HUNTING (PAVAD) Page 26

  “Julia? Julia, come on, sweetheart...come on. Open your eyes and cuss at me. Something...”

  Chapter Eighty

  * * *

  Al took the backstairs out of the crime scene and had just enough time to hop into the ambulance with Paige. As the doors closed on them, she saw Malachi coming out the house’s front doors, Jules clutched against his chest.

  Paige hadn’t woken, and the EMTs on either side of the gurney were concerned. Al didn’t need to question them to know that.

  It was a long ride to the hospital. She’d requested the same hospital where Mick had been taken. Paige hadn’t moved, not so much as a moan had escaped.

  She was completely limp. Had she ever seen Paige so still? Al didn’t think so.

  She prayed for most of the trip, sitting there holding her friend’s free hand. They’d IV’d her, prepping her for whatever it was they were doing to her. Al wasn’t a doctor, she didn’t have a clue.

  She ran with the gurney, holding the younger woman’s hand, until the EMTs pushed Paige through the ER entrance. There Al was pulled aside to handle the paperwork on a loved one for the second time in twenty-four hours.

  She took the clipboard into the waiting room. Her parents were still there. They looked up when she entered.

  All attention was on her; Carrie was there, Georgia, Ana, Marianna and Ed Dennis. Dan and K.D., Norton. She recognized most everyone in the room. And it was packed.

  Her parents rose, her mother took her hand. “Sweetie? Malachi?”

  “Mal’s fine. I road in the ambulance with Paige. And Mal’s with Jules. Nate’s dead. He’s been the UNSUB all along. I need to fill this out for Paige. She...she can’t do it for herself right now. Carrie, I’m going to need your help.” Carrie would know the details of Paige’s life better than anyone. “How’s Mick?”

  “Your brother is in recovery. He made it through surgery just fine. Small caliber bullets against a big man. Bullets didn’t stand a chance.” Her dad’s arms around her were warm and comforting. And safe. The way it should be. “Sweetie, how bad is it for our girls?”

  “He drugged Paige. We don’t know with what, or what lasting side effects there will be. Or how much. I don’t know about Jules. There...there was a lot of bl—-” Al cut herself off. Georgia was in the room, the closest thing to family to Jules. This wasn’t the way to tell her. “She was awake when Malachi carried her out. And...and...she and Sebastian are the ones who took Nate down. Jules fought him hard.”

  But had that come at the expense of her friend’s life?

  Al just didn’t know.

  The sounds of shouting came from the ER’s entry and Al was one of the first through the waiting room door. She knew who it was. Knew the second ambulance had been just minutes behind the first.

  Malachi ran at Jules’ side, and Jules wasn’t moving.

  And there was just too much damned blood for it to be good.

  Chapter Eighty-One

  * * *

  They took her away from him within seconds of entry into the ER. He’d known it was going to happen, but that didn’t keep the terror at bay.

  He tried to go with her, but they stopped him. His dad was there, his arms holding Malachi back. Ed Dennis was there as well, in front of Malachi to bodily stop him. Malachi wanted to fight them, but gained control of himself at the last minute. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

  He turned to his dad. “Mick?”

  “Will be fine, son. Sit down. Tell us what happened.”

  “Later. I can’t now. I need to...I need...” To be with Julia. The cold metal doors of the surgery bay were all that stopped him from being there. That, and the knowledge that he’d serve more as a distraction than an asset for those who were helping her.

  Georgia was there, her face pale with worry. “You need to change clothes. Those are evidence. And you’ll feel better in clean clothes. I’ve got Hell’s ready bag. He’s got jeans and a sweatshirt in there you can borrow.” She held out the gym bag. “Go. Change. Dad and I will be here if they have any questions about Jules’ history. I am her NOK. We’ll handle it until you get back. Go.”

  Her words were firm, no nonsense. Malachi went.

  Five minutes later he’d washed the blood from his arms and bagged up his ruined shirt and pants. His shoes. It was all evidence and he knew IA would want it.

