Chapter 28

Luke had a hard time falling asleep when they all finally went to bed. It was late and he was worried about his sister, Paisley, and Garrett. There was no telling what was going to happen next.

Ashley had just gotten here and now she was leaving first thing. He'd be up to see her off and remind Carter that he needed to keep his hands to himself before they left.

His phone ringing woke him up out of his fitful sleep. "Hello?" he mumbled without looking to see who it was.

"Wake up," Cade's voice demanded.

"Who is it?" Paisley whispered next to him.

"It's Cade," he answered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?" It couldn't be good news for him to call this late, or early depending on how you judged 3:00 in the morning.

"It's about Father," Cade began.

"I'm putting you on speaker. Paisley's awake, too." He hit the button as she sat up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Cade blew out a rough breath. "I got a call from the jail that he had a heart attack and was being taken to the hospital. I am heading up there now."

Luke took his own deep breath and slowly let it out as he processed the news. "I'll come too." He felt like he needed to.

"I thought you might want to. I can swing by and pick you up."

"Did you tell Catherine?" Luke asked.

"Called her first," Cade answered.

Luke had assumed that was the way it would go. "Is she coming?"

"No. Ryker talked her out of it. He's going to stay back with her and Paisley. I think it's best that Ashley continue on with Carter for now. We know that last time, it didn't matter what happened to the man and I worry this guy will be the same."

They still hadn't located Julian after he disappeared yesterday, not being able to find Ashley. "Okay. Let me get dressed. How far out are you?"

"Like five minutes. Come over to Catherine's when you're ready."

Luke agreed and ended the call.

"Be careful." Paisley snuggled into him.

"I don't want to leave, but I need to know if it's true," Luke admitted. It was less concern for the man and more that this was all an act to do something else to hurt them.

She nodded. "I understand. We'll be fine. When Carter and Ashley leave, I'll load Garrett up and go hang out with Catherine and will probably lose our son, as his uncle spoils him more than anyone else."

Luke smiled even as he pulled away. It would never not be surprising to see Ryker holding his son with such love and affection. "That's a great idea."

She got out of bed at the same time as he did, pulling her robe from the chair.

"Go back to bed," he told her.

"Right, like that's possible." Her sarcasm was heavy. "I'll go down with you, maybe start some coffee."

As they headed downstairs, Carter opened the door of the room he was staying in. "What's wrong?" he asked, poised for action.

"My father is being taken to the hospital. They said he's had a heart attack," Luke explained. "Nothing changes for you because I don't know if this is true or a con or what."

Carter nodded. "Understood." He closed the bedroom door behind him and followed them down the stairs.

Luke hadn't meant for that but he didn't argue it. At least Carter was up to protect the house while he left.

"What's going on?" Ashley said over a yawn as she, too, came downstairs.

"As long as Garrett stays asleep," Luke prayed. Everyone else was up.

"Father had a heart attack, or so the jail said. I'm going with Cade to the hospital. None of you need to be up."

Ashley hugged her brother. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard despite everything," she told him sincerely.

"How are you going to be? I still need you to go with Carter and actually stay with him, please." Just another prayer that she did what she was asked for once.

"I didn't know him at all and from the sounds of everything he's done, I don't think I missed much. I'll be fine." She held up her hand before Luke could say anything else. "I will stick with Carter like glue, and he will try to listen instead of direct. We talked."

That was news to him. He sent a look to Carter. "Protect my sister," he warned. "That's it."

"Shut up, Luke. Don't you have somewhere to be?" Ashley practically pushed him toward the door.

"Come on, Luke. I'll see you out so I can lock the door behind you." Paisley looped her arm around his.

"I don't like that," he confessed.

"You don't have to. It's not your life. Leave them alone, they're adults."

"What if?—"

Paisley kissed him. "What if it all works out?"

He huffed.

"I love you. Be careful and let me know what's going on?"

"You'll be the first person I call. I love you, too." He kissed her before walking out the door and closing it behind him. He waited for the sound of the locks to engage before walking next door.

"Good timing," Cade said as he met him on the sidewalk.

"My whole house is awake except Garrett," Luke grumbled, still tired.

"Well, the good news is that all the awake ones are adults."

"You seem chipper," Luke commented as they knocked on Ryker and Catherine's door.

"I'm not. I'm just . . . I don't even know anymore. I think I'm too tired to be angry."

The door opened and they followed Ryker inside the house. They weren't there long, just enough to go over contingency plans and to let them know that Paisley and Garrett would be over when Carter and Ashley left.

"Be careful," Catherine told them as they headed out.

"We will. This is just a formality, and he's probably faking it to start some new problem," Luke told her.

Catherine hugged them both. Luke awkwardly accepted it and they were on the road.

"Did they say his condition?" Luke asked.

"It was too soon to tell. They called paramedics and they had just left when they called me. It's probably been close to an hour now, so the hospital might be calling before we get there." Cade kept his gaze on the road.

"Do you think he's faking?" Luke needed to get all his thoughts out, and unfortunately for Cade, he was stuck in the car with him.

"Honestly, no. I don't see how this serves any purpose that doesn't make him look weak."

Strangely, that made sense. "Have you told your mother?"

"No. And I don't know when or if we will. I'll talk to Catherine when we get back, but I don't know how that will go. She seems to be doing better without him around."

"Might be a conversation for her doctors in the mental hospital then. Just keep yourselves out of it."

"I don't talk to her at all, so it won't be me. Catherine talks to her some, but those are few and far between. I don't know that I'll ever be able to forgive her."

Luke could understand that. Their mother had enabled everything their father had done to try to destroy them. Then, Luke had his own hand in it. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Cade quickly glanced at him in confusion.

"I helped our father, too."

"You're different. When things went too far, you backed out and tried to make it right. I think that if you'd had you had the whole story from the beginning, things would have been different. Mother doesn't even have any remorse. She doesn't care at all."

Luke grunted to acknowledge he'd heard him but didn't speak. He wanted to believe Cade but wondered if one day his actions would come back to haunt him. Would Cade suddenly decide he was done with Luke? If he did, Luke wouldn't blame him.

"Stop brooding. That's my specialty," Cade interrupted his thoughts.

Unable to resist, Luke laughed. "I thought it was Ryker's."

"No. He's the scary one. I'm the broody one." He grinned at his own joke. "But stop. I am not mad at you, really. And that's not going to change. I want to put this all behind us, and for that to happen, I need you to understand that I don't hold any of it against you."

"I lied though. Hell, I wouldn't even have met Paisley if I hadn't been following his orders. Can't say I regret that one, though."

"You shouldn't. Just move on. You're family and we will stick together as siblings, no matter whose parent did what. Even Mother isn't totally to blame here because he was definitely manipulating her long before we were old enough to realize it, but I can't let it go. I don't think it even matters to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Catherine says she's doing better but she's not all there. Like, she's nice again, less harsh, less meek, but she is still out of touch with reality. Catherine said the doctors told her she doesn't fully understand where she is or why."

"Isn't that more of a reason to go see her and, as you said, let it go?"

Cade was stoic, staring at the road ahead. Luke had probably gone too far by using his own words back on him, but it was true. Besides, they were almost there, so if Cade didn't talk to him for now, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"I'll think about it," Cade conceded as they got off the highway and finished the drive to the hospital.