Holy shit.
My heart was racing by the time we finally got into the hospital, and once we did, everyone was looking at us. Nurses and doctors stopped, and every other person milling around was staring at me.
What the fuck?
“Come on, Miss Sloane,” Lucas guided, getting us on the first elevator we could get to. He seemed to know where we were going because when they opened, he took us right out. We zipped through halls, the man fast and I noticed no one was around on this floor. I mean, I legitimately saw no doctors or anyone.
At least until my brother.
Bru stood in front of a television screen, his hands clasping his arms. His back to me, he stood in the center of a hospital room with a made bed, and he must have heard us come in because he shifted.
His shoulders visibly sagged, an instant relief flooding his face. Right away, he crossed the room over to me, and I had him in my arms before he could even make the trip halfway.
I hugged the shit out of my brother, actually shaking. The past twenty-four hours had been completely fucked and for so many reasons.
“Holy shit, Sloane. Holy shit,” he just kept saying, and I was crying. His swallow sounded in my ear. “Holy shit.”
Holy shit was right.
I squeezed him harder, not wanting to let go.
“You two kids stay here,” came from behind us, and when I opened my eyes, Lucas was at the door. He had his hat under his arm. “I’m going to let Mr. Montgomery know Sloane’s returned safe. He’s with the hospital’s director about the situation. Texted me that on the way over. He informed me this whole floor is secure, but don’t leave the room just in case. The press are very hungry for Sloane’s story.”
This was crazy, madness. What kind of fucked-up town cared this much about someone else’s business? I was nobody, no one.
Lucas closed the door behind him, and eventually, my brother let me go. I hadn’t been the one to do it, and I only think he did to look at me. He scanned my eyes. “It was Dad? I saw him on the video feed, but…”
I nodded before he could finish, my brother blinking.
“Did you know he was alive?” he asked, eyes wild. “Why did he take you?”
I didn’t want to tell my brother what our father did only moments after he confirmed our dad was still around.
I didn’t want to tell him Dad was dead even more.
I had no logical answers for my brother. I swallowed. “I didn’t know, and I don’t know why he took me, but he did.”
“Well, where is he?” He looked around like Dad would come through the door, but I shook him back.
“Lucas,” I said. “Lucas found me, and Dad was unstable, Bru.”
“What do you mean?”
How did I tell my brother that our father had been shot. How did I tell him that Dad died when that was what he already believed. I gripped his arms. “Lucas is Callum’s security, and Dad fired on him. He did, and Lucas had to shoot back to save me.”
His face fell. “What do you mean save you?”
It was hard for me to finish, and maybe he saw that because he brought me into a hug.
“Sloane?”
“Dad’s gone, Bru,” I said, holding him tight. “He tried to hurt me, and Lucas saved me. Dad was going to set the whole place he took me to on fire with me inside. He did set the place on fire.”
I remembered the flames, so big and all that gas. I still smelled like it.
My brother was silent, but he definitely heard me. His fingers dug into my back. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “He was unstable, Bruno.”