Chapter 17
17
COLE
I sighed as I drove toward Chase’s family house, not surprised that Bailey once again called me to come pick up her truck. She and I were going to have to have a real chat about her truck. It wasn’t in good shape, and I didn’t want to be the one to disappoint her, but the only right way to fix it was going to cost her a lot of money, and I wasn’t sure it was worth it.
Without my permission, thoughts of Paige rolled through my mind. I hadn’t seen her in a week. A week and a day from yesterday, not that I was counting. I’d held my cell phone in my hand more times than I could count, trying to talk myself into or out of texting her. I still couldn’t decide which. Jake and Ben were right; we needed to figure out our relationship, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted, and before I talked to her, I needed to be sure.
But I missed her, and that alone was telling me I wasn’t as unsure about my feelings as I thought.
Turning onto the long drive to the farm, I smiled. I’d been here not even a week ago to see the piece of ground Chase and Bailey bought to build their dream house. It butt up against the land his family owned but was far enough away that they’d have the privacy they need. It was actually a perfect spot and exactly what I always imagined Bailey wanting.
Getting to the bottom of the long driveway, I saw Chase and Bailey standing beside her truck, so I parked the tow truck and made my way over to them. “Only day off and I’m hauling in this piece of shit.”
Bailey crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t take days off.”
I laughed and stopped in front of them. “Let me guess, won’t start?”
“No.” Bailey frowned. “I just don’t understand.”
“It needs a new engine, Bay,” I explained for what felt like the hundredth time. “Truck’s old, though. We can put a new one in, but then it will be something else. You’re gonna have more money in parts for this thing than you would in a newer truck.”
“I know.”
I exhaled heavily. She wasn’t ready to give up on the damn thing, and I understood that. “I’ll take it in and do what I can.”
“Thanks, Cole.”
I gestured toward the tow truck. “I’ll load it up.”
I heard a phone ring as I walked away, but I got to work. I was hoping to finish up early today. I owed my family a visit.
“Guys.” Chase’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to face him, noticing Bailey was walking toward him. “Jake needs to talk to us.”
“Jake? What’s going on?” I was confused as to why Jake called Chase to talk to me and Bailey. I jogged toward where he stood with Bailey and frowned.
“Did something happen to Dad?” Bailey asked with concern in her voice.
“I don’t know.” Chase hit speaker and spoke loudly to Jake. “You’re on speaker.”
He didn’t say hello. He just dove right into the reason he called. “Lanie got a call early this morning from the hospital.”
“The hospital? Who at the hospital would call her?” Bailey asked.
“A nurse. She’s listed as Paige’s emergency contact,” he continued. “We’re here now, and she’s gonna be fine.”
My gut tightened when I heard him say Paige’s name, but I didn’t look up. I just stared at the phone.
“She’s hurt?” Bailey asked.
Jake ignored Bailey’s question and continued. “I didn’t call earlier because I was waiting for her to wake up so I could find out what the fuck happened.”
“What happened?” I bit out, my patience thinning.
“Cole, brother, you need to stay calm.”
There was no fucking way I was able to stay calm when I had no information. “What the fuck happened, Jake?”
Jake exhaled loudly but finally continued, “Paige went on a blind date last night. She stumbled into the hospital around three o’clock, beat to hell.”
“Oh my god,” Bailey said.
“That’s not the worst part.”
I glanced up to see Chase watching me while he asked, “What is?”
“Fuck,” Jake swore loudly, and I heard Lanie’s quiet voice in the background. “Sorry, baby,” he said, but it was obvious he’d pulled the phone away from his mouth to speak to her. His voice became louder when he continued talking to us. “The blind date was with Paul Lewis.”
“What?” Bailey breathed out slowly.
“She went out with the fucker who attacked Bailey?” Chase asked as anger like I never felt before engulfed me.
“Apparently, the guy who set it up told her his name was Michael. I talked to Ben, and Michael is Paul’s first name. He only goes by Paul because his dad’s name is also Michael.”
“Do you think he knew who she was? That she’s my friend?”
“We’re not sure, Bay,” Jake replied.
