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When he laughed, that allowed me to relax.
For now.
However, the real boogeyman was out there. I was certain of it.
And he was coming. It was simply a question of when.
CHAPTER 20
Maddox
“He’s not doing well.”
Francois’ statement sickened me, driving another dagger into my heart. “What are the doctors saying?”
“That’s just it. They’re not saying shit even though Pops had threatened them with a lawsuit already. I finally had to physically remove him from the hospital a couple hours ago.”
“Do they know what’s wrong?”
“Septic shock. Maybe. I honestly don’t know. But his heart stopped for almost two minutes. At least Louie had committed his medical skills to assisting in Arman’s care, which is the only reason Pops allowed me to take him home. I doubt that will last for long but at least he’d not hassling the doctors.”
Fuck. I fisted my mouth, trying to tamp down the anger. Being so far away was pushing me to an uncontrollable point. I understood the reason why but with my patience waning, Iknew I could lose my usual caution if I wasn’t careful. “This is ridiculous.”
“You’re going to need to tell Zoe.”
“She’s already under enough stress. Something terrified her today. I think the situation is finally sinking in.”
“Give her comfort. But not too much.”
The sound of my laughter was bitter, hollow. “I’m not that kind of guy.”
“So you tell me. I’ll keep you informed. I’m heading back to the hospital now. Raven refuses to leave Arman’s side, which means Thomas is reluctant to head to Texas. I may need to go there myself.”
“I feel so bad for her and for little Gabriel.”
“Edmee is taking care of Gabe. The kid isn’t any wiser that his daddy was injured.”
“He’s two.”
Francois half laughed. “The kid is bright like his uncle.”
“Raven needs a shoulder to lean on. You know that.”
“Yeah, but she’s strong. Just like my niece. Tell Zoe what’s going on. She won’t forgive you if you don’t.”
That much I knew. Not that it made telling her any easier. “I’ll do my best. If you find out anything, give me a call.”
“Yeah, I will.”
The news couldn’t be any worse at this point. The ache only continued to increase as the call ended. It felt as if a heavy weightwas placed squarely on my chest, the pressure mounting unlike it had done before.
The same hospital where Arman had taken up a vigil, willing me back to life. I’d been in a coma for two days, although I could swear the man had talked to me the entire time. Now I wasn’t there to do the same for him.
Hissing, I held the phone up, almost tossing it against the wall. I’d never felt so out of sorts, so incompetent in my life. I’d been in control of everything, making certain details were clear and easy to read, that signs were followed up on if I was worried about something going on with the family or within the corporation.
The anger still buzzing like the flow of electricity I shared with Zoe, I glanced at the computer monitors one last time. She’d offered to help search for whoever was responsible. Perhaps that was something we would do together the next morning.
I’d purposely wanted to abide by Arman’s rules in keeping her away from as much of the ugly side of the business as possible, but it wasn’t feasible at this point. Plus, in truth, I could use her help. With Arman’s condition worsening, my guess was that no one in New Orleans was paying much attention to the threats at hand. While I’d gone under the assumption that Arman’s injuries were from fighting with one of the perpetrators, it was entirely possible the injury had been planned to keep the family off their game.
