It only took two steps for Remington to grab him by his shirt and for his fist to go crashing into his nose.
He heard it crunch.
Kane tried to fight back, but he didn’t have a chance. Remington landed another hard blow. “I should kill you for what you did to my daughter. You’re the reason she’s in here!” Remington slammed his fist into Kane’s stomach causing him to double over.
“No, I’m not! I can prove it!”
Bella screamed. “You’re disgusting, Kane! You know what you did.”
“No, I know what you did!” He spat back.
Remington landed another punch to the side of Kane’s head that looked as if it had knocked him out. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth.
“Daddy, no! Please. You’re going to kill him!” Charlie screamed. “It wasn’t him. Kane didn’t cause me to fall off the horse. There was no horse!”
Kane choked on his words. “Ask Bella why she paid the security guard to move Charlie’s body after the accident.”
“You piece of shit! I know he caused your bruises.” Remington turned to Charlie. His voice almost broke. “I know he was abusing you! You almost died because of him.” A fresh round of rage went through him, only this time the security from the center burst through the doors and held him back.
Charlie was crying almost hysterically. “Yes, he caused the bruises a few days before, but I didn’t fall off a horse! Mom pushed me out of the window.”
The room went silent.
Kane nodded. “I just found out today when that same security guard left a message on my cell phone thinking it was Bella’s. Our numbers are very similar . . . One digit off. He said she paid him to move Charlie’s body from below her bedroom window next to the stable. She paid him off for his silence and his help. I believed her lies too!”
Bella couldn’t believe Charlie didn’t stick to the plan. “W-what? That’s not true. That’s a lie!”
“It is true!” Charlie’s eyes pleaded with her father. “You have to believe me. I was going to run away because I got kicked out of school. Mommy caught me planning to leave. She started hitting me and saying I was the reason she and Kane were having so many problems. I tried to get away, and I kept walking backward toward my bedroom window. It was open, and she pushed too hard. I fell out of it. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital.” Charlie turned sad eyes at Bella. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Bella looked nervously around the room. “The injury to your head must have been worse than we thought for you to come up with a crazy story like that.”
Charlie was doubled over as she wailed gut-wrenching sobs.
Remington was sick to his stomach. He couldn’t even look at Bella. “Get her out of here before I’m the one being hauled out in handcuffs.”
“REMI, this is madness! I would never!” Bella tried to explain. All of her hard work to win Charlie and Remington back was disintegrating right before her eyes.
He had murderous rage pumping through his veins. Remington roared. “Get out! Get. The. Fuck. Out. Before I really lose it. And while you’re at it, call a good lawyer because I will be pressing charges.”
Serenity security grabbed Bella and Kane. She struggled against them. “It was an accident! Do you really think I would hurt Charlie on purpose?”
They were dragged out before Remington completely lost total control.
*****
Sky and Nia were walking down the hallway toward the hospital’s executive conference room. Nia continued to coach Sky, telling and re-telling her the game plan. “They are going to try to BS us. Don’t get rattled or angry enough to lash out. We have their balls in vice-grip. By-the-way, I broke up with Steven last night—for good this time.”
Sky almost tripped over her Louboutin. “You didn’t?”
“I did. Honestly, I saw how happy Remington made you. I mean I know your relationship is kind of a mess, but I have a feeling with some time, you’ll find your way to each other. Anyway, it’s been nothing but hell with Steven for years. I won’t be able to find the man that will give me the kind of natural high you had with Remington if I’m afraid to let Steven go for fear of being alone. So, I ended it.” They stood in front of the conference door. “We’ll toast to a new beginning later. In the meantime, are you ready?”
Sky couldn’t wait for later, she pulled Nia into a quick hug. “I’m armed with the best lawyer in Chicago. Of course, I’m ready.”
They opened the door to find several members of the Board of Directors and their lawyers sitting around the conference table. The men all stood when they entered. Nia nodded. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.” Of course, it wasn’t surprising that she and Sky would be the only women in the room.
They took their seats. Nia at the head of the table, and Sky kitty-corner to her.
Nia was no-nonsense. “Let’s make this as painless as possible and get to business. My client has suffered irreparable harm at the hands of this institution. We won’t accept anything less than a full public apology from the hospital, Dr. Kirby being reinstated to her former position, the Chief-of-Staff,
