Unforgiven--Includes a bonus novella Read online

  “Good. Because it looks like you found yourself in trouble again, and if you’re right next to me, I can keep an eye on you.” His voice was shaky and rough, but his cognition was clear, and he was making perfect sense…even if his words were slightly annoying.

  “Trouble found me.” I hadn’t been the one out looking for it this time.

  “Doesn’t it always?” He must be feeling okay if he could still sling snark like a pro.

  Our banter was broken up by our arrival at the hospital. Hill was rushed into the emergency room, and we were separated as he was wheeled off for X-rays. One of the trauma nurses gave me a wink as she flew by, murmuring that we should get a family discount at this point.

  It was true. Crew had spent a few weeks in the ICU not too long ago. Both Case and Aspen had landed in hospital beds for different injuries when her life was in danger, and now Hill, who wasn’t technically family, was down for the count. We should have one of the emergency room bays reserved at the rate we were going.

  I was nervously pacing back and forth, hoping against hope Hill hadn’t shattered his hip, when Case popped his head into the room.

  I immediately threw myself into my oldest brother’s arms and wilted as he comforted me.

  “I was so scared, Case. I couldn’t move. Hill got hurt because of me.” I wanted to sob, but I was all cried out. Instead I shook silently as Case shushed me and ran his hand up and down my back.

  “Stop it. You didn’t do anything wrong and you know it. No one knows how they’re going to respond in a situation like that. I bet if the circumstances were reversed and Hill was the one in danger, you wouldn’t have hesitated to do exactly what he did. We tend to be willing to risk everything for the people we love.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to correct him about my feelings toward Hill. This wasn’t the same way I’d felt with Aaron. It was bigger. Scarier. Out of my hands.

  “All that matters is that both of you are okay.” My elbow was bruised up and I had a scratch on my cheek, but nothing that required any kind of medical attention. “Hill might be banged up, but it’s nothing he won’t bounce back from.”

  I appreciated the reassurance. Things always felt better when Case said they would be all right. I took a deep breath and collected myself. I pulled back and looked up at him.

  “It wasn’t Baskin. Someone wants us to think this is all her, but she’s innocent.” It grated to admit I was wrong, but we couldn’t place the blame on someone who didn’t deserve it. If we kept doing that, it made us no better than our father. Making sure we never acted like him was the one thing we’d all promised each other we would never do.

  Case’s eyebrows puckered, and a look of concentration crossed his face. I could see him slipping into investigator mode and wasn’t surprised when he told me to stay put because he was going to hunt down Hill’s partner so he could ask him some questions.

  Hill was rolled back into the room a few minutes later. His torn, bloody clothes had been switched out for a hospital gown, and I could see his leg was wrapped from knee to midthigh and that there appeared to be something bulky circling his torso.

  “Hip’s not broken. Bruised pretty badly, ended up with some busted ribs, and my knee was dislocated and split open so I needed stitches, but nothing to write home about.” He looked tired, but his color was good, and he managed to reach for my hand and tug me over to his bedside. “Everything is all right, Kody. We’re all right.”

  I nodded mutely and squeezed his fingers. “I’m so glad.” There weren’t really words to cover the amount of relief flooding through me at the moment. “I’m not sure I could’ve handled it going the other way, Hill. I really don’t want to lose you.” Not when I’d just realized I had him.

  He reached up, wincing at the action, and rubbed his thumb along my lower lip.

  “Not gonna happen. I’m not going anywhere.”

  I hoped to God that was true, because I had a lot to come clean about, and he wasn’t going to like most of it.

  I was leaning over the safety railing on the bed so I could kiss him when a loud cough interrupted us.

  Case and Hearst stood inside the room, both looking a little angry and a little amused.

  Hill struggled to sit up the minute he saw their expressions, but I pushed him back down with a hand in the center of his chest and ordered, “Spill it before he climbs out of this bed and really breaks something.”

  Hearst looked at Hill and lifted his eyebrows. “Figured I’d check on Dr. Baskin’s friend who was injured and see if maybe she had any insight into who else Baskin might confide in. Guess who was discharged from the hospital in Ivy the same day she was admitted?”

