Chapter 19 Liam
LIAM
“Oh my God!” Bailey shouted.
I felt the pierce of the knife, but still couldn’t believe it. She threw a knife at me. Actually threw a fucking knife at me.
My eyes drifted from her terrified face to the knife now protruding from my side. “That’s not good,” I muttered.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shouted, rushing to my side. “Why in God’s name would you creep up on me like that?”
She actually tried to kill me. I never thought I would see that side of Bailey, yet here we were. I was leaning against a wall, and she was yelling at me, when she was the one who attacked me.
“Well?” she shouted. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
A smile tilted my lips as my eyes met hers. “Nice aim.”
She stilled, then slapped me across the face. “You ass!” Then she immediately reached for the knife.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I chuckled. It was the only thing to do to keep the pain at bay. “How about we leave that in until we get to the hospital?”
“You think I’m going to take you to the hospital?” she screamed. “After you snuck up on me when I was already scared shitless!”
“Cheyenne texted. I didn’t mean—” I sucked in a breath as my side throbbed with pain. “Maybe we could discuss this on the way.”
Her lips pursed in irritation, but she nodded. “Fine, but only because Cheyenne would kill me if you got blood all over her things.”
“Good to know you don’t want me to bleed out for other reasons,” I muttered.
Snatching the phone off the floor where she dropped it, she stuffed it in her purse. “Well, are we leaving or would you like to die in my apartment?”
The attitude rolling off her was unusual at best. “Is there a reason you’re angry with me?”
“Yes. You scared me. Again!”
“I…don’t think I was responsible either time,” I answered slowly.
“Well…” She pursed her lips in anger. “We’ll discuss this later.”
Hooking her arm through mine, she guided me out of her apartment, stopping just long enough to lock the door before guiding me down the stairs.
“Ma’s gonna have a field day with this,” I muttered.
“I think she’ll see my side of things. How could you do that?”
“Stand in your doorway?” I questioned.
“Scare me. Why didn’t you say anything when you came in?”
Okay, maybe some of this was my fault, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring that up just yet. After all, I still had a knife sticking out of me.
As she tucked me into her borrowed vehicle, I relaxed against the seats, trying to find a way out of this that wouldn’t make me sound like a stalker.
“So, are you going to explain?” she asked as she pulled out.
“Cheyenne texted me and said you went into your apartment, even though you thought someone broke in. Luckily, I was already in town.”
Her furious eyes flashed to mine. “And you thought scaring the shit out of me after hearing that was the best way to approach things?”
“Actually, I had just walked in when you spun on me. Where did you learn to throw like that?”
“Don’t change the subject,” she snapped.
“I’m not. I’m just wondering if this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life. Should I start wearing body armor around you?”
This time when she glared at me, she couldn’t hold back the smile threatening to break through. Shaking her head, a grin curved her lips as she focused on the road again.
“Alright, maybe I overreacted, but seriously, you’re too damn stealthy. I didn’t even know you were there.”
“You should have called me or the police,” I grunted.
Blood seeped through my fingers sluggishly. While it hurt like hell, I was pretty sure I wasn’t actually going to die from this wound.
Not yet, anyway.
“The door was unlocked, not open. What was I supposed to do? Call the police and tell them I needed them to check my apartment because my roommate forgot to lock the door?”
“Yes,” I retorted. “Better that than to get chopped to pieces because you thought you could handle it on your own.”
“I did handle it on my own,” she argued. “I even took you down.”
“I don’t need the reminder,” I muttered. “The knife is still very much there.”
“Well, not that it matters anymore, but next time, try making a little noise.”
I grunted in agreement, then rested my head back for the rest of the drive. This was not exactly how I saw my night going.
When I got the call from Cheyenne, I thought for sure that asshole had broken into her apartment. Already pissed, I was ready to take him down no matter the cost. But the moment I walked through that door and saw Bailey was alive and well…
I didn’t get any further than that because she threw a goddamn knife at me.
“You still didn’t tell me how you know how to throw like that.”
“I thought you’d already know that since you’ve been spying on me all my life.”
“Not spying,” I corrected.
Sighing heavily, she pulled into the parking lot and parked, then turned to me. “My brother and I used to have knife-throwing competitions when we were in high school.”
“Why?”
“A way to pass the time,” I shrugged. “Dad was sick and we didn’t want to leave Mom alone. So, we hung out in the back yard and entertained ourselves.”
“And your mom didn’t say anything about this new hobby?”
