Except she nodded decisively and rasped, “Love when karma does its job.”
I couldn’t help but smile and give her one last hug. “See you soon,” I told her, and she squeezed me tightly.
“Stay safe, honey.”
“Always.”
Not entirely true in our current situation, but I was doing my fucking best to make it true.
Jace got one last hug from all of us, and then we left the hospital. Rhett, Gray, and Angelo surrounded me in a circle of protection, even though we were only heading into the secure parking lot in the basement. Gray’s bulletproof car was back in action, and I got the sense we’d be taking it everywhere from now on.
It was a quiet ride home, the stress and exhaustion getting to all of us. By the time we arrived home, I was near delirious. “Come on, Thorn,” Rhett said, opening my door and helping me out. “Let’s get you to bed.”
For once, there wasn’t an ounce of sexy in that tone. He meant it literally, and I was ready to rest up so I could get back to Jace and his family as soon as possible.
“I’m going to do a little investigating into the chick who stabbed Teresa,” Grayson said when we were inside. “I don’t trust the cops to do a thorough job now that she’s essentially been caught.”
“I’ll put some calls into my contacts,” Angelo added.
It was a relief to know both of them were following this all the way to the end. Even if she did die, we needed to know the why of her attack to make sure it didn’t happen again. Maybe with another member of her family. Or another deranged fan who believed the same shit.
Grayson wrapped an arm around me, his strength holding me up. “Get some sleep, Prickles,” he ordered. “I’ll wake you in a few hours so we can head back to the hospital.”
I cleared my throat to speak. “Wake me if you hear anything from Jace, too.”
“I promise.” Grayson was a man who kept his promises, so I knew I could relax. Angelo kissed me solidly on the lips as well and then patted my ass, sending me into the bedroom with Rhett.
Rhett undressed me with care and love and stood under the shower holding me while I sobbed against his chest. It had been hours of staying strong for Jace, Greg, and Lydia, and now it was all catching up to me. “It’s okay, baby,” he whispered, running a hand up and down my spine as the water crashed down on us. “Let out your pain and sadness. I’m right here to keep you safe.”
He was perfect, and that, of course, made me cry harder until, eventually, the tightness that had been plaguing my chest for hours eased. I did feel better after releasing that pain, and when we emerged and dried off, we both fell naked into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, and I slept the sort of dead sleep where you wake up wondering what century it was.
The only reason I woke at all was the loud ringing of a phone, and in my delirious state, I panicked thinking it was Jace, and I reached out to answer before my eyes were open. “Is everything okay?” I slurred and half shouted into the phone.
There was a brief pause, and then a female voice asked hesitantly. “Oh, sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number. My apologies.”
The line went dead, and I managed to shake the rest of my brain awake as I looked down at the phone in my hand. It wasn’t mine, but Rhett’s. Shit, that was awkward.
“Who was it, baby?” Rhett asked with a yawn, lifting his arms above his head in a long stretch.
“Sorry,” I said quickly, “I thought it was my phone. I didn’t mean to answer yours.”
He relaxed and rolled over to face me, soft smile gracing his gorgeous face. “I have no secrets from you. Answer my phone, read my texts, check my emails. I don’t give a fuck.”
“You’re too good to be true, Zep,” I said, leaning over to kiss him because I couldn’t help myself. “And I have no idea who that was. Female voice, she thought she had the wrong number.”
I held the phone out, and he checked the number. “It’s the hospital where my grandfather is.”
There was no inflection in his tone, and I had no idea what he was thinking. “Are you going to call them back?” I checked.
He stared at the screen for a beat, before shaking his head. “If it’s important, they’ll call again.”
As he finished that sentence, the phone rang, and I had to laugh. “Apparently, they think it’s important.”
Rhett let out a low rumble before sucking in a deep breath, and he answered on the third ring, putting it on loudspeaker. “Yeah,” he said bluntly.
“Rhett Silver?” the same female voice from before asked.
“Yeah.”
