I was the last to arrive and I’m glad I was. I couldn’t stand to watch him say goodbye to Danny. It was bad enough I had to witness Reina fall apart when he told her he didn’t want her accompanying him to the district attorney’s office. He ordered Nico to stay with her, and me and my brothers watched him straddle his Harley one last time. We followed him to Green-Wood Cemetery, where he said his final goodbye to his beloved son.
Throughout the course of our friendship, I’ve watched Jack talk to Junior’s grave countless times, and every time is a little more heartbreaking than the last. Whoever said time heals all wounds, never buried a child. That wound will never close. There will always be a hole carved in Jack’s heart for Junior.
I might’ve sworn off making any more promises, but as Jack broke down in front of the tombstone, I knew I had to make just one more. It was one I could keep no matter the outcome of my plan. I vowed to visit Junior’s grave every time I paid my respects to Christine. Knowing Junior would never be forgotten, Jack pulled himself together and started for his bike.
It was time for him to take his final bow.
And for me to throw this shit into gear.
I should’ve anticipated what happened next.
For every fucking high there’s a crashing low.
We were just about to mount our bikes when Wolf came rushing over with his phone to his ear and a grim expression on his face.
“There was an accident,” he revealed roughly. “It’s Reina and Danny.”
There was no talking Jack down after that, once Wolf told him which hospital they were transported to, his tires peeled out of the cemetery. We all followed him, none of us thinking about the consequences that would ensue when Jack didn’t surrender as planned. All that mattered was Danny and Reina.
Luckily when we arrived at the hospital, Nico was there with Danny. The kid was distraught but aside from a few cuts and bruises, he was okay. They discharged him and revealed Reina hadn’t been as fortunate. She had suffered a whole slew of injuries and was in surgery, making it clear the deal was off the table.
Jack isn’t going anywhere.
But someone is.
The district attorney isn’t going to let him off the hook.
I barely have a chance to process what that means before Lacey storms into the hospital like a bat out of hell. To say she’s surprised to see her father is an understatement, but again, there isn’t a chance to digest what any of that means.
Well, except the fact that we’re riding blind…again.
Lacey
Feeling as if I’ve entered the twilight zone, I stare at my dad, watching as he slowly loses his mind. I’m still shocked he’s here and not in some cell. After the nurse revealed Danny had been discharged to my father, she took me to the waiting room where the two of them stood clinging to one another. There was no time for me to ask questions, though, because as soon Danny saw me, he ran from our dad’s arms to mine.
I held him as he cried and assured him his mom would be okay without knowing the extent of her injuries. As I continued to comfort him, I looked at my father, still unsure how he was standing in front of me and watched him unravel. For as long as I’ve been on this Earth, people have always referred to him as the Bulldog. Until that very moment, I never knew why.
My father was a goddamn animal.
A vicious creature who would tear through this fucking hospital if his wife didn’t make it through this. No one could control him, but Blackie sure as hell tried to.
They all did—none of them succeeding, though.
He was in a realm of his own and I knew this was no place for Danny. He was already terrified and the last thing he needed was to see our father lose his grip on reality. Before I could announce I was taking him home, Wolf’s woman, Maria, rode to the rescue and offered to take Danny. That’s when I noticed Anthony Bianci was there too and he and Blackie seemed to be deep in conversation. Anthony pulled himself away from my husband and told Maria to take Danny to his house so he could hang out with his son.
Giving Danny the opportunity to hang out with someone his own age and possibly take his mind off the fact his mother was in surgery, fighting to survive, seemed like the best solution. It also kept me here at the hospital.
I kiss him goodbye and promise to pick him up in a little while. He gives my father a hug, one I’m not even sure he feels and I watch Maria escort Danny out of the hospital.
Turning back around to face the waiting room full of somber faces, I find my husband staring at me. He closes the distance between us and brings me against his chest. I close my eyes and breathe in his scent, feeling comforted for the first time since I got the phone call that uprooted all of our lives.
“You okay?” he asks, kissing the top of my head.
“I’m worried about him, Blackie,” I murmur, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. “I’ve never seen him like this before.”
I watch as he turns his head and eyes my father. Being a man who likes to shelter his family from his illness as much as possible, my dad has turned to Blackie more than anyone in this room. This is nothing new for my husband and yet, his Adam’s apple bobs as he continues to stare at my dad.
“He’s going to be fine,” he finally says, slicing his eyes back to mine.
“How can you say that? If something happens—”
“Let’s not think of that,” he interrupts, dragging in a deep breath. “Getting ahead of ourselves won’t help matters.”
“Okay,” I say, not really buying into the whole positivity bullshit. “What about the deal?” I question, glancing at my watch. “He was due to surrender hours ago. There’s probably an APB out on him.”
“Lace, stop it,” he orders, dropping his hands away from me. Frustration works over his features as he takes a step back and rakes his fingers through his hair. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he grinds out. Sighing, he cups the back of his neck and stares at me, his eyes softening a fraction. “I’m sorry, things are just a little crazy right now.” He pauses, squinting. “Wait a minute…how did you know—”
“Nico.”
He raises an eyebrow and there is no mistaking the tick in his jaw.
“He couldn’t get in touch with my dad and didn’t know what to do,” I explain, crossing my arms against my chest as he glares at Nico. “He did the right thing. Technically, I’m their next of kin.” I watch as he silently jerks his head before I continue. “You seemed to be in a heavy conversation with Bianci.”
That gets his attention, and he peels his eyes away from Nico. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shrugs his shoulders.
“Nothing to worry about,” he replies, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. “Why don’t you sit down? We’re going to be here a while.”
Nothing to worry about.
There is something about that statement that doesn’t bode well with me.
It’s almost as if my subconscious knows those are my husband’s last words.
The ones that send the ball into motion before he tears my heart to pieces.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Blackie
I was on edge and not for the obvious reasons. I don’t know who called Bianci to tell him about the accident, but the guy didn’t show up at the hospital to show support for Jack. He came bearing bad news, revealing he was having a difficult time getting a hold of the younger Schwartz because he was in court.