Page 19 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Nineteen

AIDEN

I find Zoe’s room and leave Matilda there to talk with the social worker. Wade had already texted me to say he was on his way down.

I’d tried to rein in my temper for Tilly’s sake, but it simmered until I could leave her.

Now it’s threatening to boil over. I cannot believe the audacity of that woman.

To think that saying something like that to someone would ever be okay, regardless of how you felt about them, dumbfounds me.

I’d like to say this is out of character for her, and yeah, maybe to this extreme it is, but she’s always been a little on the bitchy side.

It’s just one of the many reasons none of my friends warmed to her.

I didn’t bother making excuses. I let Cora lead me around by my dick and buried my head in the sand.

The sex was good. She could be sweet. What more was there I needed?

It took spending merely a few days with Tilly to realize exactly what I would have missed out on by settling.

When the elevator doors open, I find Wade standing there with a face like thunder. “She went too damn far this time,” he snaps.

His anger at the whole situation only justifies my own. “I swear to god, if I get my hands on her…” I let my voice drift off when he looks at me sharply.

“Cop, remember.”

I shrug. “I’m too pissed to give a shit right now. I need to return to Kellen, but I’m filing a complaint. That shit is not okay.”

“Agreed. I filed one myself and told her supervisor how close she is to having criminal charges filed against her.”

“That true?”

“At this point, there is nothing, from a legal standpoint, that I can do. But like I said, it’s a slippery slope. If she’s willing to go this far, what’s next? If Matilda were a patient here and Cora deemed her a threat, would she alter her medication? Offer her sub-par care?”

“I’d like to say no. But after this, I have no idea what she’s truly capable of.

I guess I never really knew her at all.” And doesn’t that make me feel sick to the stomach.

Not just because I willingly took this woman to my bed but because she hid the level of cruelty behind a clever mean girl persona.

She manipulated me to think less of her in those situations.

I stopped expecting better behavior and, in the end, kind of justified her actions to myself.

She never went too far that I called her out, but just far enough to make my friends and family pull away so they didn’t have to deal with her.

If our roles had been flipped, people would have recognized the signs for what they were. Red fucking flags.

“Think Matilda will file a complaint?” he continues, oblivious to my inner musings.

“Perhaps. She’ll want to, but I’m not sure that’s the route we want to take. It will blow her cover.”

He sighs but nods. “I’ll ask her. At the end of the day, it’s her decision to make. Just remember that if Matilda’s identity comes out, it won’t take five minutes for Cora to spin things and make herself sound like the victim.”

“She’ll paint Matilda as rude and a liar, and the media don’t give a single fuck about the truth.”

We’re both lost in thought for a minute before he runs his hands through his hair and hits the button for the elevator.

“I’d better get down there. Cora was asked to leave for the rest of the day.

But if she’s stupid enough to track Matilda down and start something in front of Zoe, I have a feeling your girl will go full-on mama bear on her ass.

The last thing I want to have to do is lock up Matilda fucking Carson. ”

I can’t help but laugh at that. He’s right, though.

If there were anything or anyone Tilly would blow her cover for, it would be Zoe.

I’m not sure how the instant bond snapped into place between them, but I’m not about to question it.

Both of them have found something in each other that the other needs.

Who am I to question the hows and whys? Besides, didn’t the same damn thing happen between myself and Tilly?

If it continues, I’ll have to start calling it the Tilly effect.

“Catch you later. Oh, I spoke to Blake earlier. They’re flying back today, so someone else will be coming back to stay with Kellen If I don’t see you before we fly out, thanks for all this. I know you’d much rather spend your day off with your family.”

The doors slide open, and he steps inside. “Are you kidding me? My wife would kill me if anything happened to Matilda.”

I shake my head and grin as the doors slide closed. Turning on my heel, I head back to Kellen’s room, knocking before I go in just in case he’s getting a sponge bath. There are things I can’t unsee.

Mathews answers the door, frowning when he sees me. “What the fuck happened? You lit out of here like your ass was on fire.”

