39. No Hugs for You
39
No Hugs for You
Anton
T he tension in this cramped waiting room at the hospital in Green Bay is thicker than a seven-layer, dark-chocolate cake and not nearly as sweet.
I’m sitting in the corner, in a chair that’s three sizes too small for me, listening as Rose’s sisters verbally decimate their father. I don’t know all the details, but suffice it to say, I’m glad I’m not the one on the receiving end of their ire.
They stormed into the hospital, took one look at me—still in my gameday pants and football cleats—and Poppy said, “You’re here. Good.”
That’s been it as far as I’m concerned.
Lennox Kasper has not been so lucky.
The tongue-lashing the Kasper sisters are giving their father has been unrelenting.
From what I’ve gathered, this is some sort of unplanned family reunion. He walked out on them a decade or more ago, and this is the first time he’s shown his face since. Apparently, Rose has been working for her father’s agency without her sisters’ knowledge. I don’t blame them for unloading.
Rose must’ve come clean with Poppy and Noli, because they aren’t acting miffed at her, but they are being downright chilly to their father. That’s an understatement. They’re beyond chilly. They’re arctic.
For his part, Lennox has dug his heels in, which isn’t helping his cause. He’d get further if he apologized, but I’m not about to put myself in the middle of the family drama—not when I have no say in any of it.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Poppy starts in on Lennox again.
“Poppy, give it a rest.” He crosses his arms. “Rose works for me. She was injured in the line of duty. I’m not going to not follow up. I’m a good boss.”
“Can’t say the same about being a father, can you?” Poppy mutters.
“Amen.” Noli stands up straighter. “And Rosie worked for you. Past tense. You fired her. She told us.”
Collin, who is Noli’s husband, if I’m remembering correctly—or maybe her boyfriend? I forget the details—is standing close at hand, as if ready to jump in and back up his girl if she needs him to. But so far, she’s been completely capable.
Poppy too. She’s gripping Mack’s hand in such a way that I’m sure is cutting off circulation. But the two of them haven’t wavered.
“It’s so freaking fitting,” Poppy takes up the argument. “You fired her, Dad. Left her out on her own. Where have I heard that before?” The bitterness is back. Scratch that. It never left.
“Because she’s so dang good at her job,” Noli says, “she went and did what you weren’t smart enough to do and put herself in between the bad guys and Anton.”
My heart pops into the back of my throat. I still can’t believe that Rose took a bullet for me, without even thinking. She saw the gunman and jumped into action. No hesitation. I wish it would have been me taking the bullet for her.
I feel like climbing the walls. All I want to do is talk to her. She’s out of surgery. Her surgeon came and talked to us a bit ago. Said everything went as well as could be expected in the operating room, and she’s lucky the bullet missed her bone, only nicked her femoral artery, and that the medical staff on site reacted immediately. A couple millimeters in a different direction and without the quick thinking of our team’s doctors, and the bullet could have caused her to bleed out.
I will not be thinking about that. I say another prayer of thanksgiving as I half-listen to Poppy and Noli unload years of pent-up anger on their dad.
“She probably could have used some back up, huh?” Poppy spits out. “You couldn’t even give her that. You have no right to be here. You did nothing.”
Lennox doesn’t argue. He sets his jaw in a firm line.
The standoff is broken when a nurse walks into the waiting room. She glances around at the crowd of us. Her eyes widen when they land on me, but she turns her gaze to Poppy. “Your sister is awake and asking for you.”
The Kasper sisters sprint down the hallway after the nurse, leaving me with Lennox, Collin, and Mack.
My phone buzzes, and I check my messages. I’ve got a pile-up of texts from my mother, but I haven’t looked at one of them. I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with her right now. She’s only going to use this attempt on my life as ammunition to try to convince me to come back to Penwick.
My teammates have blown up my phone, making sure I’m okay and asking about Rose. Poe has her on the prayer chain at his church already. Del has offered to coordinate meals for her after she gets home. TJ is ribbing me for the fact that I needed her to protect me—all in jest, of course.
Duke has been reaching out as well, asking for updates. I gather he and Rose got pretty close over the course of the past week. I try not to be jealous, but I’m a weak man.
But this message isn’t from the guys or Duke or my mom. It’s from my new security team.
The guy who shot at you cracked in interrogation. He says he was working for a man named Duke.
I blink. That can’t be right. Duke was working with Rose to protect me. Isn’t that what she said ?
