Chapter Seventy-Eight

Dane arrived in Vancouver and was whisked off to the hospital by a waiting car. His heart beat frantically with worry. Toby was safe, but someone on his team was hurt. It happened occasionally, but it never got any easier.

The team had all rushed to his side every time he’d been injured. They might joke and tease one another, but when it came down to it they were there for each other without question. Just like family.

“What’s happened?” he asked the driver who looked familiar, but wasn’t on their team.

“I’m not sure. Thorne just told me to pick you up.”

“Thorne’s here?”

“Yeah. He just got in an hour ago.”

Garrett stood as soon as Dane stepped into the emergency room. Seeing him answered the question Dane had been about to ask. If Garrett was in the waiting room, it meant Justin was in the emergency room.

“How is he?” Dane asked, quickly glancing around to see if Tobey was there, too. He wasn’t.

Garrett shook his head as Thorne came to stand next to him.

“It doesn’t look good,” Thorne answered in a tone that might have sounded cold to someone who didn’t know him better.

“What happened?” Dane asked.

“We thought we were clear. We had Tobey and the other boys between us. Tobey was the last one, and Justin was pulling up the rear. Someone from the roof fired into the group. Justin grabbed Tobey and pulled him down under him. Justin was hit before I could take out the shooter.”

It was plain to see Garrett blamed himself for not reacting faster. It was normal to feel like you should have acted faster, or anticipated an attack. The problem was, they were humans, not superheroes.

Later, when Garrett was thinking straight, he would see he couldn’t have done anything differently. Rather than tell him it wasn’t his fault, Dane remained silent. Eventually, Garrett would understand.

“Dad?” Tobey was speeding down the hall in a wheelchair.

Seeing him took Dane’s breath away. Thank God! “Are you okay?” he asked, eyeing the wheelchair.

“Yeah. I hurt my knee, and they didn’t want me to walk on it.” Tobey rolled his eyes.

Dane smiled. It seemed like such a grown-up reaction. Dane kept thinking of Tobey as that five-year-old he’d left at home that morning so long ago. But he was growing up.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“The other man…?” Tobey looked concerned.

“They’re taking care of him right now. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Over Tobey’s head, Dane saw a doctor step into the waiting room looking grim. Garrett and Thorne went over to him, and there was a brief exchange.

Seconds later, Garrett bent over at the waist and let out a strangled sound.

Oh God. Justin hadn’t made it.

Dane swallowed down his grief for the moment so as not to upset his son. He’d deal with it later. Or try to.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said again, and gave Tobey a big hug.

His son hugged him back, then looked up. “I’m glad you’re okay, too. I thought maybe I had been dreaming you were there when I got kidnapped. But you really were there.”

“Yeah. I’m real.” Dane ruffled his boy’s hair and frowned. “But I have to be a complete secret. Just you and me, buddy. No one else can know I’m really alive. Okay?”

“Why not? I bet Mom would tell Randy to leave so you could move back in.”

Dane gave him a weak smile. As if it would be that easy.

“No. That’s not how it works. Besides, I left because some bad guys were trying to keep me from telling on them. If they knew I was still alive, they might try to use you and your mom to get to me.” Dane figured it was best to tell Tobey the truth. As much as possible anyway.

“Oh.” Tobey frowned. “So, I have to pretend I didn’t see you?”

Dane crouched down to be at his son’s eye level. “Do you think you can do that?”

Somehow, it seemed unrealistic. Dane remembered being this age when his mother died. If he had seen her alive again, he would have told the whole world.

“I guess so.” Tobey bit his lip and his cheeks flushed.

“What is it?”

“Mom already knows I talk to you.”