Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
With her heart pounding from fear and dread, Cresley told the dispatcher what was happening while waiting for Carson to return. She put the call on speaker and disarmed the alarm while she wondered if Ty would sleep through the shrill noise it had made the second Carson opened the slider.
Where is Carson?
The police were there within seconds, along with a young man who said he worked for Kaidan.
“Someone was in the yard,” Cresley told them. “My friend went out to check, but he didn’t come back.”
The cops bolted through the house, trailed by Kaidan’s guy.
A shout sounded from the yard that had Cresley running to find out what was wrong.
“Send a bus,” she heard one of them say. “We’ve got a stabbing victim.”
“What?” Her knees went weak as she rushed toward the others gathered around a person on the ground who was covered in blood.
Carson.
“Oh my God! No! Carson!”
One of the officers put an arm around her to keep her from getting any closer as another cop opened the fence gate for the paramedics, who came rushing in an endless few minutes later. “Stay here, ma’am. Let the EMTs help him.”
“Is he…”
“He has a pulse, but it’s faint.”
“Please,” Cresley cried. “Please save him.”
“Mommy.”
She whirled around to see Ty standing in the doorway and went to him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I… Um...” She was so preconditioned to protect him from upsetting things that she had no idea what to say.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Someone was in the yard, and Carson went out to see who it was, and he got hurt. The EMTs are taking care of him.”
“Is he okay?”
“I hope so.”
“Mommy, I’m scared.”
“I know, honey, I am, too, but we have to stay strong for Carson. I need to make a quick call, okay?”
“Okay.”
Her hands trembled as she called Marlene. “I’m so sorry to bother you so late, but I need you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Something’s happened, and I need you to come stay with Ty.”
“I’m on my way.”
It would take Marlene at least twenty minutes to get there from her home in Brentwood.
“Stay here, Ty. I’ll be right back.” She left him sitting on the sofa and returned to the yard to see what was happening.
Carson was on a stretcher with paramedics working frantically as they rushed him out of the yard toward the waiting ambulance.
“What’re they saying?” she asked the guy with the acne.
“Multiple stab wounds. Significant blood loss.”
“Oh God. Where’re they taking him?”
“Cedars. I’m staying here with you.”
“I’m going to him!”
“I’ll drive you.”
“I’ll meet you out front.” She rushed back inside to find Ty dressed and waiting for her. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m going with you.”
“You should stay here with Marlene.”
“She can come with us, but I’m going. He’s my friend, too.”
She wanted to protect him, but she didn’t have the energy to argue with him. And besides, he was right. Carson was his friend, too.
“Bring something to do. It’s apt to be a long wait.”
“I don’t need anything. I’ll be fine.”
Marlene arrived ten minutes later. The young man drove them to the hospital in Cresley’s SUV, driving much faster than he should have, but she didn’t ask him to slow down. She appreciated that he understood the urgency.
“What do you know?” Marlene asked as they held hands with Ty, who sat between them in the back seat.
“The officer said multiple stab wounds and significant blood loss.”
Ty whimpered.
“I’ll see what I can find out.” Marlene released Ty’s hand and got on her phone to do what she did best. “Should you let Julian know?”
Cresley couldn’t bear to think of making that call, of having to tell Julian his brother had been gravely injured while trying to protect her. Tears rolled down her face as she found his contact in her phone and placed the call.
“Hey, Cresley. What’s up?”
“Julian…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Carson was stabbed.”
“What? Where?”
“In my backyard. They’re… They’re taking him to Cedars. I’m so sorry, Julian.” Her voice caught on a sob. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Is he… Did he…”
“He was alive when they took him in the ambulance. I’m almost to the hospital now.”
“Was it Marlon?”
“It has to be. He rammed his truck into us earlier today.”
“Jesus. I’ll be right there.”
Cresley dissolved into sobs. If he died, she’d never get over it. Please don’t die, Carson. Please… We were just getting started. Don’t leave me now.
“You think my dad did this?” Ty asked softly.
Crap.
“We don’t know anything for sure.”
“I heard the person on the phone say ‘Marlon.’ Was it him?”
“Possibly.”
“Why?” Ty cried. “Why would he hurt Carson?”
Cresley put her arms around him and held him tightly. “He’s angry with me because I won’t give him more money. I’m sorry to have to tell you this.” She used her sleeve to wipe away Ty’s tears. “I didn’t want to.”
“He’s in surgery,” Marlene said. “Critical condition.”