  Julia’s rings and his grandmother’s necklace were still in his pants pocket. He slipped them into his borrowed jeans.

  He’d keep them out of evidence. He wasn’t letting Julia lose her rings. That wasn’t going to happen.

  He rejoined the group in the waiting room, fighting the urge to pace and to hound the nurses at the information desk.

  A child was crying somewhere. The sounds of a little one tired and hungry. And scared. Oh, so very scared.

  It took him a moment to realize whose child it was.

  She was in his mother’s arms, and it was obvious she’d just woken. Just realized she was not at home in her own bed, realized her mother wasn’t anywhere to be seen. No wonder she was scared.

  He held out his arms and she lurched toward him. He wrapped his arms around Julia’s little girl and he rocked her until she quieted. They’d wait for her mother together.

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  * * *

  She woke to the sound of the most annoying beeping sound in all of creation. It took her a moment to realize where she was. Hospital. Again.

  She was alive then. Why was she here?

  It was several long minutes before the events returned to her. She tried to sit up, her mind too full of unanswered questions to remain in a hospital bed.

  Galahad slept in the chair pulled up next to her bed.

  His hand was wrapped around the railing, and she raised her left hand to brush the back of his knuckles. But she couldn’t. Her hand was wrapped in gauze. Her entire arm was. Both arms. Her right hand was immobilized on a board, heavier bandages over it than her left. And it burned like the blazes. She remembered what had happened and suspected what damage waited beneath the gauze.

  She shifted slightly, wincing and taking stock. More bandages covered her chest and stomach, but from what it felt like, they were much smaller than those on her hand. Defensive wounds, where he’d tried to take the shard from her. How much blood had she lost?

  And...what day was it?

  The sun was shining through the windows, surrounding Malachi with an aura that she thought ironic. They’d fought a devil, and won.

  She pulled herself up as gingerly as possible. She counted the bandages on her stomach. She was wearing pajamas—most likely Georgia or Ana’s doing—but the buttons were only half done. Probably so the medical staff could check her injuries. She took advantage of that to inspect for herself.

  Nothing major, though a few gashes had probably been deep enough to lead to significant blood loss when combined. Her right hand had definitely suffered the worst. She managed to pull the tape and gauze away from her right hand using the exposed fingers of her left.

  She cataloged the injury. She’d nearly sliced her hand in half, in four lines—the edges of the porcelain. She’d need corrective surgery. That was almost a given. And chances were good that she’d not regain full function of that hand for a very, very long time. If ever.

  But she was alive. And the bad guy was not.

  The threat to Malachi was gone now.

  Malachi.

  He was awake and watching her. “Always the M.E., aren’t you?”

  “There are always questions. I’m too lazy to count, how many stitches?”

  “Eighty-six. Plus glue. Did some damage.”

  “Yes. I figured it would when I planned it.”

  “But you did it anyway.”

  “Would do it again. He was going to kill you. And you were unarmed.”

  “I had it covered.”

  “I didn’t know that. For all I knew you’d Galahad-ed right in all by your lonesome. I didn’t know
Lorcan was in the hall.”

  “No. You didn’t. And you did what you had to do to stay alive. I’m proud of you.”

  “He was watching us, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes. We found cameras in my house, my parents’, Paige’s apartment...and your house.” He looked at her, his eyes serious. “And his own bedroom. He recorded what happened. What he tried to do to you.”

  Jules remembered the feel of the bastard’s hands and mouth on her. Fought the bile suddenly in her throat. It would take her a long, long time to forget that. If she ever did. “Oh.”

  “Yes. Oh. He wouldn’t have done that to you if it hadn’t been for me.” Pain, anger, guilt—it was all in his eyes.

  Jules straightened. “No. No, you are not going to take his actions on. He did it. Not you. You can’t control everything. You can’t control anyone else but yourself. What he did, what happened, was not your fault. I won’t let you think otherwise.”

