Prologue
Crow
Delilah and Double looked so much in love it was nauseating, but I couldn’t help but smile at them. They were so into each other that it was infectious. Sickening but it made everyone around them smile.
Their wedding had been the party of the year, and it had been a long time in coming as well. They had been totally in love with each other since they were kids. But had only really found each other again over the last year or so. And even that hadn’t been easy! Part of that was my fault. I knew that, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel bad about it.
I had done what needed to be done.
The ringing coming from my pocket brought me back to reality with a bump. Downing the last of the beer in my bottle, I stared down at the caller ID before answering.
“This is Crow.”
There was a pause, and then a soft voice spoke from the other end of the line. So quiet, I could barely hear it over the noise of the party. Huffing I stuffed my finger in my ear and walked away from the laughing dancing people.
“Is this Mr…” another pause. “Mr Franks?”
“Yeah…” I hadn’t been called anything but Crow for over twenty years. And no one in their right mind called me Mr Frank.
“This is Chloe.” Nervous laughter tinkled down the line. “I’m one of the nurses…. We met briefly when.”
I didn’t let her finish, “I remember you.” And remember her, I did. The small obscenely curvy body? The rosy cheeks and blonde pigtails? She was a walking talking wet dream. She also had a no-nonsense approach that I found oddly appealing.
If she hadn’t been busy stitching everyone up the last time, I had seen her. I would have tried hitting on her.
And here she was, ringing my phone and making my d**k twitch.
“What’s up?” My eyes scanned the crowd. There was no one missing. Not that I could tell. So why the hell was a nurse phoning me?
“I don’t even know if I should be calling you, but I saw your name on the notes and thought you should probably have a heads up.”
Now that got my attention. “You saw my name where exactly….” I walked further away, and my shoulders hunched over.
“A Kelly….”
“What the f**k did she do now?” I bit it out between clenched teeth.
“She…. I don’t know the details, but she’s in hospital. She’s fine. Awake and that but….”
“Where’s Ty?” My heart thundered against my ribs. “What about Ty?”
I had only known about my son Ty for a few months and had been trying to gain custody from Kelly, his mother ever since.
She was an addict. Barely able to look after herself, let alone a child. My boy had been in and out of the hospital more times than I could count.
“We think he fell down the stairs.” Chloe’s voice was uncertain. “But there’s no real knowing how long he was at the bottom of the stairs. He’s got a broken leg, but it will be fine with time. I just wanted you to know.”
What the hell did she mean, they had no way of knowing how long he had been there? Had could he have fallen downstairs, broken his leg and no one realises?
“Where was his mother?”
“She was passed out ….I….” Chloe’s voice faltered as a stream of profanities left my mouth in a rush.
My son had been in agony, and his mother had been passed out?
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
