“I was diagnosed years ago, but I was in denial. Seeing Dad struggling with his meds, confined to his wheelchair, how hard it was for Mom, for everyone, and knowing there was nothing I could do to prevent it… I couldn’t handle it. It made me furious, and I know it was wrong to take that out on you and Seb, but I was so angry. I was the oldest. It was my job to look after everyone, to provide for our family. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Do Mom and Dad know?”
Rafe shook his head, his lips pressed together. “I don’t know how to tell Mom. It’ll be like Dad all over again, and that almost killed her. And now with this….” He motioned toward the corridor they’d come from and ICU.
“He saved Seb’s life.”
“I know. And I know it wasn’t his fault. It would make me so angry seeing Seb hurting like that.” Rafe let out a humorless laugh. “Anger seems to be the only thing I can feel these days. It was easy to hate Hudson for what he did. For breaking Seb’s heart, for leaving him when he was at his lowest, after Seb had risked his life and his career for him. I couldn’t understand it. Why the hell would Seb do something so stupid? Now I understand.”
“Nina.”
A smile came onto Rafe’s face, and it warmed Ethan all over. His brother didn’t smile nearly enough, if ever. It made him look like a different person. Someone not so angry at the world.
“It took me a while to realize she wasn’t going to go anywhere. I figured once she found out, she’d leave me. The first time I woke up screaming, I told myself she was out the door. Instead, she was focused and helped me through it. She wouldn’t put up with any of my shit. I tried to break it off, and she refused.” Rafe chuckled at the memory. “She actually refused. Just said ‘Nope, not happening,’ and then she made me soup.” He narrowed his eyes. “There was a fish head in it, but it was surprisingly good.”
Ethan laughed. He knew how much his brother hated eating things with eyes still attached. Rafe took a deep breath, and Ethan could have sworn his cheeks were flushed.
“You love her,” Ethan said as it dawned on him.
Rafe gave Ethan a sideways glance before his lips curled into a smile. “Yeah, I think I do.”
Ethan threw an arm around his big brother and hugged him. “I’m happy for you. Really.”
“Wow, you making up for not talking to me all your life?”
“I’m sorry.” And he meant it. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I couldn’t.”
“I know.” Rafe stared off at nothing in particular. “I read up on it, you know. On your selective mutism and social anxiety. I wanted to understand. And I did. I couldn’t get past the fact that you could talk to Seb and not me.”
“I don’t get to choose,” Ethan murmured quietly. “I either can or can’t. I wish I could talk to Mom. I know how much it would mean to her. To Dad. I’ve tried so many times. But I can’t. I open my mouth and my throat closes up. I start to panic. Then I think about how disappointed she must feel, and it makes things worse. I passed out once.” He’d tried so hard. His mom had so many worries, so much going on with their dad. Even at a young age he knew how happy it would make her if he talked to her, but no matter how much he pushed himself, he couldn’t. He’d tried so hard one day he’d blacked out.
“I remember,” Rafe said gently. “I was the one who found you.”
Ethan stared at him. “But I was in Seb’s room when I woke up.”
“I put you there. Figured you’d feel better if Seb was there when you woke up.”
Ethan couldn’t help feeling guilty. How many times had his brother placed Ethan’s needs before his own and simply kept it to himself? “Seb told me I didn’t have to talk. If one day I did it would be great, but not to force myself. Things got a little better after that.”
“See, I would have fucked it all up.” Rafe frowned down at his fingers. “Speaking of fucking up, I’m sorry about Thanksgiving. I had a bad episode that morning and said ‘fuck you’ to the world. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt or Cal. Not that I’m excusing what I did, but I had no idea what was going on with your meds. I hope that motherfucker rots in hell for what he did. Anyway, yeah, I was a shitty brother, and there’s no excuse for what I said to you that day. I’m really sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
Rafe’s brows drew together, and his eyes grew glassy. He pressed his lips together and nodded, his hands clasped tightly between his knees.
“What are you going to do now?” Ethan asked softly.
Rafe shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do. There’s no cure for it. Maybe one day. All I can do is prepare myself for the day my legs stop working.”
“When that day comes, I’ll be there to help you in every way I can,” Ethan promised.
“Me too.”
