Chapter 36 Allie
ALLIE
Elias Thorne’s room is warm. Logs crackle in the fireplace. The black and white TV plays some detective show. Rosie cruises around the couch, knocking things off the coffee table and picking them back up again.
“I hear… she took… her first steps.”
His voice is a croak. One eye is shut while the other squints at me. His mouth can barely move.
“She’ll be running marathons soon.”
“Yes… good…” Each of his breaths is a labor. Elias Thorne was a beast in life, but now he’s a ghost of that man.
I owe him everything.
But I don’t know what to say. I can’t think of how I can possibly repay him for what he did. Rosie would still be under Medved’s control if it weren’t for his bravery.
Mass told me everything. He told me what Elias sacrificed. The old man should be dead, but luckily one of Enzo’s divers found him and gave him oxygen before he could drown.
Except that was only a temporary reprieve.
Elias was bad before. Nobody thought he had long to live. But now it’s clear.
The Dragon is dying.
What can I say to this total stranger? My grandfather?
I tell him about Rosie’s life. I talk about the first terrible weeks figuring out how to take care of her, about settling into my role as a mother, about watching my baby grow. I tell him about his daughter, my mother, and I try to be as honest as I can.
“She’s tough, but she’s always there for Rosie.”
A slight, pained smile. “My daughter… always… black… white… Nothing else.” He wheezes and coughs.
“What I did was wrong. In her mind, getting pregnant like that was the most grievous sin I could’ve committed. But she didn’t hold it against Rosie. I respect her for that.”
He doesn’t have much strength left and lets me do all the talking. I spend a while at his bedside, not sure if or when I’ll ever see him again. Before I go, I let him give Rosie a little kiss. She touches his face with her little fingers and smiles happily.
“Papa,” she says.
“No, baby, that’s just Pop-Pop.”
“Pop.”
I can’t tell if Elias likes his grandfather name or not. His eyes are closed and his breathing is steady. Alive, but asleep.
The door to the west wing slides open. I find Mass standing in the hallway, his back against the wall and a phone in his big hand. He looks up at me as I approach and puts the phone away.
“How’s he doing?” Mass kisses me and Rosie in turn.
“Not good. I think the nurses are right. He doesn’t have long.”
Mass nods. I can’t tell what he’s feeling. My husband is always good at keeping his emotions inside, but after all this insanity by his side, I know for a fact he has much more swirling around in his head than he lets on.
“Elias told me this is how he wanted it before we left. He wanted to die on his own terms. I wonder if we should have left him in the water back there.”
“Don’t do that.” I lightly swat his arm. “We’re not Vikings. We don’t have sea burials.”
“He would’ve liked that though. Drowned saving his granddaughter.”
“But now we’re giving him some more time with her. That’s a good thing, right?”
“You’re right.” He kisses me again, and we move through the halls together as a family. The staff gives us plenty of space. I feel like we’re in a bubble for a few minutes, and it feels warm. I lean against him, not happy with how much pain it took to get to this point, but happy that we’re here.
“You know, I keep wanting to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“When it’s safe, can you bring my mother here?”
His eyebrows raise. “I didn’t think you had a good relationship with her.”
“It’s complicated, but she should have the chance to say goodbye to her father.”
“I’m not sure there’s time for that.”
“Can you try anyway? Besides, Rosie misses her nana. And Mom did the best she could. Maybe she wasn’t always perfect, but still.”
“Your family is my family now.”
“Does that mean you’ll find positions for my brothers in your organization? And maybe save my family’s mansion from crumbling to dust?”
He laughs lightly. “Now you’re asking a lot.”
“I’m the Dragon’s wife. What’s the point of all this if I don’t do something with it?”
“Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Good.”
He reaches down and takes Rosie from me. I smile as he holds her tight, and Rosie doesn’t seem to mind. She snuggles into his chest as we step into the main section of the Fortress, angling toward the elevator.
We make it ten steps before the alarm begins to blare.
Mass stops dead and looks around. Guards hustle past him, running to their stations. Fear snaps into me as I remember the last time something like this happened. “What’s going on?”
He gives Rosie to me. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” He snags one of the guards nearby and orders him to take me to a safe location.
“Wait a second.” I clutch onto Mass’s arm, terror ripping into me. “The last time this happened, Satya took Rosie.”
“It’s different now. My men will watch you.”
“Mass, I don’t want to be alone.” I don’t let him go. The idea of being separated right now kills me. “How is this still happening?”
“Medved’s not dead. His ship’s still out there.” He gently pries my hand away. “Trust me, Allie. Go with my men. They’ll keep you safe.”
I want to argue. I think if I begged, he’d let me stay with him.
But I know that will only be a distraction. If Medved is assaulting the island right now, he needs to focus on handling the problem. I’d only get in the way.
Despite my instincts screaming at me to stay right by his side, I nod once and allow myself to be led away.
The whole fortress is in chaos. Men and women run across the lobby in tight, panicked knots. Lady’s voice comes through the intercom, calling names and codes, all of it gibberish to me. I follow the guards, feeling like a total mess.
Until they deposit me into a room I’ve never seen before.
We’re deep in the center of the building. The door is reinforced steel. I blink into the gloom for a moment as what looks like a fancy jail cell resolves itself.
And a voice grunts at me from a couch pressed against the wall.
“Did he finally arrest you too?” The figure sits up, pushing a blanket away.
“Gabe?!” I run to my older brother. He hugs me and Rosie, wincing slightly when I squeeze him too hard. “Oh my god, your ear. What happened to your ear?”
I reach back and touch the ugly, torn stub. It looks like someone sliced the top half off. He flinches back and lightly presses my hand away.
“Nothing important.”
“Who did this to you?”
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’m fine. I’m just happy to see you. Last I heard, Rosie was missing, but here she is.” Gabe grins and accepts my daughter. He holds her but puts her down when she squirms. “Little beast just wants to explore.”
“Mass didn’t tell you?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve been in here all this time.”
“God, Gabe, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s nothing. It’s fine. I fucked up and this is the price I have to pay. I’m just happy my niece is okay.”
I hug my brother again. I’m happy to see him, but I’m going to have to have a chat with my husband about the missing ear and the bruises all over Gabe’s face.
That’s forgotten a second later when the entire fortress seems to rumble.
“What the heck is that?”
“An explosion.” Gabe looks at me grimly. “I’m guessing you’re here because something bad is happening up top.”
“Medved’s coming, I think.”
Gabe lets out a long breath, his face going all serious. I know that look. I’ve seen it a thousand times. It’s the way he used to glare at me when we were younger and he wanted me and Dominic to stop screwing around.
“Better prepare for a fight then because I doubt Medved would commit to an attack on this island without planning something serious.”