Chapter Thirty #2
Lorcan released a long breath then stepped forward and opened the door. “I did it for your own good.”
I ignored his comment and stepped into the room where a single bed was in the center, surrounded by machines that were attached to a pale figure.
Deep down I knew it was Imogen, but I hardly recognized her.
She was a shadow of the sister I last saw.
She was thin, much thinner than I’d ever seen her—and she’d tried every diet on the planet in her quest of becoming a model.
Her hollow cheeks were stretched wide because of the breathing tube disappearing between chapped lips.
Her blond hair was matted and had been shaved on her left side, where a long scar now marred her skull.
Tubes were coming out of it, draining some sort of liquid from her head.
Nausea washed over me. The hint of bruising was still visible all over her body.
I crept toward her, completely distraught at the sight of my sister being so lifeless, a bare shell.
The anger I’d felt toward her took a step back.
I hoped I’d one day get the chance to chew her ear off.
I grabbed one of her hands. Even though she looked dead, she was warm. Her chest was rising and falling slowly. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“What happened?” I croaked. “You said the man she was with wouldn’t hurt her because he knew you were Imogen’s brother-in-law.
You said he wasn’t the violent type. This doesn’t look like it.
” My voice had taken on a hysteric edge, but I couldn’t help it.
The last twenty-four hours had been too much. I hadn’t slept at all.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lorcan coming closer. Part of me wanted to send him out again, but I needed answers. And I didn’t want to be alone. Imogen wasn’t really here.
“I did my own investigation. Nothing points to her original sponsor being the culprit. It seems she found a new sponsor with even more money in St. Barts. She moved to his yacht and that’s the last thing I could find out. Somehow, she ended up ashore on a beach in Miami.”
It could have happened that way. It wasn’t unusual for Imogen to leave one man for a better option. She left the people who were in her way… like she had left us .
“They beat her severely before they dumped her in the ocean. She was lucky a hooker found her in the early morning hours. She was about to give a john a blowjob on the beach.”
Sickness rose in me when I imagined Imogen floating lifelessly in the ocean, dumped there like garbage, as if she was something you could just dispose of. Maybe she wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t deserve this.
“Your sister was lucky the hooker didn’t just turn a blind eye. Most of them want to avoid trouble and a half-dead woman always means trouble. Her john took off, but she called the police and an ambulance.”
I could hardly breathe past the lump in my throat.
“Due to her head injury, they needed to cut her open to relieve some of the pressure. She’s been in a vegetative state since then.
She was admitted as Jane Doe. They thought she was a hooker who was beaten by her john.
It was a lucky coincidence that one of my contacts in Miami kept an eye out for unknown females. I prefer to be prepared.”
“When did you find out?” I stroked my thumb along Imogen’s dry hand. Maybe she could feel my presence. She wasn’t dead, so she still had to be in there somewhere.
“About ten days ago. She was found a couple of days before I got the call.”
I stroked Imogen’s skin once more before placing her hand gently down on the bed.
I left the room without a word. Lorcan followed and closed the door.
I was close to tears, on the verge of losing it completely.
How would I tell Mum about this? She suspected the worst and so had I.
This wasn’t that, but it was close. And Finn.
Oh Finn. Should I even tell him?
He stopped asking about Imogen. Maybe I should just allow him to move on.
I knew what was coming when Aislinn left the room. I could feel her anger rolling off her in waves.
The moment the door was closed, she rounded up on me. “You had no right to keep the truth from me! Imogen is my sister. Even if she made many mistakes, I have a right to know when she is in a hospital right around the corner from you fighting for her life!”
“She’s not fighting for her life, Aislinn. She’s on death’s doorstep. The doctors made it very clear that her chances of ever waking up are slim, and even if she wakes, she won’t be the sister you last saw in Dublin. They beat her to a bloody pulp.”
Aislinn flinched and her face turned even redder, her eyes flashing with rage. “You had no right to keep this from me!”
“I wanted to protect you from the harsh truth.”
Her green eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
I almost reached out for her, but I knew she would just shove me away.
I shouldn’t even consider consoling her.
When Corbin called, I had been caught off guard, and seeing her this close up did things to my body and heart I despised.
I knew nothing good would come from having Aislinn back in New York.
“I don’t need nor want protection from the truth! I can handle it. It’s better than the uncertainty.”
“But there’s still uncertainty, Aislinn. Now you’ll be stuck, just like your sister, because you’ll have hope even though it’s futile. You’ll put your own life on hold to help your sister, even if she’s beyond saving.”
“That’s my decision, not yours. You shouldn’t have taken this decision from me.”
“Maybe.”
She shook her head and looked away, then roughly wiped her tears away. “You hate me for betraying you. Shouldn’t you be gloating over my pain?”
I smiled tightly. “Oh, I should, and trust me, I’m pissed that I don’t feel that way, but you somehow got under my fucking skin, and I can’t scratch you out. Maybe you forgot that I went to Dublin to save you. If I wanted your pain, then I wouldn’t have done it.”
She closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. “I can’t think straight. I’m exhausted, I’m sad, I’m desperate, I’m so scared. I—” She fell silent, tears shining brightly in her eyes.
“What about Finn? And your mother? Don’t they need you? You should return to Dublin. I’ll make sure Imogen is protected and taken care of.”
“They’ll understand. I won’t leave. I can’t. Don’t force me to leave.” The pleading in her expression got to me. Fuck .
I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted Aislinn in New York.
I wanted her in my apartment, in my bed.
I didn’t trust her, but I was willing to give this doomed marriage another try.
Trust could be built, on both sides. She’d refused the Irish police when Eddy had approached her.
This was the first step. I was willing to take one small step after the other. My father said marriage was work.
I was such an idiot when it came to Aislinn.
“I won’t, but it could be years before she wakes or dies. She has top-notch medical care here. Moving her would only pose an unnecessary risk. And she wanted to be in New York, so maybe you should just let her be.”
“Will you allow me to stay?”
My heart sped up but I hid my elation. “Yes, but only under one condition.”
She tensed.
“I want you to stay in my apartment. You’re still my wife, as such you should stay with me.”
She let out a rushed breath. “You chased me away as a traitor. Won’t people be confused that you’re allowing me back?”
“Only very few people know about your little deal with the police. For everyone else, I just grew tired of your antics.”
She tilted her head as if she was trying to understand my reasoning. I worried she might be able to. “I’ll stay with you.” She quickly looked away before I could read the emotion in her eyes. “I need to call my mother. She needs to know.”
“She and Finn can fly over. I’ll pay for the flight and their hotel, or they can stay with us. We’re family.”
She shook her head, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. “I doubt Mum sees you as family. She fought so hard to keep our family away from the Devaneys. My marriage to you didn’t have her singing hallelujah, trust me.”
I smiled harshly. “She doesn’t have to like me. I’m not everybody’s darling. But we’re family, and nothing will change that, sweet Aislinn.”
She regarded me curiously. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear you call me that name again.”
Neither did I, but Aislinn had me wrapped around her little finger. “Tell me if I’ll need to book flights once you’ve talked to your mother. I’m sure Finn would like to return to New York.”
I felt the urge to kiss her, to feel her body against mine, but I stepped back. I needed to get a grip. “Corbin will keep an eye on you. If you need me, I’m just a call away.”
I turned when Aislinn’s voice rang out again, quiet but firm. “What about the men who did this to Imogen? Will you try to find them?”
I paused and glanced over my shoulder at my wife. “I’m doing what I can, not just because of your sister, but whoever did this to Imogen might also be linked to the attack on you. But I fear only Imogen can shed light on her attackers.”
Aislinn’s eyes flickered with hesitation, but her voice didn’t reflect it. “I want them to be punished for what they did to Imogen. I don’t care if it’s partly her fault.”
“I’m not in the habit of working with law enforcement,” I said, though I knew it wasn’t what she meant. Aislinn was a good person, but even a good person had a line that if crossed could make them do bad things.
“That’s not what I mean, Lorcan,” Aislinn whispered harshly. She crossed the distance between us and came to a stop right before me. “I want you to punish them for what they did. I want them to pay with their lives.”
I touched her cheek. She didn’t pull away.
I’d used all my contacts to gather information, but St. Barts was definitely out of my reach.
I’d have to rely on Sergej’s information, and it had been sparse.
Either because he didn’t know more or because he was protecting someone high up.
It would mean major trouble with the Bratva if I started torturing people under their protection.
“If I ever find the culprits, I’ll give them their just punishment if that’s what you want.
” If they were linked to the attack on Aislinn, they’d get a special treatment from me.
“I do.”
“Let’s hope Imogen wakes, then. She holds the secrets to what happened.”
Aislinn nodded but she stayed close to me. Her eyes searched my face. “I was sad when I woke in your apartment to find you gone, you know?”
Before I could say anything, she stepped away and headed back to her sister’s hospital room. I rounded the corner where I found Corbin out of earshot. He straightened, ready for my orders. “Stay and keep watch. I don’t want Aislinn to leave on her own. I’ll send someone over to pick her up.”
“All right, Lorcan.”
I headed out of the hospital and called Seamus, even if I knew what he’d say. “And? ”
“Aislinn’s back and pissed at me.”
“I told you she would be. You should have told her. Will you send her back to Dublin?”
“Not yet.”
“That means never.”
“If you say I told you so, I’ll kick your ass.”
I hung up before he could unload his advice on me.
I snatched the parking ticket from my windshield, tossed it away and climbed in behind the steering wheel.
It was time to go to Sergej’s office for a personal conversation.
Maybe he’d be more forthcoming if I personally showed up.
Our business relationship had been surprisingly good.
I had a feeling the events with Imogen might turn it sour soon. For Aislinn, I was willing to risk it.