Off Limits: A Bad Boy Romance (35 page)

The reporter, who was still trying to comment over a dozen other screamed questions, held up his phone, giving it to Dad. Dad looked at the screen for a moment before dropping it to the ground, his hand going to his head and him falling backward. Confused yelling was replaced by a scream as Layla knelt down next to Dad, who was out flat on the ground. In a scene that would be replayed over and over again for the next week, she lowered her head to Dad, then to his chest, before looking right in the direction of the ABC camera. “Someone get a doctor, he’s not breathing!”

I
felt
like everything was moving in slow motion as I waited for Derek and Mom in the emergency room. In a great sense of irony, Derek’s press conference was held in a hotel just miles from where Kade had been brought for surgery, so instead of having to rush across town, I just had to go down ten floors in the elevator.

One of the nurses, who’d been tasked with escorting me, stayed right next to me in the elevator. “I’m sure it was just a temporary thing,” she said. “He was most likely shocked.”

“I hope so,” I said distractedly. I could see the look on her face, and I turned, suddenly furious. “What? You think I’m some sort of fucking freak or something?”

The nurse shook her head, raising her hands. “What? No, not at all.”

I felt my heart thudding, and hissed through clenched teeth. “I love him, goddammit. And he’s not blood, okay?”

The nurse nodded and looked at the elevator door while I stared a hole in her side. As soon as it was there, it was gone, and my anger evaporated, leaving behind nothing but fear. “I . . . I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “It happens in this job. At least you didn’t try and punch me, that’s happened before too.”

The elevator arrived and she followed me in, hitting the button for the first floor. “When we get there, you want to hang back,” she said quietly. “The doctors will need room to treat your stepfather, and if the situation is what they said on television . . . ”

“There will be sparks,” I finished. “I know. Fucking Syd and his goddamn blackmail threats.”

“So it is true?” the nurse asked. “I’m not judging, just . . . I’ve seen you in magazines. I always thought you did good work.”

I shrugged. “I think that part of my life is over now. Not too many designers will want the bad press.”

The nurse nodded and turned back to the doors. “If you love him, then you’ll make it,” she said. “We’re here.”

The doors dinged open to absolute chaos. The press had somehow beaten the ambulance to the emergency room, and the staff was having a hard time controlling the mob. One of the reporters saw me, and even before the doors were fully closed, I was swarmed like vultures to a carcass.

“Do you have a statement, Alix?”

“What led you to sleeping with your brother?”

“Is the video legitimate?”

“Do you think the video caused Derek’s collapse?”

The nurse tried to push the media parasites back in a futile attempt, until one of the security guards forced his way through. Sandwiching me in between them, they got through the throng to one of the exam areas, which was at least behind the security barrier. The guard stayed by my side until the lights of the ambulance came in and the media mob pulled away.

Three police officers escorted the ambulance into the emergency room, forcing their way through along with one of the paramedics, while the doctors leapt into action. I was able to watch as they took him into an exam area, wires and things already running from his chest. Mom was right behind, looking as shell-shocked as I felt.

The nurse, still with me, stayed next to me as I made my way toward the area where they were treating Derek. The doctors pushed everyone out, yanking the curtain closed and cutting off all view of what they were doing, shutting me out. Mom saw me and turned away when I came closer. I reached, but the nurse put a hand on my shoulder, shaking her head. “Mrs. Prescott, we can wait in the exam room over here,” she said to Mom instead, letting the security guard walk with me the few feet back. “Come on, we’ll just be in the way here.”

Mom followed the nurse, who stayed with us in the exam room, which was just a partitioned curtain. Still, the space felt eerily quiet after the chaos of the media scrum. I sat down on the stool, my head in my hands as we waited, Mom saying nothing the whole time.

My ears were aware the whole time to a single sound, the sound of the steady whine that meant that Derek’s heart wasn’t beating. The doctors must have been trying everything, because every once in a while there were a few beeps, but not enough. After what seemed like an eternity, the monitor was shut off, and Mom grew very calm. The entire treatment area was dead silent except for the squeak of the doctor’s shoes coming toward the waiting area.

The doctor pulled back the curtain, her face somber. “Mrs. Prescott, I’m sorry. Your husband . . . there was nothing we could do.”

Mom sat still as a statue, nearly unhearing until I saw a tremble in her shoulder that moved to the side of her face, then to her cheek. In almost slow motion her face cracked, her eyes filling with wild grief that left her sobbing, her face in her hands. “Derek, oh my Derek . . . ” she bawled. “No, not Derek.”

