Cara
It was an unusually busy day at the hospital. Thankfully though, nothing major. We had a lot of scrapes and bruises, a few broken bones, and a couple of cases of the flu come through the ER doors. We were hustling and bustling all day, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. We walked into the lounge, cups of coffee in hand.
“I'm beat,” Janice said as she dropped into a chair.
“I hear you,” I replied as I sat down in the chair across the table from her. “It's been a busy one. My feet are killing me.”
“Yeah, I can't wait to get home, get into a warm bath, and just soak for a while.”
“Oh? No hot date tonight?”
Julia laughed. “Not tonight. The good doctor is out of town at a conference.”
I nodded. “That's right. I forgot about that.”
She sighed. “Yup. It's just me, a bottle of wine, and Netflix for the next few days.”
I took a sip of my coffee. “How are you ever going to survive?”
She shrugged. “God only knows. Still, I love being with him. Though in all honesty, a night on my own now and again is nice too.”
“I hear you,” I replied.
I'd been on my own so long that I'd had more nights of me, a bottle of wine, and Netflix than I could count. Even though nothing was going on, I had to admit that having Damian around was sort of… nice. It was nice to be able to converse with another adult. I loved my boy more than anything in the universe, but it was tough to hold a discussion about the things that genuinely interested me with a five-year-old.
“So, you heard that guy you know bolted out of here last night, right?”
I looked at her and felt a small surge of adrenaline – I knew who she was talking about.
“What guy?” I asked, trying to play it off.
“Mr. Multiple Gunshot Wounds?” She smiled. “The hot dude in leather?”
I laughed. “He's not that hot.”
Julia looked at me with an arched eyebrow. “You trying to convince me or yourself?”
“Neither,” I said. “Anyway, yeah he bolted?”
She looked at me for a long moment, the smirk still on her face. “Yeah, in the middle of the night. Shortly after you got off shift, interestingly enough.”
I took a sip of my coffee before speaking, trying to get the nervousness out of my voice. “What, so you think I kidnapped him or something?”
She laughed. “No, I just thought the timing was interesting. Sort of wondered if maybe you'd snuck off for a little heavy petting session with the outlaw.”
That made me laugh, and it was all I could do to avoid spitting my coffee out all over her – Julia was a lot closer to the mark than she even realized. Damian was hot, I wasn't going to deny it. But he was bad for me. I knew he was bad for me. And that point had only been driven home even further when I'd walked in on him and his biker buddy in my living room. I didn't want or need that element in my life and around my son.
“And lest we forget,” Julia went on, “that man was very, very into you.”
“Be that as it may, I have no interest in him.”
Julia looked at me. She was one of my closest friends, and she wasn't an idiot. She knew me better than anybody, and worst of all – at least, for me, at that moment – she could read me like a book. I had never been a very good liar, and I feared it was coming back to bite me.
She arched her eyebrow and looked around the lounge as if making sure we were alone. We were. Which meant she was free to question me without fear of being overheard – which obviously, was not good for me.
“No interest, huh?” she asked.
I shook my head and cleared my throat. “None.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
The fact that small snippets of the night before were running through my head on an endless, erotic loop was probably the reason, but I couldn't tell her that.
“I'm not blushing,” I said quickly, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “It's warm in here.”
She laughed and clapped her hands. “You totally did him. I can see it in your face.”
“Jules, keep your voice down,” I hissed.
My cheeks were burning so hot, I thought I might actually see smoke or flames. The smile on Julia's face was stretched ear to ear, and I had to look away. I knew she'd see the guilt on my face from a mile off – though, it already seemed like she'd seen more than enough of it.
“Why didn't you tell me?” she asked, pitching her voice low.
“There's nothing to tell.”
I didn't like lying to her, but I felt like I was backed into a corner and had no choice. But then, Jules was my friend. One of my closest – I should be able to confide in her right? My mind told me that yes, I could, but something in my gut told me I shouldn't. That little voice in the back of my head – paranoia, maybe – said it was better she didn't know. Safer.
I had no illusions about who Damian was or the things he did. I knew the crowd he ran with – and I'd gotten to know the people who hated him. Drawing Julia into this fiasco could get her hurt. Or worse. And what was I going to do if it was Julia wheeled into the ER with four bullet holes in her? How would I feel about that?
Terrible didn't even begin to cover it.
