Page 162 of Ransom
"Yes. That little jerk made me wrestle him into his pajamas." The panting makes a lot more sense. I've been winded more than once trying to get a onesie on Noah after a diaper change. He's a fucking beast and has some ninja-level skills.
Looking at her bright eyes, the laughter still in them, I can't hold it in anymore. "My brothers sent me something. About Maggie."
Her gray eyes lock onto mine, turning serious. "What about Maggie?"
"Don't be mad, please." I study her, waiting for a nod. When I get it, I take a deep breath and tell her. "I asked them to look into some treatment options. I wanted to know if there were any clinical trials or if we could get some second opinions." I pull out my phone again. "I haven't looked at it yet. It felt wrong doing this behind your back."
"Is that even legal?" She doesn't slap me or yell at me. Instead, her tone is level. And that scares me enough that I almost back up. It is level because she's about to tear into me, or….okay, I don't have any idea what the other possibility is.
I shrug and take a tiny step back. "Not even a little bit. Declan's a bit of a hacker, and he made all the inquiries look legit. Well—they are legit. He just made it look like Maggie agreed to her information being shared."
"So you broke the law." Her voice is expressionless, but I don't make the mistake of thinking it's because she doesn't care. She cares too much, and the blank mask is a symptom of that.
"I did. And I don't regret it for a second."
"Because you want to help Maggie."
I don't try and hide the wince, and of course she picks up on it, gaze turning sharp and questioning. "I care about Maggie. And I want Max to have his mom. But I'm not really doing it for either of them. I'm doing it for you. Because someone you love is sick, and it's killing you. And that makes me fucking mental."
"I'm handling it."
"You are. And that pisses me off too. You shouldn't have to handle it. I don't like it. At all."
"Everyone has to deal with death sometime."
"Nope. Not you. You're done. You've had more than your fair share. I don't want it touching you. I don't want you thinking about it or worrying about it. And I know I can't control that. You're in the thick of Maggie's decisions. So that's why I have that file."
"Are you asking for my permission?"
I shake my head. "No. I'm telling you because you've got too much on your shoulders already. Too many decisions to make. I'll talk to Maggie about it myself."
"But?"
"But I'm worried she'll be angry. Not at me—at you. That she'll think you put me up to this. I'm going to make it really fucking clear that it's on me. And I'm going to give her my honest opinion on all of this. But there may be some blowback."
"Your family knows you pretty well. Becca knows you pretty well. She warned me you might do this." Becca told her? Jesus, that woman's too smart for her own good. Add in the air of crazy about her, and she's as cunning as...I don't know. Some cunning scary animal.
Blair pushes off from the counter, moving closer, her chin tipped."I don't care if Maggie gets mad at me."
She means it. Now. But what about a week from now? "Blair?—"
"No, listen." She grabs my arm, her grip tight enough to leave marks. Her eyes shine with unshed tears, jaw clenched against the emotion threatening to spill over. "If there's even a small chance that something in that file could save her, I want her to know about it. I want her to try." Her voice cracks, but she clears her throat and takes a deep breath. "I need her to try, Ransom."
I pull her into my arms, feeling her trembling. "Okay. I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"We'll talk to her tomorrow," she corrects me. "Together."
50
BLAIR
Iwipe my hands on a shop rag and watch Ransom's shoulders flex as he tightens the bolts on a tire. The question's been bugging me all morning.
"So how'd you really convince Matt to take time off?"
Ransom straightens up, a smudge of grease on his forearm. "Gave him ten grand."
"What?" My jaw drops. "Just like that?"
