“Relax,” coaxed Dane, my brother and a surgeon at the Winthrop hospital. “She’s going to be all right.” I heard him move closer. “It’s a good thing the bullet hit her there.” Any lower and it would’ve damaged vital organs. She’s going to be fine.”
Despite his assurance, I didn’t consider a bullet to the abdomen a cause for less concern. “She’s not going to be fine until I find that bastard,” I gritted, taking a deep breath. “Thanks, Dane, for the quick assistance.”
“We’re family, Xavier.” He gave my arm a short rub. “Just take care of her and catch the arsehole.”
“Oh, I plan to.” How wasn’t important right now.
“I’ll see you in a bit.”
After he left, I stood and moved to Mikaela’s side, taking in the gentle rise and fall of her chest, recalling the first time I watched her sleep. Then, she’d been nothing but the wraith of a girl, troubled and wary. Now, she’d flourished under my care into a beautiful woman.
“Sir.”
I looked up to see Wilkes at the door. “How’s Ramone?” I asked, moving away from the bed.
“Angry,” he replied as we walked out of the room, and he followed me to the coffee machine. “It’s a flesh wound. He’ll be good as new in a few days.”
Earlier, while I’d waited for Dane to attend to Mikaela, Wilkes had given me a quick rundown. Ramone was the one who took the shot at Kabir, not anticipating his second gun would go off. I wanted to be angry at this negligence. I couldn’t. He’d done his best to alleviate a terrible situation that could’ve ended badly.
I sipped coffee that tasted like cough syrup and rubbed a weary hand along my brow. “How the fuck did we miss this, Wilkes?”
He shook his head. “I gave chase after you went down, sir. Kabir had a driver with the engine idling outside the restaurant. I’m running the plates as we speak. My guess. He was there just for Mikaela. I don’t think he intended to harm anyone.”
“What makes you say that?” I tossed the coffee cup in a bin.
“The second gun was filled with rubber bullets.”
My laugh was caustic. “You think he had a sudden change of conscience?”
As we rounded the corner, my eyes zeroed in on a man entering Mikaela’s room. His nurse’s uniform didn’t give me cause for concern until Wilkes dashed toward the room. I followed. Just as we reached it, he gestured for me to stay back while he leaned his head forward, observing the man inside. Impatient, I clenched and unclenched my fists until Wilkes looked at me. Wordlessly, he moved me into the room opposite Mikaela’s. Together we kept watch from the observation window that looked out into the corridor.
“What’s going on, Wilkes,” I asked, my eyes on Mikaela’s door.
“His shoes, sir. Not standard hospital issue.”
I tensed. “Why did you leave him in her room then?” I moved to walk off when he stopped me, hesitating. “Spit it out, Wilkes.”
“He wasn’t there to harm her, sir.” Wilkes was a good judge of character and an accomplishment that made him excel at his job. Still, I frowned. “It’s the way he looked at her. Heavy shoulders, his expression of complete sadness. The way he caressed her hair. Those were actions of someone who genuinely cares for her.”
Oddly, that didn’t sit well with me. I chewed the inside of my cheek, wanting to confront the man.
“What do you want me to do, sir?”
“Follow him, see where he goes. If he’s tied to Kabir, he might lead us to him.”
“I’ll get Ramone—”
“No, Wilkes,” I said. He looked at me, surprised. “This is going to get ugly. The less people who know about it, the better.”
“With all due respect, sir, and I’m not questioning you, but Ramone’s been tearing himself inside out, blaming himself for not protecting Mikaela. If anyone is going to want in on this, it’s him, and he’ll make damn sure nothing goes wrong this time. Don’t take this from him. I know if I was in his place, I’d want the same thing.”
I contemplated his words for a moment. “Fine. Just make sure there are no fuck ups. Because I want that bastard more than my next breath.”
“Done, sir.”
A few minutes later, the man exited Mikaela’s room, looked left then right, and proceeded down the corridor. It took every ounce of willpower not to confront him. With a quick nod to me, Wilkes followed him. After I watched them disappear around the hallway, I crossed over to Mikaela’s room and did a thorough check before moving to the bed.
Sighing, I leaned down and placed my hands on either side of her shoulders. “Come back to me, love.” I dropped a soft kiss on her brow. Watching her breathe evenly, my heart sang a high note of pleasure, taking me back to that first night I made her mine.
