Changing Roles

I threw myself out of the seat, pacing the aisle and cursing. I slammed my hand on the top of one of the seats. “Fuck!”

I spun around. “What happened?”

“Everett said it was a mob, and they were lying in wait for them. They were rabid. Pushing and yelling, shoving copies of the article in her face. There were too many of them, and Ryan tried to get Shelby back to the car. There were repairs happening on the stairs—work being done on the handrail. Things escalated, and somehow…” He paused and took in a deep breath. “One of the reporters grabbed at her, and Ryan pushed him away. The reporter took a swing at Ryan, and it caught Shelby. She stumbled backward and began to fall over the railing. Ryan grabbed her, but the railing gave way and he went over, and they both fell to the concrete.”

Shelby.

My legs gave out, and I sat heavily, staring at him.

“How bad?” My voice was hollow as I asked.

“Luckily, it was only one flight of stairs. Had it been higher, things would have been much worse. Still, Ryan took the brunt of the fall. Somehow, he twisted Shelby, so she was on top of him. Protecting her body with his. She hit her head on the railing as they went over. His body landed on a concrete border surrounding the bushes, which caused the bulk of his injuries, then he hit the pavement. Shelby’s arm was broken, she’s bruised, and she was unconscious when she arrived at the hospital.”

“Unconscious?”

He nodded. “She’s still unresponsive, Liam.”

I buried my hand in my hair, and a funny choking noise came out of my throat.

“Ryan?”

“His injuries are extensive. Shattered hip, shoulder, and leg, broken ribs.”

My voice became pleading. “You said she’d be okay.”

“She will be, Liam. You have to believe that.”

“Everett is with her?”

“Yes. He won’t leave her.”

“Get me to her.”

He leaned forward, clapping my shoulder. “I will.”It was the longest five hours of my life. The entire time, I paced and fumed, becoming more enraged as the minutes ticked by. The flight attendant stayed as far away from me as possible after I snarled at her when she offered me a beverage. I knew Shelby would tell me off for being rude and I should apologize, but I honestly didn’t care about my behavior at the moment. The only thing I cared about was trying to figure out how to get this bloody plane to fly faster and get me to Shelby. Knowing she was not only emotionally hurt, but physically injured because of those fuckers and their irresponsible actions, made me livid. It was all I could do not to tear the plane apart with my bare hands.

I read and reread the shit that passed as an article, cursing at the blatant lies within it. I knew why he’d done this: money. He must’ve seen pictures of Shelby and me when he’d slid out from whatever rock he’d been hiding under. Discovered he was being divorced didn’t sit well, and he’d figured out a way he could cash in on our relationship. And the rag he’d sold his story to was infamous for never checking facts before printing.

I felt grim satisfaction in knowing by the time my lawyers were through with them, they wouldn’t have a press left to print anything on. I planned on destroying them, and I knew Everett would be right beside me when I did it. I was going to hit them with everything I had at my disposal.

And Malcolm Johnson.

He was going to answer for what he’d done. His lies had caused this whole fucking disaster. Because of him, Shelby was lying injured in a hospital bed. I stopped my pacing and plopped into my seat, dropping my head into my hands. The thought of her—Shelby—hurt was tearing me up inside. More than once I had dry heaved in the bathroom simply thinking about her lying there, unconscious and bleeding. I couldn’t stand the idea of her being in pain. I had no idea how I was going to handle it when I arrived, but I knew I had to—I had no choice.

I had to be strong for her. And for my friend Everett. I knew how he adored his sister and how deeply he revered her for the way she’d looked after him when their parents died. He had to be suffering right now as well. Tears ran down my cheeks, and I swiped them away in anger.

I couldn’t do this right now. I couldn’t fall apart. I inhaled a deep breath.

It was time to grow up and be the mature person they could lean on.

The way they had allowed me to lean on them for so long.

“Liam.”

I looked up at Mark’s quiet voice. “We land soon. There’ll be a car waiting.”