Page 32 of Vain

Wade’s expression changes to what I call his cop face. “Callie’s mom was pinned under the rubble. They got her out, but the doctor says there is no way to save her leg.”

Kellen groans. “I shouldn’t have stepped outside. I should have been there. Then I could have?—”

“Died,” Wade tells him matter-of-factly. “If you’d have stayed, you’d have died.”

Not being dumb, even with a head injury, Kellen curses, reading between the lines. “O’Neill?”

Wade shakes his head. “DOA.”

“Fuck!”

I reach over and grip his wrist when he tries to rip his cannula out.

“No. There was nothing you could have done differently, other than die. You think Callie could live with that? Because if you think for a single fucking second she won’t blame herself, you’re insane. I know this, and I’ve spent far less time with her than you have.”

“Why the fuck would Cassie blame herself?”

“Because Christian, the fucktard who kidnapped her, was the one who bombed Price Security.”

Chapter Fourteen

MATILDA

I lean back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and listen to my surroundings. Cora might have stormed past me without saying a word, but I wouldn’t put it past her to come back and start something. Women like that are all the same. They fuck up, but instead of owning it, they play the victim. If the roles had been reserved and she’d come home to find Aiden fucking some girl in their house, I have no doubt she’d have blasted that to anyone who’d listen, likely turning the town against him.

“She’s breaking my heart,” one of the two nurses chatting in the corner says, catching my attention.

“I know. We’ve seen dozens of tragedies come through here, but this one hits a little harder than most.”

“How can it not? That little girl has lost everything. I don’t know how you come back from that.”

“She deserves somewhere better than a residential placement. She’s such a sweet kid. I wish someone local would step up and foster her. Hell, I thought about it myself, but I livein a studio apartment with a ton of student loans. Her medical expenses alone are enough to put many people off.”

I open my eyes and sit up straighter.

“I get it. I just worry. The scarring will make her a target. Kids can be cruel.”

“So can fate.”

The wordscarringrattles around in my head on a loop. I watch them as they separate, one heading back to the nurse’s station, the other heading toward me.

I jump up and stop her as she is about to walk past. “Sorry to bother you, but I overheard you talking just now.” Her eyes widen as she looks around to see if anyone else is listening. “I’m not trying to get you into trouble or anything, I promise. I was just curious about the little girl.”

Her face softens as her shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything about Zoe’s condition. You’re not family, are you?”

There is something in her eyes that makes me pause, something that’s urging me to take a risk. “I’m not family, but I’m here to surprise a little girl called Zoe. I was sent up here and have not been given any more information. I’ve come to sit with her for a little while.”

“I’m sorry.” She frowns. “I don’t understand.”

Yeah, that’s because I’m winging this. I steal my shoulders, thinking of the little girl all alone. I slide the glasses from my face and pull my hat off my head, keeping my back to the rest of the room so nobody else can see my face.

She looks at me for a moment before recognition dawns. Her mouth drops open, and her face pales as she sways on her feet. “You’re…”

I slip the hat and the glasses back on. “Matilda Carson.”

“Oh my god.” Her breath rushes out of her in one long swoop.

I press my fingers to my lips so she doesn’t start drawing attention to us. “Can I sit with Zoe? Would that be okay?”