Rialto (Unbreakable Bonds 8)

“Wade and Sean were attacked in the parking lot as they were leaving tonight. They were both taken to UC.”

A heavy weight sank in Hollis’s stomach and he stepped on the gas so that they sped down the quiet street. They were no more than fifteen minutes from the hospital, but Hollis was determined to get them there in ten. “Fuck. Are they okay?”

“James said he didn’t think it was too serious, but he sent them both in an ambulance to get X-rays and checked by a doc.”

“Which would explain Jude. He and Rebecca must have been the ones to get the call,” Hollis said, mentioning Jude’s perpetual partner in the ambulance. He hated to admit that he relaxed a little to know that it wasn’t their small family that had been attacked. Jude was a great guy, and even grumpy Snow was growing on him. Particularly when he and Snow teamed up against Lucas.

“I’m calling James to get more details.”

Hollis nodded and turned his attention to getting them to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Though he was also keeping one eye on the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following them. The bad reviews and report to the health department were annoying and financially troubling, but whoever was out to hurt Ian was definitely stepping up their game. First the physical attack on Ian at their home and now a physical attack on two of Ian’s employees. He wasn’t sure if this was just a scare tactic or something more. They needed to figure out who the fuck was doing this and why. It had to end now.

Hollis was only half listening to Ian’s conversation with his business manager as he mentally ran through their options for securing Rialto and protecting the other employees.

“Thanks, James. We’re pulling into the garage now. We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Ian said as Hollis started looking for a place to park.

“What’d he say?”

“Both Sean and Wade are in for X-rays now. Sean definitely has a concussion, so they’ll probably be keeping him overnight for observations. He’s not happy about that.”

“He knows your insurance will cover it.” Hollis glanced over at Ian to find his husband giving him a look that said he was being obtuse.

“Sean doesn’t want to be away from the restaurant any more than I do. He knows I’m going to make him take some time off to recover.”

“Is everyone at Rialto a workaholic?”

“Pretty much.”

Hollis pulled the car into an open spot and shoved it into park. He pointed his finger at Ian. “You’re a bad influence.”

“I know. I know,” Ian muttered as he threw off his seat belt and climbed out of the car.

“Did James say anything about who attacked them?”

“No.” They started to quickly walk toward the area marked as the emergency room. “Sounds like they didn’t see who it was, but it was just one attacker. Apparently he knocked out the light over the parking lot and attacked them with a baseball bat, then got away. The police have been called and are checking the area. They’re also going to keep a squad car in the area until everyone has left for the night. James has already called someone to replace the light.”

“Shit.”

“Why go after Sean and Wade? I thought this was a personal attack on me,” Ian demanded, lowering his voice to a near whisper as they entered the hospital.

“Because attacking your people hurts you too.”

Hollis looked over at Ian to see the pain, anger, and helplessness clearly etched onto Ian’s face. It was working, too. Ian was more shaken up about the attacks on his employees than he was about the attack on him in his own home. Enough had happened to Ian over the years that he’d learned to shrug off personal physical attacks, but attacks on his family and restaurant were deep wounds that he didn’t quickly get over.

“This is a clear attack on you and your business,” Hollis murmured. “Do you want to take this to the police? You’ve got a definite case now.”

Ian’s fast steps slowed to an almost halt, and he stared up at Hollis in surprise. It was clear that he’d not considered it yet. Hollis could almost see the thoughts zipping around in his mind as he weighed the pros and cons. It took only a couple of seconds for Ian to shake his head.

“No. Not yet, at least. The police are keeping an eye on the restaurant, and we can ask Rowe to send over some bodyguards as well so that everyone at Rialto is safe.”

“I worry about the people at Rialto, but my main concern is your safety,” Hollis pressed.

“I know, but what if Rowe is right, and this is someone from Jagger’s old crew? That’s going to raise a lot of questions as to why I’m being targeted when very few people know I have a connection to Jagger. I don’t want my past getting out and dragged through the news if I can help it. We can take precautions. I just want to get more information first before I willingly blow up my life.”