Into the Fury (BOSS, Inc. #1)(37)

Chapter Fourteen



The funeral was over. Val lifted the veil and pulled off her wide-brimmed black felt hat, sat back in the car seat next to Ethan, and clicked her belt in place. Dirk was driving, heading the big SUV into the rain that was falling steadily again, building puddles on the street. Meg sat up front beside him.

“You holding up okay?” Ethan asked.

She sighed. “It’s just so sad. None of this feels real.”

“Call your neighbor. See if the barbarian hordes are still parked in front of your house.”

She took a deep breath, pulled her phone back out of her purse, and punched in the older woman’s number. Mrs. Oakley answered on the second ring.

“It’s me, Mrs. O.”

“Valerie, dear, are you all right? I’ve been watching that poor girl’s funeral on the television. Such a terrible tragedy.”

“Yes, it is. Is the news media still out front?”

“They’re gone. I think they went to the funeral, too.”

“I thought they would, but I wanted to be sure.”

Ethan spoke from beside her. “Tell her they’ll be back. Tell her you’ll be by to pick up the clothes you need for the trip, but you won’t be staying there tonight. She needs to start taking care of Snoozie.”

From behind the wheel, Dirk snorted a laugh. “Snoozie. I hope Val doesn’t have a secret kid, too. At least not one named Snoozie. That’d be downright cruel.”

“Snoozie’s my cat,” Val said, fighting a grin.

Meg leaned over and punched Dirk’s arm. “He’s very sweet. He just likes to sleep a lot.”

“She needs a dog,” Dirk said. “They’re always up for a little action.”

Val bit back a laugh. It felt good to smile again after all that had happened. She relayed Ethan’s message to her neighbor. Said, “Thanks, Mrs. O. You’re the best.” She ended the call and turned to Ethan. “If we can’t stay at my house, where are we going tonight?”

“You and Meg are spending the night at the Fairmont. Carlyle will have the media under control and there’s plenty of security.”

She’d rather be home, but she didn’t argue. She was leaving with the tour in the morning anyway. Another night on the road wouldn’t matter.

Dirk was driving toward her house when Ethan’s cell started chiming. He dragged it out of his pocket, didn’t seem to recognize the caller ID. “Brodie.”

Val couldn’t hear the conversation, but she watched some of the color leach from his face. “Which hospital?” The caller said something. “Calm down, Chrissy. Just tell me which hospital she’s in. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” He started nodding. “Seattle Children’s. I’m on my way.”

“What’s going on?” Dirk asked, all business.

“Hannah’s in the emergency room. I’ve got to get there as quick as I can. I need you to drive me back to Val’s to pick up my car.”

“You said Seattle Children’s, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll drive you.” He flicked a glance at Megan. “Right, Meg?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Val?” Dirk asked.

“Absolutely. Ethan needs to get to his daughter.”

Ethan’s shoulders relaxed as Dirk stepped on the gas. Still, he was clearly worried about his daughter, and Val didn’t blame him. If she had a child, she would be freaking out right now.

“What happened?” she asked him softly.

“Hannah fell off her tricycle and hit her head. Her mother isn’t answering her cell phone. She’s off somewhere with her boyfriend. Arthur. That’s his damned name.”

Val wondered if Ethan was jealous, if he still had feelings for his ex.

Never one to miss anything, he drilled her with a glare. “What? What were you thinking just now?”

She shrugged, not about to tell him. “Is she a bad mother, your ex?”

“Not usually. Just vindictive as hell. After three years apart, Allison still carries a grudge because it didn’t work out between us.”

“You know what they say about a woman scorned.”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t care except that it affects our daughter. I want to spend more time with Hannah. Ally does her best to keep us apart.”

So not jealous. Just concerned about his child. She wished she didn’t feel so relieved.

They pulled up in front of Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Val and Ethan jumped out while Dirk and Meg went to park the car. Inside the emergency room, Ethan walked up to the desk, and a no-nonsense nurse directed him toward one of the curtained enclosures.

Focused on his daughter, he started walking in that direction, remembered his job, turned, and set a hand at Val’s waist, urging her along beside him. She stepped out of the way as he drew back the curtain and walked into the cubicle.

“Daddy!” With her blond hair in pigtails and a wide white bandage wrapped around her head, Ethan’s little girl was adorable. As soon as she saw her father, tears welled in her big blue eyes, and she reached out her arms to him.

Ethan moved close to the bed and the child threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here. My head hurts, Daddy.”