Garrett frowned and felt his heart speed up. “
Rayne?
”
Tate nodded. “They’re sisters and they look a lot alike. Ivy was wearing a hoody so no one would be able to see her pink tinted hair. There would be no way to tell the difference between the sisters since it was dusk. Cleo told me everything about Rayne’s parents and their deaths and I’m contacting the San Diego police right now to get their files on the case.”
Garrett felt cold all over at the thought that it could have very easily been Rayne being operated on. Or worse. He closed his eyes, feeling sick and covered his mouth with his hand as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“We’ll do what we can to protect them, Garrett, but if I were you, I’d keep close. We can’t give her twenty-four hour protection. We can send a car by her house a few times a day but that’s all we can do at this point.”
Garrett nodded and clenched his hands into fists. If anyone tried to hurt Rayne he didn’t know what he’d do.
Tate frowned as if he read his mind and put his other hand on Garrett’s shoulder so they were looking eye to eye. “Don’t lose it, Garrett. She doesn’t need your rage right now. She needs your help. Remember that.”
Garrett stared at Tate for a moment but then closed his eyes and nodded his head. “Got it.”
Tate left him and then took Rayne and sat down on the hard plastic chairs with her and talked to her quietly for about ten minutes. Garrett stood to the side and watched her as her eyes widened in fear and as her hands clenched in her lap. She didn’t cry but he could see the wobble in her chin and knew she was scared and hurting.
And it was killing him. All he wanted to do was take away all of her pain. All of her fear. He wanted to wipe out anyone or anything that would hurt her. Garrett took in a deep breath and let it out.
Falling for her?
Yeah, that had already happened. Big time. The thought of anyone pointing a gun at Rayne filled him with such terror and fury that he was very aware of what that meant. Rayne was wrong. He wasn’t an idiot.
He was in love
.
Rayne stared down at Ivy’s pale face and watched her eyelids flutter and let the breath she’d been holding out in a loud whoosh. She felt Cleo touch her arm but ignored her as Ivy’s eyes finally opened and she blinked up at her.
“Ivy,” she whispered and blinked back the tears as she tried to smile. “Hey there. How are you feeling?”
Ivy frowned and tried to move her shoulder but it was wrapped tightly in gauze and she winced, turning her head slowly to look at it with a frown.
“There was an ambulance and I was bleeding and Cleo was screaming,” she said faintly as she noticed Cleo standing next to her and pointed a finger at her. “You have a potty mouth,” she said and laughed a little but then frowned and groaned. “It hurts,” she whispered.
Rayne nodded her head. “Honey, you’ve been shot in the shoulder and in the arm.”
She watched as Ivy frowned in confusion and closed her eyes. “I could swear you just told me I was shot. Are you kidding me?”
Rayne cleared her throat and felt Tate come to stand next to her. “Ivy, I don’t know if you remember me, but we met at church last Sunday. My name is Tate Matafeo and I’m here to ask you a few questions.”
Rayne watched her sister’s eyes sharpen with fear and she stepped back to let Tate talk to her sister. Cleo moved to stand by the door and she turned around and walked right into Garrett’s chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her and as mad as she was at him, she had to admit that she was grateful for the comfort and the strength he gave her.
He pulled her over to the chair by the window and sat down in front of her so their knees were touching. He leaned forward and touched her chin, lifting her face to his. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to live at your house anymore, Rayne. Whoever killed your parents and shot at Ivy knows exactly where you live. Tate says they’ll send a police car to drive by a few times a day but that’s nothing. That’s not protection.”
Rayne glared at Garrett and sat back. “I’m not leaving,” she hissed at him. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Garrett closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. “I’m trying to keep you alive not get rid of you. I want you to move into my house. Asher and I can bunk in with Becket at his house. He’s got a three bedroom so it’s no big deal.”
Rayne frowned. “If they found us once, they’ll find us again. Just moving across town isn’t going to postpone the next attempt.”
Garrett shook his head. “I disagree. If you’re right and Graham is the guy gunning for you, then he’s going off what he knows. Move into my house and keep your head down while Tate and the police try to catch this guy and it could save your life. We could move you in tonight. We could even grab your stuff tomorrow morning when we go to work. No one would even know.”
Rayne bit her lip and looked out the window as Tate talked to her sister who was bandaged up and still groggy from the anesthesia. If the gunman had been a better shot, her sister would be dead right now. She didn’t want to leave her home but she wasn’t stupid either.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Garrett nodded his head and sighed in relief. Tate was getting ready to leave and Garrett walked with him to the door. Rayne stood up and moved back to her sister’s side and touched her cheek.
