“You know we can’t phone right away,” he chastised her.
“I know,” she sobbed. “Whenever you can.”
“It’s hard to believe we met in a hospital, and everything I dreamed about came true. I couldn’t have done it without you and Chase believing in me. I love you, Kassie,” José whispered in her ear.
“I love you, too.” She squeezed him one more time before letting him go.
The young men climbed into the truck. Ivan and Chase got in to take them to the airport. Leo pulled Kassie into a hug. “No sending them cookies, or anything else, promise me.”
“I promise.” She nodded and waved them off.
Victoria sobbed into her tissue and waved as they pulled out of the parking lot. “I still don’t understand why they couldn’t take the private jet. It’s not like they need to live in the muck until they arrive.”
“I hardly believe flying commercial will kill them,” Kassie laughed.
“I don’t understand why the government has issues with it. They complain about all their spending. It would’ve saved them airfare,” Victoria sobbed and wiped her tears.
“We want their qualities to stand out, not their privilege. They’ll earn their spots like we did,” Leo said. “We prepared them.”
Chase droveto SeaTac and parked the truck. Ivan grabbed their gear while José spoke with Chase. “Please give everyone a hug from us at the funeral.”
“We will. Debbie wanted to see you off. I’m sure she’ll watch over you. Remember who you are and what you stand for. Most importantly, know you’ll always have a family waiting for you to come home. In the darkest times, you fight to get back to us. Watch over your brother,” Chase said, shaking José’s hand and pulling him in for a manly hug.
“Thanks, Chase. I will. I love you, man,” José said, his voice filled with emotion.
“I love you, too.”
Ivan placed a hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “You’re ready to make your mark in this world. Don’t let those doubts your sperm donor put into your head convince you that you’re not good enough. You’re a Rostov now, you’re one of the best. Ilove you, Lucas.”
“I love you, too. Take care of Nick for me,” Lucas said, hugging him.
The two men watched the younger ones grab their gear and walk into the airport.
“I don’t know about you, but I hope Leo broke out the good stuff. Who knew having a son could be this difficult? At least I’ll have Nick for a few more years,” Ivan said, getting back into the truck.
“I’m sure they’re waiting for us at the facility. Leo has the entire town surrounded by veterans and plainclothes SWAT team members. This week sucks. It’s bad enough we lost Debbie. Now the boys have left, we’ll have her service, and we still have the perpetrator on the loose. The women have brainstormed to try to get food out to the families with the most need,” Chase lamented.
“When we return, I think instead of waiting for this fool to hurt someone else or create any more havoc, we need to set a trap. You and Leo need to allow the teens to return to their jobs and visit the town. Have them stay in groups with a couple of veterans. By limiting their activity, you’re giving Jeremy what he wants. He has an issue with the hospital.”
“I don’t want the teens to get hurt,” Chase said, rubbing his jaw. “It doesn’t help we have two policemen for the whole town. Maybe we can discuss adding more to the roster at the next town meeting. I don’t understand Jeremy’s outbursts. We’ve always included the townspeople in our plans, and he never voiced anything at the meetings.”
“People like him don’t want to work things out. He preys upon misery. Let’s talk to Leo and the team and come up with a plan to catch him,” Ivan suggested.
“You’re right. It’s time we get this handled. He may not have intended it, but he murdered Debbie.” Chased turned toward the mountain.
“In my country, if you hurt one of my family, you don’t live long enough to boast about it. Yet, he has no problem coming into town and antagonizing Patch and Scarlett. It’s time we take him down,” Ivan snarled.
“Let’s do it,” Chase vowed.
CHAPTER 23
Scarlett rolledover on the bed in her new surroundings. The cabin felt homey and relaxing, exactly what she needed after the last couple of days. Candy gave her a talking watch and a clock for her room. They worked on how to tell different denominations of bills apart, and now her wallet was organized. Even her credit cards were marked for distinction. They organized her closet by the colors of the rainbow and used braille tags to mark her clothes, making dressing easier. Kassie set up an appointment for Scarlett to improve her Braille reading.
Her phone rang and she tapped the bedside table until she located it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Scarlett. It’s Ty. I’m calling to check on you. How do your burns feel?”
