CHAPTER FIFTY
How do I turn off the fucking beeping sound?
It was too damn loud. I tried to open my eyes to find the source of it, but the brightness of the room assaulted my pupils. I squeezed my eyes shut, waited a few seconds, and opened only a slit until I could get used to the light.
I blinked the fogginess away and gazed around the sterile room until my eyes landed on the small figure by the bed.
Mia was sitting on the loveseat nearby, but was sleeping with her face over her crossed arms by my side on the hospital bed. She had one of my hands clasped into one of her small ones and had my knuckles pressed against her forehead.
I squeezed her hand lightly and then did it again when she fluttered her eyes open. She lifted her head slowly, wincing in pain, most likely for having slept in an uncomfortable position. When she looked at me and noticed I was awake, her brown eyes turned even bigger. “Oh my God! Ethan! ”
I tried talking to her, but something caught in my throat and made it hard to breathe. I gagged and squirmed in discomfort until she touched my face. “Shh. Everything is okay. Just stay calm. It’s just the breathing tube. I’ve already called the staff.”
Two women dressed in hospital coats walked into the room and sped to my side. One of them worked on the tube, while the other dealt with the machine by the bed. “You’re almost free, Mr. Cross. How are you feeling?”
After they took the damn thing out, I tried to talk, but my voice was hoarse, and my throat burned.
“It’s okay, there’s no rush to talk for a while.” One of them poured some water into a plastic cup and slipped a straw in it. “Here. Sip it slowly.”
I raised a shaky hand to pick it up, but even that felt like too much effort. Mia gently grabbed the cup and leaned the straw between my lips.
The other woman finished dealing with the machine. “A doctor will come in soon to check on you, Mr. Cross. It’s good to see you’ve woken up.” She pointed at Mia. “And I’m sure this one approves. Call me if you need anything.”
Mia smiled at her. “Thank you so much, Adelaide.”
Once the women left, my Spitfire looked back at me and bit her lips. She opened her mouth to say something and then shut it. She opened it again only to bite her bottom lip another time. Her eyes turned glassy and the tip of her nose became cartoonishly red as her chin trembled. “I thought I’d lost you.”
I squeezed the hand that was holding mine and dried her cheek with the other. “Come up,” I croaked.
She shook her head. “No! I might hurt you.”
I gave her my saddest, most depressing look, and forced the words against my scratchy throat. “I need to feel you close to me. Are you really denying me that?”
She giggled through her tears. “I always knew you were trouble. Tell me if I make you uncomfortable.”
I tried to scooch to the side to give her more space, as she carefully climbed the bed. She moved with caution and no hurry, lay beside me on the bed, curling my right arm, and placed her head on my pillow, pressing her forehead to my temple.
“How long?”
She ran her fingers up and down my arm. “Eight days. ”
“What happened?”
“Edward’s bullet lodged in your left lung. You had to undergo an emergency surgery to take it out, and the doctors had to take a piece of your lung as well. You’d lost a lot of blood, you had to receive a transfusion, and it took you until today to wake up.”
I squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”
She sniffed. “You should be. I told you to stay safe and alive. You disobeyed a direct order.”
I chuckled lightly and suppressed a groan of pain at the effort. She was already worried enough. “I stayed alive, doesn’t that count?”
She cuddled closer and kissed my cheek. “You ignored my first command. That was very unprofessional of you, Mr. Phoenix.”
“I’m so ashamed. How can I make it up to you?”
“Don’t you ever do that again.”
I shifted my head to the side and kissed her forehead. “Anything for you.”
The new room was better than the ICU. I had more space and privacy since there wasn’t a new wave of medical staff every couple of hours barging in to check on me. I was so ready to go home.
As in: Holy Water, with Mia and Hugo. Damn, I missed the furry trouble.
I was seated on the hospital bed, finally able to wear my clothes instead of the rough gown. Mia was curled beside me, our hands intertwined as they’d been since I’d woken up. Aaron and Zach were with us, waiting for my discharge papers, so they could take us to the hotel Mia was supposed to be staying to get her stuff, and then we’d leave that hell of a town for good.
She rubbed her eyes from under her glasses. “How is everyone at home?”
Zach sat on one of the chairs beside the hospital bed. “They’re fine. Danny and Ben are handling the company until we get back. Their families are safe. Mom and Dad are fine. Hugo is restless waiting for you two.”
After a pregnant pause, she poked his leg with the tip of her snickers. “What about the other two you’re not talking about?”
He looked down at his hands on his lap. “Gabe is amazing, as usual. But Haley…”
“She’ll come around,” Mia assured him.
“What if she doesn’t?”
“She will. Just give her time.”
Aaron pulled out a spare chair and sat across from the bed. “Since we’re on that subject, I believe my apologies are long overdue.” He rubbed his lips and then ran his palms over his pants. “You’re one of my closest friends, Mia. Lying to you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, especially since I witnessed your pain. I believed—and I still do—that we made the right call at the time. Zach was able to collect information that I’m sure will prove to be very valuable. But I hate that in enforcing that, I hurt you. I hate that I hurt one of my closest and most important friends.”
