Chapter 17
Beep, beep, beep
Quin blinked his eyes open. Bright light seared his retinas. He wet his lips and lifted his head.
A hand tightened on his. “Quin. You scared the shit out of me.” Josie’s frazzled tone made him lower his head back down to the hospital pillow.
Lord almighty, had he passed out? His dignity dropped ten points. “Sorry,” he mustered, turning his head to face Josie where she sat perched on the bed beside him. The room spun, but he forced his eyes to focus on her face rather than wobble around in his head like they wanted.
She lifted their joined hands and rested her cheek on his knuckles. “I’m just glad you’re okay. The doctor said you lost a lot of blood. You’re stitched up and no surgery was needed.”
A deep, throbbing pain in his shoulder crept into his awareness at the mention of the wound. Damn thing hurt like a bitch now, but there was no way he’d take any more pain meds than they’d already given him.
“Oh my god!” a female voice croaked from the doorway.
He shot his gaze to his sister. Her large blue eyes were wild with concern.
“Hey,” he said, the worry paling her skin making him wince. He pressed the buttons on the side of his bed and slid himself into a seated position. His head pounded, and he closed his eyes for a beat. He needed to find out what had happened to Cody and talk to the sheriff.
If the bastard was still alive, he sure as fuck better be charged with murder.
Kennedy came to the side of his bed. Her gaze lowered to his hand, linked with Josie’s, and her eyes rounded.
Josie slid her fingers away and he wanted to snatch them back, but the movement would take too much effort. “It’s my fault—”
“It’s not your fault,” he growled. “Actually, it’s mine.”
Kennedy held up her hands. “I don’t care whose fault it is. I just want to know why you’re shot.”
“Cody Randal shot me.”
Her mouth hung open. “But he’s—”
“A traitor, an embezzler, and a murderer,” Josie finished.
Quin reached for the cup of water on the tray beside his bed. Josie quickly passed it to him, guiding the straw to his lips. His hand shook as he held the cup, and what dignity he had left plummeted to nil.
“Where is he?” Kennedy’s soft question rode on currents of hate.
“He was in bad shape, but I haven’t talked to Hank since they took him away,” he said.
Kennedy relaxed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Why are you here, Quin? You never called to tell me you were in town.”
He grinned. “Wasn’t that kind of visit, honey.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You’re not staying?” She swung a suspicious eye to Josie and then to him.
Josie straightened. “I’m going to make a call so you two can catch up.”
Kennedy snagged Josie’s arm. “Oh, don’t go! Sorry I was too panicked about Quin to say hello. I’m glad you’re here with him.”
Josie gave her a weak smile but continued to stand. “I’ll stick around. Dez is probably frantic waiting for an update, so I need to phone her anyway. Good to see you, Kennedy.” She squeezed his sister’s shoulder and moved away from the bed, her chin tucked.
Something had upset her.
“Quin, what the hell is going on?” Kennedy took Josie’s seat, her gaze hard and not at all like that of the little sister who’d never questioned his judgment before.
“I knew something wasn’t right about Liam’s death. After the fire, I was certain. I came back to do some digging and find out what happened. I made the mistake of going to Cody first, thinking he could be trusted even if he was pissed at me for leaving.”
“How do you know he killed Liam?”
“Because he tried to kill Josie after I arrived. Because I made the mistake of telling him that Josie got a voicemail from Liam the morning he died saying he needed to talk to her and something wasn’t right. So I guess that spooked Cody into thinking she had suspicions.”
Her brow furrowed. “I’m so confused. You and Josie . . . what’s that about?”
He rubbed his thumb along the fingers of his good hand. He didn’t have answers for Kennedy, not when he didn’t even have answers for himself. There was only one thing he was certain about. “I love her.”
Kennedy slouched in the chair. “Holy cow.”
“Why’s that so surprising?”
She shook her head. “That’s amazing. I just . . . wow. Never saw that coming. But I’m happy if you are.” Her gaze turned pensive. “Does she feel the same?”
He shrugged. “Honestly, that’s all I know right now. But when I figure it out, you’ll be the first I tell.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said with a wink. “You know how word travels here. I can’t be the last person to find out that you finally settled down.”
Knock, knock
Jesus, now what? He just wanted out of this damn hospital bed. To be at home. With Josie. So he could make sure she knew he was in it for the long haul.
Hank stood at the door, his hat in his hands. “’Lo, Kennedy.”
Kennedy waved her fingers in greeting.
