I hope I’m not scaring you off again.”
I flash a wide grin.
“Fuck no.”
She smiles back. “Well, in that case…later?”
I confirm with a nod.
“Definitely later.”
Then I watch as she returns to her son’s room, darting a quick glance over her shoulder before she disappears inside.
It’s well after midnight by the time I roll into my bed, but I can still taste her lips.