18. Hyland
HYLAND
BLACK CHANDELIER – BIFFY CLYRO
Luke bounces from foot-to-foot as I wrangle with our newly updated security system. Didn’t think it was possible to make our penthouse even more secure, but here we are.
Warner’s turned the entire floor into Fort Knox. With the manhunt for Gracie ramping up, we’re all on edge. We’d be fools to think that removing Carlos has mortally wounded the cartel’s operation. If anything, we’ve just kicked the hornets’ nest.
They will retaliate.
It’s a matter of when, not if.
“I’m so excited!” Luke’s chirp drags me back to the present. “Let me in!”
“Easy, kid. Uncle Ax is working today.”
“No.” He pouts up at me. “I want to see Ember.”
I snort at his little face. “Right.”
Of course he does. The kid’s as besotted with Ember as I find myself being these days. He’s only met her once, and she’s already won his heart with her mindless superhero chatter.
“Hurry up! Let me in!”
“Be gentle with Em.” I pinch his cheek. “She’s in a bit of pain today.”
“Oh no!” His forehead crinkles. “We should’ve brought her ice cream.”
“We have ice cream, bud. But that doesn’t fix everything, you know.”
“Yes it does,” Luke replies defiantly.
“Okay. Sure.”
“Or flowers! Mummy likes when Owen buys her flowers. She always smiles. I don’t like it when they kiss, though. That’s gross.”
My fingers slip while disabling the alarm. “Owen?”
“Yes,” Luke chatters without a care in the world. “He’s her friend.”
“I see. How many times have you met Owen?”
“Oh… loads! He comes around all the time.”
“How often, Luke?”
“Every day!”
Huh. Interesting.
Schooling my face into a neutral mask, I work on opening the apartment door, making a mental note to run a full, thorough background check on this Owen bloke. If Jayce’s going to have someone around my son, I reserve the right to ensure that his record is clean.
I don’t hold any romantic feelings for my ex-wife. Not after all that’s happened. But I still respect her greatly, and she is the mother of my child. Her safety is of interest, but more importantly, the type of people Luke is exposed to at home.
Just one little search. That’s all.
And maybe a quick, tiny stakeout.
That’s really it.
“In you go, bud.” I swing open the door for him to enter. “I think Ember’s on the sofa.”
“Yay!” he squeals.
“Volume, Luke! She isn’t feeling so good.”
“Okay, okay.” He bounds off inside the penthouse.
Following after him, I juggle the bag of supplies that I picked up enroute to meet Jayce for Luke’s handover. He’s with us for the weekend after some careful negotiating. Not ideal timing after what happened last night, but I wasn’t about to cancel on my boy.
I’m hesitant, walking into the open-plan living area. Ember insisted on getting out of bed, despite being found seizing on her bedroom floor twelve hours ago. Axel screamed his head off so loud, I thought someone had died.
My heart did damn near stop.
Since she was responsive once the seizure had passed and was able to answer our questions, we agreed to keep her out of the hospital. But Warner was ready to shove her in an ambulance against her will for a while.
Now I’m armed with her refilled prescription, cold compresses for her residual headache and all manner of snacks. While the team prepares the press release relaunching the investigation into Gracie’s disappearance, I’m watching Ember like a hawk.
“Did you hurt your head?” I can hear Luke asking.
“No. I’m just tired.”
“My daddy said ice cream doesn’t fix everything, but I know it does. Do you want some?”
Ember’s laugh tinkles through the apartment. “Will you have some with me?”
“Oh yes!”
“Then how could I refuse?” she retorts.
“Great! I’ll get it!”
Luke races past for the kitchen, sticking his tongue out at me as he passes. I roll my eyes, walking over to the huge, L-shaped sectional where Ember’s still tucked up under a fluffy blanket.
She laughs at the sight of the bulging bag in my hands, despite looking pale and exhausted. I laid next to her last night, terrified to take my eyes off her while she fitfully slept. Neither of us got much rest.
“Did you buy the entire grocery store?”
“Just the entire chocolate aisle.” I raise one of the bags.
“My hero. What’s up for grabs?”
“Literally every chocolate bar I could lay my hands on. I also refilled your meds and got some headache stuff. The pharmacist said these cold eye patches are great. Give ’em a shot.”
“The pharmacist or your little self-help book?” Ember teases.
“The pharmacist, but the book did actually say that sugar overload is bad post-episode,” I correct her. “So you can choose one chocolate bar to eat while I make us all a real meal, but that’s it.”
“I’m going to burn that thing,” she groans. “Ruining all my fun.”
“Finding you passed out and convulsing on the floor is no one’s idea of fun, Em. Protein, medication and rest. That’s all the fun you’re allowed today.”
