A manic chuckle passes through my lips.
“I’d actually rather go to the hospital. But I’ll bring you to the office soon, show you around.” The idea actually helps. It brings a kind of normalcy that I figured we wouldn’t have this soon after he’d learned I’m part of a secret fucking society. “You’ve still got some time before you need to get back on the ice, so I’m sure—fuck, the game.”
“It’s fine.”
“No it’s not. You told your teammates you’d be there tonight, and now?—”
“I texted Tucker and he told them I had a family emergency. It’s really okay, Eli.”
Something twists inside me.
I know it’s not my fault, but still.
So many secrets.
“Does Tuck know?” I ask, hoping he understands what I’m asking without having to clarify, which I can’t because I didn’t fucking make sure this call is secure. It should be, since I’ve made sure everyone in our family has safe lines, but there’s always a possibility of a breach.
“I don’t know if anyone else told him, but I didn’t.”
I sigh. “He’ll find out on Monday anyway,” I mumble, before sucking in a fortifying breath. “Okay, let me go see if Austin’s still here, and I’ll go pick up food for everyone and head over there.”
I need to do a thorough check of the car he brought here, but I don’t have the energy tonight, maybe just a quick one.
“Be careful.”
And with everything that’s happened tonight, and all it implies, I know it’s more important than ever that I am, so the promise is easy.
“I will be. See you soon.”
I wentby to see Dad for only a few minutes. He looks battered and smaller than usual in the hospital bed, and he’s still sleeping, which the doctor told me was normal. I kissed his forehead and mentally begged him to not sleep for too much longer, then made myself leave.
Austin is hanging out with Sil in the room next to Lyla’s, while Bryce is just outside Lyla’s room since he refused to go get some rest. Troy is in the ICU in the room next to Dad’s, though he’s also asleep. I was told he woke up after surgery and talked toLex, but he was pretty out of it apparently. He’ll also make a full recovery, thank God.
After taking Ruko, Ally, and Lyla a pizza, we left them and went back to the waiting room.
Shirley didn’t come back after leaving me at the office, but Baron and Harry as well as their Heirs are still here.
It means something, at least to me, that they’ve stayed here, that they’ve taken the time to explain more to Lex while I couldn’t.
It feels simple though it isn’t, sitting in the tiny waiting room with Harry, Iris, Baron, and Beatrice, eating pizza.
Of course, the only simple thing about today was the answer to Harry’s question.
“Who do you trust the most in the world?”
Of course the answer was Lex.
It’s him, it’s always been him.
Even while I was still reeling from the news of Dad’s injuries, of the extensive surgery he needed, I didn’t have to think twice about the person who I’d choose to be my Heir.
It’ll all probably hit me tomorrow, or later... after I sleep.
“So, it was all connected?” Harrison asks.
I nod and finish chewing.
“I need to do a more thorough inspection of the system of the car that was hacked, because I couldn’t really counter-hack him today, but I believe so. I think Gotcha knew they couldn’t beat me, so they put this plan together to get me out of the office. Ithink it would’ve worked too, if I hadn’t had the helicopter and had the new boobytraps installed in the firewall.”
