Page 70 of Rake

Benjamin is familiar with terrible fathers. It doesn’t faze him.

I want to tell him more. Tell him that I love him, and that just because some people might be willing to hurt you like you’re nothing, it doesn’t mean you’re nothing. It’s something I’m having to fight to believe myself. But I’m groggy from the painkillers, from the stress of the night, and I can’t manage to keep my eyes open very long.

At some point the commotion of people entering the room wakes me up again.

I see a stunning woman and a big handsome man staring down at me. The woman is slender and tall, with strawberry blonde hair, and the man is all bulky muscle, with unruly dark hair and arresting blue eyes.

“Ms. Saunders?” the woman asks.

“Yes?” I struggle to sit up.

She rushes over and takes my hand.

“I’m Siobhan Carney. This is my partner Kieran.”

He offers a cheerful wave that’s out of place in the situation.

I don’t know how to feel about Finn’s sister being in my room. I’m not thinking straight. But this is important. I care about Finn, and I want to know how he’s doing.

“My brother,” she says. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“She’s his emergency contact,” Kieran offers. “Life’s full of interesting surprises.”

I’m grateful that Finn laid out some context for me or this exchange would’ve left me confused.

She shoots a glare at him and he gives a whipped puppy look that makes it easy to forget what a big man he is.

“The doctor said he was shot?”

I take a deep breath and tell her what happened in the park.

“Someone set us up, Ms. Carney. Me, my brother, and yours.”

She looks stricken, all the color draining from her lovely face. Clearly she knows who was behind the setup, arriving at the right conclusion as her mind quickly sorts the facts. But Finn said their father loves Siobhan, and I imagine she’s had a very different experience than his with James Carney.

Kieran slips his arm around her waist.

“Are you badly hurt?” she asks, trying to hold back a sob.

I don’t really know. I haven’t been awake long enough to talk to a doctor. I look over at my brother, but he’s passed out asleep in a chair. I turn to Jamilah, and she waits for an indication of consent. I give a small nod.

“Fractured ribs and contusions. Concussion. You’ll be overnight for observation because of what you’ve been through previously.”

I can tell she wants to say more about that, but she doesn’t.

“Is there any word on Finn? Is he…?”

“The bullet lodged in his collar bone. They had to take it out and there was a lot of bleeding.”

Kieran pulls Siobhan into a hug when she can’t hold her tears back anymore. He strokes her hair, whispering something into her ear that I can’t hear. She nods, sniffling.

“We’re going to wait for word on her brother,” he says. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry.” Siobhan is still sobbing. “I’m so sorry my father did this.”

So she did figure it out. The Carney family dynamics are astounding.

“Finn told me how much he likes you,” she continues through her tears. “He’s never said that about anyone.”

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