“I thought he just moved on. He left me alone after that, so I thought it was over, but if it wasn’t, and if I’d have pressed charges, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
I’d heard enough. When Chase put his arm around Bailey, I turned and jogged back to my truck, needing to leave while they were distracted. Bailey would try to stop me if she saw me leaving, and I wasn’t wasting time arguing with her.
I needed to see Paige.
And then I needed to find Paul Lewis.
I jogged into the hospital’s emergency department and straight to the front desk, unsure how I even got to the hospital. I didn’t even remember driving there, and I was still distracted until I heard my name called out.
I stopped and looked over at the rows of chairs in the waiting room, noticing Jake there along with Lanie and Luke.
Changing direction, I headed toward them, already talking. “What the hell happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Luke admitted. “Paige was only awake for a few minutes, but she didn't say much before she stopped talking and closed her eyes. The doctor took her for a CT scan.”
I swallowed hard, aware that didn’t sound good. “Did she say anything that made sense?”
“Not much. She told us she went on a blind date. She left but said he jumped her at a gas station. That was when he told her his name was Paul Lewis. She immediately recognized the name, but that’s all I got before she closed her eyes.” Luke put his hands on his hips. “I already have officers pulling cameras from the two closest gas stations to the hospital because there’s no way in hell she drove very far in her condition.”
“Her condition?” When Luke didn’t answer right away, I looked at Jake, but he was suspiciously quiet. Lowering my voice, I pushed. “Tell me what the fuck you know.”
Luke sighed. “I’ll tell you her injuries, but you need to promise me you won’t leave this hospital and go after him. I know what’s going on in your head and exactly what you want to do to Paul Lewis, but I can’t let you.”
“Fine,” I bit out. “Tell me.”
Luke nodded and shared a glance with Jake before facing me again. “She was beaten pretty badly, has a black eye and a bloody lip. She also has a massive lump on the back of her head, which tells me he slammed her head against something hard, probably the wall of the gas station or the ground. Maybe both. And the bruising on her neck indicates she was choked. The only good thing I can say is there are no signs of sexual assault.”
Anger overwhelmed me, and what was once concern for Paige was turning dark and dangerous. A promise I made to Luke not two minutes ago was out the door. As soon as I could, I was leaving this fucking hospital and finding the bastard responsible.
“She’s gonna be okay, brother.” Jake spoke for the first time. “She’s tough. She somehow got away from him and drove herself to the hospital. That says a lot.”
Nodding, I put my hands on my hips. “When can we see her?”
“The nurse is going to tell me when she’s back from the scan, and they have her in a room.”
“So we wait.” I’d barely finished saying that when the hospital doors slid open, and Chase walked in with Bailey.
I slid into a seat next to Jake and listened to Luke recount the story he just told me. He was still talking when Bree and Harper ran inside, followed by the majority of the Dimarco family, including my parents. That didn’t surprise me. Paige was considered part of the family, and when someone in the family is hurt, we all show up whether that person wants us there or not. Something in my gut told me Paige wouldn’t want us to see her like this, but she needed this family to heal.
And I needed them to distract Luke so I could get the hell out of here and find Paul Lewis. It seemed he wanted a fight, and I was going to make damn sure he got one with someone his own size.
My dad slid into the seat beside me and reached out to squeeze my shoulder. “You good?”
“Yep.”
“He’s not worth going after.”
“Probably not.”
My dad knew me well, and he understood my answer. Sighing, he dropped his hand. “What does she mean to you?”
That was a good question. I hadn’t been sure until this happened and fear engulfed me. I could’ve lost her. I still could lose her, and the idea of that was terrifying. That meant a hell of a lot.
“I’m not sure,” I answered, not wanting to talk about it in the fucking hospital.
“Seems to me she means more than you’re willing to admit.”
“We barely know each other, Dad.”
He snorted. “That doesn’t matter. Your heart doesn’t give a shit about things like that. It knows what it wants, and so do you if you’re honest with yourself.”
I glanced his way. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”
“Am I?” His eyebrow rose. “You two have been playing this game for a while now, but it doesn’t seem like either one of you is willing to stop playing. That tells me a lot.”
“Elaina and Luke Dimarco.”
My eyes flashed toward the voice calling for Luke and Lanie, and as soon as I saw it was a man wearing a white coat, I stood, along with everyone else. I wasn’t surprised he called them both over to talk. Lanie was Paige’s emergency contact, and this is an active investigation with the police department. We couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Luke nodded when they were done talking, and they came to stand in front of us.
