“Hmmmm,” Aunt Meggie said, pasting a smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, Meggie.”
“Apologize to my daughter, Jana. You didn’t interfere in my business. You interfered in hers. Which, might I remind you, was quite risky.Rebelasked me to invite you to LA with us, even though I went away for her. She was worried about you. She’s your biggest champion andyouare here while this idiot still has a wife who’s vicious. Your presence can be very costly for him and Christopher and me. Don’t you ever, and I meanever, confront my daughter about a single thing.”
She glared at Diesel, turned on her heel, and slammed the door.
Rebel cocked her head to the side and smiled at Jana. “Oops,” she said, and headed toward the gate.
Diesel was so fucked.
Jana doubled over in tears, sobbing.
Diesel looked at her. And walked away.
Stepping off the elevator, CJ headed to the private wing of Hortensia General Hospital mainly used for the Death Dwellers, especially Mom. The unit was always locked, so he pressed the intercom.
“May I help you?” a female voice responded almost immediately.
“Uh, yeah, hey, this is CJ Caldwell, here to see Molly Harris.”
A buzzer sounded and the door clicked open, allowing CJ entry. Molly was in the room Mom was always in, front, center, and across from the nurse’s station, but as he passed the first room and glanced in, he halted. Easton DeLuca sat ina chair, dressed in street clothes and looking at his phone.
Detouring from his destination, CJ paused in the doorway and cleared his throat.
DeLuca lifted his head and nodded. “CJ.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better than I had been. I’m going home with a cane.” He pointed to the bed, where a black cane lay across it. “I don’t intend to use it much because I can almost walk normally, though the pain hasn’t gone away yet.”
“Thank you for helping Molly. You risked your life to save her.”
“It’s the least I could’ve done for her.”
The statement sounded simple on the surface, however, CJ felt as if there was a deeper meaning, though he knew better than to ask directly. Not that it mattered. Motherfuckers he’d known all his life lied to his fucking face and allowed him to discover their duplicity in fucked up ways. “You weren’t the one who called her father. That was all Ryan.”
“You know about that?”
“I know more than I care to. I know about Rory and Devon, too.”
Straightening, DeLuca laid his phone in his lap and lifted his brows. “What are you talking about?”
They were getting off topic. CJ wanted to steer the conversation back to DeLuca’s cryptic statement.
“Rory was the one who convinced me to help Molly, CJ.”
“I’ve heard. Both Rory and Ryan went to that spineless fuckhead and was turned away.”
DeLuca smiled. “You’re referring to Johnnie, I assume.”
“Do you know another spineless fuckhead? Aside from his goddamn son?”
“You sound pretty fucking upset with Rory. I’d think you’d thank him for talking me into doing what I had to in order for Bash to release Molly.”
There it was again. DeLuca telling CJ something without coming right out and saying it. Unlike the previously blithe comment, DeLuca seemed as if he’d pushed the words out.
“What did Rory do, CJ?” he pressed.