“You okay?”
Ivy frowned, her eyes now clear and worried. “Tate says it could have been you. If you had been with us instead of out with Garrett, it could be you here instead of me.”
Rayne nodded her head, already aware of that fact. “Which is why we’re going on a little trip.”
Ivy stared at her with wide eyes for a second. “
No!
I won’t go, Rayne. Tomorrow night I have practice with the band and Kenya needs stability in her life. She’s been through too much. I’m not going anywhere.”
Rayne glanced around and saw Tate and Garret and Cleo staring at her somberly. She closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. “Agreed. Kenya definitely needs stability now, more than ever.
But
at the same time, we shouldn’t be stupid. We have to protect ourselves and uh …
Kenya
. Garrett has kindly offered to let us stay at his house. He and Asher will move in with Becket while we camp out. Hopefully in the meantime they’ll find out who is trying to kill us.”
Ivy glared fiercely and shook her head. “
Find out
who it is? That one’s easy. I can tell you right now. It’s Graham Mitchell and we both know it. He’s the only one with a motive. Just go arrest the jerk and let me get on with my life. Jeez, I finally get a life and someone immediately tries to take it away from me.”
Cleo laughed a little at that and Rayne’s mouth tilted up. “Listen, you need to rest so Cleo and I are going to go home and start packing up. Okay?”
Ivy’s eyes went wide with fear and she shook her head jerkily. “Don’t leave me, Rayne. Please don’t leave me,” she asked quietly.
Rayne nodded her head immediately. “Okay. If you need me to stay, I won’t go.”
Cleo walked up to her other side and touched Ivy’s unhurt shoulder. “I’ll go home and pack us up and I’ll tell the nurse to bring in a cot for Rayne. She can sleep right here beside you. Sound good?”
Ivy sighed in relief and nodded, looking tired and strained. “Sounds perfect,” she whispered and then closed her eyes.
Rayne touched her sister’s cheek and then turned to walk Cleo over to the door. “If you feel uncomfortable staying in the house, you can go to a hotel. My treat. Room service and a gym. You’ll love it,” she said quietly.
Cleo shook her head. “Nah, I don’t scare that easily. Besides I have five dogs to look after. I’ll be fine, you just take care of Ivy,” she said and hugged her before walking out.
Rayne was left looking at Garrett. He glanced at Ivy and took her hand pulling her out of the room and shutting the door. Rayne stared at Garrett silently, not knowing what to say. Since he was just looking at her he must be clueless too. He reached over her head and leaned his arm against the door as he moved in closer, so they were nose to nose.
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you,” he said quietly. “Not now.”
Rayne stared at his jaw and his long strong neck and reached up and put her hands against his chest. “
Now?”
Garrett stared at her and tilted her chin up so she was forced to look into his light blue eyes. Without saying a word he leaned down and kissed her. Softly at first, but then with enough passion to send her head reeling. When he finally pulled back, she was breathing hard and her arms were wrapped around his neck. She slowly let him go as he stared at her with hot eyes that looked silver now.
“Stay with your sister. Don’t leave the hospital by yourself for any reason. Got it?”
Rayne nodded silently and watched him walk away and wondered. What would it be like to love Garrett all the way and to be loved all the way in return?
She hoped someday to find out.
The next day, Rayne stayed with Ivy while Cleo finished getting ready for the move. Garrett, Becket and Asher grabbed their suitcases and threw them in their trucks while they were working on the yard. The dogs were going to be a problem though. Garrett and Asher were both against having five dogs in their house, but they did have a nice fenced backyard so they were willing to compromise.
It was so weird to think that she’d be living in Garrett’s house and sleeping in his bed. It seemed so intimate and personal. He seemed completely fine with it though, so she tried to relax about it. But she’d never in her life had someone make such a sacrifice for her. He was completely uprooting his life along with his brother’s and Becket’s for her and her sister and she was so filled with guilt and gratitude she didn’t know what to do with herself. When she had offered to pay him he’d looked at her so coldly, she’d taken it back immediately, horrified at how badly she’d offended him.
The hospital discharged Ivy at four and Garrett insisted on driving them to his house. As they drove down the street, Rayne looked at Garrett’s profile and sighed at how beautiful and strong he was. She didn’t want to handle this on her own. Having him there with her, helping her deal with everything was such a welcome relief that it worried her. Having someone to depend on and rely on was a luxury she’d never had before and one she was very afraid that she could easily get addicted to.
