Page 68 of Cursed Luck
Edward paced back and forth, the hospital’s walls threatening to suffocate him. “I should have been there! That fucker should be dead for hurting her! If only we’d gotten there a minute earlier—”
Brandy stepped into his path and set her hands on her hips. “She’s in surgery, and they will do everything to save her. Carter said Dr. Jackson is the best in town. Now tell me why you didn’t reach out to her? Neither of you did? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Edward ran a hand through his hair and growled. “I don’t know. I didn’t fucking think to. The feeling something was wrong or would be wrong hit me first. I don’t know!”
Brandy nodded. “That’s fine. I don’t have your power, so I don’t know how the warning mixed with the bond’s warning would have blended.”
“Bond’s warning?” Edward asked, narrowing his gaze on her.
“Yeah. When something isn’t right with Ryan, I just kind of know. This gut-wrenching feeling? I can’t explain it.”
“Actually, I think I know what you’re saying. It’s what made me vomit on the street. I’ve never experienced a physical reaction from my power. Must have been the bond. Fuck, if I’d known—”
“Stop!” Brandy snapped, the tone in the single word forcing him to do just that. He had never heard his sister hold such authority, and it stunned him.
His cell phone rang in his pocket, drawing both of their attention away from the power rolling off her. “Yeah?” he snapped without looking to see who the caller was.
“We’re on our way. How is she?” Ethan asked.
Edward pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it before bringing it back. “Did you see this would happen?”
“Of course not!” Ethan snapped. “If I did, one of us would have been there to stop it before that tweaked-out asshole could have stepped foot inside the shop.”
The anger inside Edward deflated at his brother’s words. His family had his back, and in his fear over losing Mia, he was acting like an asshole. He raised his gaze to meet Brandy’s. She had helped him get to the shop faster than he could have, and he had been a bear with her ever since.
“Thanks, E, I’m sorry I’m—”
“Acting like a lunatic?” Brandy said, a smile tipping her lips for the first time since they left the café.
“I’m sorry I’m being a crazy jackass to everyone. I… I can’t lose her, E.”
“Eddie, we all understand. Trust me when I say that. Carter will be there to help as soon as he can, but he promised the doctor was the best,” Ethan said.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
After ending the call, he lowered onto a hospital chair and dropped his head into his hands. His perfectly planned night had gone up in flames. The flowers he’d meant to give her were still in his car, and the words he’d been choking on had still not been said. He did not want the moment he told her how he felt to be overshadowed by the night’s events. She deserved so much more.
***
The next twenty-four hours of his life were the longest. Mia made it through surgery, and the doctor allowed him to visit her after explaining how lucky she was that the bullet had caused minimal injury. She was still sedated and unaware of Edward’s presence, but seeing her chest rise and fall had soothed his frazzled nerves.
The moment the police released the crime scene, his family stepped in and set it to rights. The teen, Dan, had been arrested, and with Brandy’s help, he didn’t remember their sudden arrival. In one instant, Dan could have stolen Mia from his life. Edward hoped he never saw the light of day again.
Refusing to let her out of his sight, he brought her back to his apartment once she was discharged. She’d done little to fight him on the matter, only asking him to make sure her family never learned of the shooting. It was something they could easily agree to, as Carter had healed her after her follow-ups.
Edward was eternally grateful Carter had also been able to heal her mind of the trauma she’d experienced. Bodies would heal with time, but the human mind was fragile.
Careful not to disturb her as she lay sleeping in his arms, he grabbed his phone. He opened his email with the hope to find a certain reply that could ease his mind. He made mental notes to return to one and discovered the realtor he hired had emailed him. He clicked on the new link, and excitement bubbled through him at her findings. A beautiful cabin in the woods, like he had envisioned, gleamed on the page.
Edward clicked on the link and nearly woke her at finding everything he had asked for. The large cabin sat on quite a few acres of land. The closest neighbors were a couple of miles away, offering them privacy. The kitchen was recently renovated and opened into a large living space they could host his family.
A familiar tingle ran along his skin as he considered emailing the realtor. His business mind yelled a reminder at him, saying a home was never purchased sight unseen. His Broderick roots, however, had his fingers flying across the small screen.
Catherine,
This is perfect. Put in an offer. I want to move in as soon as possible!
Edward Broderick
