He doesn’t ask me if I’m alright and I appreciate it, because I feel like my head was hit by a bus. He leans away from me but keeps his hands pressed to my skin, whether on my arms or hands. I feel too weak to move, but I manage to pull my hands away from him and put them in my lap—an action he doesn't miss and flinches.
“Painkillers would be great.” I rasp, my voice barely there and I wonder if I’ve been strangled.
He observes my expression for a long moment before gently nodding and rising from the bed. The movement of the mattress makes me groan out from a wave of nausea rolling through me,and he crouches by my side. “Is there anything else you want me to get you? Water?”
I nod, looking down at my hands.
“She’ll feel dizzy and nauseous for a couple of hours now that she’s awake.” My head snaps up to see Cardinal sitting on a brown leather chair. I take in more of my surroundings from what I can see by the lamplight—the curtains are closed, but pieces of carefully selected furniture come into view. I’m in his room. As if he can read my wandering gaze, he rests his elbow against the arm of the chair and rubs at his jaw. “We put you in my room so if anyone was looking for you, you'd be harder to find.”
Right, because something clearly happened to me and the pain flaring up on my skin wasn’t accidental. I left his room and then everything was clouded in darkness.
“I found your secret. Your real secret.” My rough voice seems to encourage Wren to reach out for the bedside table where he brings me a glass of water, his expression grim. The way he handles me is so gentle, lightly cupping my hand to open and take the glass.
Would someone who treats me this way want to hurt me?
“I found your secret.” I repeat, needing him to look up at me because I won't gloss over this. I need to know why he kept it from me, why in the bath he never stopped my ramblings and told me he had found another. He'd taken a bribe from Corbin who later was murdered? Was he ashamed of betraying Phoenix too or is it much more sinister?
Swallowing, he keeps his hand rested against mine and the glass. “I swear I was going to tell you. I wanted to last night and told myself it would be the first thing I did this morning when we woke up.”
“Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is going on.” Cardinal chimes in, tapping his fingers against the armrest.
Wren glares at him but turns to me as he speaks. “Before you guys went to university, it was me who put Phoenix into rehab. I obviously had to approve it with his brother, but I lied as to the reason and just told him about the drugs. He had an incident in my hotel room and I took the fall for it because he would have been arrested. A couple of months ago, Corbin approached me—told me he knew what Phoenix had done and if I didn’t comply with owing him a favor, then he’d tell the right people what his brother had done. I was so scared he’d really do it if I said no, so I said yes. The next week I got a phone call to say I’d be taking the fall for something Lily did, she's gotten into trouble.”
“What did she do?” I wanted to ask so many other questions but I needed to know what I was up against.
“Supplied drugs at a party. She actually broke into my apartment to throw it and a girl got sent to the hospital. Corbin wanted me to take the fall in case she woke up and wanted to press charges.”
“She supplied drugs? I’ve never seen her even take paracetamol.” I retort, my throat burning when my voice rises.
“Yeah, I’ve never known her to party that hard. After the girl woke up and didn’t press charges, he paid everyone off who was there to keep their mouth shut. He sent me money, but I swear, Robin, it’s still sitting in my account. I keep sending it back and it bounces straight back to me. It’s fucking annoying.” He drags a palm through his mess of curls and hangs his head. “When I got the invitation this weekend, I had such a bad feeling. I was anxious over Phin’s recent relapse, skeptical about the entire party. I knew he was going to pull something, but I couldn’t get a moment alone with him and then, well—” he chuckles with no humor. “I met you and got lost, in the best way. I had no clue about the game or the secrets. When we found mine, I was confused that was the leverage he’d chosen. No way to argue it; he was already dead. Remember when I was a little blunt withyou and a total arse?” I grunt, looking down, but he pushes my chin up with his fingers so I can’t look away. “I’d gone back to my room and found the real secret on my bed. I honestly thought he was fucking with me, had gotten someone else to place it there, but no one has said shit to me this week. I thought if I came clean, it would look so bad, and if the detectives found out, they’d suspect me or worse, go after Phin. I swear, Roo, I had nothing to do with his death. I fucking hated him so much for how he treated his brother and then how he treated you, but I would never do something like that. I’m so sorry I kept this all from you.”
Silence stretches between the three of us. His now darkened green eyes are jeweled with tears, his grip on my chin shaking. Attempting to clear my throat, I finally take a sip of the water still in my hand and end up draining the full thing.
“Why let people believe the worst in you? Why let him blackmail you?” I already know the answer.
He would do anything for Phoenix.
Falling forward to rest my forehead against his, I inhale his scent that brings me so much comfort. Despite wanting to stay mad with him, I can't blame him when I would do anything for him too. We've protected and coddled him for too long now, but it's maybe not the time to go over unhealthy boundaries. Feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea roll over me again, I let go of him, squeezing my eyes shut.
“I feel sick again.” I mutter, hoping if I settle back into the pillows, sleep can come easily again until I feel better.
“I’ll get you those painkillers, and you should try to rest.” He moves from the side of the bed and raises one of my hands to his mouth, where he plants a gentle kiss. Dragging his feet about leaving the room, only when the door softly clicks does Cardinal rise from the chair to sit at the foot of the bed.
“I thought you should know that it couldn’t have been Merle. I was with him all night going over how to get through the flood water, especially when the cars are ruined.”
I weakly nod.
“Do you remember anything?”
“No, there’s nothing. I remember finding Wren’s secret and completely freaking out. I left the room and then there’s just nothing.”
“Someone used chloroform on you. I know this must be really hard to hear. You have light bruising and grazing all over your body. I think they might have dragged you down the stairs. We found you outside, next to the lake.”
A tear falls from my tired eyes. “If I think hard about it, I kind of remember the sensation, so that tracks.”
He smiles weakly. “But you’re ok. Bruised, but you’ll be ok.”
“If you can classify being given a pounding headache against my will, as ok. I guess with the flood it’d be reaching for the stars to ask for a Doctor.”