They looked up to find Seb standing to one side looking uncertain. Rafe stood, and they faced each other, neither one seeming to know what to do. Seb shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I’m not here out of pity. I wanted to say I’m sorry. I accused you of being an asshole, and I was no better, always expecting you to be the one to make all the effort.”
Rafe stepped up to Seb, and Ethan braced himself. He hoped they wouldn’t get into a fight here of all places. To Ethan’s surprise and relief, Rafe pulled Seb into a hug. The two wrapped their arms around each other, and Ethan smiled. He couldn’t remember the last time his brothers had hugged. They stood like that for a long time, and Ethan met Seb’s gaze. He gave him a nod and smiled.
“We’ll get through this together,” Seb promised. “No more pushing us away, okay? We’re your brothers, and we love you. Let us help you.”
Rafe nodded. “Okay.” He cleared his throat and motioned to the corridor they’d come from. “When Hudson wakes up and he’s better, I’ll apologize. I doubt he’ll forgive me, but I need to at least try. I know how much he means to you.”
“Thank you.”
The three of them made their way back to Hudson’s room, and everyone got up when they entered. Calvin looked relieved when he saw them. Most likely because they’d returned without bruises.
“I don’t want anyone treating me different,” Rafe grumbled as he walked in.
Nina ran over to him and hugged him.
Sloane shook his head. “We don’t treat Hobbs any different. Why would we treat you differently?”
“Sorry I punched you,” Dex added. “But you did deserve it.”
“Fair enough. I’ll try not to be so much of an asshole.” Rafe stopped in front of Sloane and met his gaze. “I’m sorry for always giving you such a hard time. I guess I felt a lot of resentment towards you. I’ve always respected you, and when I found out about my condition, I needed to vent, and I guess you were an easy target.” Rafe shifted uncomfortably, but he carried on, determined to say what he needed to say. “You were the kind of Team Leader I always wanted to be, and it got hard, seeing you doing so well, knowing where I was going to end up. I looked for any reason to drag you down, and I’m sorry.”
Sloane looked surprised. He quickly snapped himself out of it and held his hand out to Rafe, who took it without hesitation. “I appreciate your honesty. If you need anything, just ask.”
“Why would you help me?” Rafe’s expression was wary. “After all the shit I’ve said to you? After everything I’ve done?”
“Because Destructive Delta is family, and that includes anyone connected to Destructive Delta.” Sloane took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking somewhat embarrassed. “The truth is we can be stubborn asses. We’re so used to doing things our way that when things change, we have trouble keeping up. It’s easy to think that putting our trust in others makes us weak, when really it makes us stronger.”
Rafe pulled Nina close and smiled down at her. “I’m starting to see that.” He kissed her, his public show of affection unexpected. Ethan was happy to see his brother smiling. It was obvious how much he cared about Nina, and that was something Ethan never thought he’d see. Ethan worried about Hudson and Nina’s relationship. Hudson had been deeply hurt. He and Nina were close friends. If only Nina had confided in Hudson, things might have gone a little differently.
Nina stepped up beside Seb. “Not a day goes by when he doesn’t think about you.”
“He told me he didn’t love me,” Seb replied softly, bringing Hudson’s hand to his lips for a kiss.
“We all know that’s bullshit. There’s no one but you, Seb. There hasn’t been since he left you, and there won’t be. I tried to get him to move on, to at least go out on a date, and he tried.”
“He dated?”
“I said he tried. He sabotaged them.”
“What do you mean?” Seb asked, his eyes on Hudson.
“Whenever someone asked him out, he told them he was marked. They’d bail. There were a couple of Humans who didn’t, but they never made it past the first date. Nothing worked because none of them were you, Seb.”
“Then why won’t he come back to me?”
“Because you can’t just pick up where you left off.” Nina knelt beside Seb, her hand on his arm. “Until you both forgive yourselves for what happened and find a way to leave it behind you, you can’t be together. He knows that. As painful as it’s been for him, there’s always this little flicker of hope. If you come together and it doesn’t work, that’s it.”
“He’s scared,” Seb said, nodding his understanding.
It made sense to Ethan. He’d never thought of it that way. So all these years Hudson stayed away from Seb, afraid a reconciliation would lead to confirmation their relationship was never meant to be. So instead, he suffered in silence, living with the hope that someday things might change.
