“No,” she said. “I’m not. But you ... you almost didn’t make it.”
“What about—” he started, but Liesel cut him off.
“They’re all alive. All of them.”
Caspian closed his eyes as a huge wave of relief swelled in his chest.Thank God.
Liesel lowered the railing and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the lines to the monitors.
“Your father’s in recovery,” she said. “He was shot, but they stabilized him quickly. He’s strong, your dad, Casp. Real strong. Your mother is with him now. She hasn’t left his side.”
“And . . . Nelson?” he asked.
“He was shot in the back, but he’s gonna be okay. He’s in a room down the hall with Clara.”
A wave of relief passed through Caspian.
“And the attackers?” he asked after a beat. “How many were there?”
“Two,” Liesel replied. “Only two. The woman was Mia Hernandez. Your dad shot her.”
“He ... shot her?” he asked.
“He did it with his backup revolver,” Liesel said. “Richard’s badass.”
Caspian managed a small chuckle. “Yeah. He is.”
“And ... what about the man I shot?” he asked a moment later. “Who was he?”
“Henry Harriel,” Liesel said. “We don’t know much else about him. DIA and FBI are digging, but there’s not much yet.”
The name meant nothing to Caspian.
“Ranger,” he said. “I was on the phone with her when it all started. She must have heard everything.”
“She did,” Liesel confirmed. “She stayed on the line until the end. She’s the one who called the cops. They arrived three minutes after you passed out. If she hadn’t acted that fast ...”
Liesel let the words trail off. She didn’t need to finish for Caspian to know he owed one to Ranger. He looked at Liesel’s face. She was tired and paler than usual, but her eyes were sharp. He was happy she was there. She smiled at him and placed her hand in his. He squeezed gently.
“How long have I been here?” he asked.
“You’ve been in and out of surgery for the last two days. They had to remove a bullet from your chest as well as several fragments,” Liesel said, her voice cracking. “One of them ... one of them was real close to your heart.
“And ... you also got shot in your left leg. The bullet broke your femur. Missed the artery. You’re lucky.”
He gave her a wry look. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
“You’re alive, Casp. A-live.”
“You talked to Ranger?” he asked.
“She came. She was here most of yesterday and this morning,” Liesel said. “But she had to return to DC. She said she’d get back as soon as she could. But she did leave a security team behind. ‘In an abundance of caution.’ Her words, not mine. Anyway, there are two officers outside your door, two more stationed along the corridor, and a few more downstairs.”
Caspian processed that as he sipped some more water.
“So ... this isn’t over? There’s more coming, isn’t there?” he asked.
Liesel’s eyes darkened, but she didn’t reply.
