Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Kaidan came to talk to Julian. “I spoke to Cresley and to my contacts at the LAPD. There’s a manhunt underway for Beckett in the Hills. They’re pretty sure he’s still up there somewhere.”
“If only there weren’t a million places to hide out up there.”
“I know. They impounded his vehicle and are processing it now. Cresley said they hadn’t added recording capabilities to her security system but were planning to do it right away. The cops are talking to the neighbors, looking for video.”
Julian rubbed the back of his neck, which ached fiercely. “Have they notified the public that there’s a fugitive in their midst? He’s got nothing left to lose after trying to kill Carson.”
“Yeah, they issued an alert and BOLO.”
“That’s good.” Julian sat with Isla, holding hands, leaning into each other as two hours stretched into three and then four with no word on Carson’s condition. “What’s the deal with the guy you had watching Cresley’s place?” he asked Kaidan after a long silence.
“He’s young but good. He swears he never saw anyone approach the house.”
“Carson would want his team on this going forward.”
“That’s fine,” Kaidan said with a weary sigh.
By the time an exhausted-looking surgeon appeared after five hours, their collective nerves were frayed.
“Carson Remington’s family?”
The surgeon wasn’t expecting the huge rush of people.
“Whoa, okay. There’re a lot of you. We repaired an injury to his liver and chest, and he’s in Recovery.
He got really lucky with the chest wound.
An inch different, and it could’ve severed his aorta.
He’ll be in Recovery for the next few hours and then be moved to ICU.
You can see him later this morning, but we only allow two visitors at a time in the ICU. ”
“He’ll fully recover?” Kate asked tearfully.
“Yes, ma’am. It’ll take a while for him to be back to normal, but he’ll be fine eventually.”
“Thank you so much, Doc,” Corbin said. “He means the world to us.”
“Glad we were able to get him fixed up. Is there a contact person for any updates?”
Julian glanced at Cresley.
“It can be one of you,” Cresley said. “If you’ll keep me posted.”
Julian gave his name and number, knowing Carson would prefer him to one of their parents. “I’ll make sure everyone gets the updates.”
After the doctor left them, there were lots of hugs and tears as everyone processed how close of a call they’d had. Thank God he was going to be okay.
“Hey, Cresley,” Julian said. “We’d like to move you to my grandfather’s house. It has excellent security, and there’s no official connection to Carson, so your ex wouldn’t think to look for you there.”
“He’s been following us. He might’ve seen Carson there.”
“Shit, that’s true. You guys can come to my place, then. We have two extra bedrooms that you can use for as long as you need them.”
“I wouldn’t want to bring this craziness to your home with Isla’s kids there, and besides, it wouldn’t take much effort for him to link you with Carson.”
“Use my rental in Laurel Canyon,” Isla said. “He’d never find you there. The kids and I can stay with Julian.” She glanced at him with a shy expression. “We’re practically living there now anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Let’s exchange numbers, and I’ll get you set up there.”
They touched their iPhones to download contact info.
“We’ll take you right to Isla’s place now, and one of us can go to your house to get whatever you need,” Julian said.
“Marlene can do that,” Cresley said, shifting her sleeping son to a more comfortable position.
“Can I take him for you?” Julian asked. “I’ll carry him to the car.”
“Thank you.” She transferred him to Julian and then shook out her arms to get the blood flowing again. “I appreciate your kindness. Both of you.”
“We have to keep you safe, or Carson will have our heads,” Julian said.
“I’ll be surprised if he ever speaks to me again after this.”
“Of course he will. He knows it’s not your fault.”
“Still, I walked him straight into a nightmare.”
“If I know Carson, and I know him as well as anyone does, all he’ll care about is that you two are safe.”
“I guess we’ll see what he has to say.”
“I’m sure his first question will be about you and Ty. Let’s get you settled so you can get some rest.”
“Thank you, Julian.”
Cresley felt like she’d been hit by a bus as she followed Julian and Isla to his Mercedes G-Wagon SUV as the sun began to rise.
Carson’s security team waited to escort them home in two black SUVs.
Isla opened the back door so Julian could gently deposit Ty into the booster seat that was already there and get him seat-belted.
Cresley hugged Marlene and said she’d send her the address of the rental Isla had offered her.
“I’ll run by the house and get everything you need,” Marlene said.
