Page 42 of His Secret Betrayal (Cedarwood Valley Duology #2)

Alek

“ H e wants to press charges,” I snap, the words barked out with enough conviction that the spikey, black-haired police officer doesn’t question me.

She merely nods, not looking surprised as she jots down some notes.

The thing is, I don’t actually know if those are Luke’s intentions or not.

Maybe he plans on letting Evelyn get away with this transgression like she has all the others—and those vile men as a result.

I don’ t give a shit if she’s his so-called mother.

She has taken things one step too far—leaped right off a cliff without looking, actually.

Because now she has me to deal with. Luke may be a forgiving person, but I am not.

If Luke doesn’t want to press charges, doesn’t want the long arm of the law to do its job, I’ll do it my damn self.

“Why is it taking so goddamn long?” I bark at a passing nurse, mere minutes after the departure of the officer.

The petite female in navy-blue scrubs with brown hair to her waist squeaks and jumps back a step before eyeing me warily.

“He’s been back there for over an hour, and he needs someone with him, and they won’t let me—”

Caleb’s hands clamp down onto my shoulder, pulling me back and muttering apologies to the nurse, who scurries away.

I release a heavy, pent-up breath. “Sorry,” I murmur, even though she can’t hear me.

“Sit down,” Caleb demands, pushing down on my shoulder until my ass finally meets the worn cushion of the waiting room chair.

The bright lights overhead are giving me a throbbing headache, along with the ever-present smell of bleach.

A Styrofoam cup of steaming, black coffee is pressed into my shaking hands, and I immediately bring it to my lips.

“Watch out, it’s ho—”

“Damnit!” As soon as the scalding liquid touches my lips, I jerk my hand back. A few drops spill over the side of the cup, and I hiss.

Caleb’s eyes soften as he takes the cup back, placing it on the table in front of us, next to a stack of tabloid magazines. “He’s going to be okay.”

“He shouldn’t have to be here at all,” I counter.

Despite his reassurance, I don’t miss the way Caleb bites down on his bottom lip before averting his eyes.

He hates public displays of emotions, always has.

But that’s his tell—he’s worried for his best friend and struggling not to weep right here in front of everyone.

I squeeze his shoulder, knowing it’s the only comfort he’ll allow right now.

He gives a grateful little jerk of his chin.

We sit in stilted silence for a few minutes, the overhead speaker occasionally going off.

I focus on the sounds around me–the squeak of shoes on the shiny floors, the beeping of machines, the rolling carts being pushed down the hallways, doctors and nurses murmuring as they speed-walk past the door.

Eventually, the noises aren’t enough of a distraction.

Darker thoughts begin to creep in. Thoughts about Evelyn, Stoney, and the unnamed fucker who thought they could hurt my love.

How good they would look with matching bruises, how satisfying it would be to crack their ribs the way they did to Luke.

With a bouncing knee, I clear my throat.

“I know where she lives. Stoney is probably there with her, maybe even that other guy.”

Violence isn’t usually my first solution.

As a matter of fact, I hate violence. Loathe it, actually, since my father’s fists were the only kind of touch I knew growing up.

I’ve always been especially careful with Caleb: soft hands, gentle words, and open arms. But if my words or the vehemence in my tone surprises him, he doesn’t show it.

His cool, piercing blue eyes search mine for a moment before he wraps a hand around my elbow and squeezes. “If I know Luke, he’s going to want you here with him. So why are you giving someone of so little importance the time of day, hmm?”

I suck in a sharp breath. “Fuck me, when did you get so smart?”

Seriously, there’s no way I’m even partly responsible for raising him into this intelligent, rational being.

He became this person all on his own. How did I get so lucky?

For a brief moment, I’m so in awe—so damn proud—of the man he’s become that I forget about the constant itch to be at Luke’s side.

The need to soothe, to croon sweet-nothings in his ear, to run gentle fingers through those beautiful locks, to do everything in my power to take his pain away.

Only for a second though.

The waiting room doors fling open, the resulting bang against the wall making the elderly receptionist flinch.