Mia gulped and her nostrils flared as she controlled her emotions. She smirked at him. “Are you sure you weren’t trying to punish me for turning your hair white?”
Aaron graced us with a small tipping up of his lips. “I plead the fifth.”
Zach’s eyes were regretful as he stared at his sister. I smiled at him in encouragement, and he opened his mouth. But before he could say anything, someone knocked at my door.
I was hoping to find one of the medical staff. I could barely hide my surprise when I saw Mr. Dawson opening the door. From Mia’s poking on my ribs, I wasn’t able to hide it at all.
“Do you mind if we come in?”
I shook my head, still unable to answer, and watched as he and Edna entered the room and eased the door closed.
Edna slapped my knee. “You look a lot better. At-death’s- door isn’t a good look on you.”
“Hum…thank you?”
Mr. Dawson raised his hands to greet Aaron and Zach, who remained seated and didn’t seem as surprised as I was. Without his usual suit, he looked a lot less threatening. He approached my bed. “How are you doing, Cross?”
“I’m feeling better, sir.”
He nodded and looked…relieved? “That’s good to hear. We were worried about you.”
I stared at them at a loss for words, until Mia volunteered quietly. “They’ve been to the hospital every day since…that day.”
Mr. Dawson shifted his weight between his legs. “As Edna pointed out to me, it’s about time I right the many wrongs I’ve made. I know I haven’t been easy to deal with—”
“No!” Mia waved her hand. “What gave you that impression?”
Mr. Dawson pursed his lips at her, but for the first time, he didn’t seem suspicious or angry. He seemed at ease with her provocation. “Let me start by saying that, in my name and representing the DEA, we profusely apologize for how unfair we acted towards you. And we’d love to have you back on our team, Mia.”
Aaron’s eyes rounded as he seemed to hold his breath. Other than that, he didn’t move. Zach straightened on his chair and appeared ready to bite Mr. Dawson’s head off.
Mia startled beside me and raised one brow. “I’m saying this with all the respect I can muster. But are you shitting me?”
Zach cleared his throat. “I believe the company is still on a millionaire contract with him being the signatory.”
Mia smiled sweetly. “You look lovely, Mr. Dawson. I appreciate the offer, but no, thank you.”
He tipped his chin. “I wasn’t holding my hopes high for that, but I must admit I’m sad about it. Now, on to the next part of my visit. I owe you several apologies. And I believe you might have questions for me. Eds and I would be happy to clarify everything.”
Mia scrunched her nose. “ Eds ? As in ‘ Edna ?’ What’s going on between you two?”
Edna snorted. “Of course, that would be your first question. Yes, Robbie and I have been together for a few years.”
I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “I’m trying so hard to be respectful.”
Mr. Dawson touched her lower back and motioned for her to sit on the couch, following her to it. “I guess it’ll be easier if we start from the beginning. Eds and I started seeing each other around the time Mia began having trouble at the agency. I was called to supervise the unit because there was an indication of wrongdoing. That’s when we met. ”
“We got closer when we joined the committee related to the internal affairs against you,” Edna explained.
“Riiight. The one where you two still chose to kick me out.”
Mr. Dawson picked Edna’s hand up and laced her fingers like it was a normal occurrence for them. “I admit I didn’t fight for you, but Eds did. She believed you were innocent and tried hard to keep you in the DEA.”
“But you didn’t,” Zach accused.
He shook his head and looked down in regret. “At the time, I did believe she might be corrupt. Since the beginning of my investigation, I’ve been suspicious of Edward. And he was always so nice and protective of Mia, that I thought they were working together.”
“That’s why you went to the Administrator to fire Mia?” Aaron asked.
“I never did that. Edward did.”
A collective “ What? ” filled the room.
“He drove to the main headquarters to plead his case against you. That’s why you were fired so quickly.”
“So, that would prove to you I wasn’t in the wrong. Why did you still treat me like a criminal?”
Mr. Dawson rubbed his eyes in shame. “Right after you were fired, you, your brother, and that wild friend of yours started your company. Not long after that, the agency started hiring you for all kinds of assignments. I thought firing you was just a ruse and that you and Edward were still in cahoots.”
“Then why seal a contract with us again to get Pablo?”
He leaned against the backrest and rested his shin on his opposite knee. “For several reasons. The first one was Eds and Aaron. They fought hard for that, and I’m glad they did. At first, I was skeptical, but then I considered that if you were dirty, it’d be best to have you close. I thought I could keep an eye on you and control your activities.”
Edna shook her head. “I can’t believe you were that gullible.”
Mr. Dawson smiled fondly at her. “I like to believe I’ve come a long way since then. I also considered that, in the off chance you were legit, there seemed to be no one else who knew the cartel and could deal with the investigation better than,” he waved his finger between me and Mia, “you two.”
