"Just for reassurance, I put a bullet in his brain. Now there's no way he isn't dead. And Burke?"
"Here. I don't know how bad he is." Though I was reluctant to release my husband, I knew I had no choice.
"Okay, let me see." Noah squatted, checking over Burke’s chest wound.
I asked, "When you said we on the phone, who did you mean?"
"As many men as I could pull together. Someone hit the house in Chester, tried to blow up the Boston house but failed, and ambushed the men here on the street."
I swallowed painfully. "Who'd we lose?"
"Mike, Billy, and a handful of lieutenants. Don't worry, the safe house in Cambridge is untouched. Logan made sure of it."
"Thank God.” At least I knew my son was well cared for. “Will Burke be all right?"
"It’s too soon to tell. Are you okay? You're pretty banged up and really fucking bloody."
Physically or emotionally okay? "It's not all my blood."
Noah picked up my husband as though he weighed nothing, astonishing me.
We rode in the back of an SUV to the hospital, where the staff ushered us to the private wing. That was where I learned how they paid off a bunch of people to ensure nothing that went on was reported to the authorities. Burke had a team of medical professionals to look after him, and only once I was assured he would receive the best care possible did I allow someone to check my injuries.
Bruising on my neck, a massive headache, and a cracked rib; I knew it could have been much worse. After I submitted to a CTA scan, the nurse helped me shower to scrub off the blood, and then put me in a bed with IV pain medication.
Noah brought me his secure cell phone to contact Brenda. Hearing the news about the Chester house going up in flames had left me shaken.
"Brenda?" I croaked.
"Is this Kinsley? You sound strange."
I tried to cough, but it hurt. "Yes, sorry. Sore throat. Is everyone okay?"
"We are. Logan came to make sure the safe house stayed secure. Are you okay?" She sounded worried, but in one piece.
"Yes. Depending on a few things, you should be free to leave." Maybe I shouldn't be the one making these declarations. I suppose I didn't truly know if the danger was over yet, but I didn’t know who to ask.
"They won't let us leave yet. Is the danger over?"
"I think so." Swallowing caused me to wince. "I'm sure someone will triple check first. Maybe ask Logan." Though I’d never felt my brother-in-law particularly liked me, I would have to defer to him in my husband’s absence. And didn't that idea suck?
"Let us know."
"Absolutely. I love you. Please give my love to Finn and Danny." My throat was clogged with tears, and I became even harder to understand.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
I had no choice but to lie to my best friend. There was no way to explain what we’d been through today, or what we’d done. “I’m positive.”
Brenda hung up, and I burst into tears. Without my husband’s guiding voice, I was left floundering for comfort and security. Caden and Maddie were still out of the country, and Logan was with my son, keeping him safe. I had no one to rely on but myself.
And then I realized I’d always had to rely on myself, and that I’d grown so much stronger in the past year and a half. I could do anything I set my mind to. If circumstances meant I was the one left running the Gallagher Family, then I would do Burke justice.
After all, I was the motherfucking Queen Bitch.
50
Kinsley
