Chapter Two
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Cori knew she’d pushed her luck last night by following Logan after he left the office. She wanted to go into the bar, but she knew he’d spot her and then the gig would be up. What she hadn’t expected was to snap a photo of Brice entering as well.
As she sipped her coffee, she flipped through her cellphone. She was up earlier than normal, and it was a good time to sort through the large amount of photos she’d collected over the past few weeks. She looked at each one, determined if they could be used in her article later, and then deleted the rest. What she was missing was something showing a link between the Hendersons and anyone with questionable ethics. Instead, all she had were pictures showing they were a normal family. This is wrong. They are anything but normal.
Although she wanted to be an investigative reporter, she still felt like she was invading their privacy. She saw pictures of Brice with his wife and children as they walked in the park. Then his sister Zoey as she played the piano at the children’s hospital. It looked like they were the royal family more than the offspring of James Henderson.
“Maybe there’s a reason I’m bypassed for the job each year.” She let her phone drop to the bed and rolled over. “I’m not cut out to do this.” She wasn’t a quitter, but all this time and the only thing she had to go on was a nagging feeling in her gut. Bringing a hunch to the general manager wasn’t only going to deny her promotion, it might cost her the current job. That wasn’t something she could risk.
She knew she should drag her lazy butt out of the bed and go for an early morning jog. It always helped clear her head, and right now it was in a fog. Cori reluctantly pulled back the blanket and slipped out of her comfortable, safe haven. She didn’t bother to shower. Instead, she threw on a pair of pink and black leggings and a matching sports bra. Normally she’d wear a tank top over it, but not many people were up this early.
Once outside, she put earbuds in and turned on her music. It was time to unwind. The sun was about to rise, and the temperature was perfect. After the first few miles, she knew her body needed that. She went from feeling blue and tired to absolutely rejuvenated. It was a new day, and she knew it was going to be a great one.
Cori couldn’t wait to get back to her apartment and start the day. She came to an intersection, quickly looked both ways, then proceeded to cross the street. It was too late when she heard the screeching brakes and felt the bump against her left thigh. It wasn’t hard, but enough to have caused her to fall over and slam to the ground.
A woman was crying out, “Are you okay? Oh, my God. Someone, please call 911.”
Not again. She tried to see who it was standing over her, but the sun was glaring behind the woman, and Cori couldn’t make her out. “Lady, I’m okay. I don’t need an ambulance.”
“Of course you do. Now you don’t move, and I’ll get help.”
Cori wasn’t about to stay lying on her backside in the middle of the street while the woman ran from house to house looking for help. “I’m okay,” Cori called to no avail.
Before she even got off the ground an older couple was by her side. “Oh, don’t move, dear. You could’ve broken something.”
“The only thing hurt is my pride.” She pulled herself up since no one was going to assist her. She wanted to scream out that she wasn’t going to sue any of them.
“Your elbow is bleeding. Why don’t you come in the house and at least let me get you cleaned up? My husband, Loras, can give you a ride home if you need one.” She put an arm around her shoulder and started guiding her to a house not far from where she was trying to cross the street.
“Let me help.” Loras scooped her up into his arms and started walking briskly to the house. “Elizabeth, when we get there, you get the door and the rubbing alcohol, and I’ll set her on the couch.”
Cori felt horrible letting him carry her, as he must’ve been in his sixties. Granted that wasn’t ancient, but still, there was no need. She also knew if she mentioned any of that to him, she’d probably offend him. Not a good way to say thank you. So she held on tight and let him do his thing.
Once inside and on the couch, she tried again to get up. “Please don’t. My wife will have my head if she comes in here and you’re standing.”
Cori smiled. “We don’t need two injuries, now do we?”
Loras grinned. “No miss, we don’t.”
Cori wished she’d worn that tank top now as she felt a bit underdressed in their home. But she hadn’t anticipated going anywhere but back to her apartment.
Elizabeth returned with a clean washcloth and some antibiotic spray. She was grateful not to see rubbing alcohol; that would’ve stung worse than her butt making contact with the pavement. “What’s your name?”
“Cori Sparks. Thank you again for being so kind. I honestly don’t feel bad at all.” That wasn’t exactly true. She was sore and knew it was going to be worse tomorrow. But there was no major injury, which was all that mattered.
“What a pretty name. Are you from around here?” Elizabeth asked.
