BRIAN (The Callahans Book 1) (18 page)

Cassidy

“I should be doing this for you, you know.”

“Soon,” Brianna said as she finished adjusting my veil. “I just have to meet the guy.”

“You will.”

She stepped back and smiled, her eyes dancing with joy.

“You look absolutely amazing.”

I turned and studied myself in the mirror. The dress was barely down to my knees, an off-white that seemed more appropriate than the startling white dresses the shop had to offer for younger brides. But this one hugged my curves and made me look much fitter than I really was. And the veil made my dark halo of hair shine.

I did look good. I guess that’s what love does for you.

“He makes you happy. And all this flying around in private planes is pretty awesome.”

I laughed. “Then you like him?”

“Love him.”

I hugged her tight. “I’m sorry I never told you the truth.”

“You had to have known I’d figure it out myself eventually.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

I stepped back and studied my daughter. She was dressed in red, a color that shouldn’t have worked on her, but did. Her skin glowed, her face beginning to round out again after a few weeks of good food. She had nightmares at night sometimes. I would wake and hear her call out. I’d go to her and we’d talk for a time, sometimes the rest of the night. But she rarely talked about what had happened to her while those men were holding her.

Just as I hadn’t told her what I’d done while they were holding me.

We hugged again, then she gestured to the hotel room door. “We should go.”

The car was waiting for us outside the casino. We held hands all the way to the small chapel. It was decorated with lilies and carnations, my favorite flowers. And Brian was waiting, four of his sons standing beside him at the altar.

Brianna took my arm and slid it through her arm. She walked me down the aisle, a vision in her dress, a contrast to mine. There was a photographer and witnesses, but I only saw Brian. He watched us, a smile that was so big and beautiful that I couldn’t imagine anything better.

I was marrying the man I loved. Who could possibly ask for more than that?

It wasn’t a cheesy, awkward ceremony. It was very simple and perfect. The pastor was respectful, the witnesses kind. And our children, smiling as they watched us commit ourselves to one another for the rest of our lives.

It was more than I’d expected a Vegas wedding to be.

But I was pretty sure my mother was spinning in her grave.

“To happiness!” Brian lifted his glass, as we sat around a table at an Italian restaurant in the lobby of his casino. “May we all find the one person who makes us want to have a Vegas wedding.”

The boys laughed and Brianna made a face, but they all understood Brian’s sentiment. And when he kissed me, they all looked away, then, as if on cue, made faces and groaned.

“Yuk!”

I laughed. Brian threw ice at them from the wine bucket, crying, “Disrespect!”

But, all in all, it was a beautiful evening.

We were nearly done with our reception when Ian moved away from the table. I felt the tension come over Brian as he watched him go. I took his hand and squeezed it, trying to reassure him.

We’d all been on pins and needles these last few weeks. We had no idea when, or if, the men behind Brianna’s kidnapping would return to hurt us again. We couldn’t go to the police now, not after the fact. And there was likely nothing the police could do, anyway. And Jack had basically told Brian all of this was his problem, so he was unwilling to put his men on it. Ian did as much as he could with the camera the kidnappers left behind at the warehouse where they held me. But there wasn’t much on it.

All we could do was live our lives and hope it was over.

I looked at my daughter and hoped it was over.

“To Pops and Cassidy,” Kevin suddenly said, holding up his glass of wine. “May you find happiness in your future and forget the pain of your past.”

“Amen,” Brian said.

“May you spend your glory years together in bliss,” Sean added.

“May you always find warmth in your bed, not coldness,” Kyle said.

Brianna looked around, a little confused. But then she stood and held up her glass. “I guess this is an Irish thing. I’m not good with toasts.” She studied Brian and me. “May you always love each other no matter what the future might bring.”

I inclined my head, touched by her words.

We tapped glasses and drank the last of the champagne, as Ian came back to the table. There was tightness in his expression. I didn’t know him well. He came to the house a few times a week, but it was usually to take his father into another room and speak to him, sometimes for hours. But I could always tell by his expression when he had bad news.

“Not now,” Brian said as Ian approached him, also warned by the look on his face. But Ian ignored the admonition.

Ian whispered something in Brian’s ear that made his shoulders slump and the joy leave his face.

“Fuck,” he whispered softly under his breath.

“What?”

Everyone was watching the two of them now.

“Stacy’s fiancé,” Ian said, glancing at Brian. Brian simply nodded. Ian continued. “Stacy’s fiancé was killed this morning. It looks like a mugging gone wrong, but there are no details to be had just yet.”

An uneasy silence settled over the table.

It was clearly not over yet.

~~

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Volume 2

Xander

“Call me when it’s ready,” I said, handing Jonnie the file I was holding. “They want to see it as soon as possible.”

“No problem,” she said, skirting off to her desk.

I walked into my office, kicking the door closed with the heel of my foot. I could still hear the hum of working taking place outside the glass walls, but it was down to a dull roar, which was great for the headache I could feel coming on behind my eyes.

