Chapter 003. Trapped With His Brother

He took another step, his brown eyes shining with absolute, terrifying sincerity.

"I did this for you, Daphne. Because I love you too much to see you get fat and miserable. I took on the burden of setting this up so you wouldn't have to stress about it."

I stood there, completely paralyzed.

It was horrifying. It was magnificent in its psychopathy. In the span of two minutes, Finn Hawthorne had taken a dirty, spineless act of cheating on his engagement night and repackaged it as a selfless, noble act of heroic love.

And the scariest part? For a split second, he sounded so convincing, so earnest, that a weaker version of me might have actually apologized for interrupting him.

My stomach turned over with violent, burning disgust.

Finn reached me. His large, warm hands gently cupped my cheeks. His thumbs stroked my cheekbones, wiping away a tear I hadn't even realized had fallen.

He leaned in, pressing his forehead directly against mine. His breath smelled like scotch and mints.

"After our wedding, it's just going to be you, me, and Vanessa. Nobody ever has to know about our little arrangement, okay? We're going to be so happy, Daph. I promise."

He closed his eyes, leaning in to press his lips against mine.

The utter repulsion washed over me like a bucket of ice water. The fog in my brain cleared instantly, leaving behind a sharp, blinding rage.

My hand dipped down into my open clutch bag. My fingers wrapped around the grip of Killian's taser.

I didn't flip the safety off gracefully. I slammed the switch with my thumb, jammed the metal prongs straight between Finn's legs, into the absolute center of his groin, and squeezed the trigger with everything I had.

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Fifty thousand volts exploded straight into his nether regions.

Finn's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as a sharp cry tore from his throat. His knees buckled, and he crashed onto the rug, twitching as his muscles spasm.

The bathroom door flew open, and Vanessa screamed, loud enough to wake the dead.

I stood over my fiancé of six hours, breathing heavily. Looking from the taser in my hand down to Finn curled in a fetal position, weeping softly in unholy agony, I pulled the giant diamond ring off my finger and casually dropped it onto his chest.

"Thanks for thinking of my career, Finn," I said, deadpan. "You might need to call a urologist."

I walked out, leaving the door wide open. Outside, the night air hit my face, and for the first time in six years, I could breathe.

I pulled out my phone to book a ride but at that same time, a call came in.

Kimberly.

Quickly, I swiped the green button and pressed the phone to my ear. "Kimberly? Oh God, you won't believe—"

"Is this Daphne Rhodes?" a stern voice interrupted.

My stomach plummeted. "Yes... where's my sister?"

"This is Saint Jude Memorial Hospital. Your sister, Kimberly Cross, and her husband, Adam Cross, were brought in twenty minutes ago after a severe accident on Highway 9."

The world stopped spinning. "Are... are they okay?"

"I need you to come to the hospital immediately."

I shoved the phone into my clutch and quickly flagged down an approaching yellow cab. I threw myself into the backseat, my hands shaking as I dialed Killian.

He answered on the second ring, lazy and unbothered. "Dolphin. Found out your fiancé is a douchebag already?"

Yes, I thought bitterly, a manipulative one too. But I wasn't telling Killian now.

"Did the hospital call you?" I blurted out, my voice on the edge of cracking. "Regarding your best friend?"

Silence followed before the rustling of bedsheets as his drowsy tone vanished. "What are you talking about? What happened to Adam?"

I scoffed. "So you're not even on his emergency contacts?"

"When did I become his wife, Daphne? Or worse, his dad?" Killian shot back, defensive. "Why would I be on his hospital speed dial?"

"How are you best friends if he doesn't trust you on an emergency form?" I snarled into the receiver.

"Because we don't do that, Dolphin," he snapped, patience thin. "Stop throwing temper tantrums and tell me why 'hospital' and 'Adam' are in the same sentence."

The anger drained, leaving only terror. "They were in a car crash, Killian."

"Holy shit," he breathed out, arrogance gone.

"Yeah. Meet me at Saint Jude's. Right now."

"On my way."

The cab pulled up. I paid the driver and sprinted inside the lobby, rushing the desk. "Hi. My name is Daphne Rhodes. I got a call about Kimberly and Adam Cross."

The nurse behind the counter looked up, her expression softening into that practiced smile that immediately made my stomach turn into concrete. "Miss Rhodes. Please take a seat in the waiting area. The doctors are still in the trauma bay conducting emergency procedures on both of them."

"Wait," I begged, clutching the counter edge. "Were they alone? Was there... was there a baby with them?"

