Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Gideon
The hallway outside Imogene’s room was a little brighter than the night before, yet the guilt hadn’t lessened. I’d barely slept, but it didn’t matter. Imogene was stable, recovering. That was the only important thing right now.
When I walked into the waiting area, Henry was still there, sitting in a chair with his legs stretched out in front of him and arms folded, his eyes closed. Despite all the times I told him he didn’t need to stay, he refused to leave, staying not just for Imogene, but also for me.
He truly was a good friend.
When I finally escaped the hell I’d been trapped in, he was the first person who came to mind. He was the one person I knew who would believe me. Who would help.
And over the past year, that was precisely what he did.
He may have occasionally questioned whether this was the right path, but I knew it came from a place of love. After all, if anyone would understand my need to even the score, it was Henry Fontaine.
But that was over now.
As I approached him, he blinked his eyes open and straightened.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I told him.
He waved off my apology. “How’s she doing?”
I lowered myself into the chair beside him. “Still sleeping.” I wished I had more news, but there hadn’t been any changes over the past several hours.
I shifted my gaze toward the windows that overlooked the busy sidewalks three stories below. Reporters swarmed like vultures, each one hoping to catch a sound bite about the high-speed chase that resulted in a woman nearly losing her life. They didn’t care about the actual human cost. They just wanted a sensational story to sell.
“Any news on Turner?” I asked, shifting my gaze toward Henry. I’d purposefully avoided the news all day, going so far as turning off my phone.
Anyone who needed to get in touch with me knew where I was.
He leaned closer. “The doctors don’t expect him to wake up. Apparently, he’s officially brain dead. He’s being kept alive by machines for the time being until his wife can get here and make a decision.”
“I see.” I nodded as I processed this news.
After the role James Turner played in what happened to me as well as Jonah Pruitt, I should have been thrilled by the news that he was essentially a vegetable. It was the same situation Jonah had been in after James paid several inmates to silence him. James Turner would never leave this hospital alive. It was exactly what I wanted for him.
But any sense of vindication or poetic justice came with a sour taste in my mouth. The satisfaction I once thought would come with his demise was hollow. Especially now that I realized the true price of my revenge.
“And Liam?” I asked after a beat, trying to keep my voice even.
Henry blew out a long breath, running a hand over his face. “No one knows where he is. Which doesn’t look good, considering he already had heat on him from the body unexpectedly found on his boat.” He gave me a knowing look.
“Couple that with the fact that he’s been withdrawing large amounts of cash from his accounts since Brian McGuire’s disappearance, it looks like he’s on the run.” He lowered his voice. “Do you want me to see what I can find?”
I pinched my lips together, hesitating. As if some part of me still resisted the changed course I set upon last night.
But I made a promise to God. Or maybe a deal with the devil. I wasn’t sure which. All I did know was I wouldn’t do anything to put Imogene’s life in jeopardy again.
“It’s over,” I announced firmly, trying to push away any lingering doubts or reservations.
Henry scrunched his brow. “What do you mean?”
“All of it,” I replied under my breath. “I’m done. No more revenge. No more lies. It’s over. I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me, no questions asked…”
“You’re my brother, even if not by blood. You’d do the same for me.”
“Without a doubt. But I can’t keep going down this path now that I finally know the cost.” I glanced down the hallway in the direction of Imogene’s room.
“I don’t know what she’ll want when she wakes up, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself worthy of her. I have a second chance with the woman of my dreams. At least I hope I do. I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.”
Henry narrowed his gaze. “If you’re certain.”
“I am.” I held his gaze for a beat. “Just do me one last favor before you head back to your fortress of solitude.”
He laughed slightly at my reference to his imposing home on the outskirts of Atlanta. “What’s that?”
“Find me a house. A small place by the beach for Imogene. Something quiet, a little shack even. Somewhere she can breathe again. Where we can both breathe again. Somewhere untainted by all of this.” I waved my hand around.
“Consider it done.”
With a squeeze of my arm, he stood and disappeared from view, his phone already pressed to his ear.
I slunk back into my chair, my mind consumed with thoughts of James and Liam. Was I being foolish by not going after him? Or, at the very least, by not asking Henry to use his resources and expertise to locate him?
I had to remind myself I was done with that part of my life. I knew the cost now.
No more.
No matter how tempting it was to fall back on my old habits.
A movement caught my attention, and I snapped my head up to see Julia and Lachlan emerge from the hallway.
I jumped to my feet, my eyes brimming with hope. “Is she awake?”
“Not yet,” Lachlan replied evenly.
“It’s just a waiting game at this point,” Julia added. “Nothing else we can do.”
I nodded, hating this feeling of helplessness. I knew Imogene was okay and that the doctors were keeping her relatively sedated because of her pain, but I just wanted her to wake up.
“We’re going to grab some lunch,” Lachlan stated. “Would you like to come with us?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but I’d rather stay here with her.”
“Of course.” Julia squeezed my hand. “We’ll be back soon. You’ll call if she wakes up?”
“Absolutely.”
Once they left, I headed down the hallway and slipped inside Imogene’s room, taking a seat beside her bed.
My gaze traveled over her still form, taking in every bruise, every bandage. The monitors beeped softly, a steady rhythm that reassured me with each beat.
Reaching for her hand, I gently traced my thumb over her knuckles, finding comfort in the feel of her skin as I thought back to everything we’d been through.
“Do you remember that trip to Hilton Head when we took Ollie to the beach?” I paused, letting the memory take shape, softening the ache in my chest. “You’d convinced me to go running along the shore with you. Ollie thought it was the greatest game ever, him chasing us, us chasing each other. He got so worked up that he was tearing back and forth like a maniac.”
A faint smile tugged at my lips, a tightness squeezing my chest. “After about an hour, we finally wore him out enough to sit down. It was perfect. Just us on the beach, watching as the sky turned every shade of pink and orange as we talked about all the places we wanted to go one day.”
I tightened my grasp on her hand, my voice softer now. “I remember thinking that if I could freeze time and keep us in that moment forever, I’d do it. No worries. No secrets. Just you and me.”
A small laugh escaped, quiet and bittersweet. “Then Ollie charged at us out of nowhere, barking his head off and dragging me back into the waves. You said?—”
“Maybe next time you want to get laid on the beach, leave the dog at home.”
Her words were no louder than a whisper, but they shot through me like a live wire. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I feared I’d never hear that sweet melody again.
I looked up sharply and met Imogene’s eyes — hazy and barely open, but alive.
“You’re awake,” I said, my voice breaking with emotion. Relief flooded through me, filling every crack, every scar.
She smiled weakly, her grip tightening around mine. “You’re here.”
“Always, Imogene.” I brought her hand to my lips. “Always.”