21. Gideon
21
Gideon
I glanced at Raven while Laney busied herself with breakfast. He was watching me intently.
“She’s planning something,” I whispered.
“I agree. We’ll keep an eye on her,” Raven replied.
“How are you going to do that if you’re in Oklahoma?” I asked.
“I’ll make sure she comes with us.”
Laney shook her head, clearly unimpressed. “You two are ridiculous. I’m standing seven feet away for crying out loud. I can hear every word you are saying. I told you to stop worrying. We don’t even know if this guy wants me dead. We won’t know anything until I talk to the lawyer. I’m sure he’ll call me back.”
“If everything were fine, he’d have called already,” I countered, running a hand through my hair. “He probably didn’t know about the brother. I’m surprised Jonah didn’t brag about having a brother in prison. Then again, what do I know about the mob?”
“I didn’t have conversations with Jonah. He lectured and screamed—that was the extent of our ‘talks.’ I stayed out of arm’s reach as much as possible. He never mentioned a brother. But he did tell me, every time he saw me, that he planned to kill me.”
Her beautiful smile appeared as she turned toward Haley. “Good morning, sugar plum.” She rushed over, giving Haley a hug and a kiss. Her smile faded when she touched her daughter’s forehead. She left and returned moments later with a thermometer.
“Mommy, my throat hurts.”
“You’ve got a fever,” Laney said softly. “I’ll give you something to help with the pain, but for now, you’re going back to bed. I’ll bring you something to eat later.” She scooped Haley up and carried her back to her room.
“This complicates things,” I muttered to Raven. “You can’t leave until Haley’s better. Damn, these legs. I hate being stuck like this.”
“They’re already healing,” Raven said, setting plates of food in front of us.
“What makes you say that?”
“Because every time I get close to your chair, you move your feet.”
“What?” I looked down at my legs. Sure enough, they moved when I tried moving them. I laughed, attempting to stand. I managed a few seconds before my legs gave out, and I collapsed back into the chair, a grin stretching across my face.
Laney appeared in the doorway, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “The swelling’s going down. This is great! You’ll be able to protect me from that man, and Raven can protect Haley when he takes her to Oklahoma with the family. You can ride with me in my truck, and we’ll take videos in different locations so they’ll think I’m everywhere but Oklahoma.”
“Laney, sweetheart,” I said gently. “Calm down and take a breath. We’ll handle this together. I’m not going to be walking well for a while, and we don’t even know if he’s coming after you. I’ll talk to the lawyer and see what’s going on.”
“Yeah,” Raven added. “We can’t plan anything until Haley’s better. I made her a doctor’s appointment for a few hours from now.”
“You’re not going alone,” I said firmly.
“I’ll go with her,” Raven volunteered.
Laney rolled her eyes. “You two act like I don’t have a mind of my own. I’ve taken care of myself for a long time, and then I took care of Haley. I’ll keep taking care of us. I don’t need someone with me twenty four seven. This guy hasn’t had time to think about me. He’s probably too busy counting all the money Jonah made from his illegal schemes.”
“I love you,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll take care of you and Haley. Until I’m strong enough, Raven will protect you.”
“Whatever you’ve planned is fine,” she said, heading for the hallway. “I’m going to shower before we see the doctor.”
I watched her disappear, a knot of worry tightening in my chest. “Something’s going on in that stubborn head of hers. Laney would never say, ‘Whatever you’ve planned is fine.’ We need to keep a close eye on her.”
“I agree. When she leaves for the doctor, I’ll follow her,” Raven said.
“Don’t let her see you,” I warned. “She’ll never forgive us.”
“I don’t care how angry she gets. I’m not letting her sneak off,” Raven replied.