  “He targeted me, Julia. And through me, you. And Paige. And my brother. I can never forget that.”

  “No. You won’t forget. But you’ll learn to live with it. Just like I’m living with the knowledge that had I not suggested, not pushed, Bryan and Rick to take Georgia and me shopping that day they’d both still be alive. I’ll never forget that. I’m just as responsible for what happened to them as you are for what happened to us. It was not something that could have been predicted. For either of us. All we can do is move on.”

  “God, woman, I love you. I didn’t know how much until I realized he’d taken you. I even forgot about my own brother for you.” Tears were on his cheeks, and she wished her hands weren’t trussed up. She needed to touch him.

  “How is Mick? Paige?”

  “Both are just down the hall. Al suggested we put them in the same room so they could keep each other entertained. We…uh…declined that suggestion. Paige was drugged and is still a bit sluggish. Mick will take a while longer to return to his normal self. But he will, eventually. He awoke this morning.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “Two days. They had to give you some blood.”

  “Figured I was on empty. But I’m better now. Where’s my kid?” Fear hit her. Had social services taken Ruthie? Had they ruled Jules was an unsafe environment? “Where’s Ruthie?”

  He smiled, and then kissed her forehead. “Relax, momma, she’s with my parents.”

  “What? They don’t need the added burden right now. They’ve been through enough.” They should be focused on their son, not Ruthie.

  “They asked for her. I think they needed her just as much as she needed them.” His tone deepened. “They told me they wanted to get started being grandparents. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “Excuse me?” Jules’ breath rushed out.

  “They wanted to spend time with their new granddaughter. They seem to think you and I have a few things to work out to make that happen. But they’re confident that we’ll figure things out. At least that’s what my mother said.”

  “And do you always do what your mother says?” She could have resented him making that move, but why waste the energy? She’d have made the move if he hadn’t. Her resolution was still strong. Jules was through being a coward. “Come here.”

  He leaned forward. Jules lifted her left arm, too scared of reinjuring herself to lift her right. “Kiss me. Erase him from my memory.”

  “I can do that.” But he didn’t. He just leaned over her, staring.

  “What? Do I have something in my teeth? Bad breath? I’m sure I do on that one...”

  “I’m just glad we’re getting this chance. Julia...Jules...”

  “It’s Julia. To you, that is.” Something special between the two of them. She didn’t mind it now.

  “Julia Bellows, promise me you will never scare me like that again.”

  “I’ll do my damnedest not to gain the attention of another madman. It’s too trying of an experience.”

  “Thanks. That’s reassuring.” He stood, so suddenly she stared. “Julia Bellows, I am only going to do this once. So pay attention.”

  “Go on.”

  “You’re annoying, and snippy, and kind of a shrew at times, but dammit woman, I love you. Every feminine inch of you. I love the way you smirk at me, the snotty little jabs you make at my ego, the way you look with crackers crushed in your hair...the way you look rocking that little girl we both love. The way you smile just at me when you forget you’re fighting me. I just love you. And even if we only have tomorrow or today, or even just this minute, I will love you for every second of that minute.”

  “Oh, my God...Malachi...” She wanted to hold him. Because he meant it. Oh, God. He meant it, damn him. Tears filled her eyes. Damn him, damn him, damn him.

  “No. I’m not done.” His hands were gentle on her shoulders—about the only spots on her front torso that weren’t covered in some sort of bandage or apparatus. “And you’re going to listen. I love you. That won’t change, no matter how you push me away.”

  “I’m done pushing.”

  “That’s nice, but I’m not done.” He kissed her once, then pulled back. “Once you’re out of here, we’re going home. To my home, and we’re going to do whatever we have to in order to build a life together. Whatever that life brings, we’ll be in it together.”

  “Dear god, you mean it. You’re crazy, you know that?” Jules fought a laugh. Tenderness filled her. He actually meant it. He was taking her home, with him. Nothing sounded better.

  “If I’m crazy it’s because you’ve driven me there.”

