Noah’s tone shifted, more serious now. “I also confirmed what Ava said about her trust fund. If she dies, Olivia inherits it. The wording in the trust is ironclad. No delays, no legal hurdles. It all passes to Olivia.”
Delaney’s brows pulled together. “You think that’s why someone’s trying to manipulate Ava? Or maybe scare her?”
Noah shook his head. “I don’t believe Olivia tried to kill her sister. Not for a second.”
“Neither do I,” Delaney said, and Eli made a sound of agreement. “But someone wants Ava to think that. And Hale is the one in her ear every day. It wouldn’t take much. He could twist the facts, plant fear, make her believe Olivia’s a threat.”
Eli let out a low breath. “A lie repeated enough times starts to feel like the truth.”
Noah gave a short nod. “Exactly.”
Delaney leaned back slightly, her arm still aching. “So what now?”
Noah looked between them. “You rest. But keep digging. The answer’s in the details. It always is.”
Noah stood and checked his watch. “You can give your statements to the local police in the morning. For now, there’s a new SUV waiting outside the ER doors. Your other one’s being looked at. Probably going to need a full panel replacement.”
He pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to Eli. “Get some rest. I’ll check in tomorrow.” With a nod to both of them, he walked out, his steps already purposeful and quick.
A moment later, the nurse returned with a clipboard and a small white bag. “Discharge paperwork and a prescription for pain meds,” she said, offering a warm smile. “Your arm should be fine, but take it easy.”
Delaney accepted the paperwork and glanced at the prescription, then shook her head. “Thanks, but I won’t be filling this. It hurts, yeah, but I don’twant anything that’ll cloud my thinking.”
The nurse nodded. “Totally up to you. Just don’t let the pain get ahead of you.”
“I’ll stick with ibuprofen,” Delaney let her know.
The nurse gave another kind smile and left them alone.
Eli helped her off the table and kept his arm around her waist. His TLC settled over her, and she didn’t try to brush it away.
“I’m good,” she said, just to him.
But his jaw stayed tight, his expression carved with tension. She wasn’t sure he fully believed her.
Delaney stepped out of the hospital into the cool midday air, Eli at her side. The new SUV was parked just outside the ER exit like Noah had said. Eli opened her door, helped her in gently, then circled around and slid into the driver’s seat.
The drive back to Crossfire Ops was quiet but not strained. Eli’s eyes stayed on the road, his hand steady on the wheel. She could tell he was still keyed up, still running over every second of the ambush in his head.
She was, too.
In fact, it might take a while for her to shut out the sounds of those gunshots.
When Eli parked in front of her cabin, she noticed the large cooler sitting on her porch. Eli got out first and carried it inside while she unlocked the door.
Once inside, he popped open the lid. “It’s fromNoah. Meals he had sent from the diner in town,” he said, pulling out containers. “Sandwiches. Lasagna. Soup. A couple of salads. Looks like enough for two days.”
Tucked beside the food was a fresh bottle of Ibuprofen, still sealed, along with a roll of bandages and some gauze pads.
Delaney blinked, a mix of gratitude and exhaustion rushing through her. “I need to remember to thank him,” she murmured.
Eli had already twisted open the cap on the meds and gone to the sink for a glass of water. He brought it to her, dropping two pills into her hand.
“Take these,” he insisted.
She swallowed them down, her eyes on his the whole time. His worry was etched into every line of his face. She didn’t say anything. She just reached out with her good arm and gave his hand a light squeeze.
Delaney watched Eli move around her kitchen, unpacking the containers and slipping them into the fridge one by one. He held up two containers, glanced at her over his shoulder.
