Chapter 82 Saint
Saint
When I arrive, the EMTs are already loading Mildred into the ambulance.
The flashing lights paint the quiet street in pulses of red and white.
“She slipped,” one of the EMTs says. “Hit her head, we think.”
But something about the scene is wrong.
Very wrong.
I step past them and into the house.
The kitchen floor is flooded.
Not damp.
Flooded.
An inch of water spreads across the tile like someone turned a faucet on and walked away.
I crouch and run my hand through it.
Cold.
Too clean.
Too deliberate.
I look around the room.
No broken pipes.
No leaking sink.
Every other room in the house is perfectly dry.
Then I notice something else.
The back door.
Open.
My jaw tightens.
Ten minutes later Nora rushes through the front door.
She takes one look at the water and the ambulance lights outside and nearly collapses.
I catch her before she hits the floor.
“She’s alive,” I say quickly. “Nora—she’s alive.”
Her fingers clutch the front of my shirt.
“Saint—what happened?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Behind me Wolf steps inside and gently takes Nora from my arms.
His face tells me he’s already thinking the same thing I am.
This wasn’t an accident.
This was a message.
And this time…
It wasn’t aimed at me.
“Mildred has never hurt a soul,” Nora whispers. “Why would anyone do this?”
I look at the water again.
At the open door.
At the quiet house.
“We know who’s doing this,” I say.
“And it’s about to stop.”
My phone buzzes.
Marco.
I answer.
“He has everything,” Marco says. “Proof. All of it.”
Good.
Because I’m done with this game.
“We’ll take care of Mildred when she comes home,” I tell Nora.
“It’s all about to hit the fan.”
Wolf nods grimly.
I head back to the tavern.
Laney is waiting at the top of the stairs, Emmy sleeping in her arms.
“What happened?” she asks.
“Mildred was found unconscious in her kitchen,” I say. “The floor was flooded. No broken pipes. Back door open.”
Laney’s eyes darken immediately.
“Is anyone guarding her hospital room?”
“Yes, sweetheart. Wolf already set that up.”
She exhales slowly.
“Why don’t you go back to bed and get some rest?” I tell her.
She hesitates.
“Can you lie down with us?”
“Of course I can.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and guide her into the room.
I lie on top of the blankets until Laney falls asleep.
Then I look down.
Emmy is awake.
Watching me.
And when she smiles…
Something warm and powerful spreads through my chest.
I lift her carefully and carry her downstairs.
No one will ever get close enough to hurt my daughter.
Not while I’m breathing.