Lauren mumbled underneath her breath but loud enough for me to hear it. “We have no idea who you are either, or why my brother is fighting for his life.”
Ethan cleared his throat slightly irritated by Lauren’s rudeness. “Right. Let me introduce you.” He pointed toward each of his children. “These are Brody’s very protective sisters Layla, Lisa, Lauren, and his brother, Michael.”
I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be in their shoes. I’d never had to. I had hated my father, had never really got to have a relationship with my mother, and my sister was trying to kill me. My family was like a horror story. Brody’s family seemed to be ripped out the pages of a 1980’s American sitcom.
“It’s nice to meet all of you. Again, I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let me know.”
“It would be nice to know how these circumstances happened.” Lisa couldn’t help herself. She had questions. Everybody did.
I couldn’t even be mad, not really. It was refreshing to see how fiercely protective Brody’s family was of him. “Right. I’m sure you do.” It was awkward not being the dominant figure in the room. “I’ll do my best to answer them.”
“Can we start off with the obvious? What happened?” Eager eyes from Lauren penetrated my shell. They reminded me so much of a younger version of Nina.
I made an attempt to explain but being very careful with some of the details. “Brody is such a gentleman. I met him at the Capitol in Washington. I’d gotten caught up in a bit of trouble there. He took me into his home for a day so that I could get my bearings. He wanted to make sure I arrived back—here—safely. When we got off of his private plane, there was gunfire almost immediately. Unfortunately, Brody was shot.”
Michael finally chimed in, looking so much like his brother. He had Brody’s mannerisms, even the way he held his stance was the spitting image of him. “That trouble wouldn’t have been the shootout in the Capitol garage that’s been all over the news?”
Slowly, I nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid so.”
Lisa was next to ask the obvious. “So they were after you?”
Something akin to guilt tugged at me. I didn’t want to get into the details, but they would find out soon enough so it might as well come from me. “Yes. I’m pretty sure I was the target.”
The room went quiet with unsaid words. It was your fault hung in the air. I felt an uncomfortable need to explain further. “My father recently passed away. There is a fortune, a business, and a legacy at stake. The people who were at the airport weren’t aiming for Brody. They had me in their crosshairs.”
The desperation in Layla’s voice couldn’t be masked. “Have the people who are responsible been caught or are they still out there? Is that why the guys with guns are standing outside Brody’s door?”
I balled my fists up at my sides thinking about who had done this. Nina. She was responsible. It was my turn to hide my anger and frustration. “No. They have not been caught. But, soon. I promise you, they will pay for all of this.”
The conviction with which I said my words left no room for doubt. The distrust in their gazes didn’t completely disappear but diminished in its intensity.
Michael nodded and responded. “Good. I want to help get the assholes that did this to my brother.”
Lydia Windham’s hand went to her throat. “Michael, no. I have one son who . . .” She choked up and couldn’t finish the sentence. “I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger. Let the proper authorities handle this situation.”
I could see Michael was ready to protest, so I quickly intervened in the conversation.
“I’m currently working with a team of people, and we are doing everything in our power to make sure those who are responsible are brought to justice. That’s part of the reason why I couldn’t meet you at the airport. We are making a lot of progress. So for now, Michael, I think we have it covered.”
It seemed no one really knew what else to say. Lisa just had one more question. “You’ve been to my brother’s house. What exactly are you to him?”
The edges of my lips curved up just a little. “He’s a very special man to me.”
Mr. Windham answered back in response. “If Brody flew all the way down here to be with you, it’s probably safe to say that you’re pretty special to him too. That means you need to be careful dealing with the bastards who did this to my son. When he wakes up, and he will, if something were to have happened to you—there would be hell to pay.”
I mumbled underneath my breath. “There’s already going to be hell to pay.”
Chapter 7
I woke up when Michael Windham came into the hospital room with coffee and donuts. I had a crick in my neck from sitting in the uncomfortable chairs, napping on and off throughout the night. Someone must have placed a light blanket over me because it wasn’t there when I fell asleep.
Of course, Michael went
