47. Knight

47

KNIGHT

I stood outside her room, staring through the window as Isabelle laid in her bed. She looked like absolute hell, and if it weren't for the fact that Rafe was already dead, I would put him in the ground myself.

Except, what he did made it possible to get her off the island.

I scrubbed a hand over my face and sighed heavily, trying to come to terms with the fact that I gained a sister and lost a brother all in one day.

"She'll be alright, brother."

I rolled my eyes as Fox walked up to me, staring through the window at my sister. "We're not brothers."

"We sort of are."

"We're not at all," I growled.

"But we are," he said in a sing-song voice.

I gritted my teeth, knowing there was no arguing with him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on perimeter duty?"

"Oh, I was, but I thought I would be more useful here, guarding my sister."

"She's not awake yet," I pointed out.

"No, but when she wakes up, she's going to need family around her. You know, thirteen years is a long time to be kept away from everyone."

He was right about that. And maybe he had a point, as twisted as it was. Maybe it didn't matter if he was family or not. He already treated her like a sister, and that meant she would be well-protected. If there was one thing Fox was good at, it was taking care of those he trusted. And soon, I would be headed back to Pennsylvania. I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her the way I wanted. But was it too much to ask Fox to look after both Cash and Isabelle? They were both going to need someone to keep an eye on them.

"How's Cash doing?"

He shrugged, his jovial demeanor fading some. "He's hanging in there."

"As his brother, you have to keep an eye on him," I said, turning to face him.

His eyes widened at my acknowledgment of his fake relationship to Cash. "You're not sticking around?"

"I can't. I have to get back to Kate."

"Does she know?"

I shook my head. I wasn't even sure how the hell I was supposed to explain any of this to her.

"But you're sticking around for the funeral, right?"

"There's no body."

"We'll get him back," Fox said, his voice turning dark. "There's no way Cash will leave him on that fucking island."

I knew all too well about bringing home fallen soldiers. It was what drove me to commit such heinous acts while I was serving. But I was tired of seeing my brothers in arms fall. I realized as I stared through the glass that I was right back in a place I never thought I would be again. I had a family and friends. I had people I didn't want to leave behind.

I had a brother I had to bring home.

"We'll get him back," I said fiercely.

"And then we'll give him a proper burial."

I nodded, stiffening as I felt a presence behind me. Turning, I saw Cash walking up behind us. I didn't know what to say. I had lost a brother, but I hadn't known him. Cash was his twin. This had to be killing him.

"That's her," he said quietly, stepping up beside me.

"She hasn't woken up yet."

I studied him out of the corner of my eye, seeing him in a new light. I'd known Cash for a while now. He was a good man, very similar to Cap. Given enough time, I would see him as my brother and not just another man I knew. I could see the lines of pain etched into his face as he stared at his sister. He was trying to resign himself to the fact that while he'd lost one family member, he'd gained another.

"We should go inside and see her," I said, surprising the hell out of myself.

He nodded, his throat bobbing as he took the first step. I grabbed his arm at the last moment.

"She has no idea that Rafe is gone. It's probably best she doesn't find out until she's recovered."

"Yeah."

He stepped through the door and I followed him, hanging back for a moment. I had a feeling Cash needed this time to come to terms with everything that had happened.

I was just about to walk through when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Kate. I had been ignoring her for hours now, struggling to find the words to tell her what was going on. She didn't know about any of this, and I hesitated to tell her earlier because of the danger. But Zavala was gone now. As far as I knew, the immediate threat was over.

I stepped back and answered the phone, trying to keep the astonishment and pain from my voice. "Kate."

"You haven't been answering the phone. What's wrong?"

I looked back through the window, shoving my fingers through my hair. "A shit ton. I…My dad is back."

We hadn't spoken much of my father. As far as she knew, he didn't even exist anymore.

"I thought…I guess I assumed he was dead."

"He's not. He's here, and that's not everything. He's Cash and Rafe's father."

Stunned silence filled the line as she took that in. I still couldn't wrap my head around it and I'd known for longer than her.

"You have brothers."

"And a sister."

"Hudson, I don't understand."

"Apparently, my father was living a double life. Triple," I corrected upon further thought.

"And he never thought to tell you? What about Cash and Rafe?"

"They didn't know either."

"You're going to have to explain this to me, Hudson. I don't understand any of this. Am I going to meet them?"

That was the part I didn't want to admit out loud. "Rafe is dead."

She sucked in a breath. "How?"

"It's a long story, and I promise I'll tell you, but for now, I need to see Isabelle."

"That's her name?" she said softly.