I pick up the phone and call Duke. He answers on the first ring.
“Is everything okay? Is Rose alright?” His voice is hurried.
“I think so. Her sisters went in to see her. I haven’t seen her yet.” I step out of the waiting room and into the privacy of the nearby hallway. I relay the message I got from my security. “What’s going on?”
Duke is quiet, and then I hear him sigh. “I was afraid of this. It’s a good thing Rose and I have our ducks in a row. Anton, I don’t know how to say this to you…”
“Just say it.”
“We think your mom is behind your attack and all the threats against you. She’s been trying to frame me. I’ve documented it all, and I can make a case to prove my innocence.”
I’m stunned speechless.
“I’m sorry,” Duke goes on. “I…I don’t understand her.”
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. I shouldn’t so readily believe him. I mean, it’s my mother. But somehow, I’m not even surprised. “Where is she now? What do I do?”
“I don’t know. I’m guessing I’m going to be called in to speak to authorities soon.”
“You’re sure you’re okay? You don’t need anything? I can vouch for you.”
“I appreciate that. I appreciate you trusting me—more than you know.” Duke blows out an audible breath. “I’ll be good, though. I’ll let you know where things are at.”
There’s a kerfuffle down the hall near where my security is positioned, and I say a quick goodbye to Duke, thanking him profusely for what he did to help me and promising to be in touch.
My mother comes around the corner at that very moment. She’s got a police escort. Because of course she does. Everything’s always a production with her, even though she could walk around America and no one would know her from the next sixty-something-year-old.
“Anton, there you are. Thank goodness you’re safe.” She reaches out her arms, the picture of a doting mother.
I hold up my hands, preventing her from embracing me. I catch the look the cops shoot each other. I nod at them and make eye contact with my security over my mother’s shoulder. I have a feeling I’m going to need their services here shortly.
She furrows her brow. “What’s going on?”
“You tell me.” I cross my arms.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve just been informed that Charles was working for you.”
“Charles? Where is he?” My mom peers around.
“Don’t play dumb, Mother. Charles is in custody.”
My mom balks, but her eye twitches. It’s the only tell I need. “Why?”
“Because he tried to shoot me.”
“You think I had something to do with that? Charles was working with Duke. If anyone from Penwick is behind this attack, I should think we would look to him first.”
“Funny. That’s what he told me you’d say. He’s got proof that it wasn’t him. It was you this whole time. Charles was working for you .”
My mother pulls herself up to her full height. “You’re clearly not thinking straight. Why would I hire someone to shoot my own son?”
“I can think of a couple reasons. For starters, maybe you were so put out that I wouldn’t return to Penwick with you that you tried to scare me into compliance. Or perhaps you actually wanted to kill me rather than risk the social disgrace of having a son abdicate.”
My mom’s eye keeps twitching as she shoots a covert look at the police, who are shifting on their feet. “This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.” She waves me off. “You’ve obviously had a long and emotional day. I’m going to go and let you cool off. ”
“You’re not going anywhere but to jail.” I motion to the police and wave my security forward. I don’t really know how this works in America and with a foreign dignitary, but I’m hoping they do.
“I can assist with that.” Lennox steps up from behind me.
I whirl around. I’m not sure how long he’s been standing there. He nods at me. “Duke and Rose looped me in earlier today. I didn’t pay their notes much attention, which was my mistake, but I have the evidence necessary to prove this was Queen Della’s doing.”
I turn to my mom, who looks a bit like a caged animal. She glares back at me. “This is all your fault.”
“My fault? That you tried to kill me and injured Rose in the process? Yeah, I don’t really think so.”
“We weren’t trying to kill you!” My mom stomps her foot. “Charles was supposed to blow out your knee. If football wasn’t an option anymore, then what would be left for you here? Nothing! You’d come home. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. It’s your rightful place.”
“I think we’ve heard enough.” Lennox grabs my mother’s arm and, with the help of the police, ushers her out of the hospital wing. “Give Rose my best,” he calls over his shoulder.
I nod. I’m completely at a loss as I stare after them. My brain keeps starting and stopping, but what I’m hung up on is the fact that my mom really doesn’t know me at all. Just because my time on the team may come to an end one day—hopefully not for several years yet, but it will end—my friendships with my teammates and the relationships I’ve built here won’t disappear.
“There you are.” Poppy’s voice sounds from behind me. I spin around. She’s standing in the doorway at the end of the hallway, smiling. “Rose wants to see you.”