“You’re so busted,” Cassie said. “Come on.”
We’d barely taken a step inside when the screeching began. At first, I thought someone had died.
“Oh my God, it’s true! How bad is it?”
Cassie suddenly stiffened. Her shoulders tightened, and her grip on my arm turned into a vise. I was abruptly searching her for some wound when the woman’s voice found us.
“Coach! Cassie! Oh God, will he be okay?”
Then I was body-checked from behind as a woman came barreling forward. I knew who it was. Of course I knew. It was Sophia, drawing all eyes to her. Normally, I would have silenced her right away, but the magnitude of this disaster-in-the-making kept me tongue-tied. Thankfully, Coach didn’t have that problem.
The man stabilized me with a protective arm. He also growled a low, “Keep your voice down, woman.”
Good message, bad sexist tag, but Coach was old school. Sadly, Sophia pounced on the word like it was the worst feminine stereotype.
“Woman? My only brother might be dying, and you’re telling me to be quiet? Of all the horrible, chauvinistic—”
“Connor’s fine,” Cassie interrupted. “It’s just his knee, and—”
“Just his knee! It’s his career, you stupid, unthinking child.”
Well, that was uncalled for, and I hated that Cassie flinched under that verbal slap. That meant it was time for me to interfere. “Calm down, Sophia. We’re just getting information now—”
“You be quiet. You’re an incompetent hack who’s not worth my time. Especially now. To think you would use something like this to ingratiate yourself with me. Of all the nerve!”
“She’s got as much right to be here as you do,” Cassie argued. “She’s his girlfriend, and she’s trying to keep thisquiet.”
Oh hell. The last thing we needed was for Sophia to realize I was dating Connor. Especially since, sadly, I wasn’t sure it was true. But either way, it moved me from the bottom of Sophia’s shit list to the top of her hit list. The woman drew a deep breath, while her eyes moved over my face, maliciousness emanating from every pore.
“You filthy, conniving—”
“That’s enough!” Coach grabbed Sophia and strong-armed her into a small triage room. Thankfully it was empty, and the ER was relatively quiet, but that could change at any moment. He was still holding on to me, so I was pulled in as well. It was Cassie who remained a step behind, her eyes wide with fear and her hands tight around Connor’s cell phone.
“How could you let this happen?” Sophia yelled, and at first I thought she was talking to the coach. No such luck. Her words and her glare were for Cassie. “Your brother is an idiot. He’s obviously thinking with his dick—” She flicked her fingers at me as if she were throwing a medieval curse or something. “But you’re his sister. You should have told me. I would have taken care of him. And now he’s in the hospital—”
“Oh, good grief!” I snapped. “Would you just shut the hell up and listen?” We might be in a triage room, but we hadn’t managed to close the door. We’d already gotten the attention of the medical staff, and I saw at least one cell phone out, probably taking video. “Connor is fine—”
“Obviously he’s not fine. He’shere.” She pointed a manicured finger at Cassie. “And look at you. Ah, honey, this is what happens when I’m not there to help you. Coach chewed you out last week, your brother’s in the hospital, and you can’t even write a simple English paper. You’re too fragile to be on your own.”
What? I looked at Coach, and he shook his head, equally baffled. Then I realized Sophia was talking about Cassie’s volleyball coach. And she knew about an English paper Cassie had written. What had happened to the no contact rule? How the hell had she found out this stuff?
From the look on Cassie’s face, the hits had been on target. Her skin was ashen and her eyes bright with the sheen of tears.
This was the disaster that Connor had worried about. This was the effect that his bitch sister had on Cassie.
“Now you listen up,” I said, shaking off the coach’s hold. The last thing I wanted was to make a scene in a public hospital, but I’d be damned if I let her rip Cassie apart. “You’re—”
“Don’t bother,” Cassie interrupted. Then she stepped between Sophia and me. “Don’t. Bother.”
“Cassie,” Sophia said, and I’d swear there was heartbreak in her tone—as in an Academy Award winning performance of heartbreak. “I know you’re scared. Everything is moving so fast, and you’re frightened. I’m here to help you.” Then she moved forward as if to hug Cassie, but the girl stepped backward. I helped, making sure my shoulders were in the way of the bitch. Let her turn her venom on me.
“See?” the woman cried. “See how they stop me? I was only trying to hug you. I love you!”
I looked at Cassie, whose eyes were bright with tears. Did she believe these lies? Her jaw was firm, and her hands were fists. I took them as signs of strength, but I wasn’t sure, so I touched her on the arm.
“Why don’t you go see Connor?” I offered.
“I saved you,” Sophia abruptly said. “When that crazy man was stalking you, I was the one who got him to stop.”
