“No. I left her a message and told her to call me as soon as possible.”
“I’ll handle it,” I volunteered, reaching for the phone. He hesitated for a brief second before relinquishing it and leaving the vehicle. I answered on the final ring. “Hello?”
“Grant? What’s going on? Why do you have Dad’s phone?” I took a selfish moment for myself to appreciate the sound of her voice. I was an asshole. Our sister was lying on an operating table, fighting for her life, and all I could think about was how good it was to hear Kiyah’s voice. “Is it Granddad?” she asked breathlessly, knowing she was likely one syllable away from having her world shattered.
“No, he’s still with us. It’s Daisy.”
“Daisy?” she muttered in disbelief.
“Daisy and Nori were the targets of a hate crime after leaving a restaurant. Nori escaped with some injuries; however, Daisywas shot and is in surgery. The last we heard, the surgeons were still operating.”
“Hate crime? H-how bad is it?”
“Bad enough that you need to get to the hospital immediately. Mom and Ms. Simone’s jet took off from Portugal half an hour ago.”
Kiyah’s sobs finally broke free. I pulled the phone away from my ear and set it in my lap. Despite the distance, I couldn’t avoid overhearing her wails of anguish or that motherfucker in the background asking what was going on.
She’s not going back to him.
“Grant?”
I held the phone to my ear again. “Are you coming or not?”
“I’m on the next flight out from Chicago. Keep me posted.”
She hung up, and the mild relief that washed over me gave me the strength to leave the calm of the car for the bright lights, antiseptic smell, and fears of the emergency room waiting room.
I made a beeline to Nori, who was tucked in the protective hold of Uncle Ant. Ronan sat beside her, quietly holding her hand. All three had salt-stained tracks on their faces, and those bright, steel-colored eyes were dim and red-rimmed. Nori’s broken arm was held tightly to her body in a sling, and her nose had been reset. The bruising beneath her eyes was extensive, and I was shocked that she escaped the attack with a mild concussion.
I stopped before Nori and tried to find the words to say to her. I knew nothing comforting would come from “I’m sorry.” My sorry wouldn’t turn back time and prevent those motherfuckers from harming them, and it wouldn’t erase the trauma of seeing her other half grasping for life before her.
I opened my mouth to speak when Uncle Ant cut me off.
“She can’t hear you. She lost her hearing aids in the attack. We haven’t been by the house yet to pick up her spares.”
I nodded and crouched to bring myself eye-level to her. I caught her attention and signed.
I’m here.
An unexpected laugh ripped out of me when she signed back saying she was deaf, not blind.
Uncle Ant sighed and kissed her temple. “Even in the most perilous of times, she’s a smart ass.”
“I wonder where she gets that from,” Ronan chimed in.
“Your mother, of course,” Uncle Ant accused, even though we all knew that wasn’t the case.
“Any updates on the assailants?”
He shook his head. “They’re still at large. There was blood found at the scene, and a crime scene investigator has been by to take swabs and scrape beneath Nori’s nails—they found blood and skin cells from when she scratched her attacker.”
“Any witnesses?”
“None,” my father said. He’d rounded the corner with Kieran. They both balanced two drink carriers of coffee cups. “The restaurant had deplorable parking lot lighting, and potential witnesses didn’t arrive until after the gunshots. Personally, I’d sue the restaurant. While the establishment is not responsible for the crime, it does have a duty to deter crime and keep its guests safe. They failed to do so by providing adequate lighting, but Nori is against the notion.”
“It’s their favorite restaurant, Uncle Jon. It’s where they had their first date. I can’t believe I have to say it, but can you step out of lawyer mode for one fucking second and realize that money isn’t everything?”
We’d fallen silent. It wasn’t like Ronan to be so emotionally charged, but given the circumstances, I could understand. However, he also needed to put himself in my Dad’s position—Nori had made it out—she was safe and secure in the arms of herloving father and protective brother, while Daisy’s fate still hung in the balance.
