CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Addy said good-bye to her mother in the front hallway and walked outside toward her Jeep. By now, there were only half a dozen cars left in the parking lot. She heard a scuffle and turned just in time to see three silhouettes vanish around the corner of the building.
She gripped her keys with apprehension and quickened her pace when a door to the building opened and the light shone on a figure that remained huddled on the ground.
Fear shot through her as she recognized the dark blazer and sheer size of the man laid out on the cement.
She rushed toward him just as someone shouted from the doorway. “Help!”
They reached Trent at the same time, and Addy realized that it was Gail who knelt beside her. Addy’s hands shook as she reached out and touched Trent’s neck to feel for a pulse.
“He’s alive,” she cried out. “Someone call an ambulance.” She glanced up quickly and saw Tyler and Trey running toward them.
Tyler sprang into action and applied pressure to Trent’s head, stopping the flow of blood from a large gash just above his left ear.
“The ambulance is on its way,” someone called out to them.
“Trent?” Gail cried out in a shaky voice. “Honey, open your eyes.”
“Mom,” Trey said with kindness. “Why don’t you take Addy inside?”
“I’m not leaving him,” Addy said.
Then Trey looked directly at her. “Take my mother inside.”
Addy understood then and looked up at Gail. The woman’s eyes rounded. Panic and shock had set in. She reached over and took Gail’s blood-soaked hand with her own. “Let’s stand back so the paramedics can get to work on him.” She took several steps away from Trent as Tyler and Trey held him in place.
When the ambulance arrived, Addy and Trent’s family were shuffled into a car and driven across town to the clinic.
They walked, shaken, into the brightly lit building. Tyler spoke to the man behind the desk, then turned around. “Okay, now it’s a waiting game.” He motioned to the chairs.
Trey, Kristen, and Trisha joined them and they all took seats. In strained tones they assured one another that he’d be okay.
How can they chat? Addy sat in silence as conversation continued. She wasn’t even aware she still held Gail’s hand until Gail reached over and patted the back of their hands. “Sweetie, he’s going to be okay. It’s not the first time he’s had a bump on the head.” Despite the lighthearted voice, Addy could hear her fear.
“There was so much blood,” Addy said, exhausted, looking down at her still-covered hands.
“Why don’t we go and wash up? I could use a cup of coffee.” Gail pulled her up from the chair.
Addy followed the woman blindly into the washroom and scrubbed her hands clean. When she looked in the mirror, she realized that her shirt was covered with dry blood as well.
“Don’t mess with that now,” Gail said when she started to clean it. “We’ll scrub that out later.” She sighed and looked down at her own ruined shirt. “How about that drink?”
Addy nodded and followed her out. Then stopped and took the steaming cup Gail handed her.
“I . . . I don’t drink coffee,” she said.
Gail chuckled. “I know, honey, that’s hot chocolate. Trent says it’s your favorite.”
Tears stung her eyes. Trent cared so much about her that he’d told his mother about her hot chocolate addiction.
“Oh now, don’t start that just yet,” Gail warned. “Not until we know how he’s doing.” She grabbed her own coffee from the vending machine and took Addy’s arm to walk with her back to the waiting room.
“He’s okay,” Tyler said as they reached him. “The doctor just came out and said they’re taking him back for scans, but he’s awake and yelling to see us. I was just heading back there.” Tyler turned to Addy and nodded. “I think he’d like to see you first.”
Addy handed Gail her cup and followed a young nurse down the hallway. The nurse showed her to a small area where Trent sat up, his bloody shirt ripped wide open. There were several sensors taped to his chest and a pressure cuff on his arm.
When he looked up and saw her, he smiled. At that moment, she knew it was too late to deny the fact that she was in love with him. Had been in love with him for years. Gone was her worry about his past playboy nature. When she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was no longer that man. Instead, she only saw the honest, kindhearted, caring man he was now.
She rushed to his side and fell into his arms. She heard him groan and instantly jumped back.
