“When I realized what I’d done, I tried to find Randy!” he yelled, “and stop him, but he’d already disappeared.”
“You’ll find your pal locked up,” War said. “And just so you know, when he comes around from being unconscious, he’s going to blurt out your name as his accomplice. You have a jail sentence in your future.”
Justin’s eyes widened, then he shot for the mudroom. War dove after him, grabbing him. “You don’t get to escape what you started.”
Justin went corpse-pale, struggling to break free of War’s hold, his gaze rushing to his father’s. “I’m sorry, Dad! Please, I can’t go to jail. Nothing like this will ever happen again, I promise. I can leave the state, lay low. Just let me go. I’ll stay away, never talk about Eli again. Anything you want,” he pleaded, the truth finally sinking into his thick, self-centered skull.
Caleb lifted a hand, stopping him. “I’m only grateful your mother isn’t here to see how the child they said she could never carry to term turned out. Perhaps jail is the best possible thing for you since I failed with you.” His shoulders hunched, he shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Eli.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. This is all on him.”
“Charlotte, will you be okay?” Caleb asked me.
War answered before I could. “She has a concussion from the blow to her head. The doc released her in my care.” His expression hardened. “And the gash on her brow may leave a scar.”
Caleb shut his eyes and nodded. “I have to do my part and see this to its end. Goodbye, Eli.”
War followed him out, hauling Justin with him.
I stifled a yawn and sat down, finally shutting my eyes, exhaustion taking over.
Strong arms scooped me up, holding me close, and my eyelids flickered open. “I can walk.”
“Charli, let me take care of you. It’s been a damn terrifying and messed-up day.”
Too tired and grateful for some quiet, I sighed and rested my head on his chest as he headed upstairs, his heartbeats a soothing echo in my ear. He held me like I was the most precious thing in his life.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
Those blue eyes lowered. “I don’t know.” The raw pain in there dissipated my drowsiness.
“I’m fine.” I reached out and stroked his tense jaw. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He settled me on the bed in his room and curled next to me as dusk stole into the room, casting long shadows everywhere. “When I saw you on the garage floor…” His throat worked as if he couldn’t get the words out. “It felt as if I were caught in a nightmare and back in the trailer.”
“Honey, I’m right here.” I turned and petted his chest. “I’m okay. Even the doc said so. Nothing will keep me from you. Not ever.”
He buried his face in my neck and just held me. I hugged him, pressing a kiss to his unshaven cheek.
“I nearly lost my mind seeing you bleeding on the garage floor,” he said, voice muffled. “But when you walked into the hall with that hockey stick, while the bastard held the gun—”
“Pointed at the man I love,” I added. “I wanted to hurt him. Yes, I know you’re miffed at me, but I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“You’re gonna give me an aneurysm before I’m thirty,” he grumbled, then he leaned over me, his expression stark with emotion. “Miffeddoesn’t even begin to describe my terror, Charli. I never want to live through that again. I still don’t know whether to get mad at you or applaud your foolish bravery for accosting a deranged man,” he said on a long-drawn sigh.
“Well, at least he’s imprisoned, and probably by tomorrow, your foster brother will be, too.”
“If I know Caleb, he would have hauled Justin straight to the police station. My foster brother is not skating by on this one.”
“Good.” I glanced down at the bloodstains and dirt on my shirt and sat up. “I need a shower—”
“Your wounds,” he protested, drawing me back.
“I’ll be careful.” I crawled off the bed. “I don’t want a reminder of what happened. Besides, it will keep me awake.”
“Your logic fails to reassure me,” he muttered. “But leave the bathroom door open.”
“I need to be clean, I don’t want...” The air seemed too thin, making it hard to breathe as the image of War at gunpoint replayed in my mind. “The bullet could have hit you.” My voice cracked. “I could have lost you.” All the emotions gathered to a boiling point, and I burst into tears, huge, racking sobs breaking free.