When I started this company, I thought it was going to be a breeze. But don’t all young entrepreneurs? I’m proud of what I’ve built over the last five years. This business has been my life for these past few years, but now, I’m ready to think about something other than security systems for a while. I’m ready to think about settling down and having a family.

I’ve already met the girl. I just need to convince her to marry me.

There’s a picture of her on my desk. Long blonde hair. Bright green eyes. A cute little button nose that accents her full lips perfectly. And curves that would catch the attention of a blind man. But it’s not just the way she looks. Harley is one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. And an incredibly talented artist. That’s how we met, actually. My company was contracted to set up security at an art gallery in Texas. She was the showcase artist at the time.

I knew I wanted her the second I laid eyes on her. She was in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair sweaty and tangled from her efforts of bringing a dozen, oversized canvases into the warehouse-like gallery without any help. That was her personality in a nutshell: strong, fiercely independent, and determined. I walked over and turned the charm on, and she shot me down in a single look.

I was a goner.

It took me almost a week to convince her to go out with me. But that first dinner led to a late lunch and another long dinner and six months later she’d moved to Los Angeles to move in with me.

I’d never thought of myself as the one-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of guy. But with Harley, I was dreaming of green-eyed babies and rocking chairs on the front porch. I even had the ring in the top drawer of my desk.

Like I said, I just need to convince her.

I settled down behind my desk and woke my computer, scrolling through emails that needed my attention.

Part of my job entails a lot of hand-holding. We provide security systems for companies, big and small. And these companies need to be reassured—some on a daily basis—that the system is working and we’ve got them fully protected—from their computer systems to their hiring protocol to their physical locations. So, most mornings, I have the equivalent of a single email from each client, which amounts to hundreds of emails. Harley told me once I should hire a secretary whose sole job would be to answer these emails. I was beginning to think she was right.

In a few minutes, I was lost in the emails, writing reassurances to clients I knew well and clients I’d only just met. I didn’t even hear the phone ring until Jonnie, my office manager, stuck her head in the door.

“Xander?”

I looked up. “Did you get those—?” I stopped because I could see something in her expression that caused the fingers of dread to dance up and down my spine. “What’s going on?”

“Someone from Cedars-Sinai is on the phone.”

I frowned, not following what she was saying.

“It’s about Harley.”

I snatched up the phone, pressing the appropriate button to connect the call.

“This is Xander Boggs.”

“Mr. Boggs? This is Alicia Franklin from Cedars-Sinai. Do you know Harley Alistair?”

“Yes. What’s going on? Is she okay?”

“There was an accident, Mr. Boggs. Ms. Alistair was hit by a car while jogging.”

That was all I heard. I know she kept talking after that, but it was just white noise. I remember saying I’d be there as soon as possible. And then I was searching for my keys.

“Maybe you shouldn’t drive,” Jonnie said.

“I’ve got to go.”

I charged past her and rushed out the door.

***

“Why won’t you go out with me?”

She looked up, surprise making her big green eyes look even bigger. “You sure are a conceited one, aren’t you?”

“No. I just know what I want when I see it.”

“Yes, well, I’m not something that can simply be possessed.”

“I don’t want to possess you. I want to take you to dinner. Have a nice conversation with someone who knows absolutely nothing about security systems.”

She smiled, but she ducked her head so that I only saw a glimpse of it. I wanted to see more.

“You think you’re so charming,” she said. “But I don’t have time to play games with a guy like you.”

“And what’s a guy like me?”

“Some big city playboy who thinks he can have any woman he wants. Some charmer who thinks the whole world should kneel at his command. I’ve been down that road. I have no intention of walking down it again.”

“So you’re cheating yourself out of a good time with me because some other jerk broke your heart?” I shook my head slowly. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

“Oh, I think I do.”

“I could surprise you, you know. I might be the best thing that ever happened to you. But if you don’t give me a chance, you will never know.”

Again that smile appeared on her full lips, bringing a light to her eyes that could have lit the darkest of rooms. I felt like I was standing in the center of a spotlight when she shone those eyes on me, and that was a feeling I wanted to keep.

“If I go out with you, just once, will you leave me alone?”

“I can’t make promises.”

She groaned…but the groan ended in a soft giggle.

“Okay. One date. But I’m not making promises, either.”

***

I ran up to the nurses’ station the moment I got off the elevator, a little breathless as I slammed my hands on the counter to get their attention.

“Harley Alistair?”

“Are you Mr. Boggs?”

I nodded, watching the short, overweight nurse come toward me.

“If you’ll follow me,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder, as she pushed through the little gate that blocked the area behind the desk from unauthorized access. She walked slowly down the hall before she stopped and gestured for me to enter a door on the left. I thought it would be a patient room, that Harley would be lying in a bed, a little bruised but basically okay, annoyed with all the fuss being made over her. But it wasn’t. It was a small break room with hulking vending machines overshadowing the small table set in the center.

“What’s going on?” I demanded the moment the nurse joined me in the little room and closed the door.

“As I said on the phone, the accident was quite serious.”

“Where’s Harley?”

