Page 8 of Knox

“Sure. I’ve got to spend time with my father. Fortunately, you’re staying with my father, too. Win-win.” I tried to give her an encouraging smile but wasn’t sure I managed it. Mostly because I was way happier about that particular situation than I should be. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.

“Good,” my dad said, rubbing his hands together. “We can take our Evie home and be sure she has everything she needs.”

Bullet gave a crisp nod. “Good. I’ll go get her discharge instructions and scripts ready. Knox, you need anything, you let me know. I’ll make sure you have it.”

“I’ll need another oxygen tank. Used most of what I had in the trailer. Albuterol and Atrovent too. Or anything else you think she needs.”

“No problem. I’ll text the guys. They helpin’ get you relocated?”

“Haven’t asked yet, but that’s the plan.”

“I’ll give ‘em a heads-up. Give me the address and someone’ll be there soon.”

I held out my hand to Bullet. “Thanks, man. I owe you.”

Bullet jerked his head toward Evelyn and the kids. “Take care of them. That’s payment enough.”

A few minutes later and four hours after we first got to the hospital, after the nurse had given me a packet of papers for everyone, we started out of the ER. I carried Evelyn while the kids and my father walked with us.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking,” Evelyn protested as we left the room. She didn’t struggle to get down, though. Which told me everything I needed to know. She was still weak. Probably exhausted. She smelled like smoke and old burning building, but underneath that was a sweetness I tried hard to ignore. She was my brother’s woman. I’d thought it earlier, but I had to keep reminding myself just how the fuck off-limits she was.

Just before we rounded the corner Aneshya sucked in a breath before running ahead. “Daddy!” Sure enough, in the room in front of us Danny sat at the bedside of a very pregnant woman. She scowled as Aneshya threw herself into Danny’s arms, hugging him tightly. “We were so worried! Mommy made us leave the building, but she tried to find you. Grandpa and Mr. Knox pulled her out, but the smoke made her sick.”

Danny didn’t push her away, but he didn’t hug the child either. When he looked up and saw me, his eyes widened. He did push his daughter away this time, his gaze taking in the rest of us. His gaze rested on Evelyn before returning to me again.

“Denver. Holy shit.”

“Knox,” I corrected. “I go by Knox now.”

“Where you been, man? We thought you were dead.”

“Long story.” I nodded to the woman in the bed. “Guessing you’ve got a long story as well.”

“Who are these people, Danny?”

“No one, honey. Don’t worry about them. We need to make sure you and the baby are OK.” Did he honestly think he was going to get anyone to just ignore this whole thing? His woman would ignore all of us? And that his kids weren’t going to understand what was happening? Hell. Did he even care about any of us, especially his kids?

Luke tugged at his sister’s hand, pulling her away from my brother. “Come on, Aneshya.” He gave Danny a disgusted look. “We’re leaving.”

I still carried Evelyn. She was trembling in my arms. Danny hadn’t even acknowledged her. As she looked from the woman in the bed to Danny and back, her breathing quickened.

“Calm down, Evelyn.” I tried to speak calmly when I wanted to set her down and pound the living hell outta my brother. “You want to go home. And you can’t do that if you have a panic attack on the way out the door.” She nodded. “Put your arms around my neck and put your face against my shoulder,” I whispered. “Not a sound until we’re out of here. You can do it.”

My dad ushered the kids out. “Take them to the truck, Knox. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“If you’re telling Danny to go to hell, I wanna stay.” Luke lifted his chin, glaring daggers at my brother. Seems he was good to let his sister go with me so he could stay and see his own father get a dressing down. I understood him completely.

Danny just sat there. I recognized the look on his face from years past. He knew he was in trouble and was going to sit there and take it. Then he’d continue on like nothing happened. The question was, would he want to stay in Evelyn’s and his children’s lives, or stay with his new woman.

“Why is she calling you Daddy?” The woman gave my brother a look somewhere between anger and anguish.

“Because Danny’s her father.” My dad might be over seventy, but he was still in top physical condition and he wasn’t a small man. He could intimidate better than almost anyone I knew. Well, except possibly Lemon. But in my defense, any woman who refused to clean the blood off herself after she helped beat men to a bloody pulp just so she could get one over on the club girls in Grim Road deserved to be feared. “It’s obvious to me you’re as innocent as Evelyn in this, so I’m sorry to tell you Danny has two children with Evelyn.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you he’s my husband. We’ve been married for fifteen years.” Her voice shook, and I knew she was on the verge of tears. “I never thought I’d be able to have kids, so this is our first child.” She turned accusing eyes to Danny. “What’s going on?”

“He’s just a crazy old man, honey. Those kids are my brother’s.”

“Then why did the girl call you Daddy? And why have I never heard about your brother? Or your father? You told me all your family was dead!”

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