Chapter 33
Brooke
“You can file a police report. Probably get some sort of a protection order.” The company attorney is doing his best to help me figure out what my next move should be. “You could potentially file a lawsuit for harassment. But I’m not sure it would be worth the time, effort, or money.”
“I think I’d rather talk to the police first. Try to establish some sort of grounds to legally prevent Matt from coming near me or my family.” The last part comes out so naturally. So easily.
Because I do have a family. A real one. A family who cares about me and will stand up for me and wants what’s best for me.
A family that includes the very angry man sitting behind the desk in front of me.
Trevor’s first plan was to go find Matt and kill him. I think it was actually the first thing he and Maren have ever agreed on. Thankfully, I was able to point out a few hiccups they might run into that could cause major problems, and they decided maybe it was better to not commit homicide.
“I agree.” The attorney’s voice carries through the speaker of Trevor’s phone. “I have a few contacts in the police department. Let me reach out to them. I’ll get back with you and let you know when they will be coming to talk to you.”
I don’t even have to go to the police station? That makes the decision to speak with them even easier. “I really appreciate it. Thank you.”
Trevor smashes his finger against the disconnect button way harder than required. Standing from his chair, he paces across his fancy office while raking a hand through his hair. “Tobias is going to shit.”
I have to agree with him on that. Tobias is not going to be happy. At all.
I’m not happy either, but I’m not as upset as I expected.
So many times I’ve cowered when Matt acted like this.
I did whatever I could to calm him down, and that was usually giving him exactly what he wanted.
I was afraid all the time, and it was exhausting.
Weakening me just as much as his constant manipulations and put downs.
I’m not cowering today.
Part of the reason for that is because I’m not on my own in this fight. I have backup. Lots of it.
Even without Tobias here.
“Has he called you back?” Maren leans my way, peering at the cell phone in my lap. “I expected him to be blowing you up by now.”
“I haven’t called him yet.” Just like my family has my back, I have theirs.
Walker only gets a limited amount of time today to look through those records.
It’s a chance he might not get again. I know if I call and tell Tobias about Matt’s threats, both men will leave, and I’m not going to let that happen.
There’s not really anything they can do for me anyway. I’ve got Trevor and Maren ready and willing to make all sorts of messes if the need arises.
Plus, I’m sure I could also easily convince Tucker to throw hands. He was a little too excited over the possibility of a brawl last night, and I don’t think it would take much to have him completely invested again.
Except, if Matt shows up here, my security guard friend Ray will probably just taze him the minute he walks through the doors, ruining everyone’s fun before it begins.
“You haven’t called him?” Maren shakes her head, eyes wide. “Brooke, you have to call him. He’s going to go bananapants if you don’t.”
“How is he going to go bananapants if I don’t call him? He won’t even know what’s happening.” I glance down at my phone, checking just in case. “He’ll call me as soon as he’s on his way back, and I’ll tell him then. It’s fine.”
“I don’t think he’s gonna see it that way.” Maren reaches out, poking my arm with one finger. “And I want to go on the record that I told you to call him. No way do I want him mad at me over this.”
“At the risk of agreeing with Maren twice in one day, I have to concede she is probably correct in saying you should call Tobias.” Trevor says the words like they taste bitter. “And I would also like to go on the record as having said that.”
“I’m not calling him.” I stand. “Walker needs to find out what happened to his mother, and I’m not going to be the reason that doesn’t happen.”
I turn, intending to go tell Ray he should only taze Matt a little bit, and then call Tucker so he can get a couple good swings in, but my phone starts to ring in my hand. My belly flips like it always does when I look at the screen and see Tobias’s name displayed there.
I lift my cell, wiggling it around to show Maren and Trevor who’s calling. “See? It’s going to be fine.” I swipe across the screen, pressing the device to my air. “Hey. How did it go?”
“Is this Brooke Carrington?” The official-sounding voice coming through the line does not belong to Tobias. It’s entirely unfamiliar, and has the flutter in my belly turning to lead.
I curl inward, arm wrapping around my middle. “How do you have this number?”
“This is Officer Banning. There’s been an accident.”
I try to focus on what the police officer’s telling me, but my ears are ringing so loud I can’t hear anything.
Maren must be able to tell, because she’s quickly at my side, one hand taking the phone as the other grips me in a tight hug.
I thought Matt’s message was just him trying to manipulate me again. Believed his threats and awful words were yet another attempt to coerce me into making myself small enough I wouldn’t have power against him.
And I was so proud it didn’t work. That instead of shrinking in fear, I was standing up to him. I was being brave.
I was going to show him—and myself—who I really am.
But maybe who I really am, is stupid.
“Can you repeat that?” Maren’s voice is all business as she takes over what I couldn’t handle.
I don’t want to shut down, because shutting down is what got me where I was. I need to get it together. If not for myself, then for Tobias.
Sucking in a deep breath, I lean back, giving her a nod. “I’m okay.”
It’s a stretch. A big one. And entirely dependent on whether or not Tobias is okay.
Maren hands me back my phone. “They took Tobias to the hospital. The police officer said he was in and out of consciousness as he left the scene.” She turns to where Trevor is yanking on his jacket. “You need to call your family, because Walker was involved too.”
She turns me toward the door, pushing my feet into motion. “I’m taking her to the hospital. You can meet us there.”
Maren dishes out commands like it’s her job, and I’m shocked when Trevor doesn’t balk at her bossing him around.