  Hill frowned. “How could she be discharged? Wasn’t she under observation? Isn’t that what the cops who spoke to her told you?”

  Hearst rubbed his jaw. “The cops thought she was drunk. They spoke with a doctor at the hospital, took his word as gospel, and went about their day. No one checked up on the woman. She disappeared.”

  “Isn’t she the one in line for the promotion after Dr. Baskin?” Hill tried to sit up again until I growled at him.

  Hearst nodded and answered, “Yep,” with a pop on the p.

  Hill looked dumbfounded. “You’re telling me this woman’s best friend is the one trying to make her believe she’s going crazy? She’s the one who killed Conrad and framed Baskin?”

  Hearst shrugged. “Starting to look that way.”

  I snorted, bringing all three heads around to look at me. “Never underestimate a determined woman.” There was no end to how dangerous we could be.

  Chapter 16

  Hill

  Where’s my baby? How come no one called to tell me my son was nearly killed?”

  The shrill voice pulled me out of my painkiller-induced stupor. I hadn’t wanted to spend the night in the hospital, but Kody had insisted, and I was honestly too banged up and worn out to fight with her. At the moment she was out hunting down something to eat. She hadn’t wanted to leave my side, but I’d harassed her to take care of herself because she was going to need to be in better shape than she was if she really planned on taking care of me. I could hardly move. The bumps and bruises were bad, but I’d had so much worse over the course of my career. The dislocated knee was going to be a pain in the ass for a few weeks, but at least all my injuries would heal on their own with time and some gentle care.

  I had been planning on a quiet night so I could make my escape as early as possible the following morning, but I should’ve known better. The paramedic on the scene recognized me, which meant the word was probably spreading all throughout Loveless that I’d landed myself in the hospital. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that one of my parents had shown up to make a scene, but I’d been holding out hope that I was going to avoid encountering either of them while I was in town. Dealing with my folks took a lot of effort on a good day, which was not today.

  I peeled my eyes open as the sharp click of heels on the laminate floor grew louder and louder. My mother was moving with purpose and was clearly worked up. Neither of those things was good.

  I hadn’t seen either of my parents in over a year. I found spending time with them exhausting. They hadn’t changed much since my childhood, only now, whenever we were all together, it turned into an overly dramatic memorial service for Aaron. They used to see Aaron almost daily, yet neither had stepped up to the plate to help him when they had the chance. But now that he was gone they loved placing blame on one another and outdoing each other when it came to over-the-top mourning. My little brother’s death was one more thing they could use as a weapon against one another, but I was the one who always felt wounded after spending time with them.

  “Mom.” I rubbed my eyes and tried to clear some of my drowsiness. “What are you doing here?” I knew she didn’t really care one way or the other if I was injured. She just wanted people to see her, to acknowledge her. She’d wanted to make sure she showed up before my father did so she could tell
him he was a terrible parent while seeking accolades for her nonexistent nurturing.

  She stopped by the side of the bed, her expression a mask of fake concern. Her expressions were always so exaggerated, as if she were playing a role on TV. She looked older than the last time I’d seen her. Her hair was now fully white, and the lines around her eyes deeper and more pronounced. At the moment her mouth was pulled into a pout I assumed was supposed to look thoughtful and worried.

  “My baby got hit by a car trying to save someone. Where else would I be? I can’t believe you haven’t been able to make time for your poor mother while you’ve been in town. I don’t know anything going on in your life. I have to hear it all from strangers while I’m in line at the grocery store. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?” Her eyes, which were the same gray as mine—only a hundred degrees colder—narrowed on me as her hands curled around the rails on the side of the bed. “I know I raised you better than that, Hill Gamble.”

  I snorted and dragged a hand down my face. “You didn’t raise me. I raised myself.”

  Her knuckles turned white as her grip tightened. “How dare you speak to your mother that way?”

