Things Lost In The Fire (17 page)

He saw his opportunity and retreated a ways up the driveway of a nearby house. When she was about to pass by, he walked down the driveway and pretended to head for a shiny new Mercedes Benz parked on the street. They met eyes and he smiled, then faked a look of polite surprise.

“Hey, aren’t you Valerie Ryan?”

Valerie shook back her hair and eyed him up and down, a smile curving her lips. “The one and only, darling.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you lived on this street. I’m a big fan.”

“Thank you.” She scooped her dog up into her arms and beamed. “I’m not touring this year but I may do some shows next year. I’ll be sure to get you a front row ticket.”

Brody’s brows rose. “That’d be awesome! Hey, speaking of shows, I saw your daughter perform last night at The L.A. Rock Lounge. She was great.”

Valerie’s smile fell. “Excuse me?”

“Your daughter. Well, she was using her alias but we all know it’s her.” He gauged the confused expression on her face and realized she had no clue what he was talking about. He didn’t have time to dwell on why Sadie hadn’t told her mother about Piper Gray and instead changed tactics. “I take it you didn’t make it to the show?”

“No,” Valerie replied, anger tightening her brow. Her voice noticeably hardened. “My daughter and I aren’t exactly close. What is this alias she’s using?”

“Piper Gray. You can look it up. She’s very good. Really takes after you.”

“You’re sure we’re talking about my Sadie?” Valerie asked, setting her dog down when he began to growl. He sensed her mood shift and cowered behind her legs, teeth bared at Brody.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, wondering if tiny Pomeranian teeth could pierce skin. “Positive.”

“I can’t believe this.” Her hands began to shake as she turned to leave, distracted by this new information.

Brody wasn’t letting her get away that easily. “Hey, Valerie?”

She turned to look at him, her dog circling her legs in a hyper little dance. “Yes?”

“Who shot Lee Walker?”

Her eyes widened, then turned to slits. She sneered and launched herself at him, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Who the hell are you? A reporter? Who do you work for?”

“Nobody.” He held his hands up in a show of peace, laughing. “Just thought I’d ask. It’s a valid question, don’t you think? You were a witness that night.”

“I didn’t see anything. Now leave me alone.” Angry tears fell down her cheeks as she turned and stalked away, yanking on her dog’s leash. Within seconds she was gone, and Brody was left with a lot less than he’d hoped for.

“Well, shit.” He ran a hand through his hair and walked to his car, running through the conversation in his head. Why the hell hadn’t Sadie told her mother about her alias? He’d just assumed she had. It wasn’t really something that was easy to hide from family and friends. Then again, she wasn’t really close with her parents. It made sense that she would keep this from them if the reason she’d created Piper Gray in the first place was to erase her connection to them.

Great. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He climbed into his car and let his head fall back against the seat, pissed at himself. He’d hoped to use Sadie’s performance as a way to segue into the Lee Walker mystery, but all he’d done was piss off Valerie and probably make trouble for Sadie. Who knew what Valerie would do now. Knowing her, it’d be something drastic and full of drama.

And as far as his investigation into what happened to Lee Walker, Valerie was now officially a dead end. If he tried to confront her again she’d probably tear his face off. If he hadn’t screwed up so royally, he might have been able to butter her up enough to enlighten him as to what she knew. She was a notorious gossip and he knew how to play on that. But now the opportunity was long gone. He’d have to find another way to get to the bottom of what happened.

Which meant he definitely needed to talk to Sadie again. She was the key, he was sure of it.

His cell phone rang. When he saw it was Chase, he considered ignoring it but gave in.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“
It’s Abby. I had to take her to the hospital. Something’s wrong
.” Chase’s voice was clipped and distraught. “
She’s in surgery. I don’t know what to do. They won’t tell me anything.
”

A bolt of fear shot through Brody. He shoved it aside and started his car. “I’m on my way.”

HE SAT beside his brother in the waiting room at the hospital. He felt numb, like the world around him was some surreal plotline in a movie. This couldn’t be happening, could it? The last time he’d felt this way was the day his life should have ended in Afghanistan.

Chase rested his elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands. Brody glanced down at him, seeing his brother helpless for the first time in his life. Despite being younger, Chase had always been the stronger of the two. He’d always known the solution to every problem and the upside to every catastrophe. Now he just seemed broken. The fear had taken over and rendered him useless.

Brody patted his brother on the back, his heart heavy with emotion. It was up to him to be strong now for Chase, he realized. Chase had always supported him and been there for him even when he’d been a total asshole in return. The least he could do was try and help now.

The clock on the wall told him it’d been over an hour since he arrived. He stared around the neutral toned waiting room with its comfortable chairs and big screen televisions mounted to the walls, wishing for some scrap of news. Some sign that his brother’s wife was going to be okay. That the baby would survive. If he didn’t find out soon, he’d hunt down the doctors and demand answers.

Unable to sit still any longer, he jumped to his feet and began to pace. His brother looked up at him, a weary smile on his face.