The nurse checked her terminal, scanning the intake notes before shaking her head. "No, sweetie. The paramedics brought in two adults. No child was at the scene."

I let out a ragged breath, nodding numbly. Kimberly had probably dropped little Sophie off with Mrs Gable, their trusted neighborhood babysitter, before heading out. That was good. Sophie was safe.

I sank into a plastic chair at the waiting area, wrapping my arms around myself. Every tick of the wall clock felt like a blade against my nerves.

Then the doors swung open, and Killian walked in.

He was wearing a faded, fitted black Henley that clung to his broad chest and dark denim jeans. Mind you, they were just casual, thrown-together clothing that somehow made him look this lethal. His dark hair was slightly messy, a few strands falling over a forehead that was currently covered in a frown. His dark eyes swept the room until they locked directly onto mine.

My pulse spiked.

Killian reached me in three long strides. "Hey. Have you talked to the doctor?"

I looked up at him, opening my mouth to answer, but no sound came out. My throat closed up entirely. My eyes burned with a sudden, searing heat, and before I could stop them, hot tears spilled over my lashes, tracking hot rivers down my cheeks. "They... they haven't come out yet," I stammered. "Sophie wasn't with them, but nobody is telling me anything, and..."

The dam broke.

The frown on Killian's face immediately slipped away, replaced by worry as he leaned down, hauled me out of the chair, and pulled me straight into his chest. I froze for a fraction of a second before completely collapsing into him.

He was warm, smelling of cedar, rain, and leather. One broad hand held the back of my head while the other rubbed steady circles into my back.

"Shh," Killian murmured against my hair, his deep voice vibrating through my ribs. "Hold it together, Dolphin. They're tough. They'll pull through, okay? Now, please, stop crying."

I clutched his shirt, sobbing. "She has to be okay, Killian. She's all I have left."

"I know," he murmured, his thumb gently caressing my neck. "I know, Daphne. Just breathe. I'm right here."

For a few minutes, held in his arms, I felt safe.

Then the wooden doors clicked open. "Miss Daphne Rhodes?"

I pulled away instantly, wiping my face. "Yes. That's me."

A female surgeon stepped out, pulling off her cap, her face pale and heavy. "Hi. I'm Dr Benedict. I am so sorry. We did everything humanly possible."

My heart stopped.

"Mr Adam Cross sustained catastrophic internal trauma on impact," she said gently. "He passed away in the ambulance."

A strangled gasp ripped from my throat. Adam was gone.

"And... and Kimberly?" I choked out, grabbing Killian's arm like he was the only anchor I had left. At that point, he was.

"She survived emergency surgery, but she suffered severe blunt-force head trauma," Dr Benedict said heavy-heartedly. "She is in a deep coma on life support. We don't know if or when she'll wake up."

I stumbled back, but Killian caught my waist, locking me against his side.

"Dr Benedict?" a nurse called from the desk. "Line two. The attorney is outside."

Dr. Benedict turned back. "I accessed Kimberly's files and contacted Attorney Anderson. Does that name ring a bell?"

Killian frowned, his voice dropping low. "Anderson? Yeah. That's Adam's personal attorney."

"He insisted on driving straight here regarding an urgent matter," she said.

"What could possibly be urgent right now?" I cried out, my head spinning.

The glass doors chimed open. A man in a tailored navy suit walked in with a leather briefcase, eyes red-rimmed. He shook Killian's hand tightly. "Killian. I wish it were under different circumstances we met."

"Anderson. What are you doing here at two in the morning?" Killian questioned, body rigid.

Anderson turned to me, nodding respectfully. "Miss Rhodes, my deepest condolences. But as the family representative, I had to come immediately regarding little Sophie."

"Why? What's going on?"

"With Adam gone and Kimberly legally incapacitated, the state requires immediate legal custody for a minor," Anderson explained gently.

"Over my dead body," I snapped, maternal instincts flaring. "I'm her aunt. She comes with me."

"True, but Adam and Kimberly drafted an updated will after Sophie's birth last year," Anderson said softly. "They didn't want the burden of raising her to fall on one person alone in a case of tragedy. So they set up a joint legal guardianship."

"Joint legal guardianship?" Killian repeated, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Who else is on that document?"

Attorney Anderson pulled a sealed document from his briefcase, dropping the ultimate bomb.

"Kimberly and Adam Cross designated the two of you," Anderson stated. "Daphne Rhodes and Killian Hawthorne are joint legal guardians. To keep Sophie out of child protective services, you will both have to live together to raise her."