Page 17 of Sworn to Defend
“Something’s off,” he said.
“Tell me.” Ransom went from bitching to alert with the flip of a switch. He told him about Hannah receiving threatening calls from her mother and sister. After Brynn was run off the road by a man her biological brother hired to kill her and Sam was kidnapped by her own mother, no one on their team took things lightly when it came to the women in their lives. He was probably being overprotective. But he’d rather have all the facts to ensure her and Collin’s safety than be kicking his own ass later. He was part of the motherfucking blue circle, and he’d damn well keep it safe.
Chapter Nine
Regina Day paced the dining room of her perfectly polished home and seethed. Her sister Hannah had always been a nuisance. So plain. So unlike the rest of their family. Another fat drop of blood splashed onto the veined marble floor. Like a great many things, the slice had been Hannah’s fault. She’d riled Regina up and the heirloom vase was the only thing in throwing range. One of the pieces had blown back, slicing over her hand. The opulent room with its gleaming floors, crystal chandeliers, and gold wall sconces did nothing to offer comfort, as being surrounded by money typically did. This wealth, this prestige had not come easily, and it wouldn’t be ripped away. She’d die first.
In the past, she’d done things most would consider unkind in order to keep this luxurious lifestyle, but then again, most hadn’t experienced what it was like to live at the top. Live where nearly nothing could touch you. Where anything you wanted was at the tips of your fingers with one phone call or a few words. When you had power and wealth combined? Well, that was the headiest place to be in the world. Nothing would stand in the way of keeping that power, especially not Hannah.
Vivienne had become restless because of the lies Hannah told. Vivienne would be nothing without the Day family. Just a dumb girl with a beautiful face. In the real world she’d be forced to use that body, because God knew she’d never be able to hold a job. Not with the learning disability her parents had concealed all of these years. Hannah had hacked it on her own, but she’d been the opposite. What she lacked in beauty she made up for in brains. If she wanted to throw away her life, keeping the baby and leaving the estate instead of ending the pregnancy, that was all well and good. Of course, the sympathy the family would’ve garnered would have been better if she died giving birth. The shame she’d cast over the Day family was irrevocable. There were still hushed whispers and laughter around the country club when someone brought her up. Now she was trying to ruin something else. Vivienne would marry Scott whether she liked it or not. Really, it was the best option for Vivienne. Scott was taking a chance on her, and she’d only repaid him with uncertainty.
If Hannah did one more thing to encourage Vivienne’s cold feet, the words she told her mere minutes ago wouldn’t just be a threat. She would ruin her sister. There were family secrets at stake. Things no one ever would know about. Secrets she would kill to keep.
Chapter Ten
Hannah’s gloved hands were soaked in blood. Right now, she was the only thing standing between a young mother and imminent death. She tightened her grip, pinching the lacerated artery at the woman’s thigh while her infant screamed in a firefighter’s arms. Thank goodness the hospital nurse accompanying her on the flight today was nimble and confident. He deftly cranked the tourniquet tighter to halt the blood flow. Still, she wasn’t comfortable releasing her hold just yet.
There was a devastating pileup of ten cars on the major highway. The guardrail was a tangled mass of steel, shards of glass crunched beneath the feet of first responders, and the smell of smoke, chemicals, and worse hung in the air. There were screams and cries. Some begged for help, while others looked forward with sightless eyes, deep in shock. Several had already been pronounced dead. Those with lesser injuries were being transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital. The woman would be life-flighted, and then they’d return for another.
“That’ll do it,” said the flight nurse. She nodded and slowly released her hold, pulling her hand away from the wound and replacing it with gauze. Once the bleeding stopped, they wrapped the wound tightly and prepared her for transport. Hannah positioned the woman’s arms in an X over her chest. Then, with one hand on her shoulder and outer thigh, she rolled her to the side so Rick could position and secure the long spine board beneath her. The woman groaned as they quickly strapped her in.
“Hang in there, momma,” she said as she repositioned herself near the top of the board by the patient’s head. She squatted down, back straight. “Rick, are you ready to lift?”
“Yes. On three. One. Two. Three.” They lifted the board together, using their leg muscles to stand. Because of her height, others were sometimes skeptical about her abilities to lift an adult. She was petite, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t strong. She had to work at it, but she could competently perform every aspect of her job, including the physical part. They moved the patient to the stretcher, fastening a second set of straps.