  I sighed and sat up. My ribs protested the motion, making me gasp in pain as I instinctively placed a hand over my tender side.

  “Be careful, Mom. Your true colors are starting to show.” I returned her narrow-eyed look.

  “Is it true? Did you really risk your life to save Kody Lawton?” Her chin jutted out and her lips thinned into a tight, disapproving line. “I said it wasn’t possible. Not after what that woman did to your brother. My sweet little boy deserved so much better. That family is nothing but trouble.” She sniffed. “It’s to be expected with parents like theirs.”

  I clenched my jaw to keep the words that wanted to spill out at bay. I’d been down this road with her before. She was looking for a fight, wanted me to feed into her needling so she could throw a fit. When I was younger, it was a challenge not to get drawn into the games both my parents liked to play. I’d long since grown out of the need to defend myself.

  “It’s my job to try and save everyone.” I rolled my eyes at her and got a dirty look in return.

  “So you were just doing your job?” The question was pointed and her tone was sharp.

  I sighed and rolled my head around, my neck popping loudly as tension pulled my entire body tight. “No. Keeping Kody safe has nothing to do with my job and everything to do with the fact I’ve been in love with her since I was a teenager. If anything happened to her…” I shook my head slowly from side to side. “I don’t know if I’d be able to function. She means the world to me and I will always do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

  An ugly hiss escaped my mother’s clenched teeth as she leaned closer to me. I’m sure she was trying to be threatening, but the effort was wasted on me. I’d stopped letting her influence my life and decisions years ago.

  “She’s the reason your brother is dead, Hill. He was perfectly fine until he got caught up with Kody and the Lawtons. She ruined him, and she’ll do the same to you.” I had to give it to her, the woman knew exactly what buttons to push to get a rise out of me. It was no wonder she and my father were always fighting, she was damn good at it.

  “Aaron isn’t with us any longer because he had an illness that wasn’t given the attention it needed. He was sick. He needed help but didn’t know how to ask for it. We all should’ve realized he was struggling and done more, but we didn’t. You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I see right through you, Mom. You want me to fight you, to defend Kody, but I’m not going to. The facts are simple. She was there for Aaron when the rest of us weren’t. She loved him, took care of him when you didn’t, when I couldn’t. Who knows what would’ve happened if she hadn’t come into his life when she did? We very well could’ve lost him much sooner than we did.” I pointed at my bum knee. “I know you started this nonsense since I can’t walk away, but I’m warning you, keep going this way and this will be the last you see of me for a very long time. Neither you nor Dad is getting younger. You might want to consider picking your battles more wisely from now on.”

  If you’d asked me a month ago if I ever thought I’d end up back in Loveless, my answer would’ve been an unequivocal no. Now, I wasn’t so sure. There was a lot in my hometown I was going to have a hard time leaving behind if I walked away again. Unfortunately, staying in Loveless would entail seeing my parents.

  My mother let out a loud gasp and put a hand to her throat. The expression of horror on her face was damn near comical. It was a shame I was the only one around to witness what might’ve been her greatest performance to date. She was really going all out today.

  “Are you threatening me?” Crocodile tears gleamed in her eyes, and her fingers started to shake. “Who treats their mother this way?”

  Tired of the burning sensation firing up and down my injured side, I carefully lay back down in the bed. I closed my eyes and silently wished she would take the hint and leave me alone until I was back in fighting form…or even longer than that.

  “It’s not a threat, Mom. One of these days we’re all going to have to learn how to treat each other better.” And if we couldn’t, I was done with them. “We’ve all lost so much along the way. The good memories we have from when we were all together should unite us, not divide us. We’re family. It shouldn’t be this hard.” But it always was and had been for so long, I wondered if things could actually change.

  She sniffed, and I could tell without even looking at her that she was gearing up for an even bigger emotional outburst. Any minute now the room was going to be full of staff asking what was going on, and the damn woman was going to be the center of attention in all the wrong ways.

