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“When you do go back to work, Tony will take you, and I will join you most days. I don’t know how I can ever let you leave my sight again.” Eddie's honesty is one of his best qualities. Even though he lied to me about exactly who he is, he wears his heart on his sleeve. “But he is in police hands, and he won't be coming out.”
“But he might?” Steve is like Teflon. Nothing sticks to him. He has been picked up by police before, and within a few hours is out walking the streets again without a care in the world.
“He won't. You will never see him again,” Eddie reiterates with so much confidence, I almost believe it.
Almost.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN - EDDIE
Ilay awake all night, staring at the ceiling, grateful at some point for hearing her quirky snore so I knew that at least she got some rest. Now as she sits on the sofa, I look at her with concern. She holds her head high, but her vibrant personality is not back in full force yet. That bright light that always shines from her is still a little dull. Exhaustion sits in her shoulders, and if I could take away everything she is going through, I would. But I can’t. Anger still vibrates around my body. I thought about her foster brother all night. The things I wanted to do to him. But my thoughts all ended on one thing.Her. Her strength and resilience are now some of my favorite things about her. She gives me a small smile from where she sits on the sofa, and love thumps in my veins.
“It is going to be a big day,” I say, like she doesn’t already know. She is fresh-faced, her hair falling long around her shoulders. I sit next to her, the two of us drinking coffee, waiting for this hellish day to begin.
“I know,” she says, sucking in a deep breath in preparation. I hear the doorbell and steel myself, wanting to have more time together this morning before the barrage of my life barrels through the door, but knowing that this is me. And my family. She gets to see it all.
“Are you ready?” I ask her as I stand.
“Ready for what?” she asks, looking around, wondering what is going on. It is still early, but I couldn’t hold them off any longer.
“My family. My brothers and their girls are about to walk out of that elevator at any moment. They have been itching to make sure you are alright,” I say, pinning her with my eyes. I see shock flash across her face, then slight confusion, before a small smile emerges. Barely there, but it is. Before she can answer, the elevator arrives, and I see her take another breath and settle herself. I wish I could tell her what is about to happen, but I have no idea what to expect.
“How are you feeling?” Beth is first out of the elevator, and not even looking at me, she makes a beeline straight to Katie, who is now sitting almost in shock as my family all barrel out of the elevator toward her.
“That would have been so frightening. What can we do?” Em says, a little more soothingly as she sits next to Katie, and her arm instantly cuddles around her shoulders. I step away slightly, making room for the women to sit with her. Katie looks up at me, unsure, and I give her a warm smile, one I know doesn't quite meet my eyes.
“I brought cupcakes,” Willow says, putting a large container on the coffee table before sitting next to the girls as my brothers all come and stand by my side, looking down at them all.
“You okay?” Ben asks me, and I release a breath.Am I?I have no idea how bad this situation is—for Katie, for us.
“I think so,” I say, my eyes remaining on Katie, watching her interact with the girls as they all hug her and dote on her. It is one hundred percent overbearing, but she seems to like it, if her soft smile is anything to go by. I clear my throat as my brothers stand next to me and we get everyone's attention.
“So, what is the latest?” I ask, knowing there would have been developments overnight and needing to get on the same page.
“He was charged last night with possession, resisting arrest, intimidation, and blackmail. All of it was caught on security cameras, and we have all written our statements already from what we witnessed,” Ben starts, and I already know there is more, so I look at him and wait for him to continue. “It is also not his first offense. He is wanted in Massachusetts as well for similar crimes.”
“Okay, what else?” I ask, looking at Katie, and she nods at me. She is still vulnerable, but I can see her gaining confidence, getting her strength back.
“I put in a protection order last night. He is to stay away from Katie, you, all of us, our residences, and places of employment, including the hospital,” Ben says, ensuring she knows that she is safe. I watch her swallow.
“What about Eddie?” Tennyson asks, and Ben and I swallow. I don’t care what happens to me. As long as he rots in jail for his crimes, I will be happy.
“The police are coming here in a few hours to take your statements. However, I spoke with them this morning. You punched him in what we positioned as justifiable self-defense since he wouldn’t let her go. You can’t be punished criminally, nor held responsible for damages in a civil action, as long as we can show that you used no more force than what was reasonable. Which you did by only punching him once,” Ben says in his legal jargon.
“So I saved you, baby bro?” Tennyson asks, raising an eyebrow at me in a mock question, and I roll my eyes. He is right, though. Had Tennyson not grabbed my shoulders, I would have pounded that asshole into the pavement. So he did, in fact, save me.
“That is all for today. But, Katie, there are other charges we can talk about in regard to your history with him. At any point, you can speak to a police officer with me or one of my team present, and further charges can be laid against him,” Ben says to her, and I watch as Em rubs her back.
“I want that. I want to do that,” she says, looking up at me, steel determination in her features, and I grit my teeth together. She is a warrior, no doubt about it.
“Okay, I can arrange that to happen here at home as well,” Ben offers, and she nods.
“All that combined means that he will go away for a very long time, Katie. Add on his other outstanding crimes, he will be looking at anywhere from ten to over twenty years,” Harrison says, looking extremely dapper as he will be fronting the media soon.
“Thank you. I appreciate everything that you have done,” Katie says to Ben. “All of you,” she reiterates, looking at my family as we all gather around her.
“No thanks needed,” Harrison tells her. “Our family comes with lots of baggage, stress, and media attention. But we look after each other. We have each other's backs and that now includes you.” I still at his words before my eyes flick to Katie.
“Well, I have a lot of baggage as well, so it looks like I am in good company,” she says with a small smile, breaking any tension or unease in the room, and I huff a laugh. We have a lot to get through, but knowing she is feeling safe and is happy here in my space, with my family, puts my mind at ease.
