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I glance across the room when the curtain flutters open, then I stop on Aubree’s sweet blue eyes as they water and focus on Minka in her bed. Tim steps in behind her, her silent sentry. Her forever guard.
Tilting my head, I invite them in, then I bring my attention back to Felix. “When will you get here?”
“Two hours. You want me to come to the hospital?”
“Yeah.”
Emotion sits deep in my throat as Aubree comes up on the other side of the bed and presses her cheek to Minka’s chest. She weeps, while behind her, Tim’s eyes glitter with a thousand things he refuses to voice. Like the way he loves her. And wants her. And will stop at nothing to protect her.
“They have security at every entrance,” I warn my other brother. “So you’ve gotta find a way in that doesn’t include them shooting you.”
“Well, I suppose I could—”
“If you blow something up, the entire city goes into lockdown,” I huff. “Just get some fucking ID that’ll get you through. Jesus, Lix. Use your brain.”
“I’m gonna forgive you,” he murmurs instead. “I’m gonna allow you to be disrespectful, because you’re my baby brother and you’re suffering significant emotional trauma right now. But your free pass only lasts until—”
“Okay. Bye.” I bring the phone from my ear before he can waste the next ten minutes of my life talking for the sake of hearing himself speak. Hanging up, I look to Tim and chew on my bottom lip in thought. “Do you know anything I don’t yet?”
He takes a chair and sets it down on Minka’s other side, behind Aubree. Then he drops down, as exhausted as I am, considering he hasn’t slept either. Finally, he grabs the loop of Aubree’s jeans and tugs her back so her ass plops to his thigh and his hand sits on her hip.
Her breath comes to a hitching stop and start, but the gesture is not about intimacy; he’s literally a bench for her. Somewhere to rest, and nothing more.
“I’m getting my information from the news and the whispers in the halls. The kid is still in surgery.”
Aubree remains silent, stroking her boss’ hair. Her best friend. Her sister, by any other definition.
“Everyone sounds pretty hopeful,” he continues. “No talk of her condition deteriorating, so that’s good.”
“And Slade?”
“Still running around the city. His wife is here, though, and has about twelve security guards on her door.”
“Afraid Parker will try to sneak in?”
Tim snorts. “Sick of themediatrying to sneak in,” he counters. “They’re getting desperate out there, Arch, and desperation makes folks insolent. Tiffany Hewitt is the only one still on the bank stairs and not outside this building, hounding for more information.”
So I guess I should feel less anger at her for providing a constant litany of what’s happened, and more gratitude for her doggedness and determination to stay on the scene of a crime. She’s the only reporter with a modicum of decency. Still getting information out there, but without trampling on July Slade’s privacy.
Or hell, Minka’s.
Nodding, I bring my eyes to Aubree, and feel her anguish in my heart. Her fears. Her worries.
“Mayet’s gonna be okay,” I rumble softly, surer now, somehow, than I was ten minutes ago. “The doctor said she’s on the mend, and the nurse said the same. She’s just gotta sleep and rest now.”
“I was supposed to be inside with her,” Aubree sniffles. She cries, but her eyes are still closed, so heavy tears squeeze past her lashes and plop onto Minka’s gown. However, she does it almost silently. Elegantly. Sweetly. “I didn’t choose to leave her in there alone.”
“Wechose,” I cut in before Tim can say anything. “I chose, Aubs. We took the hostages out of there. We got Earl out. Then it was your turn. Because Slade lost his grip on the situation every time he lost his hostages.”
“But every time you stole from him, the remaining hostages were in more danger.” Swallowing, hiccupping, she opens her eyes and pins me with a glare. “There was no reason to remove me and leave her behind.”
“There was every reason,” I argue. “I couldn’t be in two places at once, and Tim couldn’t get into the bank. So if I had you and Minka inside at the same time, I would’ve had to choose who to protect, you or Mayet.” A slow grin works along my lips. “We removed youandthe choice.”
“And forced me to abandon my best friend.” Her breath hitches again, but this time, it’s with anger. “You took the choice out of my hands.”
“And now you’re safe,” Tim growls. “As is Minka. Everyone we give a shit about is alive, so whatever methods we needed to get those results, that’s what needed to be done. We won’t apologize for it.”
“Have you talked to your family?” I ask loudly, to distract Aubree when she turns on him with a dangerous glare. She’s done fawning over Timothy Malone; nowadays, she’s ready to square up every time he speaks. “You have family in the city, don’t you?”
