Page 34 of Kinks of a Billionaire
“Her name tag,” he murmured with a glare. Byron was clearly annoyed, and I liked him just a tad bit more because of it. “And she’s Kristoff’s cousin.” Royce opened his mouth but then must have decided against whatever he was going to say. “We’re here to visit baby McHale, Doctor,” Byron added.
Aurora and I nodded our heads. “Anya and Sailor McHale.”
A feeling that looked like pity passed her expression, but she quickly recovered.
“Are you family?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Maybe.”
Three different answers bombarded the doctor, and she sighed. “I’ll go with your first answer. For your friends’ sake.” A bad omen danced in the air, and I held my breath. “The mother has passed.” Shock struck and gasps echoed. “Her sister is with the baby, but she’s pretty shook up. She’ll need all your support to get through this.”
“How?” I croaked.
“How could this happen?” Aurora added, her voice cracking just like my heart. I took her hand, squeezing it to comfort us both.
“We’ll explain everything shortly, but the mother had underlying health problems and—” I couldn’t process anythingelse, my concern for my best friend and her baby nephew taking center stage.
“Can we go…” The lump in my throat grew, and I cleared my throat to force the words out. “Can we see them, please?”
“Follow me, McHale family.”
We didn’t correct her as we trailed behind her in shock. I was trying to reconcile the image I’d had of this special day with what we were about to find at the end of this sterile hallway. Anya’s room should’ve been overflowing with cheer and happiness, not death. Sailor sat on the couch with a tiny baby cradled in her arms.
We pushed through room 38D and rushed over to Sailor’s side, wrapping her and her nephew into our arms.
“I can’t go back home.” Sailor’s voice shook, her expression full of anguish. “I—I promised.”
She promised her sister she’d take care of the baby, but not under the roof of the very same man who abused her.
Royce came over and cradled the baby’s head ever so gently with his big hand. My own heart cracked, and I was filled with love for him.
“Don’t worry, blondie.” It was what he always called Sailor thanks to her platinum-blonde hair. “Byron can move mountains. We got this. You don’t have to go home.”
And he stood by that promise. From that day on, Royce and his brothers had her back. Hers and baby Gabriel’s.
I sighed as the memory washed over me. The truth was, maybe it was exactly that reason Royce’s address came to mind in that taxi last night.
“Royce to the rescue once again,” Sailor stated matter-of-factly, as though she’d been right there with me in that memory, but the softness in her eyes didn’t escape me. She’d kill for us, just as we would for her.
“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” Aurora asked.
I nodded.
“I’ve got this under control. Royce and I…”Have struck a deal.“We got this.”
“How come you never said anything about Royce?” Sailor questioned, then threw a quick glance over her shoulder before continuing. “I’m not mad or anything, I just didn’t think we kept secrets from each other.”
Ever since high school, we’d been thick as thieves, but many things had changed since then. Aurora married a Russian mobster, Sailor found herself a Colombian one, so like it or not, secrets were part of their world.
“I didn’t keep too many,” I said, staring at my water.
“Aside from losing your job,” Sailor pointed out.
I frowned. “How did you know?”
