Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
AT SIX IN THE morning, the hospital room was almost too quiet.
Marshall Cochran had arrived at the estate, taking over for Dane and the others, wrapping up the chaos of what happened, and as soon as it was over, Delaney begged for Elvis to take her back to Donovan so she could check on him.
For the past two hours, she had been sitting in the chair beside his bed, her hair still carrying the faint mineral smell of the St Marys despite the shower she had taken at the Whitmore house before Elvis would allow her to go to the hospital.
The marshal was breathing at least, even if not awake, and the beeping monitors over his head verified that he was doing as all right as he could considering what he had been through. She stared at the line, watching the repetition of the beats, finding some sort of solace in the noise.
Once again, she thought he looked smaller, thinner, and she suspected it had more to do about her than it did about him because the man was still rather formidable.
He had a surgical dressing on his side where Leon’s man had shot him, and a bruise along his jaw from where he hit the pavement.
However, his expression while he slept spoke of an exhausted peace that both reassured and scared her.
Still, she didn’t let herself cry. Somewhere between the riverbank and the hospital room she had decided she was through with the tears. She had won. Matteo and his men were going away for good, his organization ruined. Her family was safe. She was safe. Her life was once again hers.
She had cried, though. Big, sobbing tears as the release washed through her, cleansing her of the fear that had gripped her when she thought she was about to die. But no more. Now was the time to celebrate.
Matteo was going to jail, Roman was doing well back at Obsidian Analytics, her family could show their faces once more, and she had Bobby Jenkins back in her life. The time for tears was over.
She reached out, taking Donovan’s hand in hers as she stared at his face. His hand was warm and still strong. She could feel his pulse steady beneath her fingers and knew he would be forced to rest while his body repaired, which he would hate. He needed it, though, but even more, he deserved it.
She heard the door to the room open behind her, but she didn’t turn to see who entered. She knew. Could tell by the swagger in his footsteps.
She glanced across the bed as Bobby appeared on the other side, glancing down at Donovan for a moment.
She could tell he was assessing the situation, taking stock, so to speak.
He had told her he felt responsible for the marshal being there, not having considered that they would have a man hidden somewhere.
She had told him it wasn’t his fault, of course. Even told him that Donovan would say the same thing. The blame laid at the feet of men who did evil things, men like Matteo and his father.
Bobby walked around the bed and grabbed another chair, setting it beside hers before sitting down.
He was close enough that she could feel his arm brushing hers as he looked over at Donovan once more.
Neither one of them said anything at first, merely sitting there, standing guard over a sleeping man.
It was one of the things she loved about him the most, the way he could be there, saying nothing, but giving everything.
He didn’t ask how she was or offer useless observations about Deke’s color or breathing or the view out the window, which was of the parking lot and boring as hell.
He simply sat there beside her, letting the quiet wrap around her like a warm blanket.
When her phone buzzed in her pocket, it made her jump. She let out a nervous chuckle as she pulled it out of her back pocket.
Roman.
She held it up for Bobby to see and then answered it.
“How are you feeling?” she asked as she answered the phone.
“Better,” he told her. “It only hurts when I smile. I want you to know I made a list of everything that took years off my life this past week. I stopped around seventeen and started adding hazard pay to my stipend for the weekend.”
“Seventeen?”
“Yeah. I stopped there because I grew depressed and wanted to call you. Gideon told me what happened at Matteo’s estate. How are you doing after all that?”
She leaned back in the chair as she glanced over at Bobby. “I’m fine. Better than fine, actually, since this entire nightmare is over.”
“And is it really over?”
She took a slow breath in. “Yeah. I mean, I’ll probably have to testify, like my mother did, but there won’t be any hiding involved this time. The entire Serrano family will be behind bars.”
“Good. You deserve to be the face of the company you built. I never liked that stock photo anyway.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. “Noted. As soon as the dust settles, we’ll redo the website.”
“Good.” His voice softened when he spoke next. “And D., I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks. Me too. I’ll call you when I know I’m heading back.”
As they said their goodbyes, Dane entered the room, a tray of coffees in his hands. He handed the tray to Bobby, who took it and handed a coffee to her. Dane then leaned back against the wall, his hands in his pockets.
“How are you two holding up?” he asked them both.
She glanced at Bobby, her hands cupping the coffee cup. “Still a little shaken, but no longer stirred.”
They all chuckled as Dane bobbed his head.
“Good. Good. I’m leaving Gage and Grim here for a few days in case you need anything.
I’m heading back to Biloxi with Blaze, and Hawk will leave your friend back in Oregon since the dust has settled.
” Then he turned and shot Delaney a direct, assessing look.
“You did great with all this. I’m glad it turned out the way you wanted. ”
She felt the heat warm her cheeks as she ducked her gaze slightly. “Thank you. And thanks for being there when I needed someone.”
