I spring to my feet. “Vi!”
I dial her number again.
It goes straight to voicemail.
Finn and Zane, who know me like my next breath, launch across the practice room. Their expressions betray their concern.
“What’s wrong?”
“Who’s Vi?”
“That name sounds familiar,” Finn says.
“She’s Cadence’s sister. I think something happened to her.”
My brothers look alarmed, but it’s only because I’m freaking out.
My head is too full. A million different thoughts are flying faster than I can keep up with.
Only one stands out—I need to tell Cadence.
I bound out of the practice room, my cell phone plastered to my ear. My footsteps echo against the hallway. I sprint around the corner, searching desperately for Brahms.
Answering footsteps match the rhythm of my feet.
My brothers and Sol are right behind me.
Zane catches up with me first. “What are we doing?”
“Finding Cadence.”
Zane nods and spreads out.
Finn rushes in the opposite direction.
My brothers don’t care about Vi, but it’s enough that this is important to me. That’s all they need to know to make this urgent.
Hell, I don’t really know Vi either. But things didn’t sound good over the phone and she’s Cadence’s sister. There’s no way I can go through with my plan if Cadence is torn up about her family.
Yeah, that’s the only reason I’m worried.
Sol points to the gym. “I’ll check over there.”
Even in my panic, I freeze completely. “Sol.”
My voice is thick and commanding.
Sol skitters to a stop.
I stare right into his eyes. “If you find her, you call me, okay?”
He hesitates. Then he juts his chin and takes off.
I fumble with my phone and call Cadence again, but of course she doesn’t answer. Where the hell is she?
I charge into the music room. She’s not there.
Cafeteria, not there.
Computer room, empty.
I run to the table outside the cafeteria where she and that weird girl with the leather jacket like to hang out. But the table only boasts a few falling leaves.
No Brahms.
The more time passes, the more uneasy I feel. Whatever was going on with Vi did not sound good. What if she got hurt? What if she’s bleeding on the street?
What the hell has my life become?
I brush the thought away and keep looking.
My legs eat up the distance between the second floor and the library. I burst in and the librarian immediately glances up with a crinkled frown. When she sees it’s me, she returns to what she was doing and doesn’t say a word.
I’m breathing hard as I tear a path down the row of bookshelves. The carpeted floor swallows every step. I quicken my pace, rushing past tables full of students who all pop their heads up when they see me racing by.
I glance left and right, moving down every row until I finally see her.
Cadence is sitting by the window, one leg propped under the other. Her head is tucked towards a text and she’s scribbling something in her notebook.
Her hair is falling down her shoulder like a chocolate waterfall. Her beautiful face is tilted down and the sun highlights her exquisite cheekbones before wrapping around the gentle arch of her neck.
The nerves in my chest twist painfully. Damn. I can’t wait to slip inside Cadence once and for all so I can get rid of that stupid reaction.
For a second, I forget what I came running here for.
Until Cadence lifts her head and her brown eyes slash through me.
Vi. Emergency.
It takes three giant steps to stop in front of her.
“We have to go. Now.” I grab her hand.
She yanks it back. “What?” Her voice is quiet, but she still manages to pack it with enough hate to level a building. “I’m not going anywhere with—”
“Your sister is in trouble.”
She pounces to her feet with a quickness that surprises me. Her books, cell phone and backpack spill to the ground. “Dutch, if you messed with my sister, I swear I’m going to take you down with everything in me.”
“Cadey—”
“Don’t call me that,” she snaps.
Just then, her phone rings.
She breaks her gaze and glances down.
I do too.
The name on her screen says ‘Vi’s School’.
Her expression shifts in an instant. She bends down to scoop up her phone.
“Call them back on the way. We need to move.” Before she can protest, I take her hand again and drag her along.
She stumbles behind me, her face pale and her eyes locked on the cell phone. We rush out of the library and into the parking lot which is, thankfully, close by.
Cadence swipes to answer the call, but her fingers are trembling too hard. She ends up hitting ‘ignore’ instead.
“Dammit.” She calls back. “It’s going to voicemail.”
“Keep trying,” I say, pressing the key fob for my car and jumping into the front seat.
Cadence hesitates outside of the passenger side.
I lean over, pop the door and yell at her, “Get in, Brahms.”
She blows out a breath and takes the front seat as if she’d rather do anything else.
I’m familiar with her old high school, so I don’t bother asking for directions and back the car out of Redwood’s parking lot.
On the way to the school, Cadence finally gets through.
“Hello?” She leans forward, her face ashen and her entire body breaking out in a sweat. “Did something happen to Vi?”
There’s silence for a moment.
And then Cadence yells, “Which hospital?”
I motion to her.
“St. Thomas Hospital? Okay.”
Her knee is bouncing like Zane during a crazy drum solo.
She hangs up and explains to me, “Vi had a terrible cramping pain during lunch, so they took her to the nurse’s office. But the pain got worse, so they sent her to the hospital.”
“Do they know what’s wrong?”
She shakes her head, her eyes turning tearful.
My heart lurches. I put my hand on her knee to calm her. “She’s going to be okay.”
“How do you know that?” Cadence responds, her voice heated and broken.
