Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Pennsylvania
The next couple of days everything had been quiet, both inside the house and outside.
I knew Gideon was readying for something to happen, but it was actually nice right now.
He was called away to talk with his men, but he spent a lot of time with his family—more than I’d thought a mafia boss would…
and yeah, I knew he didn’t like the label of “mafia,” but what else could I refer to him as?
One evening after dinner, Gideon excused himself to take a call. The twins and I lounged on one of the huge sofas, Matteo hopping onto a different sofa. Rita joined her son, and Dean sat beside Olivia.
“What are we watching?” Dean pulled up the menu.
“It’s Owen’s turn to pick.” Matteo said.
Dean listed off a few movies, and as soon as he got to one Owen wanted, he simply whispered, “Yes.”
It was the only time I’d heard his voice; he really didn’t talk much. When I’d first gotten to Sunshine House, I’d had little to say to anyone about anything. Through the years that hadn’t changed much except with Tenny—I’d talk to her about everything.
We were about twenty minutes in by the time Gideon returned, but judging from the fucking hot fancy-ass suit he had on, he wasn’t staying.
“I have to go out, but I’ll be back in a few hours.” He leaned down and kissed Olivia on the head, did the same to Owen, and as he brushed by me slid his fingers on top of my head.
“Be safe,” I shouted.
“Yes, dear,” he returned, and everyone laughed.
By the time Rita had put the twins to bed, Gideon still hadn’t returned. I played a video game with Matteo until it was time for his bedtime, and Gideon still wasn’t home.
In the kitchen, Rita and Dean were pouring themselves some wine.
“Drink?” Dean offered.
“No, thank you. Uh, you think Gideon is all right?”
Rita grinned. “If he wasn’t, we’d know. Someone would have contacted us.”
“Of course.” I scratched the nape of my neck. “Where’d he go?”
Dean sipped his merlot. “Not sure, didn’t say.”
I’d guessed that when Dean had told me he wasn’t involved in Gideon’s business, he truly wasn’t. I saw why calling it “mafia” wasn’t accurate and that Gideon lived two different lives.
“Right.”
They were watching me with obvious amusement. It was ten o’clock, so I just decided to go up to bed. I was sure Gideon was fine, likely trying to end all this mayhem, and that was time consuming, no doubt.
I showered, brushed my teeth, slipped on a pair of boxers, and got into bed. My mind was racing, so I grabbed a book and started it from the beginning. I read for a long time before my lids began to droop and I was finally able to fall asleep.
Something was wrong. I opened my eyes, and sunshine wasn’t pouring into the bedroom, so it wasn’t morning. I glanced at the clock, it read three a.m. What woke me up?
Whispered voices in the hallway…that had to be it. I pulled the sheets off me, grabbed a T-shirt and pair of pants, and went to investigate.
Danny and Alex were talking right by my bedroom; both looked worse for wear.
“Hey, guys, what’s going on?”
They turned toward me. “Nothing, go back to bed,” Alex answered.
“Where’s Gideon?”
“Just go to bed, Penn,” Danny ordered.
Right. Because they were filling me with “everything is okay” vibes.
“I think I’ll go check on him.” I made it a few steps before my wrist was grabbed, and Alex was in front of me.
“He’s resting.”
“Okay, I won’t disturb him. I’ll just take a peek.”
He didn’t release me, and I realized that it wasn’t something that was wrong; it was someone. I yanked my hand loose, swiftly moved to Gideon’s bedroom, and opened the door without knocking.
He was lying in bed, his shirt off, covered in bandages. One side of his face was slightly swollen. A man, a doctor—judging by the stethoscope—was wrapping Gideon’s hand. Rita and Dean were on the other side of the bed.
“What happened?”
Gideon was out cold, so Dean answered. “He was at a club and when they left, one of his SUVs exploded. Gideon lost two guys, and he was propelled backward against the side of the building.”
“Lorcan.”
“Likely.” Dean had his arm around Rita. “He’ll be okay. He’s just banged up.”
“I’ve given him some pain meds; he’ll be out for a few hours.” The doctor rose and stuffed gauze into his bag. “When he wakes, light food, a lot of fluids, and keep up with his pain meds. Nothing taxing for a few days—a week, preferably.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Rita walked him out, mumbling questions about care, but I couldn’t focus on her. Lorcan had tried to kill Gideon tonight. Two more men had died. This was insane.
Dean’s gaze on his brother was filled with worry and fear, presumably for what was to come of all this. I didn’t compute fear, obviously, but I understood what the worry was about. This situation was worthy of many emotions.
“Who were the men?” I asked Dean.
“Barry and Lync, I don’t think you’ve met them.
They are who Gideon refers to as his street men.
They were at the club when Gideon arrived.
The three of them were leaving while Alex and Danny stayed behind to make sure they weren’t being followed.
I guess the misstep was not realizing that while they were inside, and Gideon was having his meeting, someone was rigging one of the SUVs. ”
“Was he meeting Lorcan?”
Dean lifted a shoulder. “I think, maybe, I don’t know.”
“Right, you’re not in the business.”
“I only know what went down from Alex and Danny.”
Gently, I sat on the side of the bed and watched Gideon’s chest rise and fall. “I can stay.”
Dean looked at me. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. When Tenny got sick, I didn’t leave her side. I guess you could say I’m good at this part.”
His smile was small. “Okay, I’m keeping the twins away from him for now. If they see Gideon like this without him being able to explain to them what happened, they’ll likely be very upset.”
The clock read three thirty now. “They’ll sleep for a while, still. They won’t just come into his room, right?”
“No.” He gently brushed a piece of hair from Gideon’s forehead. “Text me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
After he left, I moved to the other side of the king-sized bed and lay facing him, watching for any inkling he was waking or in pain. I wasn’t even a little bit tired. I rested my hand on the unbandaged one.
“This will be over soon, Gid. Hang in there and when you wake, we’ll figure it all out.”
He didn’t respond and I didn’t expect him to; I simply held his hand and kept watch through the early morning hours.