Page 14 of Playing with Trouble

And yet…I couldn’t shake what I was feeling.I couldn’t stand the thought of Violet hurt and stubbornly downplaying her injuries, like she downplayed everything that made her the slightest bit vulnerable.I’d seen that for myself the night at the club.

I heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and then a young man entered the room.He spotted me and held up his hand in an awkward wave.“Um, hey, is this where the, uh, family members wait?”

I nodded.“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

The guy was young, around twenty.He was tall, a bit on the bulky side with a mop of dark hair.He looked around, approached the vending machine, changed his mind, then sat.Less than a minute later, he stood again, restless energy rolling off him.

“Who are you waiting on?”I asked casually.Maybe calming this kid down and distracting him would keep me from overthinking everything myself.

“My sister,” the guy said.“They brought her here after a car crash.I was told it was minor, but sometimes they just say that to keep everyone calm, right?Until they check with x-rays and other tests and find something worse.”

His voice was tight, his complexion pale, his worry unmistakable.He sounded like he was speaking from experience, giving me the impression that maybe he’d been in a car crash himself or lost someone to one.

Then, his words clicked.“Wait, are you talking about Violet?”

“Yeah, I’m her brother, Christopher.”He eyed me warily.“And you are?”

“Ford.I’m a friend.”I held my hand out and we shook.“I know your sister through Andrea.”

His lips pursed.“Yeah, Andrea.”

His tone was…off.A little disgruntled, even.I knew that Andrea and Violet were half-sisters, and they were close.That didn’t seem to be the case with Andrea and Christopher.

“Do you know anything about Violet?”Christopher asked me.“Is she okay?”

“The paramedic that spoke with Andrea said that Violet seemed to be all right but they wanted to check her over more thoroughly as a precautionary measure,” I said, trying to ease his anxiety.“They wouldn’t let me in to see her yet.Family only.”

I was about to tell him that he could probably ask to see Violet since he was family, when Christopher’s phone rang.He grimaced and pulled out the device, then crossed to the other end of the room to answer it.

His voice was low as he spoke, and I suspected it wasn’t just because he was trying to be polite.From what I could hear, his tone was tense and harsh.

“I can’t fucking believe you,” he grated out.“I told you, get someone else.”

Anger etched his expression as he listened to whatever the other person on the phone said before he snapped, “You want to talk about crossing a fucking line?That’s what you did today.”

His words grabbed my attention.I was sure it meant nothing.Christopher having a tense, upset conversation with someone right after Violet had ended up in a minor car crash was most likely just a coincidence.

Unfortunately, my gut said otherwise.Violet had gotten side-swiped and pushed into a guardrail, which wasn’t just a normal kind of car accident.Now she was in the hospital, luckily with only minor wounds, but still, she’d been hurt.And now her brother was telling someone on the phone they’d crossed a line for something they did?

I didn’t like it.Not one damn bit.

“Ford?”Andrea entered the waiting room and walked up to me, her entire body stiffening when she saw Violet’s brother there, too.“Oh, Christopher.”

Christopher raised his hand up, still clutching his phone to his ear.“Hey Andrea, be there in a second.”He turned his back to her to finish his call, his voice more hushed now.

Andrea glanced over at me and I didn’t miss the troubled look in her eyes.“Can you come with me to speak with Violet?”

“Sure.Whatever you need.”

Andrea shot Christopher a sharp look as she turned to lead me down the hall to Violet’s room.Hmmm.Yeah, there was something going on between these siblings and I couldn’t help myself.I wanted to find out what it was.

But right now, all that mattered was Violet and the need to see for myself that she truly was okay.

CHAPTER6

Violet