Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
Landon
Having a brother-in-law who is literally royalty has a lot of perks. Especially when your girlfriend is kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring, and then rescued, kidnapped again, and rescued again. There’s a lot of red tape.
Having a fractured skull doesn’t hurt either.
Well, it doesn’t hurt the situation. My head, on the other hand, hurts like a motherfucker.
But Daniil is handling everything using his diplomatic status to get the cops and the feds to back off until Allora and I have had time to heal just a little.
The first night they put us in a double room together and Allora refused to leave my side.
In the middle of the night, she crawled into that tiny hospital bed and slept pressed against my side until morning.
Not that I minded. Holding her is the only way I’ve been able to sleep since it happened, and today we get to go home.
Well, to Daniil and Courtney’s house. We’re both going to be okay, but short-term we need help. I’m dealing with dizzy spells and I’m too big for Allora to get me up if I fall. Allora’s got burns and bruises all over her neck, arms, and legs, and needs someone to tend to them.
Unfortunately, we have to talk to the cops and the feds today, but Daniil has an army of attorneys that will be with us.
Besides, except for Silver taking Tex away before the authorities arrived, we haven’t done anything wrong.
Vito’s dead and Baron’s singing like a fucking bird trying to save himself so I’m not worried.
I’m just glad I have her back, safe and sound.
“You guys ready to go?” Daniil asks. He came to pick us up personally and I nod.
“Yeah, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
“Take it easy, Mr. Grimshaw,” my doctor says as she signs my discharge papers. “I’m not kidding.”
“Don’t worry, Dr. Amman,” Allora says. “I plan to make sure of it.”
She nods. “Good.”
A nurse comes with a wheelchair for me, since it’s hospital policy. Technically, Allora was released yesterday but since she wouldn’t leave my side, it’s like we’re both being discharged now. She just doesn’t get a wheelchair.
We go downstairs and I thank the nurse before lifting myself up and into Daniil’s Escalade. Allora climbs in after me and then Daniil gets into the passenger seat since Rage is behind the wheel.
“About time you got your sorry ass out of bed,” Rage says to me. “You’ve missed like ten workouts.”
“I know. I’m slackin’.” I catch his eye in the rearview mirror, and he gives me a quick nod. The one that tells me he’s grateful I’m okay without having to say the words. That’s kind of how we operate. I do plan to thank him at some point when we’re alone.
“Do we have to talk to the cops today?” Allora asks, leaning against my side.
“Yes,” Daniil says, “but don’t worry. They want to hear your story and they need yours too, Grim, so they can press charges. But the story is, Tex escaped, Vito’s dead, and the big boss is in Albania. Chances are, we’ll never catch him.”
“What about Marisol?” Allora asks.
“She’s in custody. She’s another one they want to charge but they’ll need your testimony to do it.”
“Oh, I have plenty to say about her,” she says. “But the two women who were with me when you rescued me—I don’t know their names. But I’d like to reach out, see if there’s any way we can help them. Money, jobs, something.”
“Already on it,” Daniil says. “Don’t worry about that now. Just focus on the story you’re going to tell the cops.”
We had to come up with a story to explain how Tex “got away.” Everything else is the truth.
“I’ve got this,” she says. “Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s my girl.” I kiss her forehead and she rests against me.
We’ve done a lot of talking in the last couple of days. There wasn’t much else to do at the hospital since Daniil had us moved to a private suite and made sure they left us alone beyond medical attention and meals.
It was good to be able to just be together. Talk. Rest. Watch TV. Almost like a regular couple. Except in the hospital. After a kidnapping, a skull fracture, and a shootout.
The good news is that we still feel the same way about each other.
The not-so-good news is that we’re going to take a little time to find our footing both together and individually. She’s moving back to her condo in Oceanside, and I’m going to sleep in Daniil and Courtney’s guest room for now.
Allora’s going to find a therapist right away and go back to work as soon as she’s able.
I’m going to do the same thing.
It’s time for me to deal with my own demons.
They don’t impact my daily life, but I think I’ll be a better man—and husband—if I work on the things that linger in the back of my mind.
Like my reluctance to set down roots. The hesitation to become a part owner of Shadow Security.
There are too many little things that could add up to something big, and I don’t want that for her.
Because I’m not going anywhere.
The plan is to take two months to heal, both inside and out, while still spending time together—just with some distance between us so we can slow down and start over to some degree.
She’s too important to me to leave anything to chance, so if a little time to find ourselves is what it takes, that’s what I’m going to do.
Then we’ll regroup and decide if we want to live in her condo or put it on the market and buy something together. It’ll also give me time to look at my finances.
And by then I should have made a decision about whether or not I’m going to buy into Shadow Security.
“I need another new phone,” she mumbles.
“Luna has new phones for both of you,” Daniil says. “They’re waiting for you at the house.”
“I have so many things to do,” Allora says. “But I think I’m going to just rest. I do have to call Alexa and Lacy, but then I’m going to go radio silent for a few weeks. Not from you guys,” she adds quickly. “Just in general.”
“Same.” I look at her and she smiles before leaning up to press her lips to mine.
I run my knuckles along her cheek, hating that there are more bruises. Not as many as last time but even one is too many.
“I love you,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers.
“I love you too.”
“So, meeting with the cops this afternoon, family dinner tonight, and we stay in bed tomorrow?”
“That sounds like a plan.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and hold her tight against me, a little overwhelmed that I got her back safe. That we both made it out alive. That I’m going to live to fight another day.
For her.
For myself.
For us.