“Because Vi is tough. Like you.” I don’t know where the words are coming from. I only know I mean them.
That settles her down a bit… but not by much.
When I get to the hospital, I’ve barely slowed the car down before Cadence is leaping out like a madwoman. I want to follow her, but I can’t park here. Instead, I find a spot in the lot and jog into the building.
The lobby is crowded for this early in the day.
I stop at the nurses’ station. “I’m looking for Viola Cooper?”
The nurse points me in the direction of the emergency room.
Keys still hanging from my fingers, I look around for the sisters. Finally, I spot Cadence hovering over a bed. There, lying with a sheet over her body, is Vi.
She’s pale, shaking and looking kind of weak.
When I draw closer, I find out why.
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” Cadence scolds her sister. “You shouldn’t have kept that to yourself.”
“I thought it was period cramps or something. I didn’t think my appendix was—ooh!” She squeals. “Is that Dutch Cross standing behind you? Someone pinch me!”
“Hey, Vi.” I brush close to Cadence and look down at her little sister.
Cadence shoots me a stink eye, but she doesn’t move away.
“You hanging in there?” I ask.
Her eyes are full of stars. “If I knew that all it took to see Dutch Cross again was a broken appendix—”
“Ruptured appendix. Not broken. Ruptured,” Cadence corrects.
“Really?” Vi shoots her a dark look.
I watch the two of them, feeling amused. It’s clear that this relationship is as much a sibling relationship as it is a mother-daughter one.
Cadence’s tender stroking of Vi’s head—paired with her sister’s witty comebacks—makes me feel like I’m seeing something only a few are privy to.
“Are you Miss Cooper’s guardian?” A nurse approaches the bed.
Cadence nods.
“You’ll need to fill out these forms. A ruptured appendix requires immediate surgery, but we couldn’t start without getting your information.”
Viola cringes in pain.
I whirl around. “She needs surgery now.”
“We need your payment information,” the nurse says, looking apologetic.
“Payment?” I spit.
“I’ve got it.” Cadence’s eyes are strained, but she calmly takes the form and fills out the information.
“Hey.” I touch Vi’s shoulder. “You’re going to be okay.”
“Can you do me a favor?” she croaks.
“What?”
“Can you… take a picture as proof that you’re really here?”
“Are you crazy?” Cadence hisses.
“Ow. So much pain!” Viola curls into a ball.
Cadence drops her sharp expression and looks on in concern.
“I’ll take the picture when you’re recovered and dressed up,” I promise.
She holds out her hand.
I glance at it in confusion.
She sticks out her little finger. “Pinkie promise.”
I chuckle softly. The kid is cute. I’ll give her that.
Linking my smallest finger with hers, I seal it with my thumb.
“Okay. I’ve got the information down.” Cadence motions to the nurse.
“We’ll prepare your sister for surgery.”
“How are we going to afford this?” Viola whispers to Cadence as the nurse trots away.
Something deep inside me starts aching. Why the hell is this kid worried about hospital bill payments when she’s in the middle of a literal medical emergency?
“I’ll take care of it,” Cadence promises in a firm voice.
My phone rings.
It’s Finn.
I walk away to answer. “Hey.”
“You found her yet?” It’s Zane’s voice that blares through my ears.
“Yeah.”
“Good. How’s the little sister?” Finn asks.
“In the hospital. Burst appendix.”
Zane lets out a low whistle. “That hurts like hell.”
“When are you coming back?” Finn asks.
“I’m gonna stay.”
“Stay?” Zane’s surprise is thick.
“Her sister just went into surgery.”
There’s a moment of silence.
Finn speaks first. “I’ll tell Sol. He was really worried.”
The instruction to not tell Sol a damn thing is on the tip of my tongue, but I curb it back. “I’ll see you at home.”
I hear wheels rolling on the ground. When I turn back, nurses are rushing Viola away. Cadence is trailing them, a hand covering her mouth and worry in her eyes.
She stumbles and I’m on the move. I stalk over to her and slip my hand around her waist to keep her steady.
Cadence jumps when she feels me, but I don’t allow her to shake loose.
“What are you still doing here? I thought you left.” Her eyes are tired. Her voice isn’t as sharp as she probably hoped it would be.
“I got time to burn,” I say simply.
She pushes away and walks over to the waiting room outside the surgery ward.
I see that she’s in defense mode and give her some space. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
She doesn’t even look up.
I head down the hallway, pass the bathrooms and ask for directions to the admin office. When I’m done, I return to the waiting room.
Cadence is sitting with her eyes closed and her head lulling from side to side. Did she not get any sleep last night?
I slip into the chair beside hers and catch her with my shoulder when she starts drifting off. She nuzzles her cheek against me. In sleep, her face is pure and innocent.
The sounds of the hospital fade into the background as I watch her. The slope of her nose. The shape of her plump lips. The tiny breath that hits my neck.
That stupid knot in my chest pulls tighter and I fight it off by reminding myself that I’m doing all this just to get into her pants.
It doesn’t mean anything more than that.
She doesn’t mean more.
I’ll do whatever I can to lower her defenses, but the moment I’ve had my fun with Cadence Cooper, I’m never going to think about her again.