Hank shifted his gaze to Quin, his eyes sharp. “Mind if I go over some things with you?”
Hell yeah he minded. But if he turned Hank away now, the guy would just keep showing up. Plus, Quin wanted to find out more details.
Kennedy hiked up her eyebrows and nodded at the chair near the bed, her expression clearly screaming, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Hank didn’t put up a fight about it, just snagged the chair and dragged it to the other side of the bed. “Cody is alive. His back is broken. Bullet wound, too. And it seems like Josie also did a number on him—mild concussion, stitches to his bicep from the axe, and a hole in his cheek and neck.”
Quin balled his good hand into a fist. “Glad he’s in pain.”
Hank closed his eyes as if pretending not to hear him. He opened them again. “We’re having our detectives check into the company’s finances to prove he was embezzling, but as of right now he’s admitted to everything in Josie’s statement. And he ain’t sorry about it neither.”
A ball of relief unwound in Quin’s chest. He wouldn’t have to fight to prove his case. Cody had been caught and the evidence was stacked against him. “So he’ll be tried for Liam’s murder?”
Hank patted the bed. “Let’s take it one step at a time. But based on Cody’s statement, yeah. He’ll get his day in court. We also found out he has an unregistered blue Dodge that he keeps in a garage on the company’s property.”
There was way too much evidence for Cody to get away with anything. The fucker would burn. “Good.”
“What about the fire at Rocco’s bar?” Quin asked, unable to stop the question from barreling from his lips.
Hank’s face loosened into a rare smile. “Believe it or not, I’m glad to have you off the hook for that. To be honest, I had my doubts about the anonymous tape showing what looked like you running away from the blaze with a gas can.”
“You had your doubts and still had a warrant out for my arrest?”
He shrugged. “Unfortunately, my personal opinion don’t matter much. Not when there’s evidence and you had no alibi.” Hank waved his hand. “Anyway, I told Cody the tape looked doctored and he admitted to framing you—probably because arson is the least of his worries now.”
Quin dragged in a breath through his nose. This whole time. Eight goddamn months he’d been away because of Cody. Time he could have spent with Josie. With his family. He opened and closed his fist.
Kennedy pressed her fingers to his wrist. “What matters is your name is clear now and you can move on. Cody can’t do the same.”
He nodded. The anger would take time to dissipate. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“Nope. Just get yourself better.” Hank nodded at Kennedy. “You take care, now.” He stood and left the room.
Kennedy stood as well. “Now that I know you’re going to live I think I’ll head home. I’ll find Josie and send her back in. I hope I didn’t scare her away.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead then squeezed his good shoulder. “And Quin?”
“Hmm?”
“Next time call me, for fuck’s sake.”
He chuckled as she left the room. One thing was certain—he wouldn’t piss off his sister unless he had to.
* * *
Josie kept the phone to her ear and her back against the wall next to the vending machine. The fluorescent lights of the hospital waiting room made her feel as if the last three hours had been a dream—or a nightmare.
“I just can’t believe it,” Dez said, her voice wispy through the earpiece. “All this time it was Cody.”
“Trust me, no one is more stunned than I am.”
“And an axe? My god, what a beast. How on earth did you get away?”
Josie lifted her fingers to the vacant spot at her chest. “My citrine pendant.”
Two seconds ticked by. “I don’t understand.”
Josie closed her eyes as the moment rushed back into her mind.
“I didn’t have a weapon, so I ripped off my necklace and stabbed him in the neck with it.
” She lifted her fingers, still stained with blood even though she’d washed them.
She hadn’t killed Cody, but she’d tried.
She balled her hand into a fist to fight back the guilt that plucked at her conscience.
He would have chopped her into pieces if she hadn’t done something.
Dez chortled. “You sure are resourceful.” A beat passed. “Oh, that reminds me. McKenna is on her way back from the city. She’s absolutely panicked about what’s happened.”
Josie smacked her palm to her forehead. “Shoot. I saw she texted, but Quin was unconscious and I forgot to reply. I’ll call her soon.”
The sound of footsteps squeaking over the linoleum floor made Josie look toward the hallway. Kennedy was making a beeline for her.
“I’ve got to go—I’ll call you tomorrow,” she told Dez, and hung up.
Kennedy approached, her blue eyes a little less intense than they’d been when she entered Quin’s hospital room. “You can go back now. I’m heading home for the night.”
She pushed away from the wall. “Uh, thanks.”
“Hank was just there. Just so you know, Cody’s still alive and so far, his confession lines up with your and Quin’s statements.”