Mia straightened beside me. “Then why the rude remarks?”
“I’m not proud of my behavior. But I wanted to get a rise out of you. I had my suspicions about your brother’s death. And I believed you were in on the ruse. I only started to realize you knew nothing about it—or that maybe he was indeed dead—when you lost it on Bryan Keyes. That wasn’t a reaction of a deceitful person. That was the reaction of someone in pain, someone who had legitimate reasons to take down a cartel and not work with them.” He snorted and shook his head derisively. “I thought I could crack you to make you show your true colors. And you did. You proved me wrong, and you showed me the stories about you were true. And I’m ashamed of the way I dealt with you and your team. Especially under the light of all of Edward’s shady endeavors.”
I frowned. “Why? What else came up?”
Edna pointed a thin finger at Mia. “He was after that one for quite some time. Since way before she was fired, but it became worse after Pablo escaped prison. Based on what Mia shared with us, we started digging back to when you two started working together. After he tattled on you and Aaron to the cartel, Edward instructed a sniper to shoot at Mia and the victim who tried to run away. The same sniper Zachary killed.”
Mia’s eyes snapped at her brother. “You did what?”
“I’m not done,” Edna chimed in. “Edward also sent a man to run you over in your hometown. The same man who turned up dead.” She looked pointedly at Zach. “I wonder how that happened.”
He squirmed in his seat, trying his best not to look at Edna or Mia.
“And following your request, Mia,” Edna went on, “I asked the forensics to take a sample of the cappuccino Edward tried to give you on the night of the attack. At least what they could get from the beverage. There were traces of dioxin in it.”
I tightened my hold on Mia’s small hand, pulling her closer to me, and cursed loudly.
Zach frowned in confusion. “What is it? What does it mean?”
Mr. Dawson looked contrite. “It’s a highly toxic compound. If Mia had drunk it, she’d most likely die in less than twenty minutes of cardiac arrest. With everything that’s been going on and her medical history—especially when her heart stopped a couple of years ago—it’d be ruled out as a heart attack. But since she’d called his betrayal sooner, he had no choice but to attack her blatantly.”
A somber silence filled the room, making it impossible to ignore how things could have taken a completely different turn.
Mia snorted. “Wow. Me and my bubbly personality making friends everywhere.”
Aaron laced his fingers over his stomach and eyed her with humor. “Rubbing people the wrong way has always been one of your best talents.”
She beamed at him, embracing his compliment with wide arms. “ Aww .”
“Where is he?” I asked.
Mr. Dawson fished a handkerchief to clean his glasses. “He’s under arrest now. But with the investigation on the cartel still ongoing and considering the amount of information we’re collecting now on him, his trial won’t be a quick one.”
Edna crossed her little legs. “To sum it up, you blew up the agency headquarters, hacked into our systems, took satellites down—yeah, I know about that,” she remarked at Mia’s and my rounded guilty eyes, “and you brought the results we needed. So, when we consider Edward’s prosecution, Keyes’s evasion, and Carlos Gomes’s solitude now that his right hand is gone, extending the contract with Bryants & Walker Protection is a no-brainer.”
Mia grinned. “We’re happy to report for duty. Especially now that one of our founders is back.”
Zach smiled at his sister, leaned forward, and clapped her shin. “It’s good to be back.”
Mr. Dawson stood up and slapped his legs. “I guess we took too much of your time already. I’m truly happy to see you’re having a good recovery, Cross. Take the time you need, but we’ll be waiting for you once you feel ready to come back.”
“Actually, sir…” I cleared my throat and glanced at Mia and Aaron. “I won’t be coming back.” I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose with my free hand and squeezed Mia’s with the other. “Ben made me an offer a while ago that I’d like to consider. I mean, I’m sure the other associates will need to vet it, but either way, you can consider this my notice.”
Aaron threw his hands up. “Great. Another one I lost to that company.” Despite his words, his voice had no venom. My first assignment would be trying to poach him from the agency and bring him with me to the company. That was, if I was hired.
Mia raised one brow and eyed me up and down. “Okay. We can schedule your interview once you’re cleared by the doctor. Wear a black, tight shirt, and gray sweatpants.” She turned to her brother. “You won’t be necessary for what will happen.”
Zach scrunched his nose, much like his sister, and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “I’ve no interest in hearing about this.”
Mr. Dawson walked to the side of the bed. “It’s been a real pleasure working with you, Cross. But I understand your decision, and I do believe it’s a smart one.” He stretched out his hand for me to shake. “I’m sure we’ll meet each other again soon.” He then shook Mia’s hand and lingered. “I’m eager to work with you again. Next time, I promise to be less of a jerk.”
“And I promise to be just as troublesome as I’ve been so far, not one ounce more. It’s the best offer I can make.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
As they left, closing the door behind them, I watched a chapter of my life come to an end. But when I looked at my side at Mia, I felt exhilarated. Because my story was only beginning.
A new chapter, a better chapter, was starting. And my Spitfire would write it with me.