23. Gideon
23
Gideon
“What do you mean you’re at the hospital? What the fuck happened?” Gideon demanded over the phone.
“Laney was stabbed coming out of the store. The guy ran up behind her. Can you have Gage bring you here to get Haley? I shot the guy who stabbed Laney. I searched his pockets and took his wallet. I want to know who hired him.”
“How is she? Fuck, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
I called Gage and told him what happened.
“I can’t believe the guy moved so fast,” Gage muttered, helping me into his truck.
I managed to stand on my own before hopping inside. “I’m getting better.”
“You’re doing great. But how did that man move so quickly? Do you think this was just some random psycho?” Gage asked, glancing at me.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Raven stole his wallet. We’ll find out as soon as we get there.”
“Laney was in surgery when Raven called me. She took Haley to the doctor because she wasn’t feeling well. She must be terrified.”
The moment we parked at the hospital, I spotted Raven with Haley. Gage grabbed my wheelchair from the truck bed.
“How is she?” I asked Raven.
He shook his head, his face grim. Haley climbed onto my lap, tears streaming down her face. I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
“Is Mommy dead?”
“Shh, no, sweetheart. The doctor is fixing her. I want you to go home with Gage. He’ll take care of you until Mommy is out of the hospital. What did the doctor say?”
“He said I can have popsicles and soup and that I’ll be okay to start school next week.”
“That’s right. You’re starting school soon. Go with Gage, and he’ll take care of you.”
“Mommy said she’s taking me shopping this weekend for boots like Ellie’s. Will you bring Mommy home?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll bring her home as soon as she’s ready to leave the hospital. Now hug me goodbye.”
Once they left, I turned to Raven. “How is she?”
“Not good,” he said. “She was bleeding out. I tried to stop it, but the knife hit something vital. She lost a lot of blood. I managed to slow it down but couldn’t stop it completely.”
“Damn it,” I muttered, frustration boiling over. “I hate that I can’t walk. What did you find out about the guy?”
“Sean’s running his information now. Do you think he’s connected to the Chicago mob?”
“Who else could it be? Let’s go inside. Have you talked to the police?”
“Yeah. They know I had no choice but to kill him, or Laney would’ve been dead,” Raven said.
We were in the waiting room when the doctor walked in. “We got the bleeding under control,” he said, looking at Raven. “Did you say you’re her brother?”
“Yes,” Raven confirmed.
“We’ll check if your blood type matches hers. We may need it. She’s stable for now, but she has three stab wounds. He must have Stuck the knife in and out quickly. Whoever did this wanted her dead.”
“Can I see her?” I asked.
The doctor eyed me. “Who are you?”
“I’m her fiancé,” I lied.
“You both can see her for a short while. She needs rest to heal. Let’s hope the knife was clean.”
I sat by Laney’s bedside, her hand in mine. When her eyes fluttered open, I smiled and kissed her fingers.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey. Where’s Haley?”
“She’s with River and Kat today. They let her hold the babies. Now she’s decided she wants one for Christmas.”
Laney chuckled softly, but her eyes clouded over. “I knew I was being followed in that store. I turned just in time to see his face. He worked for Jonah. He’s still after me—even from the grave. I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do. Will it ever stop?”
“Yes, it’s going to stop right now. Raven, Gage, Faron, Tag, and Oliver went to confront whoever is in charge. The FBI is going with them. This James guy doesn’t stand a chance. If he says no, Raven will take care of him on the spot.”
“I don’t want Raven going to prison because of me. What if they get hurt or killed? I don’t want to be the reason any of them suffer.”
“Don’t worry about them. All we care about is keeping you safe. Haley starts school in three days, and we need to resolve this before then. She deserves a normal life, like any other kid.”
“That’s why I love you. You’re always there for us.”
“I love Haley. I’ll never let anyone harm her,” I said, meeting her gaze and wondering how much to reveal. “The lawyer is dead. The FBI found his body in the river—he was shot in the head.”
“That’s awful. But I’m glad he got Mike out before they killed him. He worked for the devil and knew his time would come sooner or later.”
The doctor entered the room, glancing at me. “You forgot to call me,” he said.
“Sorry, I did forget.”
“I’m sure you were just excited to see your fiancée awake.”
I winked at Laney to see if she caught the “fiancée” comment. “She’s the love of my life. Laney is my heart, and I love her more than anything.”
“I love you, too,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. I stood up, walked over, and kissed her.
“You’re walking?”
“Just a few steps at a time.”
The doctor smiled. “Okay, let me finish examining Laney.” Thirty minutes later, he nodded in satisfaction. “You can go home tomorrow if you take it easy. No running down the beach.”
“I promise.”
“Good. I’ll let the nurses know you’re cleared to leave in the morning.”
“Thank you.”
I sat on the bed and pulled her into my arms. “Laney Dean, I love you. Will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me? What about the mob?”
“I don’t give a damn about them. Raven and the team are handling it right now.”
“Yes, I’ll marry you. But not until James is out of the picture. I want my dad to give me away, Georgia as my bridesmaid, and Haley and Ellie to carry our rings. Am I being ridiculous?”
“No, I want everything you want. I want photos of everyone at our wedding. This will be the start of our new life. We’ll leave our children and grandchildren an inheritance of love and memories. Let’s have a big family.”
“I want five more kids—six in total. What do you think?”
“I think that’s perfect. We’ll start as soon as you’re feeling better.”
She grinned. “I almost feel better now. Can we call Raven and check on things in Chicago?”
“No, we’ll wait for him to call us. We never want a phone’s ring or buzz to give away their position.”
“You and Raven need safer jobs.”
“Sweetheart, our job is as safe as anyone’s.”
“Not as safe as mine,” she teased.
“I’m glad your job is safe, but don’t forget you’re often in the middle of a lake. What if your boat breaks down?”
“My old boat broke down all the time. I always carried oars so I could paddle back to shore.”
“That’s smart.”
She giggled. “Once, I swam to shore while towing the boat with a rope. My arms were sore for weeks.”
“You’re all muscle. Do you work out?” I asked. Somehow, we ended up lying next to each other, her head on my chest.
“I used to work out secretly. I didn’t want Jonah to know I was working out to stay strong for when Haley and I could escape.”
I kissed her temple and held her close.
When I opened my eyes, Raven was standing there, smiling. “Is it over?”
“Yes. The FBI took down the bastard. The entire gang has been wiped out.”
Laney sighed in relief. “Thank God. I was so worried they’d hurt my family.” She yawned. “Is it a new day?”
“Yep, a brand-new day,” Raven said.
“Good. I’m going home. I have a wedding to plan.”
“Congratulations,” Raven said.
“Thank you!” we both replied.
I kissed Laney and got up. “I can’t believe I slept here all night.”
“Well, get up so I can get ready to go home. I miss Haley,” Laney said. “How long have I been here?”
“This is the fifth day. You asked me yesterday.”
“That’s right, I remember now. Haley must have been terrified. She saw that man stab me. My poor baby’s been through so much. I’ll have her help with the wedding plans,” she said, turning to me. “When do you want to get married?”
“Two or three weeks—no longer than that. I want you to be my wife as soon as possible.”
“Okay. This is so exciting. Let’s go home. Maybe I’ll rest today and plan tomorrow.”
“That sounds perfect. I don’t want you overdoing it. The doctor will put you back in the hospital.” I said.