Episode 111

Episode 111

One Down, One to Go

MAIA

"Ouch! That fucking hurts!" I blustered as a nurse poked and prodded at my fractured nose. Not even the pain of my injuries could hold my attention.

The emergency room in the small county hospital was a mess of people. Our security team had all been wounded by Damon or his son Derrick. One of them didn't make it as his throat had been slashed and he'd bled out on the scene. I added his name to the long list of people Damon and Derrick had harmed irrefutably.

Buddy, I since learned his name, thankfully had been wearing a bulletproof vest protecting him from Damon's shot to the back. The conk he'd received to his skull when Derrick knocked him out to get to me, was also going to heal fine. He acted like none of it had even happened, his big body a veritable wall between me and anyone else that got close.

Buddy stood next to me, my shadow, gaze scanning the room, big arms crossed over one another looking like one mean motherfucker. I suspected his ego had been bruised along with his head from where he'd been taken by surprise by Derrick.

He hadn't left me since the deputies demanded Rhodes be taken in to the station for questioning, while me, my mother, Buddy, and my siblings, along with the two other guards that survived were taken to the hospital. Derrick was pronounced dead on the scene.

The memory of hearing that news on the ride over gave me a modicum of peace.

One down, one to go.

A doctor approached, my siblings trailing behind her. The relief I felt at seeing them alive and unharmed was like a physical blow to the chest. I covered my heart and rubbed at the dull ache. Last I'd heard, they'd followed Mom's ambulance with one of the neighboring town's police detectives.

"Maia!" Zach hollered as they caught sight of me. He raced to my side, Maisie following at a quick clip behind him. "Are you okay?" His eyes were wild and scared as he looked me over.

"I'm fine, Zach. What about Mom?" I asked, gesturing to the doctor.

"She's in surgery. When the bullet entered her, it obliterated her gallbladder and created some damage and internal bleeding. We'll know more in a couple hours when the surgeon can give us an update. Once the doctor is done patching you up, you're welcome to sit in the surgical waiting room."

"Thank you," I whispered as Maisie came up to my side, reached out and took my hand.

"Are you going to be okay, Maia?"

"I'm okay, sis. We'll stick together and wait for the results of Mom's surgery." And between now and then, I hoped like hell Rhodes would be released by the authorities.

"What if she dies?" she croaked, tears shimmering in her pretty eyes.

"Let's not think like that right now. We're going to be as positive as we can." I squeezed her hand, and she nodded.

Buddy's phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket and answered with a clipped, "Go for Buddy."

"What about Dad?" Zach sneered.

"And Rhodes? Why did they arrest him?" Maisie asked.

I shook my head, and the nurse who was treating me groaned before handing me an ice pack and a tiny paper cup with two pills inside. "Keep icing on and off for the next two days. Here's 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen. Take for swelling and pain. Follow up with your normal doctor when you get back to California. And try to rest. Be careful when touching it. If you get uncontrollable nosebleeds or excruciating pain, contact your provider immediately. Understand?" she snapped, clearly done with my lack of care for my own wellbeing.

"Yes, thank you." I popped the pills and took the water cup she handed me before I pressed the ice to my face. Pain bloomed across my cheek and nose, but I gritted my teeth and slipped off the bed. My entire body felt like it had been hit by a truck, and that truck had backed up and run over me a second time. Buddy settled me with an elbow for me to hold even as he spoke to whomever called.

"This is good news. We'll see you soon, sir," he clipped and then stowed his phone into his pocket. "Mr. Davenport is on his way. He says he has a lot to update you on, but they've released him and are dealing with his lawyers now."

I closed my eyes and slumped toward Buddy. "Thank you. Why didn't he call me?" I asked.

"He did, multiple times, but I don't see your bag here. I believe it's still in the SUV."

I nodded, relieved that Rhodes would be here soon.

"Come on, guys. Let's go wait for Mom to get out of surgery." I let Buddy go and wrapped both of my arms around my siblings' shoulders, letting them help me hobble toward the surgical ward.