Cresley rested her head on top of Ty’s, still holding him as they both wept. Please don’t die, Carson. I need you. Ty needs you. Please…
Isla insisted on going to the hospital with Julian. She woke Mrs. V, who was asleep in Julian’s guest room, to tell her where they were going and why.
“Good Lord.” She gave Isla a quick hug. “Let me know how he is.”
“I’m so thankful you’re here with the kids.”
“They’ll be fine. I’ll pray for him.”
“Thank you.”
Julian sent Isla ahead of him into the garage. The wheels made a squealing noise when they sped away.
“Should you call the others?” she asked.
“Probably.” He handed his phone to her. She knew his code, and he knew hers. “Can you find Griffin in my contacts and call him? The Bluetooth will pick it up.”
“I’ve got it. Here you go.”
It rang twice before Griffin picked up. “What’s good, bro?”
“Carson’s been stabbed at Cresley’s house. It was most likely her ex.”
“What the hell? Is he okay?”
“I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good. I’m on the way to Cedars. Can you let Mom, Dad and the others know?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll meet you there. Jules… Is he…”
“He was alive when they took him from Cresley’s. That’s all I know. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes and will text an update.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Julian disconnected the call and tried to focus on driving so he wouldn’t cause another emergency as every memory he had of Carson seemed to run through his mind on continuous repeat.
Wrestling as kids, playing basketball, surfing, countless concerts, dinners, rounds of golf, Dodgers’ games.
They worked together every day, but that barely registered compared to thirty-six years of brotherhood and best friendship.
And all they’d done lately was argue or so it seemed.
Isla took his hand and held on tight.
For the first time since he met her, he wanted to shake her off, to tell her not to touch him out of fear he might come apart at any second.
As if she knew, Isla held on tighter. “Breathe, Julian. Just breathe.”
“Trying.” He approached an intersection and considered running the red light.
“Don’t go!”
A car came whipping through the intersection and would’ve hit her side of the car if he’d run the light. He put his head down on the wheel and wept.
Her hand landed on his back. “We’re almost there, love. It’s just a little farther.”
He raised his head, wiped his face and forced himself to concentrate on driving.
“Keep breathing,” Isla said.
Nodding, he navigated the last couple of turns before he pulled into the parking lot at the Emergency entrance.
Holding hands, they ran inside and found Cresley, her son and his former client Marlene Powers.
“Have you heard anything?”
“He’s in surgery,” Marlene said. “His condition was critical when they went in.”
The word critical hit Julian like a punch to the gut.
Isla guided him into a chair.
He dropped his head into his hands, feeling helpless and distraught.
Marlene sat on the other side of him. “I’ve spoken to the LAPD. They have officers spread out throughout the Hills looking for Beckett.”
“I never saw him.” Kaidan’s employee twitched from the stress. “And I was watching. I don’t know how he got into the backyard.”
Over the next half hour, other members of the Remington family arrived: Gillian, Ethan, Griffin, Jackson, Kaidan and Jordan, followed by their parents, who arrived together.
“Rome’s trying to get home,” Jackson told the others.
“What do we know?” Corbin asked, his tanned, handsome face pinched with strain.
Kate looked like she’d been crying.
Julian conveyed the information he had, which wasn’t much.
“They said critical condition?” Corbin asked.
“Yes.”
When Kate broke down, Corbin put his arm around her and helped her into a chair. “This can’t be happening,” she said. “We can’t lose him.”
Kaidan sat next to Kate and hugged her from the other side. “He’s young, healthy and strong.”
Kate nodded as she used a tissue to mop up her tears.
Julian stared at his parents, his father’s arm around his mother as he spoke softly to her, comforting her even as his own heart broke. Emotion churned through him, threatening to boil over. He stood and walked toward the door, desperately needing some air.
Isla followed him. “What can I do?”
Julian shook his head. “There’s nothing anyone can do but pray at this point.”
“Already doing that.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“Would a hug help?”
It wouldn’t, but she needed to do something, and he needed to let her. “Yeah.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
Normally, holding her was his favorite thing, but not knowing if Carson would live or die was unbearable, and even Isla couldn’t soothe the ache inside him while waiting to hear the fate of his brother, closest friend and life-long confidant.
Distance had crept into his relationship with Carson since he’d started seeing Isla. If they got lucky and Carson survived, Julian vowed to bridge that gap, to get back on track, to get past the differences that’d divided them in recent weeks.
“I need to talk to Cresley.”
“Okay.”
He took Isla’s hand as they walked back inside.
Cresley’s face was red and swollen from crying. Her little boy was asleep in her arms as Marlene sat next to them, absorbed in her phone.