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Fuck. I showed the message to Quinn, and he frowned. “We better let him know what’s happening. We could be here for a while. She’s not going to be in a state to fly back yet.”
He nodded. “Tell Brax what’s going on and I’ll sort out a hotel for the next couple of nights.”
I hit call on my friend’s number. He picked up almost immediately, which was unusual. Normally, he sent me straight to voicemail.
“What’s up?” For once, he sounded sober.
“We’re at the hospital. Stella’s been shot.”
“WHAT THE FUCK!”
I pulled my phone away from my ear before I suffered permanent hearing loss. “Calm down, she’s OK. I think. We’ll know more once the doctor comes back with an update.”
“YOU THINK?? What the fuck happened?”
“It was a drive-by. Cops believe it might be gang-related, but honestly, I’ve no clue. It all happened so quickly. One minute we were waiting for our Uber outside a coffee shop, the next all hell broke loose and Stella was lying on the floor…” I broke off, unable to continue as memories assailed me.
Quinn’s hand on my bicep brought me back and I managed a ghost of a smile at him. Fuck. Did I have PTSD?
“I’m getting on a plane right now.”
“Brax—”
“Which hospital?”
I sighed.“Bellevue.”
There was a long pause. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“OK, we’ll let you know if anything happens.” I didn’t bother defining ‘anything’. We both knew what I meant.
“She better be OK,” he muttered. I heard the sound of rustling and banging and I figured he was packing a bag.
“Yeah, she better.” I wasn’t going to think about the alternative. It was too fucking painful. “Quinn says he’s booked us in at the Langham,” I added when Quinn shoved his phone in my face to show me a booking confirmation.
“OK. I’ll message when my flight lands.”
Chapter 70
Brax
Panic gripped me as I threw some clothes and toiletries into a bag. I’d barely been back a couple of hours after traveling home for the weekend, and now I was jumping on a plane again. Under any other circumstances, I’d have been pissed. We had an assignment due tomorrow, and I hadn’t done much more than outline the key points. And as my grandmother loved to remind me, failing to hit my grade targets would result in expulsion.
With that in mind, I put my laptop in the bag. Not that I was in any fit state to study. My head was a mess. The guys should have been on their way back now. It was supposed to be a quick visit. What in God’s name had happened?
The flight to New York was mercifully quick, but by the time I stepped out of the cab and dashed inside the hospital, my nerves were shredded. Quinn had been sending me updates; Stella was out of surgery and in the ICU, still unconscious. Apparently, the shoulder injury wasn’t as bad as they’d thought and there would likely be no permanent damage. The one on her side was just a flesh wound.
Not that any of that stopped me from catastrophizing. Since finding out who she was, I’d pushed her away, made it clear we couldn’t be anything.
Now I was reconsidering everything.
Since day one, I’d been drawn to her. The attraction I felt hadn’t faded in the slightest, even knowing who her father was. I didn’t blame her for what had happened. The sins of the father were not her sins. Even if my mother refused to accept otherwise.
She’d spent all weekend lecturing me on why Stella was just as guilty as her father. I had tried to convince her otherwise, but to no avail. It was a fool’s errand.
I scanned Quinn’s last text as I reached the elevators. Room 15, second floor. There was a bored-looking cop stationed outside when I reached the room. What the fuck?
“Only friends and family are allowed in,” he barked, blocking the doorway with one hand on his baton and an expression that promised severe violence if I resisted.