  “Okay. That’s enough, Mrs. Gamble. Hill’s been a lot more patient and understanding with you than he needed to be. He’s the one recovering from nearly getting run over. He’s the one who needs attention right now. He’s too polite to kick you out of this room, but I’m not. We both know your opinion of me can’t get much lower, so I’ve got nothing to lose by making you leave.”

  Kody’s voice was surprisingly calm as she spoke from the doorway. I opened my eyes and glanced in her direction. She looked ready to throw down with my mom if need be. She wasn’t budging.

  I saw my mother open her mouth to argue, but Kody held up her hand before the older woman could speak. “If you think you’re going to cause a scene and make both of us look bad, I’ll remind you my brother is the sheriff. If you don’t go quietly, I’m going to call Case and ask him to remove you from this room. I know you like to have all eyes on you, but you won’t like it so much when they’re watching you be led away in handcuffs. You’ll like the rumors following a display like that even less.”

  She had my mom all figured out. It wasn’t that she would hate being the topic of conversation. It was that my father would be able to lord the embarrassing situation over her that made her sniff again but finally head toward the door.

  “This conversation isn’t over, Hill.” She tossed the threat over her shoulder.

  But as soon as she got close enough for Kody to grab, she was brought up short by the taller, blond woman, who simply stated, “Yes, it is. If you think I’m going to let him save me and not do everything in my power to return the favor, you’re out of your mind. I’m going to get between anything and anyone who tries to hurt him, just like he did for me.” I watched as Kody’s gold eyebrows lifted threateningly. “Consider yourself warned.”

  My mom slipped out of the room without another word, leaving me and Kody alone.

  I watched as she walked across the room, wondering how things between us could shift so dramatically without the entire world rocking off its axis.

  “How much of that did you hear?” I figured it was obvious to her how I felt at this point, but still, I would’ve liked the chance to tell her my feelings face-to-face and not have her overhear my confession during an argument with my p
roblematic parent. I’d loved her for so long, it seemed like there should be some pomp and circumstance when I finally got the chance to share it with her.

  She lowered the safety rail and propped herself on the side of the bed. She reached out to brush my hair off my forehead and gave me a smile tinged with sadness.

  “I heard most of it. I want to hear the part about you being in love with me since you were a teenager again, but there are things you have to know first, things I have to take care of before we have that particular conversation.” The backs of her fingers rested against my forehead, and her expression turned into a frown. “You feel warm and you look pale. Have the nurses been in to check on you?”

  I caught her hand and placed a kiss on the center of her palm. “I’m okay. Just tired. Ready to get out of here.” I met her gaze and told her quietly, “You know there is nothing you can tell me that’s going to change how I feel about you. If I could’ve let go of you, I would’ve done it a long time ago. I never intended to live my life alone. It just turned out that way, because I’ve never cared about anyone else the way I care about you.”

  She curled her fingers around the spot I’d kissed and gave me another crooked but sad smile. “We were alone together.” I couldn’t hide a grin as she used my words from the other night. “I told myself I would never care about anyone the way I cared about Aaron, but it was a lie. I always cared about you as much as I cared about him, more toward the end. It was a different kind of feeling, but it was just as strong. Just as important. I relied on you in a way I could never count on him.” She reached out and tapped the end of my nose with her index finger. “I noticed you first, you know. I thought you were beautiful. I also thought you were too good for me. You were the most honest, most real person I’d ever encountered. We always made excuses for what happened at home and tried to hide it. I admired the way you owned your upbringing and were determined to be better than it. And I loved the way you stood by me, and your brother, no matter what. We screwed up a lot, but you were always there for us. Some days you were the only thing holding either of us together. I didn’t know what to do with myself when you stopped calling. I really needed you. I still do. I felt like I’d lost a limb, and my heart hurt.” She lifted her finger and gently traced the arches of my eyebrows. “I thought you might die today. The idea of losing you…” Her head shook slowly. “It’s unbearable. I don’t want to ignore how I feel about you anymore.” She drew a deep breath, like she was about to say more, but then she changed the subject. “Now I’m going to take care of you when you get out of here. Get ready to be babied and pampered within an inch of your life.”