“Mom . . . ” I said, trying to come next to her. I couldn’t even complete my words though as Mom sprang to her feet and slapped me, cutting me off cleanly.

“You . . . you killed him,” she said coldly.

Mom turned and stormed out of the room, leaving me stunned before the world blurred before me, and my own tears started to fall down my face.

T
he next thing
I was really aware of was a hand resting on my shoulder, and a quiet voice talking in my ear. “There you are, Alix. I’ve been looking all over for you for the past three hours.”

I was outside, not knowing how in the hell I got to where I was, or even where that happened to be. My eyes wouldn’t lift from the dark patch of grass between my feet, dimly illuminated by something behind my right shoulder. “Go away.”

“No can do, Alix,” the voice said again. “I’ve got orders. I’m to watch over you and keep you safe.”

“Who cares? I’m a killer, don’t you know that?” I muttered, staring at my palms. At some point, I’d dug my fingernails into my palms so deeply that there were bloody half-moons inscribed in each hand. “See? I’ve got the blood on my hands and everything.”

“You’re in shock and scared,” the voice said. I could hear that it was a woman’s voice, but that was all I could tell. My circuits were still scrambled, and I wasn’t putting two and two together well enough to make sense of what my surroundings were. “Come on, Princess, it’s after midnight. Let’s go inside.”

At the mention of Kade’s name for me, my head jerked up, that single word penetrating the fog surrounding my brain. Squatting in front of me was Rita, her blond hair barely visible in the dim lights. “How did you . . . ?”

“How do you think? He was so worried when the nurses reported that you’d run through the ER to disappear into the night, he called me. I’ve spent the past three hours trying to find you,” Rita said, standing up enough to sit down next to me. I was on a park bench, although I didn’t know which park I was at. “As you weren’t a patient, the police didn’t launch a search for you, and when hospital staff couldn’t find you on the grounds, I took it upon myself. Lucky I did, too. This isn’t the best neighborhood, you know.”

I looked around again, still not knowing where I was. “Where am I?”

“About a half mile from the hospital, in a park that’s not swarming with homeless junkies, but I still wouldn’t want to hang around here after dark,” Rita said. “Like we are right now.”

I sighed and looked around. “A half mile you say?”

“Half a mile. I’m just glad I didn’t find you wandering the breakdown lane of the freeway or something,” Rita replied. “Come on, sis, let’s get you home, and get some rest. We’ve got a busy day in the morning.”

“Why?” I asked. “And I don’t have a home go to any longer. Sydney violated my home, and Mom . . . Mom . . . ”

I broke down bawling, and Rita held me, letting my tears soak into her shirt. Patting my hair, she let me vent my sadness for long minutes before the tears trickled off. “I know,” Rita said quietly. “The staff told Kade, who told me over the phone. You’re not going to Laguna or back to your house. You’re coming to my place, and while I doubt I have anything that will fit you, Kade’s going to get some people down here to help out. Until then, I’m taking care of you.”

I nodded, then looked over at Rita. “Why? Why are you here?”

Rita put her arm around my shoulder and helped me stand up. “Because I love Kade, and through him I love you too. Because even though he and I will never hook up again, I’m still always going to serve him, because that’s what a good sub does. It’s also what a good mentor does, and that’s what I feel like I’ve been to you. Hell, if I hadn’t encouraged you to go after him, you wouldn’t be in this mess. Do you want to blame me for it now?”

I shook my head, exhaustion dropping over me. “Not your fault.”

“And it’s not yours, either,” Rita replied. “Now come on, before someone approaches us and I have to pull the damn pistol I’ve got in my pants pocket.”

“You have a pistol?” I asked, the words coming through like listening through a wall of cotton.

“No, just an airsoft gun that I sometimes shoot paper targets with,” Rita said, “which is specifically why I don’t want to have to pull the damn thing.”

Rita led me to her car, guiding me into the passenger seat. “All right, now buckle up. I’m going to send Kade a text message, the doctor agreed to at least let him get those. If they haven’t doped him up to let his body rest, he’ll be relieved. If not, he’ll get it in the morning.”

“I want to go back to the hospital,” I said, surprised at the little girl’s voice that came from my mouth. “I want to see Kade.”

“Visiting hours start at nine thirty tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ve got to pick some people up from the airport. Kade called some guy named Vince, who’s flying down first thing in the morning.”

I lost all track of time, exhaustion dropping over me again, and the only thing I was aware of for the rest of the night was Rita helping me up the stairs to her apartment and tucking me into her bed. She leaned over and kissed me on the temple, and whispered in my ear. “It’ll be all right, Princess Alix. Trust me.”