Rhodes arrived not thirty minutes later, a flurry of activity as he rushed through the double doors, a wild energy surrounding him like a tornado.

"Maia!" He gasped, his head falling forward at the sight of me. His large frame bent over, hands going to his knees bracing himself. It was as though he'd just completed running a marathon and needed to catch his breath.

When I got to him, he stood straight and pulled me into his arms, one hand cradling my head against his heart. "I was so fucking scared. I can't lose you, Maia. I just can't."

I sobbed against his chest, tugging at his shirt. "You won't. I'm here. I'm right here."

"Thank God. That was a nightmare. None of that went as planned." He eased back and cupped my cheeks, wiping my tears as they fell.

"You're hurt." He took in my battered face, tracing my swollen cheekbone. "If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him myself. I'm sorry I wasn't there," he breathed, his expression tortured.

I put my hand over his on my cheek and nuzzled into it even though it hurt to do so. "I'm okay. What happened to Damon?"

That's when Rhodes gave me his first smile. It was glorious in its beauty.

"He's been charged with one count of murder for the security guard, two counts of attempted murder on you and your mom, and that doesn't include whatever they find in those drives your mom pulled out of the safe. I suspect he'll be in jail for the rest of his life. And cherry on top, the feds are now involved and investigating their entire outfit, their past cases, the whole lot of them are fucked royally."

I sobbed in relief. "So as long as Mom comes out of this okay, she and my siblings are free and clear to live their lives."

"Yeah. The feds are on their way to interview you and Buddy. One of my lawyers is parking the car he drove us here in and will be right up to provide you both with legal counsel."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest over his heart, letting his heartbeat soothe me. "Thank you, Rhodes." My voice shook. "Thank you for saving me. For saving them. For all of it. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

He cuddled me close. "That's what we do for the people we love. Anything and everything possible to ensure their safety. And no repayment is necessary. We're family."

I glanced over at my brother and sister. Zach was cuddling Maisie, whispering softly to her.

"Yeah, we are. Speaking of, did you talk to Emily?"

Rhodes' entire body went stiff. "Fucking Portia. She can't do the right thing for one damn weekend. I'm done. Emily's done. I talked to her on the way here from the station. She's hurt, but for some reason, her entire focus is on planning our wedding. She briefly told me about Portia bailing on her, then asked if I would be willing to wear a brown tux."

I grinned and sighed. "She was sad, I redirected that sadness to helping plan the wedding."

"You realize we were already supposed to be married by now. Based on the marriage contract," he whispered into my ear.

I shrugged. "I don't care about any of that, or the money. As long as you love me and continue to help my family, none of the rest matters. I want to marry you because you're the best man I know. The man I want to love and cherish for the rest of my life. Not because of some stupid piece of paper."

Rhodes held me close and laughed deeply. "Me, too, Maia. I'm so glad to hear you say that. I want to do right by you. Give you the wedding of your dreams."

I chuckled and patted him over his heart. "We have time for that. On our terms. I just want you, Emily, Mom, Zach, Maisie, and a few friends and family like Alana and Christophe. Speaking of…have you heard from Alana since we left?"

He shook his head. "Last I heard they were leaving their French estate to go to a safe house. With everything that's happened, I haven't checked back in."

"And neither of us have heard from them?" I frowned.

"No," he shook his head. "I'll check in later. Tell me about your mom."

Gooseflesh rose on my skin as I gave him the short version of what the doctor shared.

"Come on, let's have a seat," Rhodes encouraged, bringing me over to where my siblings were settled.

"Glad you're back, Rhodes," Zach stated. "What's going to happen now? Did they arrest Dad? What about Derrick?"

I glanced at Rhodes, my entire being preparing to share the good and bad news with my brother and sister while we waited to hear if our mother was going to make it.

* * * *

I was awakened by a soft tap on my shoulder.

"Maia, the surgeon is here to update us," Rhodes whispered close to my ear.

I blinked away the sleep, realizing that I had been leaning against Rhodes. I looked to my right to find Maisie asleep against Zach who was alert and completely awake.

