Barnes let out a tiny, puffing breath. “How about from the beginning. The more details we have, the bigger case we can build against him. Because this sounds like it’s going to be a lot more than attempted vehicular homicide.”
I almost choked on my tongue. “Is that what you charged him with?”
“For now,” Barnes said. “We have everything on security camera, and we have an officer at the hospital right now speaking with Mr. Maximov.”
Fuck, I wished I were there with Vanya right now. But being here meant being able to tell them everything. It meant finally getting Hunter’s ass locked away.
I didn’t care if he had some fail-safe button that would make all the videos go live the moment he was incarcerated. I didn’t care if the whole world knew I was different.
The only thing that mattered in this moment was knowing it was nearly over.
I was still shaking by the time I made it back down to the lobby. I had Barnes’s card tucked in my pocket, along with some pamphlets about what to do when someone is the victim of all the crimes Hunter had committed. They were all in print, of course, so useless to me, but Vanya could read them aloud if I really wanted to know what was in them.
What really mattered was that I had a court date in three days to finalize what he’d called a TPO—and there was one for Vanya as well. Neither one of us was required to attend, which was a relief, because I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it.
Yes, it was almost over. But it was also just beginning. If Hunter was charged with everything, there would be a hearing. There would be a trial if he didn’t plead guilty. And there would always be a fear that he’d come and find me the moment he was able to break free of being watched.
I felt sick to my stomach, but the nausea eased a little when Hugo’s hands found mine and he pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Your brother and Alexio are here,” he murmured against my temple. “They’re waiting outside. I guess they were at the hospital when Vanya was talking to a detective.”
Jonah already knew everything. I’d spilled my guts on the floor, right at his feet, when we were at Caleb’s, but I’d kept some of the details to myselfwhen I told the rest of the boys, and I had no idea if Jonah had told Alexio all of it.
Still, it was nice to be unburdened. I was angry at myself for letting it get this far, but I was going to beg Vanya for forgiveness and promise I would never be this foolish ever again.
“Can we go?” I asked.
“You’re free?”
“Yeah. I’m done here.” I pulled back and took his arm, keeping my cane close to my body because my arm felt too weak to use it. Hugo was a good guide and got me outside the building, and I had ten seconds to myself before I was overwhelmed with familiar arms.
“Since he’s in jail,” Jonah said, “that means we can’t kill him, right?”
“You probably don’t want to say that in front of a police station, my love,” Alexio warned him.
Jonah pulled back. “Why? Are there cops around? Is someone listening?”
“There could be.”
Jonah scoffed and pulled me into another hug. “I can’t fucking believe he tried to run Vanya over with a truck. God, the entire team is going to go feral on that fucker if he ever shows his face in Boston ever again.”
I took a breath. “Mm. I mean, he has to stay here for his hearings and stuff, but yeah. Hopefully, he’ll be under some kind of house arrest or something.”
Jonah began to tug me along toward the parkinglot, and I assumed that Alexio was leading the way. “Did they say how the fuck he got past security?”
“No. They’re working on that, I guess. But they found messages on his phone to someone. It was obvious he was going after me, but I think he saw Vanya and took the chance to get him out of the way.” It was hard to say those words. They made me furious.
If I could have breathed fire and set that fucker ablaze, I would have.
“Mr. Adams!”
Jonah and I both froze as the sound of our last name, but I was the one who recognized the voice. It was Barnes, and it sounded like he was running.
I turned just as his footsteps came to a rapid halt.
“I’m so sorry. I forgot to give you the report you’ll need to keep on hand in case you need to speak to another officer about anything.”
Hugo made a soft, curious noise. “Another officer about what? Do you think Micah’s in danger?”