"Yeah." I swallowed hard, looking through the glass at her again. She seemed to be coming around, and I wanted to be there with her. For the first time in my life, I had family. Blood family. Kate and my kids were all I really needed, but there was this new sense of need washing over me that I didn't quite understand yet. I wasn't sure if I would ever see any of them past today, but while I was here, I had to figure out where we all went with this newfound family.

"Listen, I need to go." My voice sounded unfamiliar to my own ears, which Kate would pick up on and worry even more. "I'll call you in a few hours and let you know what the plan is."

"Hudson…" The worry and fear in her voice made me want to rush home and assure her I was okay. But I wasn't okay. I needed her in my arms. I needed the one person in my life who always had a way of grounding me. The rug had been pulled out from under my feet and I didn't know how to orient myself.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you, too."

I hung up and shoved my phone in my pocket. I hated not having her here with me. After everything we'd been through—after I'd run from her out of some fucked up sense of protecting her—now I hated to be even five minutes from her.

I turned and stared at my new family through the window. Even Fox was in there, talking animatedly to Isabelle. There was no time like the present to figure out how I fit into this fucked up situation. I strode over, standing in the doorway and observing how they all interacted.

"You look just like Rafe," Isabelle said, her voice groggy. "And how are you related?" she asked Fox.

"Oh, I'm their brother…distantly related."

Her eyes drifted around the room before settling on me. I stiffened under her scrutiny, my eyes turning hard. It was an instinctual response when meeting someone new. I took in her fear and the way her body seemed to curl in on itself in my presence. If she wasn't my sister, I would already be out the door. I had no time for people I didn't care about.

And I didn't care about her.

Yet.

But knowing of our familial relation made it hard to walk away. So, I did something I hardly ever attempted. I walked further into the room until I was standing beside her bed and held out my hand.

"I'm Hudson."

Her eyes flicked to Cash in question. "You're…" Her eyebrows raised slightly and I saw the tremble of her lips. She was afraid of me. Normally, that was a response I relished. But from my own sister…

Fox slung his arm around my shoulder and grinned at her. "He's The Kamau. The Silent Warrior. Fierce and loyal to a fault for those he loves."

I felt like The Hulk standing next to Fox—the grotesque man that the villagers feared. But somehow, his words made her soften, and for probably the first time since I'd known him, I was grateful to have him by my side.

"You're my brother also," she finally said. Her head shook slightly against the pillow as she took it all in. "It's amazing. I thought I had no family aside from my parents, and now I have so many brothers. Where is Rafe?"

Silence descended in the room as everyone struggled to figure out what to say. "He's finishing up some last-minute details with the island."

As if finally remembering she still had a husband, her whole body went rigid and she shoved back in her bed. Panic took over and her heart rate kicked into overdrive. "Ebarardo," she gasped. "When he?—"

"He's dead," I said, leaving no room to question my words. "I was there when it happened. He can never hurt you again."

Still, it did nothing to quell her fears. The panic didn't abate at the mention of his name. If anything, she seemed to be even more terrified now that she knew he was dead.

"My mother—he'll kill her?—"

"Your mother is fine," Cash reassured her. "She's outside with your father. She only left your side so we could see you."

"You don't understand! He has men who know—he'll kill her! I have to get to her!"

She struggled to get out of bed, but Cash quickly grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her back into the bed. A nurse came running in, yelling at us all to get out. Everything happened so fast as Isabelle struggled to get free. A cart was knocked over and the terrified screams filling the room were almost too much to take. I saw the needle as they inserted it into her IV. It would help calm her down, but for how long?

This woman—my sister—was damaged, and I wasn't sure what it would take to remove the constant fear in her eyes with even the smallest amount of joy. I couldn't take watching it. I stalked out of the room and stormed down the hall to the elevators. Fox was on my heels, calling after me, but the only thing I was concerned with was getting as far from her as possible.

I was no good for her.

I was no good for anyone.

"You can't just leave!" Fox called out.

I jabbed my thumb on the button inside the elevator just as he slipped inside.

"She needs you."

"I'm the last fucking person she needs in her life."

"She needs family."

I turned a harsh glare on him. "Then go fucking be her family. You're good at pretending."

A flinch of hurt crossed his face for just a minute, but he quickly recovered. "You know what? Maybe I am good at pretending, but this," he said, motioning between us, "this is not me pretending. I'm your family, whether you want to admit it or not. I'll always have your back, and even if we're not blood related, you're my brother. One day you'll realize that, and you'll finally come to the conclusion that sometimes you need someone like me in your life. And guess what? I'll still be around when you figure that out."

The doors opened and he walked out, not looking back. I rested my head against the elevator wall and closed my eyes. I was going to have to do something I didn't want.

I was going to have to bring Kate out here.