“Easy,” he said, then groaned again. “Damn it,” he said. “They did a number on me.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, scooting so she could sit beside him on the bed.
“They seem to think so.” He grinned at her. “I knew I always had a hard head.” He shifted and wrapped his arm around her. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
She shook her head. “You’ll have to apologize to your mother, who is waiting out there to make sure you’re still alive.”
He looked at the nurse. “Can she come back?”
“Only two folks at a time,” the nurse said before disappearing down the hallway.
“Before she comes, I wanted to tell you . . .” He pulled her closer. Her heart jumped in her chest. “I’m so happy you decided to stay in Haven.” She felt her heart kick into beat again.
“Me too.” She looked over as Gail walked in.
“You idiot,” Gail said, stopping next to him and wiping a tear from her eyes. “What did we teach you?”
Trent smiled. “To duck.”
“Or run and grab your brothers. Never try to fight by yourself.” She shook her head and laid a gentle finger over the stark-white bandage over his left temple.
“They didn’t give me much of a choice this time.”
“They?” Gail frowned.
“Three of them,” Addy added. “I saw three men running away.”
Trent nodded. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I’d wager anything that it was Dennis and his goons.”
“Did you see them clearly?” Gail looked at Addy.
“No, it was too dark,” she replied, squeezing Trent’s hand.
Just then the nurse came back. “I need to take him in for a CT scan,” she said.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said to his mother. “You always said I was hardheaded.”
Gail chuckled and then sniffled.
When they stepped back out to the waiting room, Mike and another police officer were talking to Tyler and Trey. Gail filled them in on the new piece of information.
“Dennis and his gang?” Tyler asked his mother.
“That was Trent’s thought, but we’re not sure. Addy saw them a little better than Trent did.”
Everyone turned to her, and she had to take a sip of her hot chocolate that Trey handed her. It was lukewarm, but the sugar gave her the spike she needed. She closed her eyes and tried to play back the image in her mind.
“It could have been. One of them was shorter, two were taller.”
“How tall?” Tony asked.
“Six foot, six one?” she guessed. “They passed in front of the side door.”
“How tall was the shorter one?”
“Maybe five eight?”
“Was there anything else about the trio you could tell us?” Mike asked.
She tried to think, but all she was getting was the fright of seeing Trent motionless on the cement.
“Addy,” Trey said, getting her attention. “You’d just said good-bye to . . .”
“My mother,” she supplied. “In the front hallway. We stopped off at the bathroom, then she told me . . .” She held in a sob. “That she was impressed with my speech. Estelle had left a few minutes before. I walked out front with my mother, then started for my Jeep in the side lot.” She closed her eyes to retrieve the memory. “I heard a noise, someone grunt. I looked over and saw the three men cross in front of the side doors, then disappear around the back of the building. Two tall ones, a shorter one. They all had on dark pants, dark jackets.” She shook her head and opened her eyes. “Now it seems like one was carrying something. Maybe a pipe or a baseball bat?”
Gail gasped but regained her composure.
“Go on. Anything else?”
“I was half a parking lot away. The most I can tell you is that two were tall, one shorter.”
“What about hair color?”
“Dark,” Addy said with certainty. “All three of them. But then again, they could have had hats or beanies on. It was evening already, so it was hard to see.”
“It’s a start,” Mike said. “We’ll have to talk to Trent when he’s available.” Mike turned to go, but then stopped just inside the door. “Do you think this could have been some disgruntled workers? I mean, with everything you had just revealed at the meeting, wouldn’t some of your crew be out of work or changing job titles? A lot of people don’t like change.”
The room was silent as everyone thought about the possibilities. “We’ll keep our ears and eyes open. You can see Trent after we do,” Tyler said as he wrapped his arm around Gail. “He has to explain why he was dumb enough to allow three men to jump him in a dark parking lot.”
“I’m not a baby,” Trent barked out, then instantly retracted it when his head spun. “Shit.”
