Chapter 28 #2
“Oh, Grace, I’m so glad you called. Yes, Radar’s okay, but he’s been in and out of consciousness since we found him. He’s been asking for you.” Fondness leaked into Ev’s worry as he spoke the last words.
“I’m on my way, but it’ll take me an hour to get there.” I waved to Avery as I made my way to my car in the lot behind the bar. “Does Kai know Cain’s there, too? What happened?”
“His brother, Cain?” Ev asked, ice leeching into his voice. I gave Ev time to process that bomb as he muttered. “Cain was there? Shit, this is a disaster.”
“What happened?” I asked as I started my car and waited for the Bluetooth to connect before I got on the road.
“There was an explosion that started a fire, and we realized our warning system was offline. It was chaos. We found an unconscious man by the explosion that must have been Cain, that bastard. He had supplies to destroy our property, poison our livestock, and enough accelerant to start a wildfire. We didn’t know Radar was injured until Willa alerted Hunter to where he was on the grounds.
I’ve left the team in charge of the property so I could come with Mal.
I would have called, but I didn’t have your number, and with no solid info, I didn’t want to worry anyone.
Drive safely and call me when you arrive.
I’ve got to call Max and find out what Cain was up to. Stay safe.”
We ended our call, and my mind raced at everything that had been revealed. Cain was sabotaging the ranch. How long had he been nearby? How had he found us?
Cain had been far too close for comfort all this time, and now he was too close to Kai, in the same hospital.
I would need to call Max and explain everything.
He’d tried to hurt Kai’s livelihood, and he might have even hurt Kai, too.
I couldn’t—no, I wouldn’t—let him get away with anything else.
He’d hurt me for the last time, and he’d have to face the consequences of his most recent actions, too.
I made the drive in record time and crashed into the emergency waiting area before I knew it. Ev was pacing back and forth, nearly burning a hole in the linoleum.
“Everett.” I sighed in relief as I rushed to hug him. “Is Kai okay? Where is he?”
“They won’t let me see him. But he was mostly conscious when we arrived. I’ve been pacing out here since we got off the phone,” he grumbled, frustration clear in his voice.
“Well, let’s fix that.” I strode up to the nurse at the counter. “Hi, I’m here to see Malachi Stone. Dr. Farbor called me. I’m Grace.”
She clicked some keys on her keyboard before responding. “Yes, he’s in room 382. Take the elevator on the right to level two.”
“Let’s go,” I said to a stupefied Everett as I grabbed his arm before striding for the elevators. Once we reached level three, I found the room no problem and rushed inside, needing to lay eyes on Kai and ensure he was okay.
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. A nasty bruise discolored his temple, and blood matted his hairline. “Kai,” I croaked.
His tired blue gaze turned to greet mine. “Wildflower.” A small smile lifted his lips as his arm reached out for mine. I ran to him and gripped his hand, placing a kiss on his palm before rubbing it against my face.
“Are you okay? What happened?” I asked.
“Someone hit me from behind.” He glanced at Everett over my shoulder. “I didn’t see who it was.”
“It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re okay,” Ev added as he took the other seat by Kai’s bed. “You scared us, man. We had no idea you were out there. You’re lucky Willa found you when she did.”
Kai was rubbing his head, his eyes scrunched in pain. “Something happened. But I can’t remember. I was checking the generator and…” he grunted, clearly frustrated.
“Yeah, the diesel generator exploded out by barn six.” Ev’s gaze studied Kai’s, as if he was looking for some sort of recognition.
“An explosion. Yes. Something exploded just before I was knocked out.” His eyes bugged out. “Is everyone okay? The animals?”
“Calm down. You’re injured, too. There’s no point getting worked up.” I squeezed his hand, which I hadn’t let go of, as his gaze met mine again.
“Sorry, sweetheart.” He brought our linked hands to his lips and kissed the back of mine.
“As far as we know, everyone else and all the animals are fine. The explosion caused a fire to start, and I left the team there to deal with it all. Ollie said he’d update me again soon.” Ev checked his phone before adding, “Nothing yet. Max is sending Sam over to take your statement.”
“Okay. Any idea who or what hit me?” Kai asked, as he gingerly touched the edges of his hairline.
Ev and I shared a look. Worry rose in my gut.
If Kai’s recollection was correct, it couldn’t have been Cain that hit Kai.
That meant someone else was involved, but who?
A shudder raked my body as my stomach dropped.
Reverend Stone was a disgusting human being, but he wouldn’t resort to sabotage and clear law violations to hurt his son, would he?
This was all so messed up. He did everything under the guise of religious virtue.
Trespassing, property damage, animal murder and violence seemed out of character, but then again, he was a violent man behind closed doors.
“What’s going on?” Kai asked as the silence stretched.
“Cain’s here,” I blurted.
“It looks like he was caught in the explosion. He’s unconscious,” Everett added from our earlier conversation.
“What?!” Kai screeched then winced as he grabbed the side of his head. “Shit, fuck, that hurt.” Relaxing back into the pillows, he glanced between me and Ev. “How is he here? Are you saying he was on the ranch?”
“Yes,” we said in unison.
“Oh, Wildflower, I’m so sorry.” He gave my hand a squeeze.
“I’m going to tell Max everything and file the order of protection.
He clearly knows where I am and it’s a wonder he hasn’t already threatened me.
It was na?ve of me to think he wouldn’t find me or retaliate in some way.
He’s targeting you, too. Maybe you should tell Max everything.
” I pleaded with Kai, knowing how hard it would be, but if his father was with Cain, there was no telling what would happen next.