Chapter 17
Two days later, Ember was ready to scream. But if she did, it would hurt her cheek, so she had to be content with glaring at the man she loved.
Craig had been amazing the last two days, but he was still driving her crazy. She wanted out of this hospital—now—but he’d talked the doctor into making her stay another night.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “I want to go home. I hate it here. It’s loud and I can’t sleep worth shit. The food sucks too.”
“You’re staying,” Craig said, not seeming to be upset at all by her whining.
“I have things I need to be doing,” Ember argued.
“No, what you need to do is lie there and heal,” Craig told her. Then he leaned forward and his forehead nearly touched hers. “One more day, Em. Then I’ll take you home and make you whatever food you want. Besides, the plastic surgeon is going to come back to check on you today.”
Ember sighed. How could she continue to argue when it was obvious how stressed Craig was?
When she’d woken up, she could see the panic in his face.
And he’d refused to leave her side for the last two days.
Even when her parents had arrived, he hadn’t left.
When various members of his team came to talk to him, he didn’t leave her side.
That meant she heard everything that was happening as far as the hunt for Marie went.
She appreciated that more than she could say. She needed to know what was happening and where the other woman was.
Marie had actually posted a picture of Ember lying in the dirt, bleeding from what looked like a fatal shot to the head.
The press had gone ape shit, of course, and Craig had dealt with that as well, for the first twenty-four hours after the shooting.
One of his friends, someone named Tex, was dealing with the press now.
And when Ember had snuck a peek at Craig’s phone while he’d been sleeping, she’d learned Tex had somehow managed to publish a post on her social media accounts, saying she was fine and the picture looked far worse than the situation really was.
He’d even called Samer, who’d done an impressive job of keeping everyone calm on her social media accounts. She was thankful she hadn’t had to deal with that on top of everything else.
Ember knew she’d probably have to make an official statement sooner or later, but for now, she was happy to leave the entire situation to the more-than-capable Tex.
“Okay,” she told Craig.
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Thank you. I know you hate being here, but I just want to make completely sure you’re all right.”
“I am,” Ember promised. “My ribs weren’t even broken from that kick Marie gave me, I just have a huge bruise, and my cheek will heal.
I don’t care if I have a scar or not. The part of my life where I post photoshopped pictures of myself is over.
I just want to be me. And if being me includes having a scar that proves I’m stronger than the evil that tried to take me out… so be it.”
“You’re much more forgiving than I am,” Craig said.
“I’m not forgiving at all. I want Marie found and I want her to pay for what she did,” Ember told him firmly.
Just then, the door opened and Trigger, Oz, and Lucky entered. Surprisingly, Julio was at their heels too.
Craig stood but stayed by the side of her bed.
“Hey,” she said.
The three Deltas didn’t even smile.
“What’s wrong?” Ember asked.
“Marie’s been found,” Trigger informed them.
Ember inhaled sharply. “She has?”
“Yeah. She’s dead,” Trigger said bluntly. “She was found in a motel room south of Fort Worth. Your car was in the parking lot. She overdosed on a shit ton of pills.”
“She left a note,” Oz added.
Ember didn’t know whether to be happy the woman who’d tried to kill her was dead, or disappointed she wouldn’t get to ask her why. Why had Marie tried to kill her, after everything Ember had done for her?
“Beth’s been dissecting the letters and gifts she sent, along with all the comments she posted, and those, along with the note, leave a clear picture that Marie’s personality disorder had finally gotten the best of her,” Lucky said.
“I want to read the note,” Ember said as firmly as she could.
“No,” Craig protested.
“Yes,” Ember countered.
“It’s not a good idea,” Trigger said gently. “It’s ten pages of ranting about stuff that makes no sense.”
“I need to,” Ember insisted. “I need to know if there was something I did to make this happen.”
“You didn’t,” Trigger, Craig, and Oz all said at the same time.
Ember shook her head stubbornly. “I appreciate that, but you guys just met me recently. Marie knew me for two years. I worked out with her. We went through a lot together at the hands of our coaches. If there was something I said or did that made her go from allegedly worshiping me to hating me, I need to know what it was so I don’t do it again. ”
“She had mental issues,” Craig insisted. “Nothing you did or said was bad enough to make her want to kill you.”
“You don’t know that,” Ember argued in frustration.
“I’ll read it,” Julio blurted from behind the other men.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“I know you too, Ember. I’ve worked alongside you for years as well. Even longer than Marie. I can read her letter and tell you if there’s anything in there that has a smidgeon of truth to it. That way, you won’t have to read her hateful words.”
Ember wanted to protest further. Wanted to keep insisting she had to read the letter herself. But the truth of the matter was, deep down, she didn’t want to read the hateful words Marie had likely spewed in her suicide note.
“Are you sure?” Craig asked, taking the words right out of her mouth.
“I’m sure,” Julio promised them.
“She never arranged for any furniture, her car, or anything else to be shipped here,” Trigger said.
“I think when Julio’s stuff arrived, she knew her time was running out, that you’d find out her belongings hadn’t been shipped.
I’m pretty sure if Julio had gone with you guys to look at that property, he would’ve been shot too.
She needed help, Ember. Help she never got from her family.
And she’d gotten pretty good at hiding how off-kilter she was from everyone.
