Chapter 30
“What the hell happened?” Louisa looked horrified as Theo laid Olivia out on the island in the kitchen, her blood pooling on the tiled top.
She retrieved a pair of scissors and started cutting away her clothes to get to the wound, ignoring all the other people crammed into the small room.
“She was shot,” Jake replied as he scooped a whimpering Beau off the floor before someone tripped over him.
“No shit, Sherlock,” she snapped as she tore away the material, revealing a large hole in Olivia’s shoulder, blood spilling out profusely. She grabbed a wad of surgical padding and pressed it hard to the wound. “Who the hell shot her?”
“Her mother,” Theo replied.
Louisa’s head snapped up to meet Jake’s gaze.
“It’s true, Lou,” he answered angrily. “Isabel West is alive. I saw her with my own eyes.”
Trying to focus on her patient, she looked across at Theo standing on the other side of the island.
“Theo, hold her tightly here and roll her toward you. I need to look to see if the bullet went straight through.” He did as he was told and watched as Louisa examined the back of Olivia’s shoulder. “There’s no exit wound.” She shook her head.
“What does that mean?” he asked in concern.
“It means the bullet is still lodged in her shoulder.” She cursed under her breath. “I’m going to have to take it out. We need to get her to the hospital.”
“You can’t do that.”
She blinked in disbelief as Charles Connell stepped into her line of vision. “Mr. Connell?”
“Hello, Louisa.” He smiled at her. “It’s been a long time.”
She shook her head, trying to focus. “After this I’m going to need a really strong drink,” she muttered. “But the facts remain the same. I said I’d stitch up some superficial wounds, but I never agreed to kitchen surgery. She needs an OR.”
“Every gunshot wound has to be reported to the police,” Charles replied.
Her eyes darted around the kitchen before landing back on him. “By my count there are three cops standing in the kitchen right now. I think we can consider that well and truly reported.”
“It’s not that simple.” He shook his head as he removed his coat and laid it over the back of a nearby chair. “Right now, Thomas Walcott’s mutilated corpse is lying in the woods. Olivia’s blood is all over that crime scene. Once he is discovered, it will raise too many questions.”
“Mr. Connell,” she answered in frustration. “Look at her. She’s lost too much blood. She needs a transfusion.”
“And she’ll get one.” He began to roll up his sleeve. “We’re the same blood type, give her my blood.”
“This is crazy. You’re really lucky I was so thorough when I stole the supplies,” she muttered as she turned to one of the boxes and rummaged around, coming up with a couple of sealed bags.
“Right, everyone out except Mr. Connell and Theo,” she shooed the others out of the room and slammed the door behind them.
“Congratulations, Theo, you’re now my scrub nurse.
Go wash your hands with the bottle of antibacterial soap in the first box of supplies. ”
He nodded and moved to the sink. Louisa turned back to Charles and wrapped a tourniquet around his bicep, tapping the inside of his elbow with gloved hands, looking for a vein.
Satisfied she’d found a suitable one, she tore open one of the packets and inserted the needle into his vein, taping it firmly to his skin.
Inserting the second needle into Olivia’s arm, she attached a length of clear plastic tubing and watched as the blood started to flow through evenly.
Olivia obliged her by staying unconscious long enough for Louisa to remove the bullet and close the wound, dressing it tightly and placing her arm in a sling to support her shoulder.
While Olivia continued to have an emergency blood transfusion from her father, Louisa took the time to clean and stitch the wounds on Theo’s forearm and the back of Jake’s shoulder.
She also dressed and cleaned the one on Captain McCallister’s hand.
Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she stretched her aching spine and moved back to check on Olivia as she began to regain consciousness. Satisfied, she removed the needles from both Olivia’s arm and that of her father.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Louisa murmured as Olivia’s eyes flickered open and slowly focused on her.
“What happened?” Olivia whispered.
“You got shot, honey.”
“I know that,” she gasped in pain as she struggled to sit up. “I mean after. Where’s my mom?”
“I don’t know.” Louisa shook her head, helping Olivia into a sitting position. “I’ve been busy fixing everyone up, so nobody’s had the chance to fill me in yet.”
“Theo?” Olivia asked.
“I’m right here.” He moved in closer and took her hand.
Her gaze swept over his shoulder and locked on her father who was watching her, his expression unreadable.
