Out of Turn

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A scream tore from my throat as the impact of the bullet sent Kade falling into Blane. Geoff shot again and Kade’s body jerked. Blane pulled out his gun even as he supported Kade, firing back at Geoff in a rapid hail of bullets. Geoff fell and didn’t move. Blane gently lowered Kade to the ground.

I dropped to my knees next to Kade. Blane ripped Kade’s shirt open and the air froze in my lungs.

There were two holes in Kade’s chest, both oozing blood.

“Fuck, that hurts,” Kade gasped.

“Why the hell would you do that?” Blane cried, furious.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Kade groaned, his eyes squeezing shut.

“Don’t talk,” Blane said. “I think your lung got hit.”

“Then stop asking me questions.”

“Blane! Kade!”

I turned to see Mona and Gerard running toward us. Mona skidded to a stop, her hand covering her mouth at the sight of Kade.

“Call nine-one-one,” Blane ordered. Gerard turned and ran to do his bidding.

“Help me,” Blane said, grabbing my hand. “Cover this wound here.”

My hands shook, but I did as he said. Kade’s warm blood seeped between my fingers. I couldn’t see properly, tears spilling from my eyes, but I didn’t move. Blane shrugged out of his jacket and tore a sleeve off, pressing it against the other wound in the middle of Kade’s chest that was bleeding even more profusely.

“Kade, can you hear me?” he said loudly. “Stay with me, brother.”

Kade’s eyes flickered open. “This is why I’m not the hero,” he managed. “Getting shot hurts like a sonofabitch.”

“If I’d known you wanted to play target practice, I could’ve shot you myself,” Blane said, his voice thick.

“You’ve got shitty aim.”

Kade’s hand lifted slightly, as though searching, and Blane grasped it, holding him fast.

Sirens screamed in the distance. Thank God. They were on their way. My hands were slick with Kade’s blood as I struggled to keep any semblance of composure and not fall into hysterics. I didn’t want to break down, not yet, though tears poured down my face. I swallowed down a sob.

“Don’t cry, princess,” Kade murmured, his gaze swinging to me. He blinked, his eyes slow to reopen. Blood had begun to seep from his nose and mouth as he breathed, a bubbly red-tinted foam. The sight of it sent my panic ratcheting even higher.

“If you die, I’ll never forgive you,” I managed to say through my tears.

The barest hint of a smile curved his lips. His breathing was becoming more labored now and I prayed for the ambulance to hurry.

“And you still have to take me to see Britney,” I said quickly. “I can’t go by myself.”

Kade tried to speak, but the words were too faint for me to hear. He pulled at Blane’s hand until he leaned over, placing his ear next to Kade’s mouth. I couldn’t hear what Kade said, but Blane pulled back and looked Kade in the eye.

“I promise.”

The solemn sincerity in Blane’s voice terrified me more than all the blood. It had the finality of a vow made to a dying man.

“No, Kade, please!” I cried as his eyes slipped closed. His grip on Blane’s hand went lax just as the ambulance screeched to a halt in the driveway.

I was vaguely aware of men around me, crouching down next to me.

“You can move aside, ma’am. We’ll take it from here.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t move my hands. Kade would die if I did. Blane had said to keep them on the wound.

“It’s okay, Kat. Let them do their job.” Blane wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up bodily. I struggled in his grip.

“No! He’ll die!” I sobbed.

The men were moving fast, doing something to Kade that I couldn’t see. A stretcher sat next to him, but they hadn’t yet moved to put him on it. Kade was motionless on the ground.

Blane turned me toward him, away from the scene.

“Don’t watch,” he said in my ear. He held me tight, one hand pressed against my head, keeping me from turning.

I clung to him, sobs racking me. I tried to breathe, tried to pull it together, but all I could think about was that Kade might die and I hadn’t told him the truth. I hadn’t told him I loved him.

“Let’s go,” Blane said, loosening his grip on me. “They’re taking him.” He took my hand and we hurried to his car, speeding down the road in the wake of the ambulance. The sirens cleared the path and the Jaguar kept pace, so we pulled into the hospital nearly right behind them.

Blane filled out paperwork for Kade while I paced the hallway. Dried blood still stained my hands, smears marring the pink of my dress, but I didn’t care. Somewhere close by, Kade was fighting for his life.

Mona and Gerard came hurrying into the waiting room, both of them wrapping me in a tight hug. We didn’t talk. We didn’t have to.