She had no friends, and when she wasn’t working out, she spent most of her time on the computer… or writing you letters.”
Oz handed Julio his phone. “Here. Read it so you can set Ember’s mind at ease,” he said.
She couldn’t participate in the small talk going on around her. All she could do was watch Julio’s face as he read Marie’s suicide note. It took him ten minutes, but finally he lowered Oz’s phone and met her gaze.
“She’s full of shit,” he growled. “Nothing she ranted about was true. None of it. I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never once thought or seen anything she complained about.
You’ve always been supportive and generous, and when you made the Olympics, you went out of your way to thank each and every one of us who worked out with you. ”
Julio walked closer to the bed and took her hand in his.
“She really did need help, Ember,” he said softly.
“I think you just happened to be a convenient target for her to take her frustrations out on. Marie and I talked quite a bit about our goals and dreams over the years. Making the Olympics, being famous and revered, was what she wanted most in the world. She was so happy to be able to train with you. But I think when you didn’t medal at the Olympics, Marie kind of lost it.
If you couldn’t medal, then the chances she would were slim to none.
When you quit the sport altogether and moved, I’m guessing it kind of pushed her over the edge. But again, that’s all on her, not you.”
Ember’s lip trembled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They stared at each other for a moment as Ember did her best to get her emotions under control.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Talk to me about the gym. How are the renovations going? Did the painting get done? What about the mural? Did the people I called about painting our logo on the wall ever stop by to give an estimate? Were you okay this morning with the kids by yourself? I’ll find someone to hire to help out soon. ”
“Nope,” Craig said, interrupting Julio before he could answer. “Your gym is fine. Julio is doing a great job managing things in your absence. You’ll be back there supervising everything sooner rather than later. For now, your only job is to lie there and heal.”
The other guys all laughed, and Ember couldn’t help smiling herself. “Fine. But if you need anything, Julio, don’t hesitate to let Craig know. He can deal with it until he takes me off my leash,” Ember said snarkily.
“Actually, your parents have been a huge help,” Julio told her.
“Really?” Ember asked skeptically.
“Yup. They were there this morning with the kids, and they had a blast.”
It was hard for Ember to imagine her parents playing with kids, but then again, they certainly knew the ins and outs of the modern pentathlon.
“I’m gonna head back to the gym. Make sure all’s well before I go home,” Julio said.
“Thanks,” Ember told him.
“Anytime. I mean that. I appreciate you hiring me to help with the gym. It’s a beautiful thing, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Julio told her. “I’m sorry about Marie. Not because she’s dead, but because she couldn’t see what an amazing person you are, inside and out.”
Then without another word, Julio left the room.
“On that note, we’re also going to head out,” Trigger said. “Grover wants to have a word with the team.”
“He wants to head over to Afghanistan by himself,” Craig said.
“Yeah. I take it he talked to you about it?” Trigger asked.
“He mentioned it briefly. I was gonna bring it up with you, but didn’t have a chance.”
“What do you think?” Oz asked.
Craig sighed, and once again, Ember was touched they were talking freely in front of her.
It made her truly feel as if she was a part of the group.
Not that Gillian, Kinley, Aspen, Riley, and Devyn visiting over the last two days hadn’t.
They’d shown up as soon as she’d been allowed visitors and had been rotating their visits.
It had made the two days she’d been here go by much faster, and she knew they were already planning on coming over to Craig’s house at regular intervals to keep her entertained until she was back on her feet.
“I think it’s not a bad idea,” Craig told his teammates. “The only thing I’m worried about is him doing something crazy if he gets any indication of where Sierra might be or what happened to her.”
“That’s my concern too,” Trigger agreed.
“But we aren’t getting the information we need on Shahzada and we can’t track him down from all the way over here.
Any info is delayed and practically useless by the time it crosses our desks.
Having Grover talk to people one-on-one and get back to us immediately could really make a difference. ”
“He knows we have his back,” Craig told his team leader. “If the shit hits the fan, we’ll be there to support him…and Sierra and any of the other missing contractors.”
“Agreed. Okay, I’ll let you know how things shake out when we’re done talking with him and Commander Robinson.”
“Ember should be released in the morning,” Craig told his friends. “We’ll be at my house if you need me.”
“Sounds good. Glad you’re doing so well, Ember,” Trigger said.
The other two nodded in agreement, then it was just her and Craig once more.
“Why don’t you go home and get some real sleep?” she told him.
“You think I can sleep without you in my arms? No fucking way,” Craig said with a shake of his head. He pulled the chair back up to the side of her bed and took her hand in his once more. “It’ll be a while before I can get the picture of that pool of blood on the ground out of my head.”
“I’m sorry,” Ember whispered.
“Nothing for you to be sorry for,” Craig told her. “I just realized at that moment how much I truly loved you. I mean, I said the words, but it hit me then just how much I might’ve lost. You’re it for me, Ember. No matter what, I’ll never love another woman the way I love you.”
“I felt the same way. There was so much I hadn’t done yet,” she told him. “Including being married, having a family, and experiencing life with you by my side.”
“You’ve got me,” he said, kissing the back of her hand reverently.
Ember closed her eyes in contentment. She didn’t know where her life would go from here, but she knew she’d have Craig at her side. What else could she ask for?