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They weren’t exactly bright criminals since the cops found a partial print on the clerk’s wallet. That turns out to be the first break.
“Ella?” Detective Ramos asks, when I answer the phone.
“Yes, did you get them?” I ask, hating the frantic sound of my voice. I can’t help it. The desperation for answers, for justice, is overwhelming.
“We don’t have anyone in custody, but we have an identification for one of them. The print on the wallet came back with a match. The judge issued a warrant. We haven’t located the suspect yet, but this is good news.”
“Who is he?”
“His name is Connor Warren. He has a lot of priors in Alabama. Assault, theft, fleeing and evading. We put his picture and information out to the media. We’ll get him.”
“Does this mean we can offer a reward now?”
The way the people around us have come together to support Oliver and Alden is a testament to how much they were loved. Their only blood family is their father, but they have a family built of multiple communities.
The biker clubs especially step up. They quickly raised enough money to offer a twenty-five thousand dollar reward. The authorities didn’t want to do that until they had a name, a specific person to pursue. They warned us that otherwise they’d get buried in false tips from people hoping to claim the money.
“Yes, that’s also why I’m contacting you. We’ve set up a tip line to go along with it.”
“Does Mr. Stokes know?”
“Yes, I met with him at the hospital. I’ll keep you updated.”
After thanking him, I hang up, sit down, and take a deep breath. The fucking monsters who killed my fiancé and gravely injured his brother are out there, running around and living a life they don’t deserve. We’re inching closer, and that gets my hopes up. Nothing will bring my Den back, but I can fucking make them pay for destroying our lives.
Mom and Dad left to go back home yesterday, after I urged them for the last couple of days. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them these past few weeks, but I need to try to get back to some sort of normalcy. It’s the hardest thing.
Alden and I would’ve been back from our honeymoon yesterday. I had planned to return to work tomorrow and as much as I want to curl up and hide, I resist the urge to reschedule my client’s appointments. I need the distraction of work. I’m trying to take Smith’s advice. Get up every day that I can and do what needs to be done.
I’ll be back at work tomorrow, but I can’t sit here all evening. I’m going to go visit Oliver and talk to Mr. Stokes about today’s progress.
The birds have thrown a shit party on my car. A detour to a car wash would be a good idea. Alden would be all over me about not letting it hurt the paint. Of course, if he was here, I’d be parked in the garage, instead of avoiding it because I can’t bear to see his motorcycle.
Oliver doesn’t look any different when I enter his hospital room, but Mr. Stokes looks terrible. He’s asleep in a chair across from Oliver’s bed. Quietly, I walk over to Oliver and gently take his hand.
He doesn’t budge. He never does. The steady beeps and hisses are the only sounds. It’s heartbreaking but there’s a moment when I wonder if he’d be better off if he doesn’t survive this. He’s going to wake to find out his brother, the person he loves most in the world, is gone.
“Hey Oliver.” My voice is soft.
Despite my low tone, Mr. Stokes jerks awake. He sits up and scrubs his face with his hands. “Ella. Shit, I was going to call you. Did the detective get ahold of you?”
“He did. You should go home and get some rest. I can stay a while.”
He shakes his head. “They’re only letting me get away with camping out in here because I played the dying old man card.” He stands up and walks over to the bedside to look down at his remaining son. “The neurosurgeon was here. He says he’s improving. The swelling is down, the bleeding has stopped. He’s still in a coma. The doctor is hopeful he’ll recover, but he said it’s common for a coma to last weeks or even months when it comes to a traumatic brain injury.”
Swallowing hard, I squeeze Oliver’s hand. “So, all we can do is wait for him to wake up?”
Mr. Stokes nods and strokes his hand over Oliver’s other arm. “Yes, we wait and hope.” He looks over at me and lets out a sigh that sounds like pure defeat. “I have to ask something of you, Ella. First, I’m going to apologize because it’s too much to ask of anyone, especially with what you’re going through. But my time is very limited.”
I know what he’s going to ask before he says it.
“Even if I make it long enough to see him wake, I won’t be able to help him. I can barely get myself through the days anymore. It feels like the cancer is burning through me faster by the day. I know you care about him. Once I’m gone, will you care for him? He’ll need someone to watch out for his best interest until he’s able. To make medical decisions on his behalf.”
He pauses, and I reply before he can continue. “Yes. Of course I will.”
His watery eyes look into mine. “And be there for him. He won’t have any family left.”
I take his hand. “I’m his family. It’s what Alden would’ve wanted too.”
