Chapter 27
Chapter twenty-seven
Cal
“Cal.” Her soft plea pulls me from the darkness. “Cal, please wake up.”
It’s as if my body is underwater. But she cuts through it all.
My Rose.
I blink hard as my vision swims into focus. The room’s a blur of flashing red and blue lights from outside the window as people flood in and out of the room. The storm’s finally breaking, but the commotion here hasn’t.
“Hey,” I rasp, my throat raw. She’s crouched beside me. Her hands shake as she runs her fingers over my forehead.
Tears and weariness streak her glassy eyes. “You’re okay,” she breathes out with a tremble. “You’re going to be okay.”
Another familiar voice rumbles from somewhere behind her, barking orders at the uniforms flooding the room.
Rose helps me sit upright as I wince in pain.
I adjust myself against the mattress, leaning on it for support.
I crane my neck over the bed, and Diane’s being helped out of the chair, a blanket draped around her shoulders, paramedics doing their assessment.
No doubt she will be on her way to the hospital soon.
I make a feeble attempt to stand, but pain flares through my shoulder and down my arm like fire. “AH!” I cry out through a chuckle. “Jesus Christ, this hurts.”
Rose presses a hand against me, gentle but firm. “Don’t you dare,” she commands, her lip quivering. “You’ve lost too much blood.”
“I’m fine,” I insist. Because I will be. Now that we have each other.
She grins. “Liar.”
I laugh, wincing through the pain. Leaning in, and as her tears fall onto my skin, Rose’s soft lips find mine. It’s tender, desperate, and full of the weight from the last few hours.
For a second, the rest of the world fades. The noise, the commotion, the storm—it all disappears.
It’s just her. It’s always only been her.
When she pulls back, I catch her face in my good hand. “Go,” I flick my head. “Be with your mom.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“Rose,” I say, forcing a breath, “you’ve already done enough. Go.” I implore softer now. “She needs you.”
Tears spill over, but she nods, pressing her forehead to mine for another brief second before standing. I watch her walk away, and though I’m in the worst shape of my career, I’ve never felt more hopeful.
Denny crouches beside me, his expression tight. His jaw set. “Diane’s safe,” he says. “Maggie’s in custody and on the way to the hospital.” He pauses, glancing toward the open doorway where officers are still shouting commands down the hall.
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?” Heat rises to my head as I wait.
He sighs, wringing his hands. “But Niko,” he pauses, then his lips curl into a teasing smile, “he’s in custody.”
I collapse against the bed in relief, laughing through the pain. “I hate it when you do that.”
“You know me. I do that any chance I get. I love the panic on your face.”
“Cute.” I swallow. “Now fill me in.”
“After he knocked you out, he decided to take his vengeance out on Maggie. He almost killed her. We got here just in time, and thankfully, he surrendered. Security and then Rose told us that he was the one who hacked into the hotel’s system.
He and Maggie were working together. It’s a whole thing. I’ll brief you at the hospital.”
“So, it’s over.” Across the room, I find Rose, clutching her mother tightly, her body trembling with relief.
“It’s over.” He stands with purpose. “But now you are going to the hospital. No arguing.”
I smile as I watch Rose adjust the blanket over her mom’s shoulder.
Our eyes meet, and amidst all this hysteria, all I see is my future.