“Harsh terms.” She pouts at me.
“And maybe some ice cream, if you’re good.”
“I’m always a good girl… sir. ”
Fuck, if my kid wasn’t rootling around in our kitchen, I’d show her exactly what I think of that playful taunt. Maybe I can fuck her brain into functioning properly for once.
“What about the BOLO?” Ember winces as she sits up. “Is it live?”
“That’s all!” I call while walking to the kitchen.
“Fuck you, Hy.”
“Anytime, baby.”
“I’ll just call Warner if you don’t keep me updated!”
“Try it!” I shout back.
Locating Luke with his nose buried in our freezer, I yank him out then set the kid up chopping veggies to earn his dessert. None of us are particularly good cooks, but I can rustle up a decent enough meal. Fajitas are pretty hard to ruin.
We’re talking about school and his favourite classes when Ember pads into the kitchen on bare feet, still in pyjama shorts and an oversized tee. She sits at the breakfast bar and watches us work, seemingly content to listen.
“I don’t like peppers.” Luke scrunches up his little nose.
“Gotta eat your greens.” I chuff the back of his head. “Then you can have ice cream.”
“With a superhero movie?”
“Only if I get to pick which one,” Ember chimes in.
Bottom lip jutted out, Luke considers her for a moment. “Fine. But only because you’re sick.”
“Thanks, little man.”
He leans closer to whisper to me. “I told you girls have germs. I don’t want to get sick too.”
“That’s why you have to eat your veggies. Then you don’t need to worry about anyone’s germs, not just girls.”
Ember covers her mouth with her hand to conceal a laugh. I wink at her, loving the way her smile chases the fatigue from her eyes, even briefly. She hasn’t had enough reasons to laugh recently.
We work messily, systematically destroying Warner’s kitchen organisation by the time the chicken has finished sizzling. I study the disaster before declaring it his problem to fix. I’ll only clean it all wrong.
Ember smashes avocados with the back of a fork, whipping up some guacamole, while Luke moans the entire time about green slime. The way she ribs him like they’re old pals warms my heart as I dish up the food into sharing bowls.
“You hear from Tom today?” I ask her quietly.
Adding seasoning to the guac, she slowly mixes it in. “Yeah, Jamie’s with him. I explained what happened before Warner could rat me out. Couldn’t get him off the phone for forty-five minutes.”
“He’s worried about you.”
“Tom should be worrying about himself. Just because he’s been moved out of the ICU doesn’t mean he’s in the clear yet.”
Laying out three plates, I dump cutlery and napkins on the side then declare it done. Luke immediately dives in to begin rolling three over-stuffed tortillas as I circle the counter to approach Ember.
Her head lowers when I rest my chin on top of it, arms loosely curled around her still-trembling body. Luke bounds out of the kitchen to begin munching on the sofa, granting us a private second.
“Tom is going to be fine. The BOLO will go out to our international partners without a hitch. Gracie’s parents got what they wanted. There isn’t anything else for you to do right now but heal.”
“I’m doing everything I should be.” Her flat words sound so despondent. “My body just keeps failing me.”
“It’s been through a lot, Em. Cut yourself some slack.”
“You were the one yelling at my specialist not so long ago.”
“I’m allowed to be frustrated on your behalf.” I peck her loosely braided hair. “You need to be focused on looking after yourself and getting the seizures under control.”
“They’ll never be under control, Hy. This is it for me.”
I fucking hate the note of defeat in her voice. It rams a sharp, determined dagger into my gut, slashing me wide open. If it’s the only thing I can do, I’ll make this easier for her. She doesn’t have to manage her diagnosis alone.
“Then we focus on getting you into the best shape possible,” I say decisively. “We could even get a second opinion or try alternative medicine. You don’t have to live in fear of the next attack.”
Slipping a finger beneath her pointed pixie chin, I tilt her sad face upwards to drop a kiss along her temple. Ember shivers in my arms, looking younger and more afraid than I’ve ever seen her.
She’s changing. Softening. Gradually letting us see the hidden sides of herself that weren’t permitted to exist for the last six years. The fact that she feels safe enough to be herself now means the world to me.
“Go choose your movie. I’ll bring the food over.”
“I need to take my medication.” She sighs.
“I’ve got it. Sit down, Em. My boy came to see you more than me.”
“Well, I am the most awesome out of the both of us.”
“Yeah, yeah. Shift your ass, baby.”
Ember strains to peck my cheek then gingerly hops down from the breakfast bar to join Luke. I watch her go, for once not studying the delectable curves of her tight body but worrying about the weight she’s lost and the pallor of her skin.
She needs to eat more.
I’ll pin her down and force-feed her if needed.