“I just needed a few minutes to myself. Have they come out yet?”
“No.” Sal’s shoulders slumped, and his voice sounded defeated.
I hugged my brother and said, “He’ll be okay. We have to believe it.”
The doctor arrived minutes later to give us an update. Cian had made it through surgery and, barring any infection, should make a full recovery.
He was in recovery, and as his wife, they would let me in to see him as soon as they moved him to a room. I tried to mentally prepare myself for the worst, but when I walked into that room an hour later and saw his bruised face and his swollen eye staring back at me, I reverted to the one thing that kept my feelings locked up.
“I am so fuckin’ pissed at you, Cian McCarthy!”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cian
I heard the door open and close. My headache hadn’t faded, and I just wanted to be left to die in peace. Fuck, I didn’t even remember having anything to drink. I tried to lift my arm, but the weight felt wrong.
I opened one eye—the other seemed to be stuck—and found Caity glaring at me.
“I am so fuckin’ pissed at you, Cian McCarthy!” she snapped.
My open eye widened, but pain shot through my head when the other eye wouldn’t follow.
“What the fuck did I do?”
All at once everything came flooding back like a bad 70’s movie on fast forward. The pain in my skull, waking up tied to a chair with Ty standing over me. Sylvia St. James walking down the steps into the room and demanding my daughter.
“Where’s Maddie?” I croaked, trying to sit up.
Caity rushed forward and pushed my shoulders back. “Stay still, asshole.” I looked into her eyes, and that was when I saw it. She was scared, not angry. Tears welled in her eyes. Tears I knew she’d never shed in front of me.
She was so fucking strong, and I hated it.
“Maddie is safe,” she told me, then quickly turned away, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose. God, I fucking missed this woman. I hated that she felt like she couldn’t feel in front of me.
“She can’t come to the hospital.”
“I know. Dread told us what you said. She’s safe, I promise. She doesn’t even know you’re here yet.”
“I WANT A DRINK OF WATER!”
My body jolted at the yell. “Who the fuck is that?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Your roommate,” Caity said, swishing the curtain aside. “Sir, use your call button and the nurse will come in.” She came back to my side of the room shaking her head.
“Why am I in a shared room?”
“Because there is a shortage at the moment.”
“Find someone to get me a fuckin’ room,” I demanded. “And what the fuck does Dread know about Maddie?”
“Dread was the one who saved your sorry ass. He saw Sylvia leaving the building and planned to follow her when he heard you scream. He found Ty about to clock you with a wooden table leg.”
“Where is Ty?” I growled.
Caity lowered her voice and said, “Dead.”
“What? Why? He had information we need.” I winced in pain, once again trying to sit up.
