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Well, Ididfeel like I could get up…but I also felt like I was going to vomit. My stomach was clenching and unclenching, sweat beading on my forehead.
”That's out of the question,” Sofia said, then leaned in close to me. ”Anyway, you don't want to go back to HQ right now. The police are looking into this really closely.”
”What is this?” I asked, meeting her gaze.
”The killer,” she said. ”You were wrong. It wasn't my brother.”
”Archer,” I said softly.
She didn't even nod. ”Jace confirmed it. He kept a digital log of every victim,” she said. ”He was so very thorough. He never thought he was going to get caught.”
”And your brother?”
Her eyes welled up with tears. ”They were romantically involved before--”
”I can answer that,” Sam said as he walked into the room. ”Hope you don't mind my eavesdropping…but you deserve answers, Sof.”
The implication was there. Don't say anything that will get any of us into trouble.
”We were romantically involved because I was trying to get him,” he said. It was clearly bullshit, but it was a good indication that we were being monitored and that someone was taking note of what he was saying. ”Unfortunately, any evidence we had was circumstantial, and as you know, Detective Archer Holden was my superior. I know the means were less than conventional, but when he wanted to get involved with me...”
He trailed off, shooting Sofia a meaningful look.
”I realized I had a golden opportunity. Unfortunately, it seems like I was made tonight,” he said and shuddered. ”I knew he would go after my sister, but I didn't expect this.”
I looked him in the eyes. ”Good job,” I said. ”I'm glad he's dead.”
Sam nodded, clearly relieved I wasn't going to say anything out of line.
”The police have already taken away Jace's hard drive,” he said, his gaze darting between the two of us. ”They're probably going over it right now. They'll investigate more.”
”Of course. He hid his tracks well,” I said.
”Better than you think,” Sam said, his gaze flitting between the two of us. ”I'll leave you two to it.”
He stood up and walked outside and Sofia and I watched him as he walked away. There was a red wristband on his right arm with his surname on it, indicating that he was also a patient here. He didn't limp away, exactly, but the last time I had seen him, he seemed young and spry.
Right then, he looked tired, like he could barely shuffle his weight on his own two feet.
”Is he going to be alright?” I asked Sofia.
She chewed on her lower lip as she looked out toward the hall until Sam disappeared. ”Yes,” she said. ”I really hope so.”
Neither one of us said anything for a minute. We were both relieved her brother was alive, of course, and right then, it was too hard to contemplate just how lasting the damage was going to be.
But the night had already changed our lives for good, and I was pretty sure we both knew it.
”How's Grayson?” I asked after a long minute.
”He's okay,” she said. ”They're taking his statement right now, but he should be here soon.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my leg. The events of the night played in my mind like a movie on an endless loop. The sound of bullets ringing in my ears, the sight of Archer's face exploding into a blood-red mist, and the smell of gunpowder filled my senses.
”I'm sorry,” she started. ”I should've known better than to run away from you.”
I opened my eyes and looked at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. ”It's okay,” I said. ”I'm just glad you're safe.”
”I should've listened to you...”