When they arrived at his house, he helped Ivy inside before coming back for her bags. Rayne went to the kitchen to get a drink of water as Ivy looked around her new surroundings curiously.
“So we’re living in a man cave now,” she said with a smile as Asher walked in with a few boxes of pizza and Becket walked in with a takeout bowl of salad and a couple six packs of soda.
Asher grinned at Ivy and nodded at Rayne before grabbing a plate. He filled it with pizza and salad before walking over and setting it on Ivy’s lap.
“Dinner is served my lady,” he said in an outrageously horrible English accent.
Ivy laughed and raised an eyebrow. “Having a gorgeous serving boy is kind of nice.”
Becket laughed and walked over with his own plate of pizza as Rayne got out two plates for herself and Garrett.
“I guess a serving boy is okay, but wouldn’t you rather have a knight in shining armor?” Becket said with a wink as he sat next to Ivy.
Rayne grinned at that but noticed Asher didn’t look amused.
“Well, while Ivy is here recuperating and sleeping in
my
bed, I think it’s only right that I should look after her. I mean, she is
my
new lead singer.”
Becket stared at Asher with narrowed eyes and Rayne paused with her pizza half-way to her mouth.
What was going on here
? Tension between Asher and Becket over Ivy? She glanced at Ivy, but she was busy taking a big bite of pizza and had missed the look.
Uh oh
.
Garrett walked into the family room and called out a greeting to his brother and friend before joining her in the kitchen.
“Hey Beautiful,” he said and hugged her from behind, nuzzling her neck and sending sparks through her body before he grabbed his plate and drink. “Come sit by me,” he said and motioned with his head for her to join them.
Cleo walked in with a large bag of dog food and joined the party too. Rayne noticed that she immediately went to Asher and sat next to him, smiling and flirting as usual, but something was different. Asher was now spending just as much time talking to Ivy as he was to Cleo.
She glanced at Becket and wondered what he was thinking. He was always pretty quiet around her, so she didn’t have a good feel for him. But by the way Ivy blushed when he talked to her, she knew her sister liked him. She frowned and hoped Asher didn’t get hurt feelings.
“Why the frown?” Garrett whispered in her ear.
She smiled and looked up, automatically wiping a smear of pizza sauce off his cheek with her finger. “It’s nothing. I just got worried for a moment.”
Garrett frowned and handed her napkin, but she just licked the sauce off her finger making him grin at her. “I guess seeing your sister all bandaged up would make anyone worry.”
Rayne laughed a little and shook her head as she leaned up and whispered in his ear. “Not that. I was noticing there was tension between Becket and Asher.
Over Ivy
.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend and brother with a frown. “I thought Asher was getting ready to ask Cleo out to be honest.”
Rayne nodded. “That’s what I thought too, but ever since Ivy sang the other night, something has changed, and I don’t think Becket likes it very much.”
Garrett winced and shook his head. “This won’t be good if it affects work.”
Rayne frowned and took a sip of her soda. “Maybe I’ll push Cleo to make the first move.”
Garrett shook his head and picked up his pizza. “No way. Let’s stay out of this. Instead of focusing on them, you should focus on me.”
Rayne grinned and sat back, studying him. “Focus on you? I got the impression the other night that you didn’t want me to focus on you. If you ask me, I think you have cold feet,” she said lightly and took a bite of her pizza.
Garrett blinked at her in surprise. “
Me
? Have cold feet? With
you
?”
Rayne nodded casually and licked her lips. “Yep.
You
. Cold feet. I’m kind of scary remember?”
Garrett laughed and shook his head. “Sweetheart, my feet are burning. And for being scary I sure did move you into my house pretty fast.”
Rayne took a bite of her salad and shrugged. “You’re like you’re brother. You’re a giver. You love helping people. But I’m starting to think I scare you. Which is sad, because you’re this big, strong Marine. That’s gotta be kind of embarrassing for you.”
Garrett narrowed his eyes at her and put his pizza down. “You’re trying to get under my skin aren’t you? You’re trying to pick a fight.
Why
?”
Rayne frowned. “Why would I pick a fight with you? How silly,” she said primly and patted her lips with her napkin.
Garrett leaned in so close that his lips toughed her ear, making her shiver. “You’re every dream I’ve ever had come true. How could that scare me?”
Rayne smiled sadly at him before kissing him lightly. “That’s why I scare you. You think I’m some kind of a dream and that you’ll wake up someday and I’ll be gone. But I won’t. I’m real, I’m here and I’m staying. You need to accept that.”