“I actually live several blocks away. Guess I got carried away with my jog this morning. It was so peaceful—”
“Until you got hit by that car.”
“Yes. That did change my plans today.” More than she could admit to them. All she wanted to do was go home, soak in a hot bathtub, and crawl back into bed. Maybe it was a sign for her to slow down, take a day off. But surely there must be a better way to give me that hint.
“Don’t worry. I took down all her information, and the woman who hit you said to call her and her insurance company if you need anything at all.” Loras handed her a piece of paper.
She really didn’t have any place to hold it. “Thank you. I think I’m just going to head home now.”
As she got up, there was a knock on the front door. “That must be my son-in-law. He always brings us coffee before he goes to work. He’s an absolute peach to both our daughter and us.”
Great. More people I don’t want to see right now. She didn’t want to tell them, but her body was starting to ache. If she didn’t get out of there soon, there would be no hiding it from them. Before she could make it out of the room, to her surprise, a face she knew entered the room. What are you doing here?
Although she hadn’t met him in person, Shaun Henderson was on her list to arrange a chance encounter. Was this fate? She looked at Loras and Elizabeth. There was no way this was the lovely son-in-law they’d mentioned. Sure enough, he was holding two cups of coffee.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you had company so early.” Shaun looked at her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
“Hi. I’m not company. They were kind enough to help me when I fell.”
“Fell? Really? Oh, Shaun, you should’ve heard it. The tires screeching and then the thud. This poor young lady was hit by a car right in front of our house. I can’t believe you didn’t hear it from yours,” Elizabeth sputtered out as she took the coffees from Shaun. She handed one to Cori and the other to Loras.
“I can’t take your coffee.”
Shaun walked over and gave her the once-over as though he didn’t honestly believe she’d been hit. “It’s true. But thankfully, I’m okay.”
“You should be at a hospital getting checked out,” Shaun said gruffly.
“I’m fine, really. Nothing an ice pack can’t handle.” That was the wrong thing to say; Elizabeth was all over that.
“Oh no. Is it that bad? Show me where. Loras, you get the ice and Shaun, call your brother. Have him come right away.”
Elizabeth was barking orders, and both men were following them. It felt wonderful to have such TLC, but Cori knew exactly which brother he was going to call. Logan can’t find me here. There’s no way he’ll believe this is a coincidence. And for once, it actually is.
“I don’t need a doctor. I only need a bit of rest. She took a step forward, and the stabbing pain in her left thigh said otherwise. She sucked in a deep breath and took the second step. It was worse than the first. She knew nothing was broken, but a bad bruise could hurt like heck. “I just need to walk it off so it doesn’t get stiff.”
Shaun grabbed hold of her arm and said, “You’re not going anywhere.” He pulled out his cell as he walked her to the couch. Pressing a button, he said, “Call Logan.”
Shoot. The black cloud is about to rain on my parade. “I really—”
“Don’t waste your breath. Once you entered their house, you became our responsibility.” Shaun made sure she sat on the couch, and then he started talking to Logan. Who are these people? I’m a stranger to them. And how is Shaun okay with this?
“I don’t know, she looks like early to mid-thirties, and since she’s in a jogging suit, I’d say in overall good health. No apparent injuries except she’s favoring her left leg.”
Cori didn’t mind this so much. She was being evaluated over the phone. There was no reason for Logan to know it was her. Not that he’d remember me anyway.
“I’m not a doctor. I have no idea if something is broken. We told her to go to the hospital, and she refuses. What do you want me to do? Force her?”
Shaun’s voice was filled with aggravation, but it didn’t seem to be at her. She wished she could hear the other end of the conversation. Was this what she’d been looking for? The proof that they weren’t the little happy family everyone thought?
Cori watched as Shaun ended the call and put the phone in his pocket. When he spoke to her again, she really didn’t like what he said. “Looks like you have two choices. Either you can go to the hospital with me, or we can go to my brother’s office, and he’ll examine you. Which do you prefer?”
Since her visit to Logan’s office didn’t pan out the way she’d planned, she opted to negotiate with Shaun. “How about an urgent care clinic. This is no medical emergency, and they have all the services I’ll need.”
“Oh, that does make sense,” Loras said. “Shaun, you take her, and Elizabeth and I will go help Morgan get Tyler ready for school.”