Blane finished the forms and sat, knees spread with his head in his hands. I continued to pace, watching the clock as the minutes crawled by. No one spoke.

“Mr. Kirk?”

Blane looked up, then jumped to his feet as the doctor approached.

“Mr. Dennon’s being moved to the OR for surgery,” he said. “One of the bullets punctured his lung, the other is lodged in his chest, possibly nicked an organ or two. There’s been significant internal bleeding.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Blane asked.

“Mr. Dennon’s wounds are serious, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. But we won’t know more until after surgery. I’ll do my best and we’ll keep you posted.” He disappeared down the hall.

Blane’s eyes filled and he let out a choked gasp, as though he’d been holding his breath. I went to him, sliding my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest. He buried his face in my hair and crushed me to him.

We held on to each other, and I wasn’t sure who was holding up who. My tears dampened his shirt while my neck grew wet with his.

When we finally parted, my hand stayed in Blane’s as he walked us to the bathrooms. I went into the ladies’ room and washed the blood from my hands, also splashing water on my face. There was nothing I could do about the dress. Every time I caught sight of the bloodstains—Kade’s blood—I felt like I was going to lose it all over again.

A cop came by, taking statements from both Blane and me about the shooting. I couldn’t concentrate, my mind preoccupied with worry for Kade.

Blane and I sat side by side in the waiting room with Mona and Gerard. Gerard had gotten coffee for us, but I couldn’t drink it.

More people entered the waiting room and I glanced up.

“Chance!” I leapt to my feet just as he reached me, throwing my arms around his neck. His presence triggered a fresh round of tears.

He hugged me, brushing his lips across my forehead. When I eventually pulled away from him, I saw that Lucy had come, too.

“Thank you so much for coming,” I said, giving her a tight hug. “Where’s Billy?”

“A friend of mine is watching him,” she said.

“How’d you know?” I asked Chance.

“I’m part of the IMPD now,” he said. “I heard about the shooting and came as quick as I could.” He paused before adding, “You know I’m not a fan of Dennon’s, but I know how you feel about him, so I came for you.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

Lucy and Chance took up the vigil along with the rest of us. He wore a button-down shirt over a T-shirt and shrugged off the former, giving it to me to wear over my bloodstained dress.

Time crawled by and I wanted to scream with frustration. I couldn’t sit and began pacing again. What if Kade didn’t pull through? What if he died, right there on that operating table? Tears occasionally slipped down my cheeks, but I was too numb to notice.

When the doctor finally stepped back into the room, I was both relieved and terrified of what he might say.

“Mr. Dennon came through the surgery all right,” he said. “We had a little trouble getting the bullet out of his lung, but barring any further difficulties, he should recover. The second bullet fragmented, but we were able to get it all. He’s a lucky man.”

My knees shook and I would have collapsed if Chance had not jumped up and put his arm around me.

“Can we see him?” Blane asked.

The surgeon nodded. “He’s in the Surgical ICU and he’s sedated, but you should be able to peek in on him shortly.”

Chance led me to a chair and I sank into it. He sat next to me, supporting me with an arm around my back.

Blane hugged Mona and Gerard before returning to the seat next to me. His hand found mine as we shared a look of deep relief.

Someone else caught my eye and I glanced up, my breath catching in my throat.

Senator Keaston walked into the waiting room, his gaze scanning the occupants before landing on Blane and me. Blane got to his feet.

I remembered what Kade had said, that Keaston had been the one behind the attempt to get Blane to throw a trial—and that he had hired men to kill us. Kandi’s father had been a close friend of Keaston’s. Was he the one who had Charlotte send me to Xtreme? Would he have done that if Keaston had asked him to?

“I heard about Kade,” Keaston said gravely to Blane. “How is he?”

“He’s going to make it,” Blane answered.

Keaston gave a sigh of relief that I didn’t buy for a second.

“And I heard the charges against you were dropped,” he said quietly.

Blane nodded. “The real killer confessed earlier tonight.” Blane’s gaze was shrewd as he spoke, eyeing Keaston.

“Well, that’s convenient,” Keaston said with some surprise.

“Yes, it is. And I have Kathleen to thank for both those events.”

Keaston locked eyes with me for the first time. His expression was a polite one of bare recognition. He gave me a curt nod before turning back to Blane.

“Call me with news of Kade,” he said, reaching out to give Blane a firm handshake.

“Will do.”

And then he was gone as quickly as he had come.