“We should give them some time,” Rafe told Ethan, motioning for everyone else to follow. Ethan agreed. Seb needed some time alone with Hudson. He’d gone pensive, and Ethan had no doubt he was considering Nina’s words. Ethan took Calvin’s hand, and they left the room with everyone following close behind.
Outside in the waiting room, Sloane was getting ready to check in with the sarge when they heard it. Shots fired.
“Shit.” Sloane put his phone away and ran over to reception. “I’m Agent Brodie with the THIRDS. Where’s your security office?”
The anxious nurse put in a phone call, and seconds later a security officer came running.
“Agent Brodie?”
“What’s going on?” Sloane asked.
“I’m Riviera, head of security. We have a hostile situation in the lobby. The shooter says he’s looking for an Agent Summers.”
Sloane turned to Calvin. “Hector Ruiz.”
SHIT. RUIZ
had come looking for him.
If there had been any doubt about who was responsible for the shooting at Dekatria, this pretty much confirmed it. Ruiz was out for Calvin’s blood. If Ethan hadn’t knocked Calvin to the ground when he did, Ruiz might have had it. Instead Hudson was lying in a hospital bed with two bullet wounds.
Calvin joined Sloane, along with the rest of their team, including Nina and Rafe, as they followed Riviera to the security office. They had to take a number of long corridors, since the office was located near the entrance of the emergency department, outside the lobby. When they reached the office, several other officers were there. Riviera brought up the camera feed in the lobby, where Hector Ruiz held a security officer hostage, a gun aimed at the leopard Therian’s head.
“The THIRDS are on their way,” Riviera said.
Sloane studied the screen. “Okay, we’ve got a major containment problem. We need to find out if Ruiz showed up with anyone else. Can you show me his arrival?”
Riviera nodded and got to work bringing up the footage of Ruiz’s appearance. Ash stepped up beside Sloane. “If Ruiz makes it out of that lobby and into the hospital, we’re talking hundreds of rooms, multiple exits. If he’s not alone, we have an even bigger problem. We’re going to need as many agents on this as possible.”
“Here.” Riviera brought up several camera feeds of Ruiz entering through Emergency before he grabbed the nearest security officer and removed his firearm, shouting at the citizens in the lobby and firing a warning shot.
“What about exterior footage?” Sloane asked.
Riviera brought up footage from the parking garage and outside the hospital. A taxi dropped Ruiz off.
“Looks like he’s alone.” Sloane turned to the team. “Dex, get ahold of the sarge and tell him where we are. Meet him at the side entrance. I want as many agents as possible securing the entrances and exits. Put an agent on every floor. Cael, Nina, keep an eye on the security feeds. I want to know about anything or anyone that looks out of place. Rosa, stand by for possible medical assistance. Letty, Ash, Rafe, you’re backup. I’m going to go talk to him. Cal, you know what to do.”
It was what he feared. Calvin faced Sloane. “Let me talk to him.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Cal. This guy’s trying to kill you. If we—”
Ruiz’s voice came in through the security office speakers. “I know you’re listening, Summers! If you don’t get out here, I’m going to start shooting!”
“It’s me he wants, Sloane. I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. Let me try to talk him down,” Calvin pleaded. The last thing he wanted was to put a bullet in another Ruiz family member. He needed to give Hector a chance to do the right thing. “He’s angry, and he’s hurting.”
“And he put Hudson in the hospital,” Ash argued heatedly. “He could have fucking killed someone! He could have killed you. He
tried
to kill you.”
“I know that, but does that mean we take the easy route and take him out? If I have to, I will, but I want to make damn sure I’ve given him every opportunity to turn himself in.”
“Or an opportunity to shoot you,” Ash scoffed.
“That won’t happen.” Calvin turned to Riviera. “Do you have any equipment?”
Riviera nodded and motioned to the far wall and the large weapons locker secured shut. “Vests and firearms.”
“Okay, good.” Calvin turned to Sloane. “Please, you have to let me do this.”
Sloane seemed to think about it for a moment before giving him a nod. “All right. Suit up and head out. Letty, Ash, and Rafe will be on the sidelines and out of sight in case this goes south.”
“Got it.” Calvin turned to Ethan as Riviera went to the weapons locker to get him the equipment he needed. “I have to do this,” he told Ethan.