Nate grabbed my hands. “I’m fine. They know who I am now because they committed enough crimes right in front of me that I could arrest them. How’s Rafferty?”
“In recovery. Then he’ll be in ICU.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
I tilted my head. “Did you come here just to check on me?”
“Not exactly, though Mom would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t come see you.”
“Thanks. Out of curiosity, did Porter shoot Rafferty twice?”
Nate’s lips stretched out in a grimace. “Yeah. I’m pissed that he got the jump on KC. That shit’s fucked up, and I should have double checked that Porter had really been knocked out. That could have turned into a far worse situation.”
I nodded. “Where’s Suarez?"
“In custody.”
“I kind of feel bad.”
“Why? He didn't care about you.”
“That wasn’t the impression I got from him. He seemed to care that Porter had hurt me.”
Nate did a slow nod. “Yeah, but he’d have thrown you to the wolves just like KC wanted to do.”
“Sorry if I blew your cover.”
He gave me a slight grin. “You didn’t. Put it out of your head. I have to go talk to the ER staff, make sure they know Porter’s being taken into custody.” He took two steps and turned around. “You need to give a statement about what happened. Call me, and I’ll let the detective know you’re coming.”
Dad wandered up to me. “What did the doctor say, sweetheart?”
“They’re moving him to ICU, but they got the bullet out, and no broken ribs or nicked arteries.”
He pulled me into a hug. “That sounds promising.”
I tipped my head back. “Trixie told the nurse, he and I are getting married.”
His lips quirked and his eyes twinkled. “She’ll say whatever it takes to get her way. That goes triple when it’s one of her kids in trouble.”
I lowered my chin and hugged Dad. “Yeah.”
Trixie sidled up to us. “The nurse told Roll he could go back to visit him. I’m goin’ when he’s done, then you can be with him.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
She went down the corridor.
Dad let me go. “You should head that way so you don’t waste any time.”
Woodenly, I dropped into the chair next to Rafferty’s bed. The dim lighting of his room couldn’t hide the pallor of his skin. The contrast of his skin against the bright colors of his tattoos only made it worse.
I wrapped my fingers around his hand. “You better fight, Tee.”
The heart monitor beeped rhythmically.
“Your mom told the nurse we’re getting married. I’d ask if you can believe that - but I’m pretty sure you can. She’s crazy that way. You know I’m nothing like that.”
The monitor beeped a little faster.
