Reckless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 2) (23 page)

“But you’ve—”

“The cops are here. Just get them.”

His words were short and clipped, a sign of how much pain he must be in. Instead of fighting with him any longer, Malia nodded and turned to run to the front door. The two uniformed officers, a man and a woman, were already getting out of the car. “Help!” she screamed. “He’s been shot and we need an ambulance!” The officers immediately ran to her, and she wanted to slap them. They needed to call an ambulance
now
. But everything went by in a blur as the cops went inside. They quickly disarmed Robert and restrained Lindsey, who had started to regain consciousness, and Daniel.

The female officer radioed in for an ambulance. More lights flashed through the windows, signaling another police car pulled into the driveway. Malia wanted to run to Robert and give him a tight hug, but as soon as Lindsey and Daniel were restrained, the cops administered first aid to Robert’s gunshots, asking some basic questions about how he was doing and applying pressure to the wound as they waited for the ambulance to get there.

Lindsey stared dispassionately at the whole scene. A scowl twisted her face, her previously pretty features taking on a strange, monstrous tone. Malia heard sirens and prayed that the ambulance was getting close. Robert was lying on the ground with two of the now four cops in the room surrounding him. His eyes were closed, and Malia had no idea whether he was passed out or whether he was resting.

She brought her hand to her mouth and tried to breathe, holding the blanket around her shoulders tighter. She had no idea who gave her the blanket.
Damn it, why couldn’t her brain work right now?

It was going to be okay. It had to be okay. “Why?” she croaked out. She turned to see whether Lindsey had heard her, but she was watching one of the officers pull her husband out of the house in cuffs. Lindsey would be taken next and Malia might never have another chance to talk to her. “Tell me why!” she demanded.

Lindsey curled her lip into a snarl and shook her head. “You’re all so privileged. I worked so hard. I did everything I was told and I was supposed to get what I was promised.”

Malia shook her head, still not understanding. “What were you supposed to get?”

“Everything!”

One of the officers looked over and Malia knew Lindsey was going to be taken away any minute now. She needed to get answers. “I thought Robert was a great boss. What more was he supposed to give you?”

“He was supposed to give me a family,” she snapped. “I was supposed to be his sister. I was Jean.”

“You thought you were Walter’s lost daughter?”

“I didn’t think—I knew. Walter told me. Imagine my surprise when I did my own little DNA test after he died and found out the son of a bitch was lying. Then Jean showed up and Daniel was threatening to leave me when he found out I wasn’t getting a penny. This family is poison. They suck you in and make a fool out of you.”

“You tried to kill me!” snapped Malia.

“You don’t deserve this.” Lindsey glanced around at the lavish, now blood-stained, house. “You’re just some slutty tour guide. I deserve this. I worked for this and gave my blood, sweat, and tears to this family and you just come in off the street and—”

“That’s enough.” One of the cops grabbed Lindsey’s shoulder and started leading her out of the house.

“You don’t deserve all this!” shouted Lindsey one more time as she was led away. The paramedics came in past her and immediately went to Robert and started to work on him. Malia tried to ask whether he would be okay, but no one would tell her anything, and she once again had to hold back tears.

Robert would be okay. He had to be.

––––––––

“H
ow’s he doing?”

Malia jerked at the familiar voice and looked up to see Alex walking down the hospital corridor. She straightened in the chair. All her back muscles protested at the movement, either a sign of how uncomfortable the waiting room was or how bruised her back would be from the fight with Lindsey earlier that night. Well, last night. It was well into the morning now.

“He’s doing okay. He got out of surgery a little bit ago and he’s recovering now. The nurse promised I could see him once he was up.” She wasn’t family, so they needed his permission.

“Are the cops still here?”

Malia shook her head. “They’re long gone. It was pretty obvious what happened since Lindsey wouldn’t shut up.” She thought back to how different she had looked between their relaxing shopping trip and being dragged out in handcuffs. How had the true person been so hidden? “I heard you were the one who called the police? I can’t believe—” She broke off as the tears came back again.
Damn it.
She’d been blubbering on like this all night. She was half out of her mind with worry for Robert and completely exhausted, mentally and physically, from the crazy night. There was no use going anywhere, though. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she knew Robert was okay.

Alex set a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

“You really check your emails all the time?”

“Pretty much. Maybe it was luck that I saw it right when it came in.”

Malia tried to imagine a shot and bleeding Robert sneaking into his downstairs office to message Alex. “What did his message say?”

“You know Robert. Even on a good day, he’s a man of few words. It said ‘
shot call help.’
No punctuation at all. Terrifying stuff.
”

“Robert’s a grammar freak?” There was still so much she didn’t know about him.

“The whole office had a party the first time he didn’t fully spell out ‘Laugh Out Loud.’”

She’d never texted Robert.
What a strange thought. She wanted to text him. To get used to how he joked over the phone. She wanted to know that side of him. To have a real, honest-to-goodness relationship.

“Alex Farrell?” asked someone. They both turned to see the middle-aged brunette nurse in the hall. “He’s awake if you want to see him.”

Alex gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Let’s say hi.”

Robert had his own room, and the morning sun streamed through the window, making the place seem more cheery than a hospital had any right to be.

