Mr. Carver fled the courtroom, barely pausing to grab his briefcase from the counsel’s table as he did so.
Dylan approached the judge, who asked softly, “How is she doing?”
“She’ll be okay. She has a concussion, and some bruising, but she’ll be okay.”
“She’s a fighter. She’ll get through this.” Her grin turned impish. “Especially if you’re there to help her.”
In spite of himself, Dylan could feel a flush rise to his cheeks. “I won’t leave her side again.”
Her smile was genuine when she rose from the bench to head back to her chambers.
Dylan wanted to head to the hospital immediately, but he was flagged down by Tom and Dina as he tried to escape. Both were, understandably, very concerned for Kelsi and bombarded him with questions about her condition. He waved his hands at them to slow down the questions. “She’s okay. She’s going to be okay.”
Both exhaled shuddering breaths at that, and Tom fought back tears. Dylan did the man a favor and pretended not to notice. Dina, on the other hand, didn’t try to hold hers back. She fell into Dylan, sobbing, and he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back.
Tom clapped Dylan’s shoulder as he passed him to return to his office. “Take good care of her,” he called over his shoulder.
Dylan looked down at the crying woman and gently pried her away. “I gotta go see my girl, Dina.”
She nodded, tears still streaming down her face, but her shoulders heaved less than they had a minute earlier. “You give her a hug from me, okay?” She fixed him with a stern expression, somehow made more intimidating by the tears soaking her face and the mascara tracks underneath her eyes.
“I will.”
She smiled and stepped away, giving him room to walk to the escalators. “Go get your girl.”
“I intend to.” He returned her smile and ran to the exit.
CHAPTER 49
Kelsi
Abby napped inthe chair next to her hospital bed, leaving Kelsi alone with her thoughts and the rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor.
She couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She was stuck on a loop, reliving the worst moments. Sheridan’s betrayal, McGuinness telling her he was going to kill Dylan, the deafening bang of the gunshot in the small room, the empty look in his eyes as his blood soaked the floor. Her stomach heaved and she fought the urge to vomit.
She wished she could sleep like Abby, but every time she closed her eyes it was his eyes that she saw. Alternating between the psychotic gleam and the vacant stare. In her job, she had seen plenty of images of victims of homicides, but she’d never watched someone die in front of her. It was taking a toll on her, and she was struggling to hold herself together. Not even the pain medication the hospital gave her through her IV drip could force her to sleep.
All she wanted was for Dylan to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, the door to her room opened and he was there, still in the same disheveled suit pants andwhite button-up from earlier. Vaguely, she noticed that there were some spots of blood on his shirt near his shoulders and collar, which must have been from her.
The creak of the door opening jarred Abby awake. She blinked blearily, then looked back and forth between Dylan and Kelsi as if watching a ping-pong tournament. Stretching, she cracked her neck to clear the kinks and stood. She leaned over Kelsi and gently kissed her forehead. “You’re in good hands now. I’m going to head home, but let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Kelsi nodded at her best friend, throat restricted from emotion. “Love you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Abby turned to the door, stopping when Dylan pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you,” he said, chin resting on top of her head. Kelsi’s heart felt like it could burst from her chest as two of the most important people in her life bonded.
Abby pulled away first. “You never have to thank me for helping my best friend.” She headed toward the door. Behind Dylan’s back, she pointed at him, winking at Kelsi as she mouthed,Get it, girl, before the door swung shut and Kelsi and Dylan were left alone.
In the silence that followed Abby’s departure, they stared at each other, hearts in their eyes, until Dylan closed the gap between them in two gigantic strides. Despite the speed at which he came at her, his grip was gentle as he placed his hands on either side of her face.
“Don’t scare me like that, Red.” He shuddered, closing his eyes briefly. “I thought I had lost you again. Just for a second, Ithought it was like last time, that you ran. I know now that’s not what happened years ago, but I was still scared.”
The words were soft, but their impact was hard.
She winced, regretting that he even had to question her for a moment. She lifted her hands to cover his on her cheeks. “I will never leave you again, Dylan.” She said this with strength, uttering it as a promise. “I love you.” She whispered the words she had regretted not saying to him in his hotel room, green eyes meeting blue.
