“Wait, no,” he spluttered. “He doesn’t have much time.”
I shrugged before looping my arm around Billie’s shoulders and pulling her into my side. “Guess he’d better hurry then.”
We left the hospital without another word to anyone, and when we sat in the car, I let out a long sigh. “Fuck,” I groaned.
Billie reached over and took my hand. “Did everything go okay? Do you need to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “No, it went exactly as planned. He agreed to facilitate the takedown of the Riccis and their associates and called in his IRS contacts. They were literally falling over themselves to get the information Angelo had collected. Unsurprisingly, there’s already an ongoing investigation, but they’ve never found their smoking gun.”
“Did you make sure Angelo’s immunity was part of the deal?”
I nodded, smiling down at the cutest little concerned expression on her face. “Yep, our mafia prince is safe, as long as they get the rest of them.”
Billie settled back into her chair, and I made sure she was buckled in before starting the car.
“So, now we wait,” she said.
I shot her a wicked grin as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Don’t worry, Thorn baby, I know exactly how to pass the time.”
Her breaths grew shallow as she looked at me and then out the front window. “How long until we reach the hotel?” she asked in a rush.
Fuck. I planted my foot as soon as we hit the street, the powerful engine loud around us. If I had to deal with my fucking family and this transplant in the next few days, then these days before with Billie were about to be the best gift.
Maybe I should donate a liver more often.
thirty-three
BILLIE
One day with Rhett at the little B&B an hour outside of Townsend morphed into two, and then into three. The doctors called multiple times a day, pleading with Rhett to come in for the procedure because every daymightbe Jeremiah’s last. But he stubbornly refused each and every plea.
On the fourth day, we got the call we were waiting for.
“It’s done,” Jeremiah croaked over the phone, sounding like he was literally on death's door.
Rhett arched a brow at me, the phone on speaker in his palm. I shrugged, then shook my head, not trusting the word of a desperate, dying man.
“Good to hear,” Rhett replied with a sigh. “I’ll wait for confirmation frommypeople before returning to the hospital. I’m sure you understand.”
A rattling wheeze came down the line, which I guessed might be a laugh. “I do.” Then the call ended, and Rhett scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Are you really going through with this?” I asked softly, still somewhat in disbelief that he was willing to save that man’s life. We could have come up with another plan, couldn’t we?
He just shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out. Check in with Angelo? I’m gonna take a shower.”
I nodded, then brushed a kiss over his lips. As he walked to the bathroom, his shoulders sagged like he was carrying the weight of the whole world. I wished I could take some of that from him, but only he could see this through. All I could offer was a shoulder to lean on.
Sinking down onto the end of the bed, I unlocked my phone and pulled up Angelo’s number.
“Jeremiah says it’s done,” I told him when he answered. “Have you heard anything?”
Angelo grunted in surprise, and the clank of metal in the background told me he was in the gym. Of course he was; the boys all spent ahugeamount of time in there to keep their cheese-grater abs firm. I was just glad none of them tried dragging my lazy, unfit ass in there. Unless it was for sex. That happened plenty.
“I haven’t yet,” he replied, puffing slightly. “But that doesn’t surprise me, if they all got picked up at the same time. Let me make some calls, and I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, good idea,” I agreed, shifting on the bed. My butt hit the TV remote, and the screen lit up as a loud sex moan echoed through the room. Panic flashed through me, and I fumbled for the remote, switching it to the news channel instead, but Angelo haddefinitelyheard it.
“Bella…” he purred, and I couldhearhis grin. “What was that?”