Although I only met them once, at their engagement party, I recognize the couple immediately.

Jax barrels through the door, looking harried with sleep-mussed hair in a gray t-shirt and rumpled jeans.

His fiancé, Maddison, enters behind him.

She’s in shorts and an oversized, black sweater with the local fire department logo across the front.

Her worn sneakers scuff against the floor as she hurries to match Jax’s stride.

The obvious worry splayed across their faces has my gut twisting.

It had been evident in Jax’s voice, too, when I called him.

The sleepy, slightly grouchy reaction to being woken up had quickly transformed into a panicky haste to see his baby brother when I broke the news to him.

I only told him he had been assaulted, choosing not to reveal their mother’s existence—or involvement—yet.

That’s Luke’s choice to make, and I will support whatever decision he chooses.

“Where is Luke Parker? He was brought in by ambulance. He’s my brother and I— Is he okay?

I need to see him.” The silver-haired, wrinkled-faced receptionist does a double take as Jax spews the words out in rapid succession, his jerky movements portraying his nerves, even if the anxiety in his tone hadn’t.

When Maddison runs a soothing hand up and down his back, Jax’s tense shoulders immediately relax.

He grabs her hand, squeezing it to his chest like touching her brings him comfort.

The receptionist murmurs something quietly, too low for my ears to catch, before gesturing to me and Caleb.

She gives them both an apologetic expression before turning back to her computer.

I stand up to greet Jax, oddly nervous to meet him again.

Which is ridiculous, because the idea of meeting a lover’s family has never put a riot of butterflies and twisting nerves in my belly before. It’s different with Luke though.

But then again, everything with Luke has always been different.

“What the hell happened?” Jax wastes no time demanding, eyeing my hand with clear distrust before shaking it.

His eyes are narrow as they flit back and forth between my son and me, his jaw tense as he stares expectantly.

If I had to guess, he’s wondering if Caleb and I had anything to do with Luke’s current predicament.

Honestly, I don’t blame him. I appreciate all the protective-big-brother energy pouring off him.

Luke deserves that kind of energy.

“Two men jumped him in the parking lot when he was leaving work,” I explain again, having already told him this on the phone.

Jax is practically vibrating with impatience as he opens his mouth, probably to snap at me, before the waiting room door opens once more. A plump nurse with graying blonde hair pulled into a tight bun eyes us. “Luke Parker’s family?” she inquires.

“Is he okay?” Maddison asks, her small voice squeaking as she squeezes her hands together.

Despite looking like he’s going to leap forward and shake the poor nurse for answers, Jax makes a soothing noise under his breath, so quietly I suspect I wasn’t meant to hear it, before pulling Maddison against his side, where his thumb rubs circles along her hip bone.

The nurse nods. “The doctor will be by in a bit to go over everything, but for now, I can tell you he’s okay.

It’s going to be a long and painful recovery, but he’s awake.

We had to give him quite a bit of medicine to get his pain levels under control, and he’s resting now.

I can allow one family member in to see him. ”

“That’s not acceptable,” I growl. My knee-jerk reaction is ridiculous because, of course, I know this is typical hospital protocol.

It’s in the best interest of the patient, after all.

But I don’t give a fuck about protocol. I want Luke to see that his entire family showed up for him, to feel the love and safety oozing off us as we surround him, as we shield him from the harsh world.

The nurse purses her lips. “It’s hospital protocol. He needs a quiet environment to rest and—”

“He was viciously assaulted tonight. He needs his entire goddamned family,” I snap, my nostrils flaring.

Beside me, I’m vaguely aware of heads swinging to stare at me.

Caleb’s eyes transform into a bug-eyed stare as he subtly tries to give me a warning look that I pay no attention to.

Jax’s emerald eyes—God, they look so much like Luke’s—are staring at me a little too intently.

Maddison tilts her head, giving me a curious expression.

“He’s right, ma’am,” Maddison begins quietly, her voice much sweeter than mine. “I promise we’ll let him rest.”

The nurse huffs, rolling her eyes before shooting us all a stern look. “Don’t make me regret this.”