Chapter 3
3
Gunn could easily see that his brothers, three of the four, were overwhelming Aubrey. They weren’t doing it deliberately, but… Gene and Grady and George could be a bit much, even under the best of circumstances.
He stepped in front of the woman who had to be tired and hurting herself. That was a bad bruise on her cheek and the arm was in a sling. She just looked so defenseless his heart broke to see. “Guys, I was there. Back off now, and give Dr. Fisher some breathing room. I saw what happened. I was just too far away to stop it. If you have questions, I’ll answer them for a while.”
He guided Aubrey to the nearest chair gently. Like her sister, she made a man want to be gentle. He would have the nightmares of what he had seen with him forever. She’d tried so hard to protect his little sister. Even when she had to have known she’d be hurt, too. She hadn’t even hesitated.
Because she loved.
His brothers got angrier and angrier, the more he talked. Gunn did his best to calm them down, but it was futile. He was still angry himself.
But anger rarely solved anything.
As his brothers’ tempers rose, and they got louder, he could see Ayla and her sister getting more and more uncomfortable.
Nervous.
Afraid.
Of them?
Nothing calmed his brothers down until Guthrie came in, an exhausted look on his own face.
To Gunn’s surprise, Guthrie went to Aubrey’s side, immediately. He guided her out of the chair and over to the light. He touched the bruise on her cheek very, very gently. She just looked up at Guthrie with an expression Gunn couldn’t quite interpret.
“Did you get it imaged? How many sutures in your arm?”
“Eighteen. The eye is just a bruise, Guthrie,” she said softly. “Your family... has been waiting for you.”
She retreated. There was no other word for it.
She just went to her sister’s side and emotionally pulled back. But Gunn got the impression she wasn’t going anywhere.
Of course, none of them were.
Finally, a guy three inches taller and one hundred pounds heavier than Gunn stepped into the waiting room.
His gaze went to Aubrey, like he was checking on her for himself, then he turned to Guthrie. “Where’s Dr. Fields, or need I ask?”
“He went in with her, to recovery,” Guthrie said, dryly, and shook his head. “Just get on with it, Caine. I want to send my parents home.”
“The damage was superficial. She’s going to be sore for a few weeks. And she’ll need to keep her injured shoulder immobile for at least the first week. But barring any complications, she’s going to be fine. Probably out of here tomorrow afternoon,” Dr. Alvaro said.
“And that bastard?” Guthrie asked. “Does anyone know what happened to him?”
“Chantal’s older brother took him away two hours ago,” Aubrey said. “I gave Charlie my statement.”
“Is he still saying Chad attacked him first?” Guthrie asked, one hand on that woman’s shoulder as if he was trying to comfort her. Shelter and protect. Well, Gunn definitely understood that. He’d put his own body between his parents, Giavonna, Greer, and Ayla and the door.
Protecting was what a man did.
“What? That guy is lying,” Gunn said. “Chad was clear across the room when it happened. I don’t know how he moved that fast to get to her. He was there before I was. And I was half as far from them.”
“That’s what I told him. I went ahead and had security bring the tapes,” Aubrey added. “Dr. Hodges had been harassing her here for a few weeks now.”
That had the predictable reaction.
His brothers’ anger rose again. In a roar.
Gunn wondered if anyone else saw how both Ayla and her sister flinched when Gene started pacing and Grady demanded to know why they hadn’t told him.
When the two men got too close.
It struck him then—Aubrey and Ayla Fisher were afraid .
Seriously afraid.
Not just nervous because they didn’t know them. They were afraid . Of him and his brothers and their father.
Well, maybe not that afraid of Guthrie .
His older brother had pulled Aubrey into his arms, right there in front of all of them. And was just sort of rocking her gently. Like he couldn’t let go of her right then. Guthrie’s hand cupped the back of her head and he guided her head to his shoulder. She almost collapsed against him.
Guthrie kissed her forehead... gently. And just... rocked her. Held her so close. Gunn had never seen his older brother look like that with a woman before. Definitely never seen Guthrie look at a woman like that at all.
Ayla just stared at her sister and his brother in awe. Like she’d never seen a man touch her sister before. She hadn’t dated... maybe her sister hadn’t, either?
Gunn looked back at Guthrie, and that’s when he realized what he was seeing.
Guthrie was in love with Dr. Aubrey Fisher.
Did his brother even realize that at all?