Page 6 of Cryptic Curse (Bellamy Brothers #7)

HAWK

“Y ou’re going to wear out those tiles, man,” Vinnie says to me, stopping me as I’m pacing up and down the hospital corridor.

“I’m good,” I say.

“What’s eating at you, Hawk?” my sister asks.

“For starters, the fact that they won’t let you in to see our own damned father,” I say.

The private security guard arrived a few minutes ago, and he’s standing sentry at the door of my father’s room. I give him the evil eye.

“I’m fine,” Raven says. “You heard Falcon. If the security team and the attorneys think it’s a good idea…”

“Yeah, whatever.” I start on my second lap around the corridor.

What Falcon says goes.

I don’t begrudge him that. He’s the oldest, and damned if he hasn’t done his time to earn his place as our unofficial leader. Eight years in prison to protect our younger brother who can’t even be bothered to be here.

I’ve called Eagle’s cell phone three times now, and it’s gone to voicemail each time.

Fuck. If anything ought to be able to get his attention, it’s his father coming out of a damned coma.

One more time. The last time. I punch the phone hard to call his number.

“This is Eagle. You know what to do.”

That smug voice of his.

“Get your ass to the hospital now, you fucking ingrate,” I grit out. “Dad’s awake, finally. And bring your damned ID.”

I shove my phone back in my pocket.

I’m done.

Why is it my responsibility to get Eagle here? Why is it always my responsibility to do what needs to be done?

I get it. While Falcon was incarcerated, all of the oldest child duties fell to me, as the next oldest boy.

Falcon’s been out for nearly a year. But now he’s engaged, going to start his own family.

So I guess everything will still fall to me.

I walk up and down the corridor several more times, passing Vinnie and Raven each time. I don’t make eye contact.

As I’m heading around the corner, going the other way, Grace stops me. “You doing okay, Hawk?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Can I get you something? Coffee?”

I shake my head. “Trust me, caffeine is not what I need.”

“Valium?” She grins.

That gets a chuckle out of me. “I’m good. Just dealing with my little brother’s shit, as usual.”

“I’m sorry.” She lays a hand on my upper arm. “Why don’t you try to relax? Go sit on the couch at the end of the corridor where the vending machines are. I’ll bring you a soda or something.”

“That’s sweet of you, but I don’t think relaxing is happening for me today.” Then I think of my sister, who’s standing outside in the hallway not allowed to see her father. “You have any Orange Crush?”

“I think we actually do in our breakroom,” Grace says. “Go sit down and I’ll open one for you.”

“No, not for me.” I gesture toward my sister. “It’s Raven’s favorite, and my brother and his damned security team are making her wait outside to see our dad. I know she’d appreciate it if you took her one.”

“What about her gentleman friend?”

I frown. “I don’t know what he likes.”

“Okay. I’ll just bring him a bottle of water.” She pats my hand. “I’ll take care of it, Hawk. But please, go sit down. For your own good.”

She’s so pretty, so sweet. And even though she doesn’t give me that feeling of “it,” I like her a lot, and I do need some companionship in my life.

“Grace?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to get a coffee with me?”

Her eyebrows pop up. “You mean now?”

“Whenever it’s your break time,” I say.

She checks her watch. “About an hour.”

“Great. It’s a date. Just come grab me when you’re ready.”

“I will. And Hawk?”

“Yeah?”

She beams. “I thought you’d never ask.”

I hope she’s not thinking this is more than what it is.

I’m up for some casual dating, but I’m certainly not looking for a long-term relationship.

After all, I’m the Bellamy fixer. The guy everyone depends on.

If I get waylaid by a relationship—like Falcon and Raven have—everything will fall to Robin and Eagle.

Of all of us, Robin is the most dedicated to her career. She’s a veterinarian, and she oversees all of the veterinarians and techs at Bellamy Ranch.

And Eagle?

He can’t so much as scrape his knee without calling me up and crying about it.

He’s always been a fuck-up.

But he’s the baby, so he apologizes and gets away with everything.

If my mother only knew…

She knows about his original issues with drugs from when he was back in high school. At least, I think she does. I suppose it’s possible my dad handled that himself. They cut him off from his allowance when they found out he was using.

And what did he do?

He started selling to fund his own habit.

That’s how he got into trouble.

That’s how the drug lord he was dealing with found the barn on our property right at the Mexican border that they thought was perfect for a mule stop.

Fucking A.

So I do what I must.

I bail Eagle out every time he fucks up. I keep it to myself. I don’t tell my brother or my sisters, and especially not my parents.

If they only knew everything…

It would kill my mother. It would kill her to find those things out about her baby. She might deny it if I asked her to her face, but Eagle is her favorite. Followed by Raven.

And if she truly had to put her children in order, I would be dead last.

But I’m not bitter about it.

I stopped depending on my parents a long time ago. Right around the time Eagle shot that young cop and Falcon took the fall for it.

I watched it all play out, and I realized there’s only one person in the world I can depend on.

Myself.