“Thanks for being here. I know it’s boring—”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Brody interrupted, facing his brother. They met eyes and he damned himself to hell for all the times he’d taken Chase for granted. He was the only brother he’d ever have. “You married a fighter, Chase. She’ll pull through this. And no blood of ours is gonna go out without a fight.”

“Fighting Irish, right?” Chase chuckled, easing back in his chair. He rubbed his face and let out a sigh. “I just hate waiting and not knowing.”

“Want me to go bust down some doors?” Brody offered, already primed to go. He was itching to have some choice words with the nurses anyway for the lack of fresh coffee.

“No. Abby’s in good hands.”

Brody bit back a snide reply, knowing it wouldn’t help. He didn’t trust hospitals or doctors. Never had, never would. “Yeah. She’ll be fine.”

Chase nodded, staring down at his tightly fisted hands. Brody figured he was trying his best to keep them from shaking with anxiety. Seeing it had anger bubbling over in his system.

“All right. That’s it. I’m going out there.” Brody spun on his heel and started for the door, only to be stopped by the appearance of the doctor.

She smiled politely, then looked past him to Chase. “Mr. Odell? Can I have a moment?”

Chase leapt to his feet and was at Brody’s side in seconds. “How is she?”

“The c-section went well, both mom and baby are fine and healthy.”

“Thank God.” Chase went weak in the knees and had to support himself against Brody. Brody simply wrapped his arm over his brother’s shoulders and grinned.

“Good work, Doc. When can he see them?”

“Follow me.” She motioned for the door and led the way out into the hall. Brody let Chase go ahead, prepared to wait until his brother had his turn.

Chase whirled around when Brody didn’t follow. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Go have your time with Abby and the kid. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You’re my brother. You never get in the way,” Chase argued, grabbing Brody’s arm and pulling him down the hall.

“All right. But your wife’s going to kick me out.”

Chase ignored his words as they neared Abby’s room. The doctor opened the door slowly, then looked back at Chase. “She’s still a little out of it. But visit with her and then you can see baby Charlotte in the nursery.”

“Okay.” Chase stepped into the room and went immediately to his wife. Brody watched from the doorway as his brother sat in a chair beside the bed and held her hand. She stirred, a smile lighting her face when she saw him.

“She’s so beautiful,” Abby murmured, tears in her eyes.

Chase caressed her forehead. “I haven’t seen her yet. I wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“Fine.” Her eyes drifted over his shoulder and fell on Brody. “Hey. I can’t believe you came.”

Brody shifted his weight and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

She snorted, though her expression was kind. “I’m glad you’re here. You’re an uncle now.”

Brody’s eyebrows rose. “Well, damn. I guess I am, huh?”

Chase kissed his wife then got to his feet. “I’ll be back. It’s time to meet my daughter.”

He grabbed Brody and the two of them left for the nursery, which was down the hall and on the right. There were wide windows flanking the doors, showcasing a dozen tiny bassinets with infants sleeping in them. Brody felt more than a little out of his element as Chase entered the room, approaching the doctor who stood by one of the bassinets.

“Here she is,” the doctor said, motioning to the tiny, pink-skinned baby currently staring wide-eyed at Chase and shaking her fists.

Brody watched his brother interact with his daughter for the first time, stunned by the rush of envy he felt. It was only natural, he supposed, to be drawn to the idea of being a father. Certainly nothing he was ready to embrace just yet, though.

Before he could step in and see the baby, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw his parents enter the nursery, their concerned looks turning to surprise at the sight of him.

“Brody?” His mother asked, looking dazed and unaffected by the drama they’d been enduring the last few hours. She reached for his hands, focusing her eyes on him. “What are you doing here?”

Brody sighed. “Why is everyone so surprised by that?”

“Because it is surprising,” his father answered, pushing past Brody so he could see Chase. Brody ignored the comment, not willing to let his father ruin his good mood.

“You boys were both born here,” his mother said wistfully, staring around the room. “Feels just like yesterday.”

“I’m sure it does, Mom.” Brody wrapped his arm over her shoulders protectively, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He shot a look at his father, who was busy inspecting his first grandchild like she was one of his depositions.

Chase glanced over and smiled at him. Brody nodded, pleased that everything had turned out okay. He was grateful he could be there for his brother at least this once. Maybe it didn’t make up for everything, but it was a start.

An hour later, his parents left. Brody returned to Abby’s room with a cup of coffee for Chase. Abby was fast asleep, still recuperating from the surgery.

Chase accepted the drink and quietly thanked him.

Brody nodded. “If you don’t need me for anything else, I can take off. You probably want to get some rest or something.”

Chase sipped his coffee, exhaling in relief at the dose of caffeine. “Actually, I’d rather not be alone. Can you stay for a little while longer? Until Abby’s awake?”

Brody couldn’t ignore the hopeful tone in his brother’s voice. He took a seat on a nearby chair. “Like I said before. There’s no place else I’d rather be.”