Jake wrapped his arm around Lanie’s shoulders, but when she didn’t speak, I looked at Luke, and he began talking. “She has a severe concussion, which he already assumed, but he was looking to make sure she doesn’t have a brain bleed, which she does not.”
“Oh, thank god,” my mom said.
“Why did he come out and talk to you? Why didn’t the nurse? Is there something you’re not telling us?”
Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “He wanted to stress the significance of her concussion because he knows I want to question her. She might not remember details. Hell, she might have no memory of the attack at all. And that could last a few days or forever. He has no way of knowing.”
“What happens if she can’t remember? Can you still charge Paul Lewis?” Bailey asked.
“Maybe,” Luke answered honestly. “Hopefully, we can get something from the gas station footage.”
“If they even have cameras,” Jake said, his jaw tight.
Luke nodded but didn’t say anything, so I spoke up. “Can we see her?”
“Yeah,” Luke replied. “She’s in room 418. He said only one at a time.”
I stared at Luke. “You going first?”
“I’ll need to. If she has any information, I need it as quickly as I can get it.”
I glanced at Lanie, already aware she would need to see Paige after Luke. Nodding, I slapped my hand against his shoulder. “I’ll be back later.”
I’d just turned when he called out my name, and I looked at him over my shoulder. “I’m not dumb enough to try to convince you not to go after him, but don’t do anything you’re going to regret.”
Turning to face Luke, I put my hands on my hips. “He lied about who he was, then he jumped her. What the fuck do you expect me to do with that?”
“I expect you to let me do my job.” He lowered his voice. “I will get him. And when I do, I’ll make sure he pays for every mark on her.”
I considered that and glanced over his shoulder to where my dad stood watching me. After a moment, I met Luke's stare. “You won’t have to.”
“Dammit, Cole.” He swore as I turned and walked out of the emergency department.
Jogging to the tow truck, I got in and headed to my garage. It wasn’t long before I was in my pickup truck and racing toward the address I had for Paul Lewis. At least I assumed it was the correct one but all I had to rely on was a search on my phone.
I’d just pulled in when I noticed Ben walking across the parking lot of the apartment complex. He saw me and changed direction, coming straight for me.
Parking the truck, I shoved open the door just as Ben stopped at the front of my truck.
“He’s not here,” he said as I shut my door.
“I figured it was a long shot,” I admitted.
“I already called every one of the guys on my crews who were known to associate with Lewis.”
“And...” I encouraged.
“They don’t know anything.”
“I don’t believe that.” I shook my head. “Someone knows something.”
“I agree, but they’re not talking.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll keep digging. Already talked to Jake and he’s gonna pull every guy on the jobsite tomorrow to see what he can find out. Chase will do the same. If anyone has any fucking information, we’ll get it.”
I jerked up my chin, but I wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “What does he drive?”
“When he worked for us, a blue Ford pickup, extended cab.”
“Do you have a plate number?”
“No,” Ben replied.
“Dammit,” I swore. “There are a lot of blue Ford trucks in this town.”
“True.” He studied me before continuing. “What’s going on in your head?”
“Finding him,” I answered simply.
“And then what?”
I didn’t answer, but I didn’t need to. Ben knew me well. I was a fairly laid-back guy until someone pushed me too far. This was too far.
He sighed. “I know what you want to do to him. I get it, man. I’d want to do the same if it was Charlie, but you can’t help her if your ass is in jail.”
“She has plenty of people to help her.”
“I doubt she’ll take help from many,” Ben replied. “Maybe only Lanie.”
I shrugged. “Then what makes you think she’ll take it from me?”
“Just a hunch.” He squinted in the morning sun and looked toward the road past the parking lot before meeting my stare once again. “Why the fuck was she even on a date with that guy?”
“I heard it was a blind date,” I explained. “She didn’t know who he was.”
“Something tells me he knew exactly who she was.” Ben shook his head. “I’m assuming if she was on a date that you made a decision on what you want to do.”
“I hadn’t,” I admitted. “But I have now.”
“You sure you’re not just reacting because of the situation?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged again. “But the idea of something happening to her again guts me, and that's all I need to know.”