“I was talking more to myself there, sweetie.”
He groaned. “Don’t you dare make me laugh.”
“I love you.”
“Never get tired of hearing that.”
“I’m never going to stop saying it.”
“Is that a promise?” He flicked his eyes over to his sister. “Dani, you’re my witness.”
“I’m right behind you, we’ll find you in London.”
A tortured look twisted on his face. “Listen, Liv…”
Behind her, Dani cleared her throat. “I’ll tell her, Rafe.”
The team moved in around them again, and Dani tugged her back out in the hall.
“Tell me what?”
“Three other people were also shot. One of them was Lynn Howard. She didn’t make it.”
Olivia heard the words her sister-in-law said, but they didn’t make any sense. “What? How?”
Dani shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”
Lynn was dead. Panic swelled inside Olivia’s chest and she started crying again. Would she eventually run out of tears? Was that possible? “Where were they?”
Dani looked at the ground. “Rafe’s team executed warrants at a grow-op today. Lynn was there. We don’t know why.”
“Who…” She couldn’t ask the question—she didn’t want to know the answer.
Dani shook her head. “That’s all I know.”
Her kids. Olivia’s stomach heaved and she pressed her lips together, willing herself not to hurl in a hospital corridor. She lurched across the hall to an empty bathroom, barely shoving the door closed behind her before she lost her lunch.
When she came back out, Dani and Dean were waiting together, arguing quietly.
“Look, Dani, I’ve got to stick around for the SIU investigation. But I don’t want you driving down by yourself.”
“The last thing Olivia needs is a crowd of people—”
“Jake’s not a crowd, he’s her friend. He’s Rafe’s best friend. He’s going.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. She so did not have time for this. She stomped across the hall. “Dani, suck it up for one day. Dean…where’s Ryan?”
Pain lanced across her friend’s face. Ryan was his best friend. There’d been no love lost between Dean and Lynn, but that felt petty to remember in this moment. “In a quiet room, uhm…” He pointed vaguely in a direction away from the Emergency ward. “He’s with Lynn’s parents right now.”
“And the others?”
Dean shook his head. “Don’t know. Both guys are from the tactical unit. You probably don’t know them. One got hit in the thigh, but it missed the bone. He’s staying here. The other guy…” He looked at Dani.
“No news yet. He took the first chopper out.”
Olivia shuddered. She needed to sit down. This was just all too much to process. She turned in a small circle, but there weren’t any chairs.No. She needed to be strong. “Okay, let’s go to London.” She gave Dean a quick hug and headed in search of Jake.
— —