He glanced at Bobby, smiling, and then glanced back at her. “We do just about anything for family.” He gave another slight dip of his head and then told them he’d see them back in Biloxi and to call if they needed anything.
The door closed softly behind him as the room settled back into an easy quietness. It wouldn’t be long before the nurses came in for shift change, passing off the duties and sharing information. When they did, Deke slept through it all, but the report was good. He just needed rest and time to heal.
Bobby took her to grab some breakfast, and when they returned, Donovan opened his eyes and smiled over at her. “Well, look who’s here. I thought for sure you’d be somewhere a little more exciting.”
She moved to the seat by the bed, as Bobby remained by the door. “I’ve had enough excitement to last a lifetime.”
Donovan glanced to the door at Bobby. “Not surprised you’re still at her side.” He tried to sit up, but surrendered when it proved to take too much effort. “So, fill me in. What’d I miss?”
She filled him in on everything from her side, and then Bobby did the same from his. Sometimes both talking over each other.
When they finished, Donovan shook his head. “I’m going to be extremely annoyed about all of this,” he groaned, “as soon as I have the energy for it.”
She laughed, bobbing her head. “I look forward to it.”
He reached out, gripping her hand tightly for a moment before he gave up and simply laid back in the bed and closed his eyes. A second later, he was sound asleep once more.
They stayed a few more hours, listening to the nurses and talking to Donovan when he would wake for a bit. He was still so weak that it scared her, but at least he was alive.
When they finally left, they returned to the Whitmore house as the evening came in off the river, the city settling into the particular amber quiet of a Savannah night.
Spanish moss moved in the breath of wind that came off the water, carrying the sweet smell of jasmine.
Blaze and Dane were already gone, and Gage had texted Bobby to tell him Grim and he were checking out the nightlife and to text if they needed anything.
For the time being, the house was theirs.
While Bobby locked the front door, she moved to the sitting room, glancing around the place for the first time, really.
She was too busy before, too panicked, to look around.
Too focused on getting her life back. But now she ran her gaze over the shuttered windows, the table where Blaze did his work, and the comfortable easy chair Deke had claimed as his as he sipped his coffee while keeping watch on the back courtyard.
She felt the past week settle around her like a weight the universe finally allowed her to put down.
It was over.
It had been messier than she had wanted, of course. Nevertheless, it was over. Her family had their lives back. There would be federal proceedings, of course, and testimony, all the legal trappings that filled the aftermath of something like the Serrano family.
But she could enter that courthouse without an armed escort.
She glanced behind her as Bobby approached. And she’d have the man she had loved since she was sixteen at her side.
She turned as he stopped in front of her, sliding her hands to his waist as she stared up into his eyes.
He reached out, cupping her neck, and brought her closer until he kissed her.
There was no urgency, no desperation. It was a kiss like he would kiss her when they were younger, before life had ripped them apart and put them through the thresher.
And she fell into it, surrendering as she pulled him closer, pressing herself against him.
When he broke the kiss, he took her hand in his and led her to the bedroom where the last of the evening light filtered through the shutters.
This time, he was different once they locked the door behind them.
Not slower, because he had been that way the first time, as if savoring each motion.
This was a man showing her how gentle he could be, how grateful that she was his.
He glided his hands over her body, caressing, exploring, and she responded to each graze of his hand with her own whispers of pleasure.
There was no holding back, as if she still wasn’t sure she deserved this, because she had been wanting it since she was younger.
No, she fell into him with the emotions of someone unguarded and very much deserving.
She held nothing back, and neither did he.
The evening moved around them in long, unhurried increments, while outside the Spanish moss stirred in the river wind and the city went about its ancient, patient business.
However, inside the Whitmore house on the quiet street, two people chose each other with the specific, complete deliberateness of people who understood exactly what choosing cost and had decided it was worth every single thing it required.
They had waited long enough for this. It was time they got everything they deserved.
When they finished, she lay against him in the dark, her head on his chest as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She felt him playing with her hair in that slow, thoughtless way that told her he was half asleep.
As she laid there, listening to the city outside the window, she thought about Deke healing in a hospital room across the city.
Then she thought about her mother in Oregon, about a phone call she would make in the morning letting her family know everything that had happened, about her mother’s reaction when she heard it was all over.
And she thought about how her life had changed again just a week ago when Bobby Jenkins spotted her on the casino floor.
“Bobby,” she whispered, just in case he was asleep.
“Mm,” he mumbled, stirring slightly at her side.
She smiled against his chest as she dragged her finger in a circle on his stomach. “Thank you,” she said.
“For?”
She didn’t answer right away as she thought of everything she meant when she said it—for the river rescue, for protecting her at the casino, for sticking by her side during her crazy ass plan. She took a slow breath. “For running that web search on my names.”
His arm tightened around her as he pulled her closer. “Always.”
And outside, the city breathed around them, and the moss moved in the wind, and the night held them in the particular, uncomplicated grace of something finally, completely, come to rest.