“I could just as easily take a taxi.”
Shaun shook his head. “I don’t know you, but something tells me you wouldn’t go.” He stared at her as though challenging her to deny it.
She shrugged. “I have been told I’m stubborn.”
Shaun snorted as he pulled his keys out. “Maybe they can fix that, too, while we’re there.”
Although he wasn’t in the best of moods, he was at least making conversation. He asked her questions on the drive to the urgent care clinic. Nothing too personal, just small talk. It was more than his brothers had done.
After she was given the all-clear from the doctors in the clinic, he told her he’d drop her off at her home. That wasn’t good. She didn’t want any of them knowing her address. She even gave a false one on the medical form in Logan’s office. But if she gave him a false one, and he insisted on walking her to the door, he’d know she was a liar, and somehow that’d be the domino effect she’d been able to avoid so far.
“That’s quite a jog you went for. Either you’re a health nut, or you’re pissed at something. Which is it?”
She laughed. “Those are my only two options?”
“Okay, so who are you pissed at?”
Darn, he’s good. Cori knew how to turn that around to benefit her research. “My sister. You know how it is. They think they know best and tell you what to do, like you don’t have a million of your own things that need to be done.” Please let that hit your button.
“Oh, I know that feeling all too well.”
“Is that what happened this morning when you called your . . . brother, was it?” She knew exactly who it was, but Shaun was feeding directly into her plan.
“I have a different lifestyle than he does.”
Fuel the fire. “That doesn’t make it less important than his.”
Shaun looked at her. “Are you some kind of counselor or something?”
She laughed. “Nope. Just a baby sister. I guess we all go through the same thing. I keep telling myself one day she’s going to realize I’m all grown up. Of course, I might be ninety by then.”
“Some days I agree with you. He’s a good guy. All my brothers are. They’re outspoken. You should see us when we’re all in a room together. If it weren’t for our wives, we’d probably end up knocking each other out.”
So things aren’t as sweet as they look. “You’re all married?” She knew that answer, but she needed to keep him talking.
“All except Logan. Maybe someday he’ll meet the right one, and she’ll tell him he’s not always right.”
“I need my sister to get married so she can nag someone else. I love it.”
They both chuckled as they pulled up to the front door of her apartment building. Shaun put his car in park and got out. When he opened her door, he said, “My wife—and parents-in-law—will kill me if I don’t walk you to your door and make sure you’re inside safely.”
“And you know this how?”
He pulled out his cell phone and showed her the text. He’d said it almost verbatim. “Well then, I guess you’re escorting me to my door.” Once they were there and she opened the door, she turned to him and said sincerely, “I really can’t thank you enough for taking the time to do this. You’re not what I expected.”
He arched a brow. “Why would you have expectations about me; you don’t know me, or do you?”
Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! She was so close and then her big mouth almost fumbled. “No . . . I mean you didn’t look like you wanted to help in the beginning. I’m glad I was wrong.”
He stood there once again staring at her. She forced an I’m innocent smile at him and hoped he fell for it. Shaun nodded and said, “I’m glad you’re okay.” Then he left without another word.
She went directly to her bed and lay down. Her morning was gone, and she wasn’t going to move from that spot for the rest of the day. That wasn’t good because she had a feeling damage control was needed. The all-so friendly Shaun Henderson wasn’t a fool. Something told her he was going to dig into her story. She hoped she was wrong, but she’d asked too many questions that seemed innocent until she blew it a moment ago.
It wasn’t like she could do anything about it. If that was the case, and she was found to be a reporter, it was over. She’d lost, and they won. As Hendersons always do.
She closed her eyes and thought back to Logan. Why would he have cared about a woman he’d never met? She didn’t like him, but as a physician she totally respected him. Too bad that kind heart didn’t go all the way through. It was only for the sick. She guessed that wasn’t such a bad thing unless you were someone close to him. And I’ll never have to worry about that.
“I’m telling you, Logan, there was something weird about it.”
“Shaun, I can’t call and get her medical records. It’s against the law.” There was no way he was putting his medical license on the line because Shaun had an odd feeling about some woman he’d met at his in-laws. “If you’re worried about it, just tell your in-laws not to speak to her again. Simple.”
“It’s not about my in-laws. Something about how she asked questions about our family. She didn’t come right out and ask, but she seemed to line up the conversation, so it left an opening.”