“I doubt she ever knew. She was always too wrapped up in taking care of Dad. Anyway, it was just a hobby. It’s not like either of us ever entered a contest.”
“Maybe you should have,” I grinned, which quickly turned upside down.
“Maybe we should get you inside,” she retorted. “God, they’re going to think I tried to kill you. I’m going to end up in jail!”
“Mav would never throw you in jail. In fact, he’d probably give you a medal for taking me down.”
“Well, not completely down. You’re still standing.”
“Barely. Let’s get this over with,” I muttered, flinging my door open.
Bailey was around to my side in seconds, hoisting my good arm over her shoulder. “At least it was your bad side.”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to spread the pain,” I chuckled.
“My fingerprints are all over the knife,” she worried. “Are you sure I won’t go to jail?”
I never got the chance to answer because a nurse came around the corner, took one look at my side, and then called for help.
“How did this happen?” she asked, helping me into a wheelchair. “You have a knife sticking out of you!”
“Accident,” I answered, hoping to drop it at that.
“Like, you accidentally turned a steak knife on yourself and it somehow ended up in your side?” She quirked an eyebrow at Bailey. “And where were you?”
“I—I was—He scared me!” she shouted, pointing her finger at me.
“So, you stabbed him?” The nurse shouted over her shoulder, “Security!”
“That’s not necessary,” I tried to intervene, but the woman just pushed me far away from Bailey, glaring at my woman like she was Satan. “She didn’t do anything!”
“She stabbed you!”
“Actually, she threw the knife at me. It wasn’t a stabbing.”
“That’s even worse!”
“No, it’s—” She swung the wheelchair around, then grabbed me by the bad arm and pulled me to a standing position.
I cried out as pain lashed through my body. “Woman—”
“Security!” the nurse called to the jogging officer. “The woman in the lobby stabbed this man. Detain her!”
“She didn’t stab me,” I said again as the woman pushed me onto a bed. “You know, I’m injured here.”
“Sir,” the nurse said firmly. “Let me handle this.”
“If you detain her—”
“Sir, if you don’t sit down, I’ll have them detain you also.”
“Lady, I have a knife sticking out of my side. Maybe you could focus on that instead of the—”
Rushing toward the doorway, the nurse pointed into the waiting room. “That’s her! The woman with blood on her hands!”
I’d had enough of this shit, but the knife in my side was making it rather difficult to do much of anything. Gritting my teeth, I yanked the knife out and got to my feet, wondering if that was the best idea as I swayed on my feet.
“He’s got a knife!” the nurse shouted.
Looking up, I saw a security guard charge me and looked down at the knife in my hand.
“No, wait—”
Two hundred fifty pounds of muscle tackled me to the ground. Pain eclipsed all other feeling in my body until I finally succumbed to the awaiting darkness.
“By any chance, did you think of not pulling out the knife?” Mav grinned at me. “You know, just leaving it in until the nurse decided it was time to remove it? Maybe a doctor?”
I tossed my water cup at him, wincing when the small movement sent shocks of pain through my body.
“Are you just here to annoy me?”
“Actually, I’m here because I finally calmed the staff down enough and vouched for your woman.”
“They all know her,” I argued. “Why the hell would anyone think she stabbed me?”
“Correction. They know of her. And the nurse on duty is new.”
“Doesn’t mean they had to tackle her to the ground.”
My whole body ached despite the meds running through me, but I refused to fall asleep until I knew Bailey was safe. This whole thing was a giant clusterfuck.
“Where is she?”
“Getting cleaned up. She looked like something out of the movie Carrie.”
“That’s a bit of an overstatement,” I grunted.
“So, you want to explain to me why she threw a knife at you to begin with?”
No, I really fucking didn’t want to go through this again. “Close the door.”
Rolling his eyes, he turned and shut it. “Why do I always feel like I’m in a murder mystery with you?”
“Cheyenne texted me because Bailey went into her apartment even though the door was unlocked.”
“No!” he gasped, mocking me.
“They never leave the door unlocked. Cheyenne said since the break-ins in the area, they’re extra careful about that shit. Which means someone entered her apartment.”
Sighing, Maverick took a seat. “Fucking hell. If this is about Austin—”
“It is,” I insisted.
“I’ll head over to the apartment and check it out, but I doubt I’ll find anything. Did she notice anything missing?”
“Not that I know of. I showed up right when she finished searching and she mistook me for a killer or something. Hence, the hole in my side.”