We all sat in silence for a moment, then Lucy spoke.

“I can’t believe you would still speak to that man after what he did,” she hissed, standing and confronting Blane.

“What?” Blane asked in confusion.

“I know politics is a dirty business and the men in it have notoriously short memories,” she spat, “but Kathleen was your fiancée, for God’s sake!”

I rose and got in between them. “Lucy, what are you talking about?”

Lucy tore her gaze from Blane and turned to me, then blanched. “Of course,” she breathed, “you don’t remember, do you?”

“Remember what?” I said, a sense of foreboding creeping over me.

Lucy took a deep breath. “On the boat,” she said, “Matt told us who paid him to take you, that it wasn’t just an accident, that he was supposed to make you disappear. For good.” She looked up at Blane. “It was Keaston.”

Blane didn’t speak, didn’t move, didn’t even blink. “What did you say?” he said at last in a hoarse whisper.

“Keaston used Summers to get Kathleen,” Lucy repeated.

Chance was standing now, too. “Are you kidding me?” he asked Lucy, then turned to Blane. “Your own uncle tried to have Kathleen killed?”

“That’s not all,” I said quietly.

Blane’s head whipped around. “What do you mean?”

I looked up at him. “The photos,” I said. “The photos he gave you. Kade saw them the other day, after you were arrested. He realized something I’d overlooked. No one knew where we were going to be when those pictures were taken. The only guy who knew was the same one who betrayed us.” I paused. “Keaston was the man who tried to have Kade killed in Denver.”

Blane went pale. He turned away without a word, bracing his hands on his hips. I knew he was trying to get control, trying to come to grips with the reality of who and what his uncle truly was.

Chance turned to me. “We’ll go now,” he said. “I’m glad Dennon’s going to be okay.” He hugged me.

“Thanks for coming,” I said, embracing Lucy, too.

“I’m sorry,” she said in an undertone. “This probably wasn’t the best time to tell him that. I just saw that guy…”

“It’s okay,” I assured her. “He needs to know.”

Mona and Gerard soon left as well. “Call me if anything changes,” she told Blane. “I’ll come back in the morning so you can go rest.”

The waiting room was empty except for Blane and me, and I watched the clock, anxious to see for myself that Kade was all right. Blane sat down next to me.

“I had no idea,” he said, pushing a hand through his hair. “I can’t—” He broke off, bending to rest his elbows on his knees and pressing his fingers hard against his eyes. After a moment, he took a deep breath and sat up again. “He was like a father to me,” he said. “I just don’t understand why he’d go to such lengths to hurt the people I love.” His eyes were vividly green and too bright.

I reached to take his hand. “I’m sorry,” I said. Blane had such little faith in people as it was, but to have this kind of revelation about his uncle had to be devastating.

We sat in silence until a nurse stepped into the room.

“You can come see him now,” she said to Blane.

We both stood and she looked at me. “I’m sorry, immediate family members only. Are you immediate family?”

“She is.” Blane’s statement was unequivocal.

The nurse looked skeptical, but she didn’t pursue it and instead led us down the hall to the ICU. “He’s still sedated,” she explained. “But you can go in for a short while.”

I held tight to Blane as we walked into the partitioned space, the nurse pulling the curtain closed behind us for a little privacy. Tears sprang to my eyes instantly when I saw him.

Kade was hooked up to several machines, one of which I recognized as a ventilator. An IV dripped fluid into his arm and there was a chest tube attached to him. Dried blood still flecked the skin around the gauze covering his wounds.

I leaned into Blane and he supported my weight as we stood next to the bed. Kade was sickly pale, and the sound of the ventilator pushing air into his lungs was something I knew I’d hear in my nightmares. It shook me, seeing him so vulnerable. He always seemed larger than life, as if nothing could touch him.

“Why did he do that?” Blane said, his voice thick. “Why did he have to jump in front of me? I’m supposed to protect him, not the other way around.”

“He loves you,” I answered. “It’s no more complicated than that.”

“I’d do anything for him,” Blane said. “Even lose you.”

I looked up at him and he seemed to read the confusion on my face.

“If you love him, want to be with him, I won’t stand in the way.”

I didn’t know what to say. I looked back at Kade lying so very still. I couldn’t think about it now. Getting through the next five minutes, the next hour, seemed insurmountable—much less anything longer than that.

Blane and I stayed in that spot for a long time, keeping our silent vigil at Kade’s bedside.