“I’ll let that one slip.” His mother smacked his fingers gently. “Now drink your soup.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said with his eyes still closed.
He was at home, thankfully, released a few hours after being hauled into the clinic.
His scans came back clean, even though he had a few stitches just above his left ear, and, according to the doctor, a knot on his head the size of a golf ball. Not that he was going to reach up and test the size for himself. He didn’t want anyone touching his head until it stopped spinning.
“You know, you’re lucky,” Addy said next to him.
“Hmm?” He opened his eyes. The way he figured it, the less he spoke, the better he was.
“Lucky I came along when I did. I think I spooked them off.” She glanced over to Trey and he watched a grin pass between them.
He would have glared at his brother if he didn’t think it would cause his eyesight to blur.
“Oh?” he said.
“Yeah, so, um, I heard there was this thing between the McGowan brothers.” Addy raised a brow.
Trent groaned and closed his eyes when he remembered the pact that he and his brothers had made when he’d been seven. They’d been snot-nosed boys with skinned knees back then, and none of them had ever believed they’d ever kiss a girl. Ever. Since they had cooties.
“First of us who has to be rescued by a chick gets to eat shit.” Trey chuckled.
“What are you? Five?” Trent asked, keeping his eyes closed since it helped with the pain.
“Just saying.” Trey laughed again.
“Thurston McGowan the Third, did I just hear you curse?” Gail said from across the room.
Trent started to chuckle but stopped when pain lanced his skull. “You did it now,” he said.
“Sorry ma’am.” Trey frowned.
“Thurston? Why do you go by Trey?” Addy asked.
“Because he’s the third.” Tyler laughed. “Not only the third son, but Thurston McGowan the Third: Trey.”
Addy shook her head. “Really?” She smiled. “Thurston, huh?”
“Now that Dad’s gone, will you go by Thurston?” Tyler asked.
“No,” Trey said, his brow furrowing at Tyler’s new joke.
“What’s wrong with Thurston?” Gail said, setting a bowl of chicken soup in front of Trent. “It’s a nice strong name.” She pursed her lips. “Your father . . .”
“Always went by T. J.,” Tyler finished. “At least with all of his close friends.”
“Yes, but I never called him that.” Gail smiled and sat across from Trent. “Have your second bowl before it gets cold.”
When he was finished with the soup, his mother took the empty bowl. “Well, at least your appetite isn’t gone,” she said as she made her way into the kitchen.
“How come we didn’t get any soup?” Trey called after her.
“You didn’t get knocked around,” she called back.
“The night is still young.” Tyler smiled and flinched toward Trey, who sprang up, causing everyone to laugh.
“What?” Trey smirked. “Too scared to take me on tonight?” he said, taunting his oldest brother.
“Don’t you dare,” their mother said from the kitchen. “I’m not in the mood to sit in that waiting room one more time tonight.”
“I think I’m going to go lie down.” Trent started to get up, but Addy held him in place.
“What about me?” she whispered. “I am not leaving you alone tonight.” She looked toward the kitchen where his mother stood, washing the dishes.
“Mom, Addy’s going to stay with me for tonight,” Trent called out. His mother turned and sighed, then nodded.
“Addy, I expect you to follow my rules.”
She smiled. “Yes ma’am. I’m just worried about him.”
“Let me know if something changes.” His mother waved them away. “Go on, the lot of you. I need a shower and bed myself.” She yawned.
Addy helped Trent down the hallway as the rest of his family left. When she shut the door behind her, she helped him sit on the edge of his bed.
He could have done everything himself, but he let her gently undress him until he sat on the bed in his boxers. When she nudged him to lie down, he pulled her with him.
“I still have my clothes on,” she said.
“Not for long,” he whispered into her hair.
“Trent, I promised your mother.”
“What? That we wouldn’t have sex under her roof?” Her hair brushed his face, the smell and feel of it enveloping him. “There are other things we can do besides having sex.”