I look at Kellen, who is watching me curiously, the gleam of narcotics gone from his eyes.

“Cora happened.”

He groans as I move to take one of the chairs beside the bed, and Mathews takes the other.

“You in pain?” I ask, unsure if the groan is from pain or at the mention of Cora.

“Some, but it’s manageable. Docs have moved me from morphine to regular pain meds. They wear off quicker.”

“They didn’t waste time,” Mathews grunts.

“My choice. I don’t want to risk getting hooked on them. Besides, it’s nowhere near as bad as it was. Turns out I have a really hard head.”

“I could have told you that myself.”

He flips me off, making me grin, though I can’t completely relax. Kellen misses nothing. Apparently, neither does Mathews because he’s the one to ask the first question. “Who’s Cora?”

This time, it’s me that groans. “My ex.”

Mathews looks between me and Kellen before Kellen jumps in and begins story time, giving him the sad and pathetic rundown of my life.

Mathews looks at me with a look of commiseration, making me wonder if he has a Cora of his own in his past. “Sounds to me like you dodged a bullet,” he says.

“You have no idea.”

“So you rushed out of here to deal with her, why?” he asks, confused, leading me to fill them both in on Cora’s latest fiasco.

“That fucking cunt,” Kellen snarls. Mathews looks just as pissed, and I’m reminded that he just lost one of his friends and knows exactly what it’s like to be given that news.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let her get away with this shit. Can we talk about something else?”

“Well, the doctors say I’m good to move down to a regular ward tomorrow. The scans look better, and the swelling has gone down. I’ll still be stuck there for the remainder of the week, though, until they’re one hundred percent happy.”

“You don’t mess around with brain injuries,” Mathews tells him.

And for once, Kellen doesn’t argue. “I’m sorry about O’Neill,” he states.

“Me too, but it wasn’t your fault. We all know the risks in this line of work. All I care about is nailing this wannabe gangster motherfucker to the wall.”

“Tell me what you need from me.”

Kellen gets comfortable as Matthews pulls out his phone to take notes. “Tell me everything that happened from the moment you arrived at Price Security.”

I listen intently to what he says, feeling gutted for Mathews that he lost a friend, but grateful nonetheless that I didn’t lose mine. By the time Kellen is done, he’s struggling to stay awake.

“Let me see you out,” I tell Mathews, who is heading for the door.

I wait until he walks out before stepping through and pulling the door over behind me. “You good?”

He grits his teeth but nods. “We prepare for it but never think it will happen to us.”

“I get it.”

He looks at Kellen’s closed door. “I know you do.”

“You got what you need?”

“On its own, it wouldn’t be enough to put Baylor behind bars but teamed with Callie’s statement and the detonator in his possession, we have him bang to rights.”

“I hope so. Men like this are as slippery as oil. It never ceases to amaze me how easily they slip out of everything.”

“That’s why I’m here, dotting every I and crossing every T. Like fuck are we leaving anything to chance.”

I slap him on the back before holding my hand out for him to shake. “Take care of yourself, man.”

“You too.” He tips his hat and leaves as I slip back into Kellen’s room.

“Oh, thank fuck. I thought you’d forgotten my kiss goodnight.”

I roll my eyes and take my seat. “You missed me, huh? It’s okay. I know I’m your favorite.”

He snickers, his eyes drifting closed. “I wouldn’t say you’re my favorite, but I am glad you came.”

“Anytime, brother. Though that being said, you ever get yourself blown up again, and I’ll kick your scrawny ass.”

“Scrawny? I’ll show you fucking scrawny. Just maybe not right now.”

I grin. “Get some shut-eye, sleeping beauty.”

“You gonna be here when I wake up?”

I look at my watch and shake my head. “It will probably be one of the other guys. I’m flying back out with Tilly tonight.”

“Tilly,” he whispers with a grin. “You’ve got it bad.”

“Shut up.” I don’t deny it, though, because he’s right. I do.

“Just don’t stay away too long.”

“See, I knew you missed me.”

Kellen’s only answer is a loud snore.