Galen lifts a large wrinkled brown envelope from the box, spinning around to face us with a mad grin on his face. Opening it, he removes the contents. “It’s the Leydon evidence,” he confirms, holding up the clear plastic bag containing a bloody knife and a USB key.
“What the fuck, man?” Theo steps forward, shock splayed across his face.
Diesel and Howie share a grin. Bry lounges against the armrest of the bench, taking it all in.
“Mom stole it,” Galen confirms, and I almost keel over.
“Alisha had it all this time?” My tone betrays my disbelief.
Galen grins. “She told me the truth under the table before the EMTs arrived,” he explains. “She followed Sinner and his men one night. Climbed in the trunk of one of their cars. She planned to capture them doing something illegal. Something she could use as insurance, but she found this tucked under the spare tire well of the trunk. She didn’t know what it was until she watched the video footage. Then she knew she’d struck gold.”
“So why the fuck didn’t she use it to put those bastards away?” Saint blurts, his voice a little breathless.
My head whips to his, noting how he sways a little on his feet. I frown, keeping an eye on Saint. “Why didn’t she use it to save herself?” I ask.
“She was scared because she knew it was dynamite. She didn’t trust handing it to the police after what Daphne admitted on the recording. She gave away trade secrets. Secrets that would destroy a lot of powerful people. Mom decided to hide it. To keep it in reserve until she needed leverage with Sinner. She knew he’d come for me at some point, and she was going to use it to bargain for my life.”
My eyes seek out Galen’s. His gaze is brimming in emotion. He’s always thought his mom didn’t care. This gesture shows she did, in her own fucked-up way. She was trying to protect him the only way she knew how.
Silence engulfs us.
So much bloodshed could’ve been avoided if Alisha had just come to us, but I understand her concerns, and she was right not to turn it into the police, because then it would’ve just ended up in the commissioner’s hands and the corruption would’ve been buried forever.
Galen hands the evidence to Diesel. “Nail their asses to the wall, man.”
“Fuck!” Bry yells, claiming our attention. He darts forward to catch Saint as he falls. Saint’s eyes are closed, his face is pale, and there’s a thin layer of sweat on his brow. Bry holds Saint’s unconscious body in his arms, and my heart is trying to escape my rib cage. Racing over to them, I almost fall when my shoes slip in something wet on the ground. Horror washes over me as I realize it’s blood.
And it’s oozing from a large gash in Saint’s side.
CHAPTER 47
“IS HE OKAY?” I ask, jumping out of my seat the second the doctor steps into the waiting room. He stopped by before Saint was taken into the operating room to update us. I can’t believe that bastard Sinner stabbed his own son, just before I shot him, and I didn’t see.
That Saint said nothing isn’t a surprise, because martyr is basically his middle name. When he’s well enough, I’m going to slap the shit out of him for saying nothing until it was almost too late.
Walking right up to the doctor, I fold my arms, preparing for whatever the news is.
“The surgery went well, and your husband is in the recovery room now,” he says, and a layer of stress lifts off my shoulders.
“Is there any permanent damage?” Galen inquires, stepping up beside me. His arm slides low around my back, and I lean into him, welcoming his support.
“The knife missed his spleen and his liver, so I expect he’ll make a full recovery. We’ve cleaned out and stitched up the wound, and we’ll keep him here for a few days until the antibiotics are in his system and we know there’s no infection.”
I slump against Galen as relief courses through me. “He’s going to be fine?”
The doctor smiles, patting my arm. “He’ll be back to himself in no time.”
Caz chuckles. “Oh joy.”
“He’ll be brought to his private room within the hour. You can visit him then, but he’ll be very groggy for the next few hours so don’t expect much.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” Theo says, stretching his legs out and shifting his butt on the chair.
We’ve been here for hours, and it’s almost five a.m., but there’s still no sign of Howie or Diesel. Diesel promised to stop by and fill us in, but they had to attend a meeting at FBI HQ in the city.
Mom had surgery to remove the bullet from her shoulder, and she’s sleeping now. Her doctor told me she’ll be fine after some rehabilitation. Alisha hasn’t fared as well. She’s in a coma in the ICU, and we don’t know if she’s going to pull through. Galen has been moving between her room and here, waiting on news of his cousin.
“You should sleep,” Bry says, handing me a blanket. “You look beat.”
“I’m okay.” I drop down beside Caz, resting my head on his shoulder as Galen plucks the blanket from my fingers, draping it over my bare legs. “I can’t sleep until I’ve seen that he’s okay with my own two eyes.”
“Your love is endearingly nauseating,” Bry admits, stifling a yawn and stretching his arms up over his head.
“Still jealous, Eccleston?” Galen smirks, flopping onto the chair beside him.
Bry flips him the bird, and warmth spreads across my chest for the first time tonight.
Everything is returning to normal, and it’s going to be okay.
The door creaks as it opens, revealing two very tired men.
“Hey.” I sit up straight as Diesel and Howie enter the room. “I wasn’t sure if you’d make it.”
“Sorry it took so long,” Diesel says, gratefully taking the seat beside me when Theo vacates it. Howie sits beside Bry while Theo pulls another chair over. “There was a lot to discuss.”
“We can do this later,” I offer even though I’m dying to find out what’s going on.
Diesel grins. “It’s cute you think I don’t know you. I’m here because you won’t sleep until you know the truth.” He presses a kiss to my head. “And I wanted to check up on the punk. I already checked in on Giana. How is Saint doing?”
“He’s good. Just out of surgery. Doc says he’ll make a full recovery.”
Diesel smiles, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m happy to hear it.”
I can tell he means it, and I don’t hesitate to fling my arms around him, hugging him tight. Tears prick my eyes, and a sudden flood of emotion accosts me. I ease back, holding his worn-out eyes in place. “Thank you, Diesel. For everything.”
“No thanks is necessary. It was a team effort.” His lips pull into a tight grimace, and remorse glimmers in his eyes. “I’m sorry for all you went through tonight. I wanted to tear into the room the second that bastard put his hands on you.”
“But you couldn’t,” I blurt, not wanting him to beat himself up over this. “I understand, and it’s fine. I’m fine. I don’t want to dwell on it.” I take my time locking eyes with Caz, Theo, and Galen, because this message is for them too. “He didn’t break me, and we’re sure as shit not going to let what he did tonight in any way affect our relationship. He’s defeated. Gone from our lives. That is all that matters.”