Malia hung back as Alex crossed to Robert’s side. “You almost had me worried there.”

Robert winced. “Talk quieter. I have the hangover from hell right now.”

“I can tell. You look like you got hit by a truck.”

“You look pretty good to me.” Malia stepped up. He had bruises all along one side of his face, and his eyes were still shadowed with the effects of the drugs he was coming off of. But he was there. Alive. He was okay, and that made him the best sight she’d seen in forever.

“You’re here.” He pushed himself up before wincing with the pain.

She shifted her weight as she tried to figure out how she was supposed to act. “Of course I’m here. You fought off a crazy guy with a gun. I think that entitles you to—” She stopped herself from finishing the dirty joke, suddenly remembering that Alex was in the room.

“I’m glad you’re here,” said Robert, immediately calming all of her nerves.

Alex cocked his head as he looked between the two of them.
Great. She was being weird.
This was so much easier when she hated both of them. Now that she actually wanted Alex to like her, she had no idea what to do.

“Do you want coffee? I need coffee.” She pointed to Robert. “You probably can’t have any. I’ll be right back.” Malia started to exit to the hallway, but immediately ducked back inside and slammed the door shut. “Wh-Wh-Why is my mother here?” she stuttered out.

Alex’s smile answered before he even spoke. “I invited her.”

“I repeat. Why is my mother here? Did you think my day wasn’t stressful enough already?”

“You know I can’t defend myself right now, right?” asked Robert from the bed.

“Hey, you just took a bullet for Malia. If she was ever going to warm up to the idea of you two dating, it’s right now. And you look like shit. She’ll like that. Trust me.”

Malia ran her hands over her eyes and through her hair. “Alex, when we get out of here, I’m going— There are going to be words.”

“Maybe. Now hold my brother’s hand like you love him and try to keep your mother from pulling the life support.”

Malia ran to the other side of the bed and took Robert’s hand in hers, smiling down at him as he squeezed her palm. “Can you handle this?” she asked softly.

He gazed up at her with love in his eyes. Or maybe it was the morphine. But she was telling herself it was love. “You’re here. We can handle anything together.”

R
obert smiled as he saw Malia at the table with Maeve, Jean and Colin’s daughter, bouncing on her lap. It was strange to see her holding a child, but not really all that unwelcome. He didn’t think that kids were on their radar in the near future, but it was an interesting possibility to look forward to.

He took a sip of his drink as he swerved through the tables until he reached her and bent down, pressing a kiss to the curve of her neck. “Hey, gorgeous.”

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. “I assume you’re talking about me and not Maeve.”

“I’m talking to both of you.” He reached over, giving Maeve a little boop on the nose, causing her to smile and giggle.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Malia warned. “We still have years.”

“Noted.” He took the seat next to her and grabbed his fork to take a piece of cake off her plate.

“What the hell are you doing?” she whispered.

“You weren’t eating it.”

“I’ll have you know, I was saving that.”

“Well, I’ll grab you another. Promise.”

“You better,” she muttered before she turned back to Maeve and bounced her on her leg, making a few smiley faces at her.

“Besides, what’s yours is mine, right?”

“You have to be married for that,” she reminded him.

Robert looked around the room. Everyone seemed so...happy. The very idea of it was foreign. All of his brothers, and even the sister he didn’t know he had, were in the same place and all smiling. The moment just seemed so perfect. “Maybe we should then.”

Malia glanced over at him. A smile tugged at her lips. “That better not be a proposal.”

Robert was taken aback. “I thought that you were—”

“Oh, no. I’m totally going to marry you. But you’re not allowed to propose at a wedding. It’s against the rules.”

“Must’ve missed my copy of the rule book.”

“This is your brother’s day. During weddings, you’re not allowed to propose or announce pregnancies.”

“See. This is why I need you. To keep me on the straight and narrow.”

Right then, Jean came from the dance floor with Colin close behind. “Hey, baby girl,” she said with over-exaggerated happiness that made her daughter’s face light up.

Colin tilted his glass toward Robert and he nodded in response. They weren’t exactly brotherly, but there had definitely been progress.

“You two should go out and dance,” said Jean.

Malia handed Maeve over to Jean even as she shook her head. “I’m so tired. I don’t think—”

“Nope.” Robert stood and held a hand out to her. “It’s a wedding and we’re dancing.”

Before she could protest any more, Colin motioned with his head to the dance floor. “Do it. Jean made me and it was much more fun than I expected.”

Malia narrowed her eyes. “You don’t seem like the dancing type.”

“The trick is you have to find the right partner.”

She bit her lip as she stood, setting her hand in Robert’s. “I’ve been sufficiently convinced.”

As soon as they were on the floor, Robert set one hand on the small of her back and led her into the slow tempo of the song. “So you really don’t like dancing? I feel like you would be the type to get naked in the moonlight. In fact, I’ve had a number of fantasies that involve you dancing on a beach wearing very few clothes.”

Malia rested her head on his chest as he led her through the steps. “Oh, no. That dancing I can do. It’s this...more structured stuff. I guess I underestimated your ability to lead.”

“Controlling is what I do best.”

“But you’ve been holding off on the kidnapping lately. That’s a plus.”