I woke up the next morning to find my pillow wet with tears, and Rita sitting next to the bed, a steaming cup of something in her hands. “You didn’t sleep well,” she said matter-of-factly. “Dreams?”

“None I can remember,” I whispered. “I guess I just wished yesterday never happened.”

“What did happen, anyway?” Rita asked. “I mean, there’s the public story about a traffic accident, but then with what you said yesterday, and with the little that Kade texted me . . . ”

I told Rita everything, from the start of it all at the UFC event, to the photo shoot, to Kade and I making love the day before and Sydney walking in on us. I even told her about Paris Nova and how Mom was now pregnant. “Fuck,” she said as I finished my tale. “And so Sydney’s the one who released the video to the Web.”

“Yeah, obviously so,” I said. “I’m sure the cops are looking for him, but Sydney knows how to disappear. He’s from a bad background, he’s probably got connections that can keep him safe for a long damn time.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Rita said, thinking. “But that’s for later. It’s nearly eight o’clock, we need to swing by the airport to pick up Vince before going to the hospital. I know you want to be there as soon as visiting hours start, right?”

“Right,” I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. Suddenly, a dark thought struck my mind. “Rita?”

“Yeah, Alix?”

“What . . . what if Kade blames me for Derek’s death? I mean, my mother seems to.”

Rita shook her head and took my hands again. “Never, ever blame yourself for Derek’s death. You need to be one thing more than anything else over the next few weeks.”

“What?” I asked, looking into her eyes, which I noticed for the first time were a pretty shade of honey brown.

“You need to be strong. You need to be the rock that Kade, and eventually your mother, can lean on. You’ve been learning how for the past few weeks, right?”

I nodded. “I guess. But it’s different when I’m being strong for Kade, and being strong in the face of this insanity.”

Rita nodded. “Which is why you have more than just Kade to help you. Like I said, Kade’s still my friend. I’m going to support him and you both. So don’t worry. What could the world throw at two super sexy subs like us that we can’t handle?”

I smiled, at least tried to, and squeezed Rita’s fingers back. “But you said it yourself, you’re a switch.”

Rita shrugged. “Details, details. Come on, let’s get to the airport.”

I
was just finishing
a hospital breakfast of ice chips (my surgery meant nothing but IV fluids and feeding for two days) when the door to my room opened and a whole group came through. After fielding questions from the police earlier, they were the first people all day I’d wanted to see. It seems that cops cannot wait until after breakfast to ask their questions.

“Good morning, Kade,” Rita greeted me, stepping through the door first. She held open the door, waving into the hallway. “I have someone for you.”

Alix was hesitant to come through, her eyes still downcast. After what the staff had told me of the way her mother had treated her, I understood why, but she never should have worried. I pulled my air mask down and waved. “Alix . . . come here.”

At my welcoming words she rushed across the room, slowing only enough to not jar me as she gave me a hug. “Kade, oh Kade,” she whispered into my neck as she squeezed me tight. “I’m so sorry.”

I patted the back of her head and held her, knowing that no matter what, no matter what ‘subs are strong’ line that Rita had fed her to get her moving that morning, Alix needed my strength as much as I needed hers. More than that, she needed my acceptance. “It’s okay,” I whispered, not sure if she could hear me through my air mask. “I love you.”

The next person to greet me was obscured by the mass of Alix’s blond hair in my eyes, but I could recognize that voice anywhere after working together. “Mornin’ boss. Don’t expect a hug like that from me.”

Alix laughed and let go, wiping at the corners of her eyes to stand back and give me room to see. Vince was dressed casually in his typical jeans and t-shirt, leaning on the footrest of my bed. Rita had already claimed one of the two chairs, sitting like she was getting ready for a business meeting.

“Vince, I’m glad you came down so quickly,” I said. My voice was stronger, but I was still having to pull the mask down and speak before taking another breath. “Where’s Monica?”

Vince shook his head sadly. “Sorry, Kade. When this thing hit the Internet, and you asked us to come down, Monica said no. She gave me a letter to give you. Apologies, I peeked, but it’s a resignation letter. She wrote that she’ll stay in Portland and keep the office going until you get back, but that’s it. Sorry.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay,” I said. Alix and Vince both nodded, and I had to laugh quietly. It seemed I would have two assistants. That would be helpful. “But don’t worry about it for now.”

Vince nodded. “What do you need, Kade?”

“What I want is to get the hell out of here, but you can’t do that,” I said. There was pain in my chest from the operation, but so far it wasn’t too bad. Maybe the nurse had me on drugs that were blurring the pain or something. I didn’t think I was too drugged, I seemed to be thinking well enough. “What I do need from you today is muscle and backup.”

