“Yeah.I get it.”And I did.I’d done the same thing when my old man disappeared.“I’ll handle her anger.I’d rather it be focused on me than anyone else, but especially you.You just focus on taking care of her until I get there.”
“OK.”She sounded exhausted.“Rhys?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.For calling.For coming.”
I didn’t deserve her gratitude.Not after what I’d done.“Get some rest if you can.I’ll be there soon.”
We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call, standing motionless in the middle of my apartment.Reality crashed over me in waves.I had a daughter.She was sick.And she needed a piece of me to survive.
My brain kicked into overdrive.Four hours to Cincinnati.I needed to talk to Knuckles, let him know I’d be gone for a while.And I needed Ada.She’d know what to do, how to handle this situation with the kind of emotional intelligence I lacked sometimes.
I moved quickly, grabbing clothes and toiletries and shoving them into the duffel bag.I added my laptop and chargers almost as an afterthought.Money.I’d need cash.I yanked open my safe and pulled out several thick stacks of bills, counting quickly before stuffing them into the bag.
My leather cut hung on the back of a chair.I grabbed it and shrugged it on, the weight familiar and comforting against my shoulders.
I slung the duffel over my shoulder, grabbed my keys, and took one last look at my apartment.The email was still open on my computer screen.My daughter’s name, Brynn Leahy, stared back at me.The life I’d carefully built for myself here now felt like a dream compared to the reality waiting four hours away.Thing was, I wanted both.
“Fuck.”The word came out soft, almost reverent.In a matter of hours, my entire world had shifted on its axis.And now I was racing toward a hospital room where two strangers waited.Except they weren’t strangers at all.They were Lavender, the only woman I’d ever loved, and Brynn, the daughter I never knew I had.
I shut down my computer, locked my apartment door behind me, and headed down the metal stairs to the compound below.The night air hit my face, cool and grounding.Brothers milled about, some nodding in greeting as I passed.They had no idea my life had just exploded.I’d tell them soon enough.
First, I needed to find Jag and Ada.And I needed to talk to Knuckles.
I had a feeling things were about to get complicated.But one thought burned clearer than any other as I strode across the compound, purpose in every step.
My daughter needed me.And nothing on this earth would stop me from getting to her.
Chapter Three
Lavender
I paced the hospital room like a caged animal, my worn sneakers squeaking against the tile with each turn.The sound grated on my already frayed nerves, but I couldn’t stop moving.Eleven years since I’d seen Rhys, and any minute he’d walk through that door.I checked my phone for the hundredth time.He’d texted thirty minutes ago saying he was in the parking garage.My stomach twisted into a painful knot as I glanced at Brynn, pale against the white hospital sheets, her blue-dyed hair a startling contrast that made her look both fierce and fragile at the same time.
The monitors beeped their steady rhythm, each ping both reassuring and terrifying.She was alive, fighting, but the machines’ constant presence reminded me how precarious her situation remained.My fingers twisted the hem of my shirt, worrying the already frayed edge.I’d changed clothes after our phone call, pulling on the cleanest jeans and T-shirt I could find in the small duffel bag I’d packed weeks ago, but I still felt grimy and unkempt next to the pristine hospital surroundings.I’d been washing my underwear in the stupid sink and hanging them in the bathroom out of sight.But I couldn’t do everything like that.
“Mom, you’re making me dizzy,” Brynn mumbled from the bed, her eyes still closed.“And that squeaking is annoying as shit.”
I stopped immediately.“Sorry, baby.Just nervous.”
“No shit,” she said, opening one eye to look at me.Those eyes, Rhys’ eyes, right down to the way they seemed to X-ray whatever they focused on.“Is he really coming?”
“Yes,” I said, moving to sit on the edge of her bed.“He texted.He’s here in the hospital somewhere.”
She shrugged, trying to look indifferent, but I caught the flicker of anxiety crossing her face.“Whatever.Not like I need him anyway.”
I smoothed back her hair, the blue strands soft under my fingers.“Brynn, he didn’t know about you.Remember that.”
“Because you didn’t tell him.”Yeah, she’d been salty about that too.
“Because he made it clear he wanted me gone,” I corrected gently.We’d had this conversation before.“And by the time I knew for sure about you, he’d already pushed me away.And I knew I could love you enough for both of us.”
She closed her eyes again, her jaw set in that stubborn way that was so painfully familiar.“Still should’ve told him.”
“You’re right.I should have,” I conceded, because what was the point of arguing now?“But he’s here now, and he wants to help.”
“He wants to get rid of his guilt,” she muttered.“Just like you do.”