A woman wearing light blue scrubs approached. She looked tired, but her corresponding smile was all I needed to see to know everything was going to be okay.

"Your mother did very well. It was touch and go for the first couple hours, but she's strong. We removed the bullet and repaired the damage and stopped the internal bleeding. We extracted her gallbladder. She will have some dietary restrictions and bedrest for the next few weeks, but she is expected to make a full recovery."

I reached out and took the doctors hand. "Oh, thank God. Thank you for saving our mother."

"You're welcome. She was very lucky."

"Can we see her?" I asked.

The doctor shook her head. "She's in recovery and has been given pain medication to keep her comfortable. If you want to wait another couple of hours you can pop in for a few minutes. However, it's really late. I recommend you go home and get some rest and come back in the morning. We'll take excellent care of her."

Rhodes put his arm around my shoulders. "Let's take the kids to the hotel and get some rest. We'll come first thing in the morning," he encouraged.

"Thank you, doctor. We'll be back tomorrow." I waved my hand at my siblings who'd heard everything the doctor said. "Let's go guys."

Both of them stood silently and followed Rhodes and me out of the hospital. Buddy, my new shadow, of course led the way.

* * * *

"Mom, seriously, if you keep trying to move around, they're going to sedate you!" I warned, not knowing if that was true or not. "Be a good patient," I growled.

"I'm so stiff, Maia. I can't help it," she groaned where she lay, the top of the hospital bed propped up enough to ensure her comfort.

"Don't make me call in the nurse…" I threatened.

Mom glared. "She doesn't like me."

"No, she doesn't appreciate her patients disregarding her orders and trying to get up and walk to the bathroom unassisted when you're only ten hours out of surgery."

"I'm so uncomfortable. I want to go home."

I let out a frustrated, drawn-out sigh. This was going to be a long, few days in the hospital if this is how she was on day one.

"Mom, just do what they say," Zach pleaded. "We want you to get better fast. You can't do that if you're not following the rules."

"Yeah! What he said," I pointed at my brother then looked around the room and realized Rhodes wasn't there. "Do you know where Rhodes went?" I asked Zach.

He grinned "He said he had a surprise for you."

I closed my eyes and groaned. "I hope it's coffee," I sighed dreamily.

"Nope, it's better!" Rhodes said from the door.

He stepped aside, and there was Emily.

"Oh my god!" I opened my arms automatically and the girl practically flew into them.

"Maia!" she cried with joy as she plowed into me.

I held on tight, even though my battered body throbbed and ached at the sudden tsunami that was Emily.

"Em, how…why…how did you get here?" I breathed, still clinging to the girl I now loved with my whole heart.

"Dad updated Mari last night. I demanded to be here. When family is hurt, we need to be together. Dad agreed. So, one of his rich friends flew us in their private plane. And here I am!"

I snuggled her close, allowing her familiar scent to wash over me. "I'm happy you're here. We missed you so much."

"I missed you guys too."

Zach cleared his throat, and I glanced over Em's head to see him straightening his shirt and sweeping his hair back.

Oh dear…

"Yo, sis, you want to introduce us to your stepdaughter?" Zach asked, his expression having changed from a concerned son to a cool guy with swagger the minute a beautiful girl his age entered the room.

I grinned and turned Emily to the side. She was all smiles, long blond hair, pretty eyes and a stunning face. This was going to be interesting.

Immediately her cheeks pinked up as she laid eyes on Zach.

"Zach, Maisie, this is Emily, Rhodes' daughter."

Maisie gave a tiny wave and then dipped her head, staring at her shoes and fiddling with her fingers nervously. Rhodes and I had already spoken last night about getting the kids into some therapy when we were back and settled in California. They'd been through so much and it showed, especially on Maisie.

"Hey," Zach reached his hand out. "I'm Zach, and you're beautiful."

My mouth dropped open as Rhodes groaned loudly from behind us.

"Um, thank you. I'm Emily." Her cheeks went from rosy to lobster red in an instant.

"Gorgeous name too. How old are you?" Zach smiled.

"I'm turning fourteen in a couple weeks. You?" she asked.

