Page 8 of Legacy of Danger
The rustle of sheets and a creak of bedsprings pierced the silence. "Son?" One eye opened. The other remained half closed. "Is that you?" He reached an arm out. The other limb remained in place.
God, no.
"Vaughn?" Dad asked again, a quaver in that whispery-gravel voice.
Kneeling next to the bed, Vaughn gripped his father's forearms, the thin skin slack over diminished muscles. He swallowed. "Yeah. It's me."
"You're back." When Dad tried to reach out, he couldn't hold both arms up.
As an invisible dagger sunk into his heart, Vaughn leaned in and gave him a hug. Since when had his dad's shoulders gotten so thin? Since when had it hurt so much for Vaughn to pull air into his own lungs?
He inhaled. The familiar scent of Aqua Velva created a horrible churning in Vaughn's emotions. "How are you, Dad?"
"A little setback." The words came out hesitant, uneven. Slurred. "I'll be back on my feet soon."
"Sure you will." He pulled back and patted a bony shoulder. Suddenly, Vaughn needed to leave the room. Escape. "Uh, you get some rest now, okay?"
Dad's relaxed sigh sent him shrinking into the pillow. Melting.
Fading.
Waves of nausea pushed Vaughn back to the door. Then he spun around. "Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed.
"Garrison said if you wanted contact, you'd call." His brother's face fell. "I wasn't kidding when I said a lot has happened."
"And now?"
Kerr eased the door closed as they exited, then pointed at the room. "Right now, that's Dad's condition. He talks a good game, but he mostly stays in bed. Although I have to say, Nurse Ruth has worked wonders motivating him."
"Who's paying for the in-home nursing?"
"Right now, the three of us are scraping funds together."
"Damn it. I wish I had known. I can pay for his care." Of course he could. Vaughn's meteoric rise as a financial advisor had netted him a six-figure salary and bonuses. If his power to detect danger created an unfair advantage, well, at least he could use the resulting bounty to help his family.
"Garrison said that you'd left for a good reason and would come back when it was the right time."
"If I'd have known..."
"Leave the past in the past." His younger brother scowled. "That's what I have to do."
Of course he did. "How's the leg?"
"Better. Almost ready to dance a jig." No smile. "You still fighting?"
Way to change the subject. "Sure am. Lots of MMA opportunities in the greater New York area."
"Still cheating?"
"It's not cheating. I'm using my full resources is all." He sniffed. "The headaches keep me from doing it too much."
A snort. "Well, that makes it all better, doesn't it?"
Vaughn followed Kerr back down the hallway, careful to keep pace with his brother's uneven gait.
"So what's the plan?" Vaughn asked as he inhaled the scent of hot, fresh breakfast—bacon and eggs—that drifted through the house.
"You stay here and protect the ranch."
