His jaw clenches. “We were on the way back to the office when we got that news. I was trying to figure out where Freddie might run to because he had to know there was no way he could escape, and Selena popped into my head.” His bloodshot eyes peer into mine. “I just got a terrible feeling, so I turned my car around instantly and headed for your place. I called Paul and Ray, but the calls didn’t connect because there’s no signal in the garage.” He sighs heavily. “I would’ve called you, but I was close to your place, and I didn’t want to worry you if my gut was wrong. I got to your condo five minutes later. Parked out front and ran around the back when I heard a shot go off.” Raw emotion radiates from his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Keanu. I was too fucking late. Selena was… She was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “Paul and Ray are both dead.”
“Jesus.” Selena will be devastated to hear that.
“I know. They were good men. They didn’t deserve that.”
“Please tell me you got that fucker?” Kent says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I’m so cold. Frozen all over.
“I nailed that fucking bastard,” Kev says. “I pumped every round in my gun into that motherfucker. He’s not getting back up again. I’ll probably be suspended, but I couldn’t give two fucks.”
I grab onto my brother’s arm. “Thank you,” I croak. “My wife would be dead right now if it wasn’t for you.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner,” he whispers.
“No, brother. You have nothing to be sorry for.” I hug him tight.
“She’s going to be okay, Keanu. She’s a survivor, and she loves you too much to leave you.”
“Kev is right,” Kent says. “She’s strong as fuck, and she’ll pull through.”
“Darling!” Mom barrels through the door, and I spy Dad in the background talking to a man in a charcoal-gray suit.
“Mom!” I almost collapse as I fall into my mother’s arms.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re here for you and Selena.”
“I can’t lose her, Mom,” I choke. “I will die without her.”
“I know, darling, but Selena is a fighter, and I just know she’s going to survive this.”
The rest of the family arrives except for Lana, Kalvin, and Keaton, who are all waiting to board planes, and soon, the room is full of people and noise, and it helps to distract my mind.
Sandrine is as distraught as me when she arrives, and we hold one another, doing our best to support each other, but it’s hard. Because I’m going fucking crazy here. Selena has been in surgery for three hours, and no one has told us a thing so far.
I hop up. “I need some fucking answers,” I say, storming toward the door just as a tall man with gray hair enters the room. He’s wearing a white coat, and he has a clipboard in his hand. “I’m looking for Selena Kennedy’s husband,” he says.
I step in front of him, and Sandrine joins me. “That’s me. And this is Selena’s mom. Is she okay?”
He extends his hand, and I shake it on autopilot. Then he shakes Sandrine’s hand. “I’m Doctor Fleming. I was a part of the surgical team who operated on your wife. Selena has lost a lot of blood, Mr. Kennedy, and she took a bullet to the shoulder. Thankfully, the bullet missed her major artery and the bone. It hit her muscle, and there was a little nerve damage, but we’ve repaired it. We gave her a blood transfusion during surgery, and she’s stable now. We’ll keep her in ICU overnight, and then, she’ll be moved to a private room for a few days, but she can go home after that. I see no reason why she won’t make a full recovery.”
“She’s going to be okay?” I stammer.
“She’s going to be just fine.” He pats my arm, his brow creasing a little. “I hope this isn’t inappropriate, but did this have anything to do with her planned interview?”
“The man who shot her was one of the men who abducted her as a child,” Sandrine says.
“And my best guess is he wanted to silence Selena,” Keven says, coming up on my other side. “He knew that the FBI had a warrant for his arrest and he was going to be tried for his crimes. I suspect he wanted to remove a key witness in the hope he might get off without her testimony.”
“My God.” The doctor shakes his head. “That’s horrific. As if Selena hasn’t suffered enough.” He shakes my hand again. “Your wife is an incredibly brave woman, Mr. Kennedy, and she has the admiration of every professional in this hospital. We hope, at some point, she is able to proceed with her televised interview, because her message is a powerful one.”
“I know my wife, and trust me, that interview will take place.”
A short while later, I’m allowed to see her. She’s lying in bed, dressed in a pale blue hospital gown with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Bruises and cuts cover her beautiful face, but she looks peaceful as she sleeps. She’s hooked up to a monitor, and a drip feeds saline and medication into her arm.
I sit down on the chair by her bed, taking her hand in mine, relieved when it’s warm to the touch. I keep a hold of her hand as I wait for her to wake up.
Gentle fingers threading through my hair is the first thing I register when I wake up.
“Hey, baby.”