  “It’s a repeat journey, I’m sure.” She opened her arms, and he scooped her up. She laughed, told him how to disconnect the monitors connecting her to those blasted beeping machines.

  Then he cuddled her on his lap and against his chest. Jules kissed him, ignoring the stitches in her lip from where Nate had hit her. Or bit her, she didn’t remember.

  It didn’t matter.

  The only thing that mattered was the man holding her. “There’s just one thing...”

  “And that would be?”

  “We are so redecorating your house. I never want to see those decorations, again.”

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  * * *

  Al stood in the hall outside Jules’ hospital room, her team leader at her side. Sebastian smirked, then leaned closer. “What do you think? Will they make it?”

  “Somehow I think they will.” Al was happy for her brother and friend. The small bit of envy at their connection was there, but it was far overshadowed by her relief and happiness for them. Her brother’s words to Jules had been absolutely beautiful. Al knew she would never forget them, either.

  What would it be like to be loved like that? Jules’ response had been pretty perfect, too. Al was touched and charmed by the romance of it all. “They’ve fought hard to get where they are. Kind of like another couple I know.”

  His wife was down in the room with Paige, despite Carrie’s almost debilitating fear of hospitals. Her loyalty to Paige overrode her fears. The bonds of love were strong in Sebastian and Carrie, too.

  They were another couple Al knew would make it.

  Sebastian had needed Malachi for some paperwork, and Al had accompanied him to Jules’ room. But now he’d changed his mind. “I’ll come back later. I think they need this time alone.”

  “Total agreement. I’ll tell the nursing desk not to disturb them.” She’d give them their privacy if she had to sit J.T. or one of her other friends right outside the door.

  “I’ll head back downstairs to get my wife. Al...take the rest of the week. Deal with your family. And take a break. I think you need it.”

  “And redecorate our house. I don’t want Jules coming back to see that place.” She’d been on the team to search Nate’s house thoroughly the day after the shooting, though she’d stayed at Sebastian’s side in case of conflict of interest. What she’d found had disgusted her.

  There’d been cameras in her bathroom, Paige
’s, and her mother’s. Al had hidden that fact from her mother, but she herself would never forget how truly vulnerable they all had been. To someone they’d trusted and cared about.

  She’d also seen the tapes of Nate assaulting Jules, had witnessed Malachi’s reaction to that tape and would never forget that. That tape she’d handed over to Ed Dennis personally. Unspoken agreement was that he’d see the tape was destroyed. That, and the ones Nate had kept of her brother and Jules being intimate. That didn’t need to be sitting in evidence lockup for anyone to see. All someone would have to do was sign a sheet and the videos would be open viewing for whoever had even a somewhat legitimate reason to get in the files. Neither her brother nor Jules needed that.

  No, Ed would take care of that. Al had every confidence in his promise. But it went deeper than the video tapes. Every inch of Nate’s house mimicked hers and Malachi’s in some way or form, colors, style, contents.

  Al would change that this week, at least her bedroom, the master suite, and the hallway. And the kitchen. That would all be redone. It would require some serious shopping, but Al was determined. Any room Jules had spent time in would be changed. “Thanks. I’m fixing the house today.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  He surprised her by hugging her. She’d seen what he’d done in that room. Saw how he’d taken the shots that kept Nate from pulling his own trigger and shooting Malachi or Jules. She’d never forget that, or how much she owed him. “It’ll get easier for them. Trust me. It just takes time.”

  He and Carrie had faced their own demons to be together. As had Georgia and Hell, Ana and Fin, Dan and Ally. Even Ed Dennis and Marianna had fought to be together.

  She hugged him back. He was strong, and good, and pretty damned sweet. Not to mention sexy in that alley cat way of his. Too bad he was taken by one of her closest friends. He was another one of the good guys.

  If he hadn’t been her team leader, she’d have snapped Sebastian Lorcan up in a heartbeat. Carrie was a very lucky woman.

  She smiled and hugged him back. Too bad there weren’t more just like him out there...