Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
After being looked at by the doctors, Kennedy had been given a pair of green scrubs and a pair of socks to put on.
Now, standing alone in a private waiting room, she tried in vain to stop shivering.
Maliki had checked in sometime back. He was still at the house, boarding up the windows and going over the scene.
He told her other than the three windows and a pair of drapes, there had been no other damage.
At least nothing a good cleaning wouldn’t take care of.
He promised to bring her clothes and boots from the house when he came to the hospital.
As she tugged at the oversized scrub shirt, she thought about Cree and how much she cared for him.
The big question was, did he care for her?
If he said goodbye once they got to Montreal, she wouldn’t make him feel bad.
She was a grown woman, and crying over a man leaving her behind would not kill her.
It might hurt like she’d die, but she’d survive.
The song “I Will Survive” popped into her head, causing Kennedy to laugh. “Kennedy.”
At the sound of her name, she looked toward the door. “Maliki.” Struggling to gain control of her emotions, she somehow managed to get the laughter under control. “Would that be my clothes?” she asked, pointing to the bag in his hands.
“Oh, yeah. I brought some for Cree as well.”
Taking the bag when he entered the room, she asked if the police had any idea who had attacked them.
“I think it was the guy who attacked you at the gas station.” Maliki shrugged off his coat, setting it aside. Tugging off his hoodie, he handed it to Kennedy. “Put this on so you can warm up. I’ll get it from you later.”
“Will you arrest the guy?”
“We’re looking for him. The problem is, he will have an alibi.”
“Of course, he will, by the same men who were with him at the house tonight. And he’ll be theirs.”
“It’ll get sorted, promise you that.”
“If you say so.” Kennedy pulled the hoodie on and relished the warmth. “The doctor hasn’t come out since they took Cree in the back.”
“He’s getting stitched up.” Maliki saw the look on the pretty brunette’s face. “Cop, remember? I can get information when you can’t.”
“I guess that’s true no matter where we are.”
“Exactly. Can I get you anything else?”
“This is good for now,” she said, rolling the sleeves up on the hoodie. Setting the bag down, she took a seat and folded herself up, tugging the oversized hoodie over her legs. “I’ve been so cold.”
“Let me go get you some coffee,” he said as he pulled the door open. Kennedy had never seen a man look for a way out of a room like Cree’s cousin just had. She didn’t care why he wanted out of the room and away from her so fast as long as he brought her a cup of hot coffee back.
She couldn’t blame Maliki for being squirrely.
Hell, she felt squirrely being in the hospital.
The place was no bigger than a clinic back in the States.
And quiet. It was like a damn tomb. When she was led to the waiting room, the only sound had been the grippes on the socks squeaking against the linoleum floor as she walked down the hall.
Kennedy stood in the doorway as a doped-up Cree talked to her brother.
The hospital had stitched him up and sent them home after he had been cleared.
She’d put the call on speaker to not miss any part of it.
From where she stood, the conversation wasn’t going well between the two.
She listened as they swore at each other, neither backing down.
Kennedy knew if Cree wasn’t currently on pain meds, the conversation would be completely different.
Like not happening at all, she was sure.
“If you wouldn’t have been too busy to come get your sister your own fucking self, I wouldn’t be screwing her.”
“I asked you to keep her safe, not take advantage of her, asshole.”
“You don’t know your sister. Maybe she’s the one taking advantage of me. Maybe she just likes my dick.”
Kennedy’s eyes went wide at hearing Cree scream into the phone about them sleeping together.
He was right in what he said, but still, she didn’t want her brother knowing what she was doing with his friend.
Moving across the room, she fought with Cree for the phone.
“Give me the phone. Now,” she snapped at him.
Taking his phone away, she heard her brother ranting on the other end. “I’m gonna slit your fucking throat.”
“Stephen . . . Player.”
“What?”
“Do not yell at me. I’m sorry you disapprove of me sleeping with your friend, but it’s not your business.”
“The fuck it’s not. You’re my little sister.”
“I may be younger than you, but the fact is, I’m a grown woman who can make my own decisions.”
“Look where that’s gotten you.”
“If helping me is a burden to you, I can have Cree take me somewhere else until I’m safe.”
He had to give it to his little sister—she knew how to play dirty.
Player apologized to Kennedy for yelling at her and for being upset.
It wasn’t the time to try and explain that Cree had crossed a line.
Player knew he was still stuck on her being that five-year-old little girl telling him to run.
It wasn’t her fault the guilt of not going back for her rode him hard.
“Can you please tell that damn Native to call me when he’s off the damn pain killers? ”
“I’ll have him call you tomorrow, if you promise to not bring up the fact he and I are sleeping together. Because if you do—”
“I promise.”
Once the call ended, Kennedy tucked the blankets around Cree. Leaning in, she smoothed hair from his face. He was out cold. Her eyes dropped to the bandage on his chest. A few inches and he could have been killed. The thought made her stomach pitch.
Glancing around the room, she stared at the boarded-up windows, the scorched drapes, and charred floorboards. “Nothing that can’t be fixed,” she reminded herself.
Kissing his forehead, she left him and made her way into the kitchen for a cup of tea. She couldn’t relax enough to get into bed. All she could think was, what if the attackers came back and managed to set the house on fire while they slept.
Walking around the house, she checked the few windows that hadn’t been damaged and the door, making sure they were locked. Not that a lock could stop fire, but it gave her a semblance of security. Even if it was a false one.
She decided to stay on the sofa so she wouldn’t cause Cree any discomfort.
As she tucked herself in, she heard Cree moaning softly from the bed.
The sound of him being uncomfortable put her nerves more on end.
Leaning her head back, she kept the mug of hot tea gripped in her hands.
The sun would be up in less than two hours, and all she had to do was stay awake until it was morning, but that was easier said than done with her being exhausted.