Page 45 of Queen of Diamonds
Deidre was right. He’d been a coward. But no more. If Kinsey didn’t turn her back on him after this, he’d fall to his knees in gratitude. If she wanted babies, he’d give her however many dozens of them she wanted. If that scared him down to his toes, he’d somehow deal with it. For her.
The next minutes passed in a blur as he let his father take over so he could stay with Kinsey until help arrived. Harlan somehow managed to clear the hallway leading to the women’s room, get the bastard—Rand still didn’t know his name, but he’d find out—who had hurt Kinsey sent off in one ambulance and Kinsey in another, both to a private hospital Rand had never heard of.
Rand was riding in the ambulance carrying the man to make sure he didn’t cause trouble. As much as he’d rather be with Kinsey, he was the only one with a badge since he didn’t want to involve the police until he talked to Nate. His father and Deidre were following in Harlan’s limo, and as soon as Harrison dropped Harlan off at the hospital, he would take Deidre home. After doing that, he’d return to the gala to wait until Rand’s mother was ready to leave.
Rand made a mental note to send Deidre flowers, along with a message of appreciation for all her help. She’d turned out to be pretty amazing, and he now counted her as a friend.
He needed to call Nate, but he didn’t want to talk in front of his prisoner or the EMT. As soon as they arrived, he told his father to stand guard in the emergency room, then went to make sure Kinsey was getting immediate attention. Once he confirmed that she was, he walked outside and made the call he dreaded.
“It’s Rand,” he said when Nate answered.
“So my caller ID claims. I thought you were wining and dining with the beautiful people tonight.”
“I was until… until I almost beat a man to death.”
“Just what kind of gala does the Friends of the Library put on? You need me to come bail you out of jail?”
“No. I’m at Doctors of Healing Hospital. Nate, the man I almost killed, wanted to kill, tried to rape your sister.”
“The hell you say. Is she hurt?”
“Yes. Probably a concussion, maybe a neck injury. The doctor’s with her now.”
“I’m on the way.”
The line went dead. He went back inside and found his father leaning against the wall where he could keep an eye on the curtained-off room where they had Kinsey’s attacker handcuffed to a bed. “Anything on Kinsey yet?”
“Yes, they took her up to X-ray. They wanted to get some pictures of her head and neck. The doctor said he’d talk to her family when they arrived.”
Rand thrust a thumb toward the curtain. “What about him?”
“He’s making noises. Wants to file assault charges against you. Says his father is going to sue you for everything you own. I’ve already called my lawyer, and he’s on standby should we need him.”
“He can come at me all he wants. He has no idea who he’s messing with. Nate will be here shortly, most likely with his brothers in tow. When they see their sister, they’ll probably be pissed I didn’t kill him.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“Not his name, but he’s the son of the owner of Summer Fashions, the place Kinsey works.”
“Jacob Summer owns it.” He took out his phone. “Greg, I want everything you can find on Jacob Summer, owner of Summer Fashions. I especially want whatever you can dig up about his son.”
“Dad, we’re perfectly capable of investigating him, and believe me, if there’s any dirt on him, we’ll find it,” Rand said after his father disconnected.
“I know, but Greg can… how should I say this considering I’m talking to an FBI agent? Let’s just say he doesn’t have to worry about the legalities of his snooping. Now tell me about this woman who’s very important to you.”
“She’s the sister the Gentry brothers didn’t know about until recently.” He gave his father an abbreviated version of the story. “I didn’t know she was their sister in the beginning or I never would have gone near her. It figures that the first woman to catch my interest since Olivia turned out to be the sister of three overly protective males.”
“They have a problem with you seeing her?”
Rand had to smile at his father taking offense that the Gentrys might have a problem with his son. “Stand down. It’s not personal. They’d have a problem with any man getting near her.”
“You called her Sunshine.”
“Because that’s what she’s brought into my life.”
“Son, I’ve been worried that you’d never let yourself be happy again. If that woman is the reason for bringing the light back into your eyes, then she’s special as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yeah, she is.” He just hoped he hadn’t blown it with her. “And here they come,” he said, seeing the sliding door open and Nate striding in. Not only had he brought Court and Alex with him, but Taylor and Madison, too. He assumed that the only reason Lauren wasn’t here was because she was due to deliver just about any day.