“I can do that,” he said. “For what?”

“You and Alix, if you can, go back to her house,” I said. “Clean out and pack up clothes for her. She’s not going back there alone. In fact, Alix, I don’t want you leaving this hospital by yourself until the cops find Sydney Hale.”

“Do you really think he’ll come after me again?” Alix asked, frightened.

I shrugged. “I didn’t expect him yesterday either. And if he’s fucking crazy enough to try and stab me, then he’s also crazy enough that I don’t want to take the risk. So you’re going to have a bodyguard as long as we stay in the Los Angeles area. I want you safe.”

Alix’s eyes were full of questions, but she held them in front of Vince. She glanced toward him, and I smirked. “I guess the time for that sort of hiding is over. Vince, I assume you’ve seen the video?”

It was Vince’s turn to look chagrined as he nodded. “Enough to have more knowledge of your body than I ever wanted to have.”

I had to laugh at his choice of words and waved it off. “Not a problem. And you’re still here?”

He nodded his head vigorously. “Of course.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. Yes, Alix and I are in love. I haven’t seen the video, but we said some stuff that I’m sure tells you the same thing. I’m not going to be embarrassed by it. Instead, I’m going to get the son of a bitch that tried to blackmail her, and who I’m blaming for my father’s death. And I’m not going to hide the way I feel about Alix any longer.”

“Not a problem with me, Kade. Just spare me the further intimate details.” Vince stood up and rolled his shoulders. He had to have been stiff after the early morning flight, but he was a good man. “Alix, do you want to come now, or spend a few minutes with Kade first?”

Alix looked at me, and I smiled. “I’m okay,” I said, taking her hand and kissing it. “But if you guys can give me a few minutes with Alix, I’d appreciate it. Rita, do you have your computer with you?”

Rita shook her head. “I don’t, Kade. I actually don’t even have a laptop right now. Sorry.”

“Okay, then first thing I want you to do is go down the street and get a laptop. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back. Then come back here, we’ve got work to do.”

Rita grinned. “I love it when you spring for shopping sprees. Too bad it’s only for the geek side of me.”

“Don’t rush, it’s not worth sharing,” I retorted, and Rita laughed. She stood up to go, and I held up my hand. “Wait. You have to give Alix and Vince a ride to her house, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Rita said. “Vince, hallway time. You can tell me what it’s like working for Kade while we wait.”

Once the two of them left, I sat all the way up and wrapped my arms around Alix. It hurt my stitches, but I didn’t give a damn. “I missed you last night, Alix.”

In my arms again, Alix finally let loose with the hurricane of tears and sadness that had been building inside her. I’m sure she had done more, but she had to have been holding back, just trying to stay strong. “Kade . . . your father . . . Mom . . . ”

“I know,” I said. I had cried too, unable to tear my eyes from the news reports that played the scene from the press conference over and over. Fox News even had put up stills of the video, blurring over the nudity but still leaving enough visible that it was easy to tell what was going on. When the nurse had finally come in at one in the morning and had literally pulled the plug on my television, I had finally been able to go to sleep, aided by a sedative. “But you did nothing wrong.”

“I seem to keep doing nothing wrong, yet hurting a lot of people in the wake of it.” Alix sniffled. “And now Mom hates me.”

I held Alix as fresh tears came out, and I reminded myself to try to reach out to Layla, maybe through Dad’s law firm or something. I kissed Alix’s temple and held her close. “She doesn’t hate you, Alix. She was scared and hurt, and yes, angry at both of us. She’d probably have kicked my ass if I hadn’t been stuck up here. But I have a very serious question for you.”

Alix sniffled and wiped at her nose in a very un-model-like swipe. I chuckled and reached over, grabbing the tissue box from my little bedside table. “Here. They’re softer than sandpaper, but not much.”

“What do you want to know?” Alix asked as she grabbed half a dozen of the cheap tissues and started cleaning the mess off her arm.

“Are you still my Princess?” I asked. “Are you still with me?”

Alix sniffled and looked to the sky, blinking. “This is madness. In three weeks, I’ve destroyed my career, repaired and then hurt my relationship with my mother, and in the eyes of a lot of people killed my own stepfather. Everything is saying karma is getting in the way and saying that I should walk out that door, tossing you a Tudor Rose as I go.”

“Logic and karma seem to say that, don’t they?”

