Chapter Five

Cross

I fucking hated hospitals. The last time I was in one was when I said goodbye to my wife and child. It was the worst goddamn day of my life and showing up here every day only made it hurt more. Today there was another cause. A kid, maybe six or seven years old with inky black hair and big blue eyes hiding behind glasses with black frames way too stylish for someone so young. I’d watched him enter the waiting room and scan the whole place for a seat before he took the spot right beside me.

I held my breath, waiting for him to start talking my ear off about mundane kid things. It was mean as hell but being around kids was torture, always wondering if that was how old or how smart or funny my own kid would have been. But the kid pulled out a book and began to read.

Odd.

No matter how much I didn’t want to be bothered, I couldn’t just let a kid wander the hospital alone. “Hey kid, are you here alone?”

He looked up at me, blue eyes studying me carefully before he looked at my kutte and realized I was safe. “No. My Mom’s visiting her friend who got hurt so I came out here to read. Mom said it was okay.”

Smart kid. When women got together nothing good ever happened. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Beau,” he said with a wide grin.

I smirked at how adult he sounded. “Is that your name?”

“No,” he sighed, sounding annoyed as hell which amused me to no end. “It’s Rainbeau, but kids are dumb and Mom said Beau is the name of a handsome man. You have a jacket like my friend, do you know him?”

I chuckled and rubbed my neck because Beau’s questions came out like automatic fire. “What’s your friend’s name?”

“Max. Do you know him?”

“Yeah, but how do you know him?”

“He’s married to my friend Jana. Why are you looking at me like that?”

He was right, I probably looked like I’d choked on something as the details slammed into place. The black hair was shorter and not quite as wavy. They didn’t have the same eyes, hers were light green to his blue, but those rosebud lips and porcelain skin could only make him one person’s child. “You’re Moon’s kid.”

He nodded, a smile growing wide like I’d offered him free candy. “You know my Mom? She’s the best, isn’t she?”

She was something all right. “I do know her.”

Beau frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Great, the kid was as perceptive as his mother. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

“You have sad eyes and Mom says that eyes don’t lie. What’s the matter? Jana will be okay. The doctor said her vitals are strong. Hers and the baby’s.”

I blinked at his words, stunned by them. “You’re pretty smart, eh?”

“I have a good memory,” he announced with confidence but not the arrogance that often accompanied smarts. “Want me to read to you?”

“What are you reading?”

“It’s about the cosmos and blackholes. You’ll like it,” he assured me as though it were already settled. But the truth was how did anyone say no to a kid so cute and so damn grownup?

“Sure, kid. That sounds nice.”

“Cool,” he said, scooting a bit closer so I could see the pictures. And then he settled down to read. Beau didn’t play games or squirm or use his finger as a guide.

“You’re a damn good reader, Beau.”

“Well, duh, mister,” he said with a proud grin. “I’m eight, you know.

“Eight, huh? And the name is Cross.”

“I know, Mr. Cross. I’m small for my age. You don’t have to tell me.”

A shadow settled over us and the scent of jasmine and patchouli told me who the intruder was. Moon and she wore a floral print dress that showed off lean arms and sensual curves. Even now, all I could see was her in that bloody bra but looking sexy as hell. “Hey Beau, you’re not bothering Cross are you?”

“No, he said I could read to him. Plus it’s helping so he isn’t sad anymore. About Jana,” he clarified in his effort to keep me out of trouble, I assumed.

“I know, honey,” she gave him a kind smile and ruffled his hair. “How are you, Cross?”

“Fine,” I grunted out because I couldn’t think of anything else. What was it about this woman, my polar opposite, who got me so tangled up that I said the wrong shit and usually ended up looking like a dick?

“Oooookay,” she replied, giving me a cockeyed look. Then she stepped back and reached for her son. “Come on Beau, let’s let Cross get back to his business. I gave Jana a hug for you and guess what?”

“What?”

“She squeezed back.”

Beau went quiet and then he jumped out of his seat with a loud cheer. “Yes! That means she’ll be awake soon.”