My thoughts are interrupted when the elevator doors I’m walking past open.

Daniela, Vinnie’s eighteen-year-old wife, steps out, along with Belinda McAllister, Vinnie’s eleven-year-old foster daughter—and former betrothed.

The mafia world is sure fucked up.

Of course, so is the Bellamy world.

“Is that Raven’s purse?” I ask Daniela, stopping myself from staring at her.

How the hell is she even sexier in a sweatshirt and jeans than she was in that little black dress at Raven’s gala?

Her honey-brown skin looks like it’s been kissed by the sun, and her lips are naturally plump and pink.

“Yeah,” she says, meeting my gaze, her cheeks blushing a touch. “Hi, Hawk.”

“Hi Daniela, Belinda. I’ll show you where my dad’s room is.”

I lead them down the corridor to the room where Vinnie and Raven are still standing outside along with the security guard.

Raven steps towards Daniela and gives her a hug. “Thanks so much for doing this. I owe you.”

“You and Vinnie don’t ever owe me anything,” Daniela says. “I owe you everything.”

It’s difficult for me to think about Daniela. I try to fight my attraction to her because I know she didn’t have it easy in Colombia. I don’t know the details, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to. Plus, she’s a kid. Only eighteen.

Something about her, though…

I wish laying eyes on Grace gave me the burn that laying eyes on Daniela does.

But she is definitely off limits. She’s married to my sister’s boyfriend, she’s barely eighteen, and her father was a Colombian gangster.

Baggage there for sure.

Raven is showing her ID to the security guard when a nurse walks out of Dad’s room.

“He still doing okay?” I ask.

“Vitals are all good. He’s trying to talk, but still not making sense. The doctor will examine him again tomorrow after we get the MRI results.”

I simply nod and then drop my jaw.

My younger brother Eagle comes sauntering down the corridor toward the room. And I do mean sauntering, as if he hasn’t a care in the world.

I resist the urge to grab him and shake him. “Where the fuck have you been?” I grit out.

He scrunches his forehead. “I’ve been on my way.”

“Yeah?” I roll my eyes. “And you can’t be bothered to answer your fucking phone?”

“I didn’t answer it because it goes on automatic Do Not Disturb when I’m driving.”

“That is such bullshit, E. If Scarlett Ramsey—or anyone but me—had been calling you, you would have picked up. You ignore my calls, but who’s the first person you call when you need someone?”

Eagle’s cheeks redden just a touch.

Yeah. He knows he needs to not fuck with me. I hold all his secrets.

“Let’s just see Dad,” he says.

Raven walks toward us. “I don’t know what you two are fighting about, but I can finally go in to see my father. And all five of us are here, so let’s go.”

“Fine,” I say under my breath.

Raven, Eagle, and I walk into the hospital room.

Mom is still sitting next to Dad, holding his hand. Robin is sitting next to her, and Falcon is standing at the foot of the bed. I’m not sure where Savannah went. Maybe she figured this is family time and made herself scarce. Just Mom and the kids.

“Oh, Daddy,” Raven says, cupping his cheek.

“Raven flies,” he says.

The aphasia.

“How’s it hanging, Pop?” Eagle asks. “It’s great to see you awake and alert.”

“Eagle talon,” Dad says.

At least he’s able to get our names out. He knows who we all are.

“It’s okay, honey,” Mom says, squeezing his hand. “You don’t have to talk.”

But Dad’s eyes widen. “Need fences to mend,” he says.

Fences? That’s the second reference to a fence, but I’m pretty sure it means nothing.

He knows all the fences on our property are always in tip-top shape, but if he’s speaking metaphorically…

Hell, we all have fences to mend.

“Before looks, thanks dropping,” Dad says.

Mom just smiles, squeezing his hand again. “Yes, honey. We know.”

“But message long last time,” he says.

Eagle looks at me, fear in his dark eyes.

Is he looking for some kind of validation? That Dad is okay?

I have nothing. I can repeat what the nurse said, that the aphasia will probably resolve on its own, but he knows that as well as I do.

Still, I end up doing what I always do. “It’s okay, E,” I whisper.

Because even though I resent being my brother’s keeper and getting him out of all of his messes, he is still my little brother and I love him. I would take a bullet for him in an instant.

And yes, I resent the hell out of that.

“You look good, Dad,” Falcon says.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Robin agrees. “Your color is great.”

“Pill father though either,” Dad says.

“Can you count to ten for me, daddy?” Raven asks.

He squeezes his eyes shut. “One two four five seven nine ten.”

Not bad. He only left out three, six, and eight.

“Coming,” Dad says.

“It’s okay,” Mom says again. “You don’t have to talk, Austin. I know it must be frustrating for you.”

Dad’s breathing accelerates, and he blinks his eyes rapidly.

“Austin, please. Relax.”

“Relax,” Dad repeats.

“Yes, honey. Please.”

But then he shakes his head. “Relax,” he says. “Coming.”

“Daddy, please,” Raven says.

But Dad continues shaking his head. “They’re coming,” he says. “They’re coming.”