Alix nodded, then looked me in the eye. “But you’ve taught me something too. The will is sometimes more important than karma or logic. And my will, my heart, says that I love you. I’m your Princess, if you’ll be my Prince.”

I nodded and pulled Alix in for another hug, this time mindful of the pain in my stomach. It must have been time for another pain pill or something, whatever they had me on. “Then go with Vince. He’ll keep you safe, and after that, do me a favor if you can.”

“What?”

“Find Karla McDonald.”

After they left, I waited for the doctor to come around. Harrington was a busy man, and it was nearly ten forty-five by the time he stopped by my room. “How are you feeling, Kade?”

“Considering the past twenty-four hours, physically I guess as good as possible,” I said. “When do you think we can lose this stupid mask?”

Harrington looked at my chart figures and nodded. “Let’s see if we can get a nurse in here after this to go to just the nasal tubes,” he said. “You’ll be able to at least talk more easily. As the staff says you already had three visitors who all left like you were a General who just sent them on missions, I guess you’re going to need your voice.”

“Among other things,” I said. “Thank you for the leeway on the rules.”

Harrington shook his head. “With the money you’re paying, I should probably let you get away with a lot more. Speaking of that, when do you want to be discharged? I understand that you don’t have a house in the Los Angeles area right now.”

“My father’s house, but I don’t think Layla wants me there right now. Nor would I be willing to take Alix back to her place.”

Harrington nodded. “Okay then, if your health insurance or your bank account is willing to pay for it, I can reasonably write that you stay here for another two weeks. If not, you’re going to need to drive back to Portland, air travel is a big no-no for you with those stitches in. Your lungs don’t need the stress of the change in air pressure.”

“When can I fly?” I asked. “And would it be cheaper to just get a hotel room at the Beverly Hilton?”

“Yes, and in a week, in reverse order” Harrington said. “If you want, and are willing to come back for follow-ups, I can get you out of here as quickly as possible.”

I thought about it, but before I could answer, Rita came in, carrying a bag from an electronics store. “I know a guy who knows a guy who had it all set up for me to pick up,” she said simply. “Hi, Doc. How’s your patient?”

Rita’s forward attitude and perky demeanor never failed to stun people the first time they met her, and Dr. Harrington was no exception. He stuttered for a moment before smiling. “Mister Prescott is going to be in good health in no time. I was just telling him that if he wants, we might be able to get him out of here soon, as long as he stays in the LA area.”

“Great. You can crash at my place,” Rita said, unpacking the bag. When I’d told her to get a laptop, I’d expected something pretty standard-looking. Instead, what she pulled out seemed thick as a brick, wide as hell, and had what looked like racing stripes on the cover. Seeing me and Harrington look at it, she grinned. “Ain’t it great? Dual Intel i7 Quad Core CPUs, sixty-four gigs of DDR4 RAM, and a five twelve gig, SSD hard drive. I’d have gotten a bigger drive, but I have a memory backup at home that’s nearly twelve terabytes. I can download to that without an issue. Only drawback is the damn thing weighs ten pounds.”

“Does it play Donkey Kong?” Harrington asked. “I don’t know half of what you just said.”

I shook my head. “You and me both. Rita’s a friend and knows more about computers than I ever will. Just let her go, what she’s saying is she could probably hack the Pentagon with that thing.”

“Pentagon’s easy,” Rita grinned. “Now hacking the Googleplex, that’s hard.”

Harrington looked at Rita out of the corner of his eyes, then turned to me. “Is she serious?”

“Better not to ask,” I said. “Safer that way.”

Harrington nodded and left, leaving me and Rita alone in the room. She left to snag another table from one of the other patient rooms and came back, setting up her station. “I know the price tag might hit you as exorbitant, but I figured you needed the best to work with. Your eyes said that you want me to do some stuff that I haven’t done in a long time.”

“You know it,” I replied. A nurse came in and changed out my mask for the nasal tubes, leaving me feeling much better. I wiped my dry lips with an ice cube and wished I could take a drink, and watched Rita finish. “Your data link?”

“Best I could get on short notice. I’m sure you could catch up on
Game of Thrones
on it if you wanted, but I’ve got a feeling this will be for another purpose,” Rita said, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little, despite the circumstances.

“Well, when you’ve got Frankenstein’s monster there up and running, we’ll get to work. I want you to use your skills to find Sydney Hale for me. In the meantime, I’m going to do what I’ve found to be very, very painful.”

“What’s that?”

I groaned getting out of bed and steadied myself on the edge of the bed, grabbing the ventilator pole. “Using the toilet. Never knew how much you use your damn diaphragm when you have to go.”

“Entirely too much information.”