Chapter 7 Because You Have to Be #2
She gave him a fake smile. “Yes, but only when made from scratch - and that right there is what I’m talking about. You recalling her favorite foods could give her false hope - so what are you really doing with her?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Not your business, really. Or are you going to throw some immature fit if I…”
“If you what? Fucked her and left her? Yeah, I’d be pissed as hell. If you keep this up and actually want something more with her, then I won’t care… as long as you keep her happy.”
“And to hell with your brother?”
She grinned. “I’ll always love you because you’re my brother, but don’t do her like you did half your other girlfriends.”
“I haven’t had a girlfriend in two years.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you also didn’t have the last one hounding you because she came to me for advice on how to get you back.”
“You never told me that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why would I? You had moved on, but you pull that with Savannah… shit will get awkward fast.”
“Right. Take her those cookies. I’ll be in soon, that’ll give you two some time.”
Alanis shot him a shrewd look. “If you insist, but don’t bail on my account.”
With a shake of his head, he wandered down the corridor toward the elevators while Alanis went to Savannah’s room. He stopped at a bank of windows overlooking the Fuller-Warren Bridge and pulled his phone from his back pocket to call Blood.
“Punc, anything new to report?” Blood answered.
“She’s awake. Wanted us to use her pay from Sunday toward the medical bills, but I told her that isn’t happening. If she continues to improve, she could be out by Sunday.”
“That’s good news. You got a shift tonight, right?”
He shook his head. “Traded off with Evict.”
“She’s fine. You don’t need to stick around there.”
“We still don’t know who attacked her.”
“The hospital has security.”
He put steel in his tone while trying to stay respectful. “I don’t care, Blood. Something about this shit is off, we know it; but hell if the brothers are doing anything about it.”
Blood sighed. “The cops assume it was a robbery gone bad.”
“The security feeds were turned off—”
“Yeah, but as hectic as it was here that night… we haven’t done anything to dissuade the cops from thinking that. We’d rather handle it ourselves, because you’re right: something's wrong here.”
“Then I’m damn sure not leaving her with hospital security.”
“You can’t watch her twenty-four-seven, Punc.”
That was true, but Punc despised the idea of her being alone.
“Understood, Blood. I’m back at Platinum’s on Tuesday. Later.”
Punc rounded the corner toward Savannah’s room and found Alanis milling about in the corridor.
Alanis read his questioning expression. “There’s a doctor in there with her.
I figured privacy would be better.” She shook her head.
“Part of me is still mad. I’m trying to get over her lying to me.
What were the odds she’d be at your strip club?
She told me she wasn’t going to do anything like that. ”
“Not my strip club, but she made a killing that night.”
Alanis glared at him. “There’s a poor choice of words. She could have been killed from what the doctor told Catalina.”
He clenched his teeth. That was what bugged him the most. If Yak hadn’t noticed the security monitors being off, Savannah probably would be dead. And for what? It was senseless.
“Have you heard anything more about it?” Alanis asked.
He shrugged a shoulder. “Cops think it was a robbery gone wrong. She didn’t walk out with all the money she earned that night, but only a few people knew that.”
The doctor opened the door to Savannah’s room and gave them a nod.
Alanis stepped forward, but Punc put a hand on her shoulder. “You gonna be cool with her? I’m not gonna let you upset her.” And he wasn’t. She might not be his officially, but he was damn sure going to shield her from petty headaches like this.
Alanis pursed her lips. “I’m not gonna go out of my way to upset her, but I have a right to tell her that I feel betrayed. Dancing behind my back, and apparently seeing you behind my back, too. Don’t think Catalina didn’t mention you going over there with a pizza for them.”
He managed to contain his lip curl before he semi-lied. “I’m not seeing her. They’ve got it rough. Be cool with her. I may have fallen down on protecting her from an attack, but I won’t fall down on that job again.”
“Fine.”
Punc gestured toward the doorway and Alanis went into the room. “I brought you some sugar cookies.”
“Awesome,” Savannah said.
“What did the doc have to say?” Punc asked, following his sister.
Disappointment washed over Savannah’s face. “I’ll likely be discharged this weekend, but I can’t drive for over a week. I’ll have to wait and see about exercise. Maybe I can dance after six weeks, but no flips for two to three months.”
“Like you’re getting on that stage again,” Alanis said.
Savannah gave Alanis a pointed look. “I got bills to pay, Alanis.”
His sister sighed. “Right. I still think—”
Savannah shook her head. “Let’s not talk about that right now. I need a cookie.” Her eyes slid to Punc. “Do you want one, Punc?”
“No thanks. What kind of bills do you have to pay? The club’s covering your medical bills, and Rita said she’s paying you even while you’re laid up. Did your mom have a second mortgage on the house or something?”
With a cookie midway to her lips, Savannah grimaced.
“Yep. The house isn’t even close to being paid off.
Her mortgage is more than what I was paying in rent, since I had a roommate, but I don’t want to make Catalina move yet.
Plus, Mom’s Buick isn’t paid off, and my insurance went up after I added Cat to my policy.
What little Mom had left went toward other expenses, Punc. ”
He watched her eat her cookie while exchanging a look with his sister. “Savannah, I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me here.”
She shook her head. “There really isn’t, Punc. Like I told you, I need money and Platinum’s needs dancers. It’s not like I want a career as a dancer… or that I could be a dancer for years on end. At some point, I’m sure I’d be too old or someone else would be more appealing.”
The thought of anyone else being more appealing than Savannah was ludicrous. He propped a hip on her bed. “You’d be appealing no matter what your age.”
A skeptical expression lit her eyes. “Thanks for saying that, but if I can earn anywhere near what I made Sunday night, that will give me and Catalina a cushion and make me feel more secure.”
That he understood.
“There are other alternatives,” Alanis said.
Savannah glared at Alanis for a moment before she shook her head. “I’m sure there are, but I’m in no shape to do much now. The doctor said to take it easy for two to three weeks.”
“Savannah,” Punc said in a stern tone.
Her eyes darted to him.
He fought a smile since he liked that reaction from her. “Don’t worry about it. If you need help, say so.”
“I don’t need help,” she said in a small voice.
He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I said ‘if you need help’ because it might have been a while, but I remember how independent you are.”
She opened her mouth to argue, closed it, and then schooled her expression. “Being independent isn’t a bad thing, Punc.”
He grinned. “I didn’t say it was.”
Alanis gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, this is weird. If you can ignore my brother’s attempts to flirt with you, why can’t you perform strenuous activities? Is it because they put you in a coma or is there something else going on?”
“Both, really. The doctor said the hits I took to my head were so severe, they had to induce the coma. Either one would limit my physical activity for a little while. Both of them, though, they want me to use plenty of caution.”
Alanis nodded. “That makes sense. If you’re getting out of here over the weekend, call me. I’ll drive you home so Cat doesn’t have to do it.”