He simply nods his head and points out the door in the general direction of the security office.
“Take one of the guys from Alaskan Security, just to be safe. Tobias will have my ass if something happens to her.”
Everything goes fast and slow as I’m loaded into an unfamiliar Jeep. Seth gets behind the wheel while Maren sits in the back seat with me.
“Did the police officer explain what happened?” I need to prepare myself for what I’m about to find. What I could have to face.
And the possibility that this could be my fault. That Matt discovered the easiest way to hurt me, is to hurt Tobias
“He said it appears they were hit by someone running a red light.” She wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a sideways hug. “But they were in Tobias’s truck, and he tests out all the after-market modifications on his own vehicles, so I’m sure everyone is fine.”
She’s trying to reassure me, and I appreciate it. There’s only one problem. “They don’t take fine people to the hospital.”
“I don’t mean fine, fine.” She gives me a little shake. “I mean fine, ultimately fine.”
Seth manages to get us to the hospital much faster than I expect and pulls right up to the emergency bay, leaving the Jeep running as he walks Maren and me inside.
With him standing next to us, looking official and scary, we’re quickly taken back. But instead of taking me to Tobias, Maren and I are shown into a room with Walker and a set of police officers.
Walker is laid out on the bed while a doctor stitches a small cut on his head. The cops are asking him questions and taking notes.
As soon as I walk in, Walker’s eyes come to me. I try to read his expression, but the man is a freaking rock. He doesn’t give anything away.
The doctor ties off the final knot closing him up and snips the suture, stepping back.
Eyes still on me, Walker says, “Give us a minute.”
The cops and doctor hesitate.
Walker turns his hard expression to the officers. “The guy behind the wheel is her husband.”
My hand goes to my stomach, pressing down at the combination of happiness and dread mixing there. Just thinking about Tobias as my husband usually makes me giddy, and hearing Walker say it out loud sends a feeling of rightness washing through me.
But it’s not true. And that fact causes me physical pain.
Everyone seems to decide it’s not worth arguing with him, so they filter out, the doors sliding closed behind them to leave me with Walker.
“Is he okay?” My voice sounds so small. So afraid.
I’ve heard it like that countless times before, but this fear is entirely different from the type I lived with in California.
This fear is visceral. Deep. Encompassing.
“He has a concussion, and damage to his left leg that required surgery to repair.” Walker motions to a chair. “They took him back pretty soon after we got here. I didn’t know how bad it was, because it wasn’t even bleeding.”
I lower into the seat—or maybe it’s more of a collapse—managing to pull in air before asking, “Was it Matt?”
Walker shifts around on the bed, his eyes finally leaving me. “Nothing has been confirmed.”
The room starts to spin, everything moving faster and faster until I’m forced to close my eyes to combat the wave of nausea bringing bile up my throat.
“The car that hit us looked an awful lot like the one Matt drove to our house.” Walker’s voice carries an amount of softness it doesn’t normally have.
“But it would have taken quite a bit of work for him to not only get his head stitched up, but also bail himself out of county and get the car released from impound. "
I take another deep breath, lifting my lids to find the room is once again stationary. “Are you just trying to make me feel better?”
“Do I seem like the kind of guy who tries to make people feel better?” The twitch of Walker's lips is the only indication he’s joking.
And honestly, that makes me feel better than his explanation for why it’s possible Matt had nothing to do with this. I can’t imagine someone as serious as Walker would joke if he was afraid Tobias wouldn’t be okay.
“So you’re saying maybe it was just an accident?” I can’t keep the hopeful edge out of my voice.
“I’m saying it could have been an accident.” The line of Walker’s mouth turns grim. “We probably won’t know for at least a few days, because they can’t question the guy who hit us.”
It takes my brain a second to register his meaning. “He died?”
Walker tips his head in a single nod.
I hadn’t even considered the status of the person who hit Tobias’s truck. Not beyond my fear it was Matt. Even then, it hadn’t occurred to me he wouldn’t survive. I was too busy being afraid Matt’s final words to me were true. That he really was going to take everything that mattered to me.
And while Tobias might not be everything that matters to me, he is the bulk of it. There are a few poodle and Bradshaw brother shaped bits mixed in there, along with parents who aren’t mine and friends I’m learning to lean on. But without Tobias, I would be empty.
And coming so close to losing him has me desperate to see his face. To touch him. To tell him exactly how I feel.
He’s been so open and honest with me, and I’ve held back. He’s been all in from the very beginning, waiting patiently for me to come around.
I need to tell him how much that means to me. How much he means to me.
And I need to show him just how all in I am.
My legs are steady, brain clear as I stand from the chair. “How long did they say he would be in surgery?”
“A few hours, last time I heard.” Walker looks me over. “You okay?”
I smile, hoping it will ease the concern pinching his brow. “I will be.”
Stepping toward the sliding doors, I pause, remembering the whole reason Tobias and Walker were out in the first place. “I’m sorry you didn’t make it to the station.”
A hint of sadness flickers across his face. “I’ll figure something out.”
I nod, hoping he's right. I’m only an hour into facing someone I love being in a car accident, and not knowing exactly what happened is making it hard to sit still. I can’t imagine how Walker feels after twenty-five years of no answers.
Going out into the hall, I let the police know he’s ready to continue talking to them. Then I go in search of Maren. I need her to do something for me.
Because the second Tobias wakes up, I’ve got a lot to tell him.