Garrett sighed and put his hand behind her neck as he brought her face closer to his. “All I know is that I love you being in my life. I love seeing you here with me and my family and your sister and Cleo. It feels good to have you here in my house. Let’s just enjoy this until I get my bearings, okay?”
Rayne nodded her head immediately. “I would love to enjoy this with you. No stress, no expectations, no determined outcomes. Just you and me.”
Garrett frowned and looked away. “What if I want a determined outcome?”
Rayne lifted an eyebrow and stared at him curiously. “
Excuse me
?”
Garrett grinned and shook his head. “Ignore me. Listen, after dinner, would you be so kind as to play the piano? Asher and Becket have never heard you play.”
Rayne glanced at the piano and nodded her head immediately, distracted by the thought of being able to play. Her piano was scheduled to arrive tomorrow and she wouldn’t even be there to oversee the placement. She was craving it. “I would love to.”
They spent the evening talking and laughing and when everyone was done eating, she moved to the piano and decided to play Carl Vine’s concerto number 1. It wasn’t as well-known as some of her other favorites, but she enjoyed it. At the end when she lifted her fingers, she closed her eyes and smiled, enjoyed the last note as it faded like smoke into the air.
Garrett sighed happily and looked at Becket and Asher. “See what I mean? Isn’t she amazing? Did you guys feel your heart race?”
Becket walked over to the piano and stared at her curiously. “I didn’t get it when Garrett told me you traveled around playing the piano for people. But hearing what you just played? I’d buy a ticket for that. That was intense. It’s like it just grabs you by the throat, huh?” he said looking to Garrett to confirm what he was feeling.
“The first time I heard her play, it was a shock. You should have seen Rob at the concert last Saturday. These guys walk up and make her play at the very end and I look over and Rob’s wiping a tear away.”
Rayne stood up and kissed Garrett’s cheek. “You’re a sweetheart. I’m glad you liked it,” she said and went to sit by Ivy who was sitting with Cleo, smiling and talking.
Cleo stood up and yawned, stretching a little. “Well, I’m worn out. Can someone show me which bedroom is mine?” she asked flirtatiously, looking at Asher.
Asher had already turned away to pick up empty plates and glasses though and Garrett moved to show her. Ivy looked at Rayne helplessly for a moment before sighing.
“Could you help me up, Rayne? It’s hard getting off this mushy couch with only one arm. But don’t pull too hard either because I’m so sore.”
Rayne bent down to help her sister and frowned. “So should I put an arm around your back?”
Asher appeared at her side. “Let me. I’ve got this,” he said and gently put his arms around Ivy, pulling her slowly up with just the right amount of pressure.
“Thanks, Ash,” Ivy said and kissed him on the cheek. “Best serving boy I’ve ever had,” she added, her bright green eyes twinkling at him before walking slowly down the hall where Garrett was getting blankets and pillows out of the hall closet.
Rayne noticed the look on Asher’s face and winced. Garrett had been right about Asher. He was a giver and he loved nothing more than to be needed. And Ivy right now, was definitely in need. But where did that leave Becket? Or Cleo for that matter. Cleo was such a strong independent woman, Asher would never feel needed around her.
She stared after her sister and knew she would hate to hurt anyone, but at the same time, Ivy was just so inexperienced when it came to men. It was very possible that Asher was going to end up getting his heart broken again. She looked around for Becket but he’d walked into the kitchen to grab his keys.
“So Asher, your brother told me you went on a date Friday with a cute girl. Do you think you’ll ask her out again?” she asked, trying to distract him.
Asher blinked in surprise and turned back to look at her with a frown. “
Lisa?
Oh no, she’s just a friend. We went out with a group of friends from college. Trust me, no big deal,” he said and walked over to the kitchen.
Becket walked past him, nodding his head but not smiling and Rayne bit her lip. That hadn’t looked very friendly but that was Becket for you. Quiet and cool. Maybe she was blowing everything out of proportion? Maybe this was no big deal.
“Thanks for helping out, Becket. Having Garrett and Asher bunking with you has to be a pain. I just want you to know that we really appreciate it.”
Becket looked down at his keys in his hands and shrugged before looking up at her with a small smile. “I’m used to a platoon of men. These two guys are nothing. As a matter of fact, I’m glad to have them. Think nothing of it. I’m happy to do it, especially if it helps you and your sister out. Besides, I’ve never seen Garrett so crazy over a girl as he is about you. He’s my best friend. I’d do anything for him.”