“It’s okay,” Toby whispers as he plants a kiss on my temple. “You and the little one are going to be okay.”
“The little… oh…” I soften as I feel his hand resting on my lower belly.
They know.
They must’ve found Jamie. I breathe the heaviest sigh of relief, my whole body shuddering, as I lean into Cole, breathe him in, and hold onto him and his brothers for dear life.
Cradled in Cole’s arms, I give Detective Hornby my statement as his officers secure the scene and put Perry and Sheila in cuffs. Lights flash outside—not just squad cars and ambulances, but also a plethora of cameras from a swarm of reporters. I guess the neighbors were alerted by the sound of the door being busted down as the Morgan brothers stormed the Madison mansion.
“She told me all about how she and Perry orchestrated James Madison’s death, as well,” I say to the detective.
“I’m sure Willow can give you a full statement later,” Cole says. “She needs to be physically checked out.”
Hornby gives me a curious look. “You were smart to keep them talking, Miss Bennett. You bought yourself valuable time, except the Morgan fellas beat me to the punch by exactly two minutes.” He pauses and scowls at Cole, Asher,and Toby. “You called it in when you were already close, didn’t you?”
“We wanted first dibs,” Toby replies with a casual shrug.
“That was insanely reckless,” Hornby says.
Cole shrugs. “You forget what I used to do before I came back to work for my father.”
“Ah, yes, you were a Marine,” the detective mutters. “It was still reckless, in my book, but a clean takedown, I’ll give you that. He looks pretty banged up.”
We all look at the bloodied face of Perry Jackson as they take him out in cuffs, the white lights of cameras making him look even more washed out.
“He was resisting,” Cole mutters, prompting a dry chuckle from his brothers.
Even Hornby can’t stop himself from smiling. “This is going to be a messy and highly publicized case, that’s all I can tell you right now. It’ll be the trial of the century, I’m willing to bet: a sociopathic gold digger, her murderous boyfriend, James Madison’s accidental death turning out to be murder, the press is going to milk this for months.”
“I don’t even care,” Cole replies and plants a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m just glad we have Willow back safe and sound.”
Safe and sound.
31
WILLOW
“Clean bill of health,” Asher declares as soon as the emergency doctor leaves us in one of the exam rooms after a full and thorough examination. “You were so, so lucky.”
“Don’t I know it?” I say softly and sit up on the edge of the bed.
He kisses me deeply, and I feel his emotions flowing through my core: concern, relief, longing, fear, excitement—all wrapped up in this handsome package, this dashing balance of brains and brawn that makes me feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world—because I get my man in triplicate.
Cole kisses me next, then takes a moment to let his eyes search my face while Toby caresses my back.
“You gave us quite the scare back there,” Cole whispers.
“I know, and I’m sorry. But Sheila and Perry were going to get to me sooner or later. That much they’ve proven,” I reply. “I’m just sorry about Jamie.”
“He’s fine,” Toby assures me. “You’ll be able to see him soon. I think he’s getting an MRI, just to be sure.”
“Just to be sure?” I ask.
The brothers exchange amused glances before Toby explains. “The doctors already did a thorough check on the guy. It was just a nasty bruise and a mild concussion, plus he needed a couple of stitches for that gash, but overall it was nothing serious. It looked worse than it actually was.”
“I completely understand where Jamie’s coming from,” I say. “Also, believe me, you don’t want to be anywhere near him when he’s throwing a hissy fit. He’ll make a grown man cry.”
“So, yes, he’s fine, and so are you and the baby,” Asher cuts in with a soft smile. “The baby…”