“Cara, how long have we known each other?”
“A while now,” I said. “Years.”
“Uh huh,” she pressed. “And I know when you're lying. You suck at it. So, come on, spill.”
I sighed and took a sip of coffee – mostly just to buy myself a little bit of time. I was still at war in my head. Do I tell her and pull her deep into this mess? Or do I keep her safe by refusing to talk about it?
“I'm going to keep bugging you about it until you give me all the juicy details,” Julia said and laughed. “So, you might as well save yourself some time and trouble and tell me now.”
The smile on my face felt rueful. Grim. But I knew I had to tell her something.
“Jules,” I said slowly. “Honestly, the less you know is probably better. It's probably safer.”
She cocked her head and looked at me, an expression of concern spreading across her face. I didn't want to alarm her or make her worry about me, but I also didn't think it was a good idea that she gets involved in this mess.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I–I think I accidentally got involved in something – something bad,” I said. “And I don't know how to get out of it. The last thing I want to do is pull you into it and put you at risk.”
“Hey, you're not putting me at risk, hon,” she said, her voice soft.
I nodded. “These people are… bad. They're bad people. Dangerous. They're capable of anything.”
Julia reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Looking up, I found her giving me a reassuring smile.
“Honey, I'm a big girl. If I—”
I shook my head, looking at her earnestly. “You don't understand, Jules. These people are killers. Like real, cold-blooded killers.”
She squeezed my hand again. “You're my best friend, hon. And I'm not going to let you go through this alone.”
“Jules, I—”
She shook her head. “No. I'm aware of the risks. And you obviously need somebody to talk to. Somebody who can maybe help you think your way through this. Because hon, I can tell that you're frazzled and at your wit's end here.”
I let out a long breath and gave her a small smile. She was right. I thought I'd done a pretty remarkable job holding myself together through all of this, but deep down, below the surface, I was an absolute wreck. If I were being honest, I really could use a sounding board. Somebody with unbiased eyes who could help me navigate my way through this mess.
But… I didn't want her getting caught up in this and getting hurt as a result of it.
“I can see your brain working, hon,” she said. “And I know you're worried about me. But this sounds like something really serious. I know the risks, okay? And I'm not going to let you deal with it on your own. So, tell me.”
I sighed again and looked at her. She wasn't going to let me off the hook – I was afraid for her, but I loved her for it. Giving her hand a squeeze, I told her everything that had happened – from being kidnapped to Damian rescuing me to… everything that had happened with him afterward. I left nothing out, and she didn't interrupt me once. She simply sat there with eyes that were wider than normal and a dumbfounded look on her face.
“So, that's why he bailed?” she asked. “To come rescue you?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“What about the two guys who showed up to kill him? What happened to them?”
I shook my head. “I don't know. I assume the cops picked them up. I know that a few of them got away, but I don't know all the details.”
She whistled low. “Wow, when you get yourself into a mess, you go big.”
I laughed and gave her a genuine smile. “Yeah, it would appear that way.”
Her expression grew serious. “You know you need to go to the police, right?”
“I can't, Jules. Damian is probably already in enough trouble with the cops. I don't want to jam him up any more than he already is.”
“Yeah, but—”
I shook my head again. “I can't do that to him, Jules. He saved my life.”
She sat back in her seat, picking at a napkin on the table in front of her, but nodded. “I get that, hon, but if you think these guys are that dangerous – and might be coming after you – then you need some protection. The cops might be able to stop them before they even get anywhere near you.”
“He saved my life, Jules.”
She sighed and continued tearing strips off the napkin in front of her. She finally looked up at me, and I could see the concern in her eyes as clear as day.
“So, what are you going to do?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Not sure yet. I thought I'd see what Damian thought before I decided on anything.”
Julia shook her head. “I don't like it. I think this is something for the cops to handle. But I understand why you feel the way you do. Just promise me that if this thing starts going sideways that you'll go to the cops?”
I nodded. “I promise.”
She looked at me for a long moment before she laughed softly and shook her head. “So, was he good?”
I felt my cheeks flushing again as images of the night before flashed through my mind.
“Honestly? It was pretty amazing.”
“Well, at least something good came out of all of this,” she said. “You needed to get laid worse than anybody I've ever known.”
I laughed and threw my crumpled-up napkin at her. She was right though.