“And you think she threw herself in front of a moving vehicle hoping that your in-laws would come out and help her? That is if she didn’t get killed in the process? I hope you know how crazy this all sounds.” Logan knew Shaun was leery of anyone new coming into their lives. Not for himself but for his adopted son, Tyler. Being autistic made him more vulnerable. Tyler, unfortunately, would go with a stranger without a fight. Logan needed to remind himself Shaun’s heart was in the right place even though he was overreacting.
“Glad you’re not concerned about this since she seemed really interested in you.”
That piqued his interest. “Me? What did she say?”
“It’s not what she said, but more what she didn’t. She asked about everyone but you.”
Logan laughed. “So you think she’s interested in me because she didn’t ask about me? Are you sure you’re not the one who got hit by the car? You’re not making any sense.”
“I’m telling you, Logan. Something’s not right.”
“Shaun, you’ve been saying that ever since Tessa was kidnapped and Dean was shot. I get it. We all need to be more cautious, but this is going a bit too far, don’t you think?” It wasn’t like Shaun to be so wired. It could have something to do with his upcoming trip to Tabiq. Logan was going to give Brice a call after this. “I tell you what. You can text me her information, and I’ll check into it.”
“I don’t need you to check into it for me. Hell, Logan, I have more resources in that field than you. I just thought you’d want to know someone’s going to a lot of trouble to get to you. If you’re not concerned, hell, far be it for me to interfere. It’s your neck, not mine.”
He didn’t want Shaun to feel as though his concern wasn’t appreciated. It just wasn’t valid. “Thanks for having my back. Just send me the information. I’ll let you know if I need any help.”
He ended the call and leaned back in his chair. Logan had patients waiting, but his focus right now was on his brother. He was a levelheaded, numbers guy. For him to have such irrational thoughts meant stress was getting to him. He knew Brice was pushing this damn Tabiq thing too far. If he’d doubted it before, this confirmed his suspicions. Once his appointments were over today, he’d see his brother again. This time he was going to let him know exactly what this shit was really doing to their family. It’s going to break us. Just no one wants to see it.
Logan wasn’t going to let either Brice or Shaun interfere with patient care. They had their lives, and he had his. This was how and where he chose to spend his time. It was based on one thing: facts.
His cell phone dinged, and he knew it was Shaun with the name of the mystery woman. Right now, that meant nothing to him. He slipped his phone into his suit pocket and went to see his first patient. It was going to be a long day. It already had a bad start.
As he expected, things were hopping in the office all day. As if it wasn’t busy enough, he’d been pulled away for an emergency surgery on a woman who’d been hit by a motor vehicle. It wasn’t uncommon, yet he found it ironic that the one thing he was trying not to think of kept finding a way of crossing his mind again and again.
Once he said goodnight to his staff, he headed to his waiting limo. He was exhausted and needed to shut down for a while. Last night he was stressed about Cordelia Sparks and Tabiq. Tonight, once again Tabiq, but now some unknown woman. Was he ever going to get sleep again?
His phone dinged and he pulled it from his coat pocket. It was the limo driver letting him know he’d be delayed due to heavy traffic. He texted him back letting him know he’d be at the corner bar waiting. Yet another thing that’s not a good habit two nights in a row.
He ordered a beer and decided to finally see what his dear brother Shaun thought was so darn odd. Reading his message, his eyes widened. Cori Sparks? Could she be related to Cordelia? She’d mentioned family, but he hadn’t asked any in-depth questions. There hadn’t been a reason to. Now he actually wished he’d taken time to listen more when Cordelia wanted to chat. At that time he was only concerned about her physical health. She’d been so reticent and uncertain at times he’d expected more from her. Something was definitely missing. Was she even really sick?
Logan thought back about her fainting. It appeared to be real, yet she wouldn’t allow him to do any tests. When he’d suggested, heck demanded, she go to the hospital, she practically flew out of the exam room.
He wasn’t feeding totally into Shaun’s fears, but he wasn’t about to totally ignore them either. The names were too close and both talked about family.
Logan was going to add one more thing to tomorrow’s already busy schedule. I’m going to pull a surprise home visit on Ms. Cordelia Sparks. If she’s really sick, no problem, if not, then she has some damn explaining to do.
Logan didn’t like being made the fool. So far no real harm done. He planned on keeping it that way.