"Just turned fifteen." He put his hands in his back pockets and puffed up his chest.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus…

"Okay, that's enough, Romeo," I clipped, pushing Em toward her father.

I looked at my mother for help, but she was sound asleep, little puffs of air leaving her mouth. The woman had been through hell and back and needed her rest.

"How about we all go get some lunch, get to know one another better?" Rhodes whispered.

"I'm game. I'll sit next to Emily." Zach suggested openly.

"You'll sit between me and Rhodes is what you'll do," I grumbled, and he laughed.

Emily stayed quiet, which was shocking. The girl normally spoke a mile a minute. She was clearly smitten with my brother flirting with her, still she went over to Maisie and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Emily."

"Maisie," my sister whispered, only glancing up from behind her overly long bangs for a moment.

"How old are you?"

"Um, I just turned thirteen."

Emily perked up. "We're the same age! This is so cool! We can have sleepovers every night if we want. I can introduce you to all my friends. They'll love you! And you are so pretty, just like Maia." She beamed.

Maisie finally lifted her head and looked deeply into Emily's eyes. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

My heart cracked in half.

Her default setting was people being mean to her. My hands shook with the need to pull her against my chest and hold on tight so nothing bad could ever harm her again, but I couldn't. She needed to see the world for what it really was. Filled with a lot of really good people. And Em was one of the best I knew.

"Well for one, you're Maia's sister, and I love Maia, so of course I'm happy to meet you. Plus, Dad says you three are coming to live with us. It's been me, Dad, and Marisol for so long…"

"Who's Marisol?" Maisie asked.

"Our house manager but she's mostly a nosey, bossy grandma."

"I heard that!" Marisol snapped from the door, carrying not only a backpack I recognized as Emily's, but also her purse and jacket. She set her load on a nearby chair and came over to me. She hugged me and kissed my temple then scrutinized my face while making a tsking sound. "I will fix this with holistic herbal medicine." She lightly grazed her fingers across my nose, black eyes, and cheekbone that was twice its size.

"Okay," I shrugged. I trusted Marisol with Emily's life; I'd trust her with mine. After she squeezed my hand, she looked at my siblings.

"?Vengan aquí!" she demanded of them.

"Uh, what did she say?" Zach asked Emily.

"She wants you to come to her," she snickered.

"I want to get a good look at you both," Marisol murmured as they approached. She reached out and lifted Maisie's chin. "Too pretty for such sad eyes. No worries, we will wash away the sadness with time," she claimed then proceeded to look Zach up and down. She lifted his casted wrist, her eyes narrowing as she took in his scabbed over split lip and fading black eye. "Old injuries…" She reached out and pushed his hair from his forehead showing a nasty jagged scar.

"Hey! Don't." He shook his head and patted his hair back in place, until the scar was no longer visible. "I'm fine."

Marisol clucked. "You are not, but you will be under my house."

Her house meaning Rhodes' but neither one of us corrected her because she kinda was the boss. She made their lives work for them after Portia's repeat destruction, and I had faith she'd take in our ragtag crew and make them whole again too.

Marisol turned on her heel and announced, "The kids are too thin. We need to get them fed. Lunch time is now." She sauntered back to her stuff and picked it all up. "I'll get the car."

"I'll get the car," Buddy stated, my shadow hanging out in the hallway near Mom's room. Where I go, Buddy now goes. Rhodes was adamant about it. Even with the trouble no longer at our doorstep, he wasn't convinced I didn't need protection, and after all the hell we'd gone through, I could not care less if I was assigned a security detail for the rest of my life as long as my family was safe.

And I could finally say, as of today, hooking arms with my fiancé while our three teenagers roamed in front of us, Marisol leading the way, that we'd finally be okay. And more than that, we were all together again and safe.

I couldn't ask for more.

Rhodes nuzzled my temple, his breath warm against my ear. "You're smiling."

"I'm happy. Truly happy for the first time in my entire life. Thank you for giving that to me."

He kissed my hairline. "Anytime, every time, Maia. Nothing but happiness from here on out."

I cuddled close and sighed. "I finally believe you."