“Will the police let her in?” Cresley asked Julian.
“The incident happened in the yard, so the house shouldn’t be roped off, but if it is, let me know, and I’ll get you in.”
“Thanks again for being here all night,” Cresley said to Marlene. “Above and beyond the call of best friendship.”
“No such thing. Love you. I’ll see you shortly.”
“Love you, too.”
Julian held the back door for Cresley and waited for her to get settled.
“You should keep an eye out,” Cresley said to Julian. “He might be watching for me.”
“Every cop in the city is looking for him. If he’s got an ounce of intelligence left, he’s either hiding out somewhere or on his way out of town.”
Neither of those possibilities offered comfort. She wanted him caught and locked away forever for what he’d done to Carson.
Cresley couldn’t even think about how Carson had looked, lying on the ground, unconscious and covered in blood.
Those images would haunt her forever. She’d been certain he was dead.
How could someone lose that much blood and still be alive?
Thank goodness for the quick response from EMS, as well as the doctors and nurses who’d saved his life.
Julian had assured her that Carson would never blame her for what’d happened, but she blamed herself.
After all, he would’ve been nowhere near Marlon or his knife if he hadn’t insisted on staying close to her and Ty.
She hadn’t objected to his plan to provide personal security, because she’d loved having him around, and now he was in the ICU.
When Isla handed her a tissue from the front seat, Cresley realized she was crying again. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand, and her nose hurt from blowing it so many times during the night.
As she watched the world go by outside the car window, all she could think of was Carson and decided to text him her thoughts, so they’d be there when he woke up and asked for his phone.
Thank you for not dying.
I would’ve missed you for the rest of my life.
I hope you don’t blame me, because I was really enjoying what was happening between us, and I’d love to know where it might go from here.
Was she getting ahead of herself—and him, the guy who’d said he had no interest in a relationship or anything that smacked of permanence?
Probably, but right before the lights had come on in the backyard, she’d given him an out that he hadn’t taken.
If anything, he’d done the opposite by kissing her as if his life had depended on her.
And then he’d nearly lost his life protecting her.
Where could they possibly go from there?
She needed to prepare herself for the possibility that she might never hear from him again.
That would be understandable. Ever since he’d gotten mixed up with her, he was in conflict with his family, his SUV was smashed up, and now he was fighting for his life.
At least he would eventually get her messages and know what she’d been thinking and feeling.
The tissue rubbing against her raw eyes felt like sandpaper.
Isla turned to her. “I know this is super upsetting, but the good news is he survived and will recover. I don’t know him very well, but I can’t believe he’d ever blame you for what happened, and he wouldn’t want you to suffer over that. Would he?”
“No, I don’t think so. It’s very kind of you to say that.”
Isla held out a hand to Cresley, and she gratefully accepted her offer of comfort and friendship. She was a sweetheart, and Cresley could see why Julian was crazy about her. Hopefully, she’d get the chance to tell Carson how supportive Isla had been.
Julian’s phone rang. “It’s Roman,” he said as he took the call on the Bluetooth. “Where you at, bro?”
“Almost to LA. I got Dad’s text that he made it through surgery. How is he?”
“They expect him to make a full recovery, but it’ll take a while.”
“Thank God for that. It was a long night trying to imagine life without him.”
“I hear you. What’re you missing at school?”
“Nothing I can’t make up. I’ll see him later and head back. It’s all good as long as he’s alive and recovering.”
“For sure. I’ll see you soon.”
“Sounds good. Love you, Jules.”
“Love you, too, Romy.”
The more time Cresley spent with the Remingtons, the more she liked them and appreciated the way they supported one another.
But could they forgive her for what’d nearly happened to Carson?
Would they understand if Carson chose to be with her the way Julian was with Isla?
In between bouts of tears, she’d noticed the chill directed at Isla during the night.
They’d circled her like she was some unknown species come to life to take their brother away from them.
And the dynamic with their parents had been interesting, too. Other than to provide some perfunctory comfort as they waited hours for word on whether Carson would survive his injuries, the siblings had mostly avoided them.
Observing the family had given her something to do other than dwell in the dread.
Her nervous system was still trying to accommodate the news that he would survive, albeit with a difficult recovery ahead of him. Hopefully, he’d let her help him through that, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he told her to steer clear after her ex had nearly killed him.
Speaking of her ex…