I didn’t know how in the hell the kid knew that, but I believed him. Watching Moon and Beau walk away filled me with a sadness and apprehension I couldn’t understand. They were so happy, smiling while they talked about who knew what, completely oblivious to the world around them.

It looked nice.

It wasn’t for me, but it was nice anyway.

***

“Hey man, pretty sure they have to be awake when you touch them like that.”

Max looked up as I entered the room but his hand stayed wrapped around Jana’s. “Cross. Hey.”

“Hungry?”

“Not for cafeteria food,” he grumbled and settled another worried gaze on his wife.

“Good thing. I don’t fuck around with cafeteria food. Subs from Nitzki’s Deli.” I held up the bag filled with sandwiches, chips, and a heap of pickles.

“Thanks.” He took the bag and dug in, reluctantly at first but then he let Jana’s hand go and inhaled his lunch. “Damn, I needed that.”

“Well I didn’t need to see that shit. It was like watching a dinosaur eat.” But a healthy appetite was a good sign, even for friends and family. “So how is she?”

“As good as we can expect, but honestly we don’t know shit, not until she wakes up. She could be absolutely fine or she could be a damn vegetable. But the doctors say in another day or two she should begin to wake up on her own since they reduced her meds.” Max scraped a hand over his face and groaned before settling his gaze on me. “What’s up with you man, you look like shit.”

“Don’t worry about me, Max. I didn’t come here to get into the shit with you, just checking on you both.”

He grunted. “Might as well tell me since you need someone to talk to and I have no where else to be. Yet.” I heard his words and I understood his meaning.

“It’s just little shit that makes me feel like someone bigger than we know is out to get us. Fucking paper pushers complained about the width of the doors at Bungalow Three so we have to get them all expanded by a fucking eighth of an inch.” They gave us thirty damn days or they’ll shut us down. “Just stupid things. Cops tried to do a compliance check at one of the dispensaries too.”

“What the fuck?”

“Exactly. Who else besides Roadkill would want us fucked up like this? It could be the Killer Aces, but I don’t think so. This problem has to be local. We need to get Mayhem back under our control.”

“You talk to the guys yet?” Max didn’t wait for me to answer as his eyes widened. “That’s what the barbecue was for wasn’t it?”

“Yep. Great timing, right?”

“The best,” he grinned, but it dimmed as he looked to Jana, pale and damn near lifeless in the bed.

“I have some other news.” I didn’t want to tell him but I owed him that much. If I was going to make up for what had happened to his wife, I had to start somewhere and this was as good a place as any. “You’re not gonna like it but I need you to be cool.”

“I’m listening.” His tone said he wasn’t listening at all, but I knew what I had to say would reel him in.

“Moon saw the car that fired into her shop. Yellow and black muscle car. She thinks it was a Mustang or something similar.”

Max’s jaws clenched and his eyes darkened with angry. No, not anger. It was fury. Blinding white fury.

“Fucking Vigo,” he spat out, his thoughts mirroring my own. “I thought Buzzkill was supposed to take care of that asshole?”

“I thought so too. They had their chance, now it’s open season.”

“Damn right it is. I could use a bit of therapy right now,” he said, smacking his palm with his fist.

“Yeah. Jag’s looking into the footage around town just to be sure, but I have no fucking doubt it was him. But Max, and I mean the fuck out of this, don’t worry about Vigo.”

“How can I not?” He was angry and rightfully so, but I wouldn’t budge on this.

“Because I’m your President and I’m telling you not to. Jana and Charlie and that little girl, they need you, man. They fucking need you to be here with them until they’re out of trouble. And trust me, if you’re not here and something does happen, you’re done. You won’t be able to forgive yourself and the fucking guilt will eat you alive.”

“Cross,” he began, understandably ready to fight. I didn’t blame him. If there had been someone, anyone, to take out my anger on over Lauren’s death, I would have. I would’ve been drunk off it, not stopping until the pain of losing her was gone.

It was never fucking gone. Not ever.

“I’m serious. When Jana wakes up, you better fucking be here. You and Jana are my family and Vigo is at the top of my list right now.” That motherfucker had no idea how dead he already was. If he hadn’t left Vegas yet, I’d make sure it was the decision he regretted most in his pathetic fucking life. “I got you.”