He pushed to his feet, his eyes narrowing at me. “I don’t suppose you want to clue Bailey in now.”
“Not yet.”
“When? Liam, you can’t keep her in the dark if she’s in danger.”
“I plan on telling her everything tonight. I’ve made some provisions for her safety.”
“Fucking wonderful. Can’t wait to hear about how you plan to break the law.”
“Never said I was going to,” I grunted.
“You know, you could just have a sit-down conversation with the old man and tell him what his fucknut son is doing. You might be surprised how he responds.”
“He practically threatened Bailey when she went to the store.”
No, there was no fucking way I was talking to that man to work shit out. I would guess he was behind his son’s actions, or at least aware of what he was doing.
The door opened and Bailey walked in, cuing Maverick to leave.
Bailey’s eyes flicked to Maverick as he headed for the door.
“Nice aim,” he grinned. “Though, next time, go for the vital organs.”
“Ha ha,” she said mockingly. “Don’t you have a jaywalker to arrest or something?”
Mav barked out a laugh, flinging the door open. “She’s sassy when she’s nearly arrested. Better watch it, Liam. She might be too much for you to handle.”
“Any chance he’s about to be fired?” she asked, taking the seat beside my bed.
“You’re awfully grouchy,” I grinned, though it was sluggish at best. Now that she was here, my body relaxed, which only made it easier for the drugs to take over.
“Well, that tends to happen after the day I’ve had. I heard they want to keep you overnight to be safe, so I’ll head home in a little bit. I need some sleep.”
“Home? But—”
“Cheyenne’s all freaked out, so I know she won’t get a wink of sleep if I’m not there.”
I didn’t like the idea of her going home, but without telling her why, she’d never agree to stay at my house. I’d just send Archer over there. Jeff had already messaged me that he’d arrived.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not much,” I admitted, though I wasn’t completely sure that was her question.
“Well, I’m exhausted. I’ll come see you in the morning.”
“Hmm,” I sort of nodded.
“Get some sleep,” she whispered, leaning over to press a kiss to my lips. “And I’m really sorry about stabbing you.”
I grunted, but that’s all the sound that came out.
“But if you ever scare me like that again, I’ll make it worse.”
A faint smile touched my lips before I drifted off into the dark.
“She’s not safe with you.”
Austin.
I knew that voice anywhere. I’d grown up with him, had even considered him a friend at one point. But something twisted in him, even before Clay’s accident. I saw the change, how a once-normal kid turned into something no one recognized.
And now he was here.
His low chuckle sent shivers down my spine. I could feel his evil crowding me, but I couldn’t pry my eyes open.
“Did you really think I’d let you get away with it?”
I shook my head, struggling to open my fucking eyes and look at the evil fucker. “She’s…innocent.”
“She’s with you, and that’s all that fucking matters. Your whole family can burn in hell for what they did to my brother.”
Exhaustion threatened to pull me under again, but I fought it, needing to stay awake long enough to plead this fucker to stay away from her.
“She’s not…”
“She’s not what?” he hissed.
“Leave her alone.”
“No,” he chuckled. “You’ve ruined my brother’s life. My father’s. I won’t stop until every fucking one of you suffers the way we have. It’s over for you.”
I lurched upright in the bed with everything I had. My monitor went crazy as I struggled to get out of bed, but in the end, my body wouldn’t allow it. I collapsed back in bed just as he slipped into the shadows, still mocking me.
“Mr. Parker,” the nurse soothed as she came into the room. “Calm down. Everything’s alright.”
“He’s here,” I warned her, sure he was going to jump out of the shadows and attack her.
“No one’s here, Mr. Parker.”
But he was. I knew it. He was watching and waiting, toying with me until he decided to pounce. The price would be too high. I would lose everything.
“That’s it. Just let the medicine do its job.”
I wanted to beg the nurse to turn on the light and find that fucker, but everything turned fuzzy, and then I was out.
“Good morning, Mr. Parker. Feeling better today?”
I blinked at the morning light, trying to distinguish reality from dream. Had any of that really happened last night?
“Were you here last night?”
Smiling, she opened the blinds a little more, way too fucking chipper for whatever time it was.
“Of course I was. Don’t you remember?”
Walking over to the computer, she hummed as she checked things on the computer. But I was still reeling. She was here, but was it a dream? Was Austin really here?
If he was, I didn’t have a moment to waste. Bailey was in danger.