“Why don’t we give you and Theo a moment,” Louisa suggested, starting to feel uncomfortable. “Mr. Connell?”
He nodded and followed Louisa from the kitchen, clicking the door behind him quietly.
Unable to find the words, Olivia turned to Theo as he cradled her face gently in his hands, taking her lips and kissing her softly.
“God.” He broke away, breathing hard and pressing his forehead to hers. “I thought I’d lost you. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I didn’t think I’d get to you in time.”
“But you did.” She grasped the hand that held her face softly. “I saw you when Nathaniel was coming for me. You put yourself in front of a demon for me.”
“I’d do it every single time,” he whispered.
Catching sight of his hand, she pulled it away from her face, turning it over to get a better look. “What happened?” She frowned, pushing up his sleeve to look at his arm.
Ribbons of blue and black, starting at his palm, were wrapped around his hand and twisted up his wrist and arm like a tattoo.
“The knife you gave me,” he muttered, looking down at the now permanent markings on his arm.
“It did this to you?”
“It is this,” he replied. Seeing her confused expression, he tried to find the words to explain. “I used the knife to break through the circle. It began to melt, and it burst into flames. The metal melted and ran up my arm, searing itself into my flesh. It’s a part of me now.”
“Theo,” she breathed out, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he answered. “Look.”
He stepped back and held out his hand. As it had done before in the clearing, when he was facing Nathaniel, he felt the metal sliding and twisting down his arm to pool in his hand, once again forming the knife.
Olivia’s breath caught in her throat as she watched in shock. Theo released his grip on the knife, and it disappeared back into his flesh, leaving the strange writhing tattoo.
“Wow,” she muttered, staring at his hand.
“I know,” he replied.
She was about to say something else, but she paused, hearing raised voices in the other room.
“We’d better go deal with that,” she sighed. “Help me down, will you?”
He lifted her gently, trying not to jolt her wounded shoulder as he slid her carefully to the floor.
“Wait a minute.” He disappeared into the laundry room and returned with one of his shirts, which fitted easily over her sling. He helped her into it and buttoned it over her torn clothes.
“Thanks,” she murmured. Taking his hand, they made their way to the library.
As she walked into the room, everyone fell silent and turned toward her. The fire, as it always did, burst cheerfully into flame at her presence. Her father watched in quiet interest at the dancing flames.
“Olive,” Jake breathed in relief, studying her pale face and dark eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded as she surveyed the other people in the room. Jake was flanked either side by Louisa and Mac, who, other than the injury to his hand, seemed no worse for his unexpected initiation into her world.
Her gaze tracked across the room to her father and the pale-haired man next to him, finally landing on Deputy Helga Hanson.
She looked different. Not only did she seem slimmer and more feminine but standing next to the man her father referred to as Davis, she could see the startling similarities between the two tall, elegant blonds.
“Helga?” she muttered in confusion.
“Actually, that’s not my name. That was his idea of a joke.” She threw a sidelong glance at Davis. “My name is Danae... Connell.”
“Connell?” Olivia’s eyes widened.
She nodded. “This is my twin brother, Davis,” she introduced him.
“It’s nice to finally have the chance to meet my niece.” He smiled warmly.
“Niece?” she repeated, looking to her father.
“The twins are my younger half brother and sister. We share the same father,” he told her.
“I told you before, Olivia,” Danae spoke softly. “I wasn’t watching you because of that deranged idiot Walcott. I was there to protect you from your mother.”
“You knew.” She looked at all three of them. “You all knew she was alive, and you said nothing.”
“It was complicated, Olivia,” her father replied.
“Then start explaining,” she replied coldly. “I think I deserve that much.”
“The twins found me about eighteen years ago, around the time I started getting hints that Isabel was still alive. Davis and Danae were my link to the outside world, and they helped me to keep an eye on you and search for your mother.”
“Why did you send me all those things, the doll, the book, Beau?” She looked down at the puppy that was snuggled on his cushion in front of the fire.
“Beau?” he repeated, realizing she meant the dog. “It suits him.”
“Why?” she repeated, her eyes filled with pain.
“I never wanted to hurt you, Olivia.” He shook his head. “But I needed you to remember that night. You were there, you saw everything.”
“But I don’t remember.” She frowned. “I’ve tried and I just can’t.”
He sighed. “Then this is going to be hard for you to hear.”
“Just start talking.” Her mouth tightened.