“Ready to lift on three.” Once again, they lifted the patient, extending and locking the legs of the stretcher so they could wheel her to the helicopter. Once the patient was secure inside the small space, they fastened themselves into their seats. The one she sat in was by the patient’s head, while Rick sat by the patient’s legs. As she was prepping a unit of whole blood, the woman began to speak. “Please. My baby.”
“Your baby is beautiful and safe. We’re going to take good care of you so you can get back to caring for that baby.” Her heart clenched. The woman was in rough shape, but she’d seen worse survive.
“V-fib,” Rick called out. Dammit. The patient’s heart had gone into an irregular rhythm. The blood pressure monitor started chiming, registering a sudden drop. Without intervention, the woman would be dead in minutes. She grabbed the defibrillator and hoped her words to the young mother weren’t a lie.
*
No sooner had Branch sat on Ransom’s recliner than the clank of dog tags rang through the living room. The big mutt that Brynn had found loved nothing more than sleeping away the afternoon on someone’s lap. The dog’s bullish jowls swung with each heavy footstep. He jumped up on the chair, like a dog who knew he could do no wrong, and let out a long sigh as his full weight collapsed onto his lap. He shot a look at Ransom as his friend entered the room. “What are you feeding this thing?” Oscar’s coat was sleek and soft beneath his fingers, and his presence was calming, like a weighted blanket, albeit a giant one, pressing down on his lap. Every so often, the dog would look up with its stout nose and cast him an adoring gaze.
“Brynn’s baby gets whatever he wants.” Ransom laughed. He’d seen Ransom slip him food from the table more than once. His teammate had a soft soul beneath that exterior of ice he projected.
The home security system beeped, and Oscar lifted his head. “We’re here.” At the sound of Joker’s familiar voice, the dog returned to his slumber. Boots stomped into the foyer, then, after a few moments, Joker padded into the living room with sock-clad feet.
“Silver’s throwing the beer in the fridge,” he said, sitting in the oversized beanbag chair on the floor. He should’ve known his friends would gather at any sign of trouble. Not that he ever doubted them. His team had his back in more shit situations than his last. After getting in touch with Ransom last night, he called the team. In turn, they called in favors, including one to their lieutenant commander, who still lost sleep over Brynn’s situation when they were overseas.
Brynn had already gotten the boys off the bus and outside to the pool so their team could talk in privacy. He remembered the day they came to tour this house. Brynn was still new then, but he’d seen the change in his friend. Knew she was going to be everything to him. And Jacob. God, he had lit up all of them with one smile. People like Brynn and Jacob were the type of citizens they were proud to fight for. Die for if necessary. They’d been a team before, but Brynn and Jacob had officially made them a family. Each man sitting in this room knew soul-deep how precious that feeling was. Coming home to people who cared.
The clank of glass echoed in the hall, and Silver walked into the room holding four glass bottles. He’d already popped off the tops and handed one to each of them before taking up the other half of the couch with Ransom. The house was air-conditioned, but the ice-cold condensation felt good against his palm. He’d spent the day running last-minute errands for the trip. Hannah had asked him to do nothing, but he wanted to make sure they all had what they needed.
“Talked to my friend at the bureau last night,” Silver started. “He has a friend of a friend who happens to work in Southlake, Texas.”
“No shit.” Joker’s blond hair was shaggy around his face, lips pressed together in a thin line.
Branch took a long pull from the beer, letting the cold brew ease some of the tightness in his throat. Something about the wedding had him on edge. “That’s convenient.”
“Shit luck is what that is. Did Hannah ever say anything about an investigation into Collin’s father’s death?” A line had formed between Silver’s brows.
“No. The accident happened right after she found out she was pregnant. Her family disapproved of Russell because he was a caddie at their country club. Middle class. Not up to the Day family standards. Her parents were more concerned with people gossiping about Hannah’s unwed pregnancy than they were about her and the baby. They let her walk out.” He gritted his teeth. Tension tightened his chest. “Alone.”
Ransom’s face turned to stone. “They should be arrested for that in itself. Sending a teenager out into the world alone, scared, and pregnant. Beyond fucked.” This would hit close to home for his team leader because the scenario was the most like his own.
Silver lowered the bottle from his lips. “Well, after the accident, the kid’s uncle and only living relative came forward and claimed he suspected the Day family of staging the drowning. Said the kid had never been fishing in his life. In fact, he was a fucking vegan. That alone raises my suspicions,” Silver finished.