Sullivan
That German bitch isn’t half as slick as he thinks he is. Flynn and I watch him turn the corner and know exactly where he’s going. That’s part of the perks of choosing not to be in the mafia, but being raised by the mafia. No one expects Flynn, myself, or my friends to have the skills we do. That doesn’t mean we don’t have them. So when Flynn pulls up the tracker that we planted in Jakob’s phone awhile ago when we suspected him and Declan were sneaking around, the only people who would be surprised are my brothers and their wives.
“He’s moving closer to Dec.” Flynn murmurs beside me as we watch the flashing dots move closer together.
Kieran’s dot is blinking not far behind them, and Rowan’s is clean across another floor from them. It doesn’t take a geniusto figure out what’s happening. Fear prickles at the back of my neck, and a cold sweat breaks out over my forehead. My sisters-in-law have all been through some shit, but the betrayal Phoenix went through is unimaginable. She’s a fucking warrior, and I know whatever is happening, she’s fighting tooth and nail to get to her baby and husband. I also know that either Nix or the baby must not be doing well if they separated them.
Elle, one of my best friends, reaches over and laces her fingers with mine. I’ve been in love with her since we were five and she told me that my eyes were pretty. I’ve allowed her to keep me firmly in the friend zone since middle school, but the longer we do this dance, the more tired I grow of it. I’ll be claiming what’s always been mine soon. And just to be crystal clear, she’s always been mine. She discreetly squeezes my hand once, and I smile, squeezing hers back.
Flynn smacks my shoulder and tips his head towards the hall. A look of understanding passes between us before we get up and walk out of the waiting room. We’re almost at the door when Mac’s voice brings us up short.
“Where the hell are you two going?” I turn back to see him watching us with skepticism.
“Nowhere. Look, we’re leaving everyone else. Can we not take a few minutes?” He nods and turns his attention back to Lee, who’s sniffling beside him as she curls into him. Her free hand is holding Clara’s as they sit, offering each other silent support.
Flynn and I make it inside of the elevator, and as soon as it shuts we start forming our plan.
“Okay, one of us goes to the baby and the other goes to Nix.” I state matter of factly.
Flynn looks unsure as he shifts on his feet. “Maybe we stick together this time?”
“Oh. Okay– Yeah, that’s fine.” I know better than to push him right now.
We’re fucking menaces most of the time, but we can get a little shaky when it comes to our family. We’re also struggling with being separated in a couple of weeks for the foreseeable future for the first time in our lives. He’s leaving to go to DC and I’ll still be here in Corey Heights. So when he suggests we stay together, I don’t fight him.
“Can we start with Nix? We can hit the staff elevator and come back up so no one can see us. Rowan’s still in the same spot.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
The entire journey to the room Nix is in is silent. Once we’re standing outside of the room Rowan’s inside, we take a deep breath and I knock the outside of my wrist with his. Our own little check in. Flynn takes the lead and pushes the door open. Inside, Rowan sits with red rimmed eyes, his hand grasps Phoenix’s limp one. She looks almost angelic if not for the tint of her skin and the lifelessness to her body.
I lock up on instinct, realizing what we just walked in on when Rowan finally notices us. “What the hell are you two doing in here?” He grunts quietly. I can’t take my eyes off of her, though. How the fuck are we about to carry Kieran through this? How doweget through it?
“When?” It’s all I’m able to choke out.
Flynn knocks my shoulder, finally pulling my attention to him. He tilts his head to Rowan, who’s watching us with a sad smile. “The baby was born about two-ish hours ago. The absolute hell that she’s been through since then hasn’t stopped.They just got her stable about fifteen minutes ago. I called Kieran to tell him, but he hung up on me. Someone needs to go tell him that she’s going to be okay. Her body is wrecked right now, but she’s going to be okay.”
My body physically bows over and I have to put my hands on my knees to keep me from crumbling to the floor. I’m not going to lie, she looks fucking dead. But I guess I would too if I had a baby ripped out of my body while my blood pressure shot up, and then to top it off I almost bled out on the table.
“I need you two to either sit here with Nix or go tell Kieran his wife is alive… NOW!” He barks out the last word, which causes us to jump.
We each place a kiss on her forehead before darting out of the room and down the elevator to the NICU. It’s less than three minutes before we’re sliding to a stop on the slick floor in front of the room with a glass front wall titled ‘baby boy Byrne’. Jakob stands in front of us with an impenetrable stance and expression on his annoying face. I really don’t like him and probably never will, but I can respect the fact that he’s guarding my family as Declan holds a wailing Kieran and the nurses work around them for baby boy.
Flynn and I shoulder past Jakob and Kieran’s broken eyes come up to mine. Flynn shakes his head, trying to tell him what we know but can’t find the words.
“She’s gone.”Kieran chokes out while grasping for breath.
“No!” I yell out, finally finding my voice, “She isn’t. Rowan’s with her now. We just saw her.”
His back snaps straight as my words work through his thoughts until it sticks, “Are you sure?” He asks with so much hope.
“I’m positive, Kie. She’s alive. She’s going to be okay. You’re all going to be okay.”
33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Declan
