The fear pulsing through her must have manifested on her face.
Knox gripped her elbow. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got this. Please trust me. I’ve known Eric a long time. He’s gota lot to answer for, but he’s not going to hurt you. Just give us a few minutes, okay?”
She didn’t have much choice. She tried not to concentrate on the likelihood that the two men she loved wouldn’t be in the hospital if it weren’t for Eric Kitt’s deception.
Wait.Love?
Maybe she did need something to eat.
“Okay, I’ll just be down the hall.” She grabbed Knox’s money and left the waiting room.
Standing in the glow of the vending machine, a cacophony of worries, what-ifs, and fears shouted in her brain—making it nearly impossible to concentrate on the choices in front of her. Trail mix, crackers, or chocolate cookies.
Should she trust Eric Kitts at all? Should Knox be talking to him? Why did the doctor have to look so grim when he saw Leland on the gurney? Was Leland going to be okay? Why did surgeries always take so long? Why was Jason taking so long? Was Dylan Kitts still in police custody? What if he showed up?
Trail mix.
She’d managed to make a decision, trivial as it was. Not that it would solve anything. Except the rumbling in her stomach. She fished her snack out of the machine. And wished she didn’t feel so helpless to help Leland and Jason.
“Hey.”
She spun at the sound of Jason’s voice. “Oh, thank goodness! I was worried. You were back there a long time.” She eyed his bandaged arm sitting in a sling. “Are you in pain?”
“They gave me something for the pain. Any update on Leland?”
She shook her head. “He’s still in surgery.”
“Areyoualright?“ The overwhelming concern in his low, husky timbre sent her scrambling for a more heartfelt reply than, ‘yes.’ But her brain and emotions were pretty fried from the night’s events.
“Yeah, yes, I’m okay.” Then she remembered. “But Jason . . . Eric is here. In the waiting room. Knox is talking to him.”
His jaw tensed. “I’m not surprised.” He dragged in a deep breath. “I need to talk to him. He’ll speak more freelyif you’re—”
“Not there. I understand. I’ll give you a few minutes. But come get me right away if the nurse brings an update on Leland.”
The tenderness in his eyes broke through the tension about Eric, Leland, and everything else. “Tayla, I’m sorry I keep saying ‘stay here, I’ll be back.’ I’ve sounded like a broken record these past few days.”
“But you always come back. Every time.”
“I always will.”
He held her gaze. And suddenly, she knew he was talking about more than tonight. A lot more.
He wasn’t Spence. He was the opposite of Spence. Trustworthy. Loyal. A protector.
“I know you will,” she whispered.
“You said he was dead.” Yes, that’s how Jason wanted to begin his conversation with Eric. No greetings. No pleasantries.
He noted the swelling flesh around his boss’s left eye. And felt no remorse whatsoever. About the eye. But guilt coated his frustrations about not suspecting Eric’s lies.
Knox stood rigid next to him. Arms crossed. “He wouldn’t tell me anything until you got here. Except,” he lifted his chin toward Eric, “that he found Enzo and let him go.”
Eric turned to Jason. “After you three left, we had no reason to hold him.”
“We?” asked Jason. “You use that word like we’re all on the same side.”
Eric’s lips pressed into a thin line.