The nurse pressed her lips together and gestured toward the table, making it clear that she wasn’t going to tell me what I wanted to know until I calmed a little. I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that this woman was in control here, not me. But it was a difficult thing to concede.

I took a seat, crossing my legs and locking my fingers together in my lap. She sat, too, sighing as she flexed her feet in their clunky white nurse’s shoes.

“Ms. Alistair was brought into the ER via ambulance about three hours ago. The paramedics said that she was jogging on Third Street when a car apparently veered out of control and hit her. She was unconscious when they arrived.”

I stared down at my hands, anger and fear and hatred and a million different emotions I couldn’t even begin to decipher filling my chest. I didn’t look up, didn’t speak. I was afraid if I did, I would say something I shouldn’t and this nurse would have me escorted out by security. I needed to see Harley. I needed to know she was okay.

“Ms. Alistair has a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. There are also many cuts and bruises, but the injury that doctors are most concerned with is the head injury.”

“Head injury?”

“It appears that Ms. Alistair was pushed forward by the impact of the car and landed head first against some sort of object. The paramedics thought it was likely a tree or a fence post.”

The image that conjured in my mind was horrific. Again, I bit my lip to keep from speaking because I was afraid what I had to say was not appropriate.

But, what the hell? What kind of paramedics couldn’t determine…but then, that wasn’t really important right now, was it?

“CAT scans show that she has what is called a subdural hematoma. What it is, essentially, is bleeding on the brain.”

My heart sank. That didn’t sound good.

“The doctors are with her now, trying to determine a course of action. As soon as they are available, I’ll send them in to speak to you.”

The nurse stood with a heavy sigh.

“Wait,” I said, leaning forward with the intention of snagging hold of the bottom edge of her sweater. However, I stopped myself just in time, instead resting my hands on my knees.

She turned and regarded me; the hard, no-nonsense expression she’d maintained from the moment I got her attention softened just slightly. She touched my shoulder ever so lightly and said, “I know it seems overwhelming at the moment, Mr. Boggs, but you should be assured that she is in the best of hands.”

She smiled softly, then walked away, closing the door with barely a sound. I stood and began pacing the small room, barely able to take two steps before I was forced to turn around again.

What would I do if Harley didn’t make it through this?

***

“You look absolutely amazing.”

“You’re just saying that.”

I let my eyes move slowly over her, lingering here and there as my eyes settled on things that were particularly fascinating to me.

“No,” I said, letting the word drag as it slipped from my lips. “You are pretty amazing.”

She laughed, tossing a soiled napkin at me.

She was wearing more paint than she was clothing. She was in her art studio, and the time had gotten away from her as she worked on a new project. While I was standing there in a dark suit that cost more than I cared to admit, she was dressed in denim shorts and a thin little tank top, both of which were covered in splatters of paint, as were her arms and legs. I think there was even a splash of sunny yellow paint in her hair.

“It’ll only take me a few minutes to shower,” she said, brushing past me as she rushed up the little path that led to the back door of her house. “You can wait in the living room. There’s tea in the fridge.”

“Sweet tea, I assume.”

“Of course. Is there any other kind?”

She glanced over her shoulder at me, laughter written in every angle of that amazing face. I could have just stood there and stared at her all day.

“Do you want company in the shower? I could scrub your back.”

“I think I can handle it.”

“Are you sure? It looks like you rolled in the paint.”

She looked down at herself as though she’d only just realized how much paint had adhered to her body. A slight blush colored her cheeks, bringing out the natural bronze of her skin in a most alluring way. And then she shook her head, brushing off the embarrassment that inspired that blush.

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

She disappeared up the narrow staircase. I watched her go, finding it a real struggle to keep from chasing after her. Instinct told me that I didn’t want to rush things with her. Harley was different from any other woman I’d ever been with. I didn’t want to screw things up before they’d even begun. So I was a good boy, sitting on her overstuffed couch, looking through an art magazine that didn’t interest me in the slightest. But it was well worth it when she returned nearly forty minutes later, her curves highlighted by a simple but elegant black dress.

I would never forget how beautiful she looked in that moment, the black a perfect contrast to her light hair and freshly scrubbed bronze skin.

***

“Mr. Boggs?”

A short, handsome man came into the room a good hour later, his lab coat announcing that he was a doctor. I crossed the room in three steps and took his proffered hand.

“I’m Dr. Caliendo. I’m a neurologist on staff here at Cedars.”

“You’re treating Harley.”

“I am.”

Dr. Caliendo gestured toward the table. Once again, I took a seat, waiting impatiently for him to explain what the hell was going on. He sat, too, taping his fingers against the frame of the iPad he was holding.

“As I’m sure Nurse Franklin told you, Harley has multiple injuries from the accident. The most concerning is the head injury. Her skull has several fractures. Those fractures have caused a hematoma, or a bleed, on her brain. This is causing pressure within her skull.” He paused, studying me as though he were trying to measure how much I was comprehending. Apparently satisfied, he continued, “We’ve placed Harley in a drug-induced coma to allow her brain to rest while it heals. We’ll monitor the swelling for the next twenty-four hours before determining our next step.”