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“Thank God,” Nat whispers. Clasping her hand over her mouth, she sobs softly into her hands.
She pulls LL and me into a tight group hug.
“Senator, do you want to make a statement now or—” LL asks over Nat’s head. She’s let him go and is hugging me tightly.
“Not until she’s awake and I know how she’s doing,” I tell him, not allowing for any argument.
In a scant number of days, both my greatest dream and nightmare have come true. Two days after Nikki was brought here in critical condition from a gunshot wound and smoke inhalation, I won the senate election. People celebrated and were prepared to mourn at the same time. There was a subdued party election night, but I didn’t attend, have not even stopped to thank well-wishers, family, constituents, or donors. I have been here by Nik’s side from the moment I found her broken beside the barn after she threw herself and Joi out the window to save both their lives.
In that she proved she’s better than me in every way. There is no way in hell I would ever save the life of someone who tried to kill me or ruin my life.
Yet Joi lives, though put in a drug-induced coma due to the extent of her injuries. Unlike Nikki, her prognosis is good. Once her fractures and lacerations heal, she will be fine, ready to stand trial for her crimes, which is the best she’ll ever get. She’s lucky in fact. Because if I had my way, the bitch would be buried alive on my property along with the others who’ve wronged me or the people I care.
The irony isn’t lost on me that my father and I have the same burial grounds for our victims. The difference is mine deserve to be there. His were innocent.
Pulling back from LL and Nat, I look at both their haggard faces. Despite disagreements, some pretty big fights, and mistakes on all sides, these two have stuck by my side through it all. No wonder I choke up a little when I say, “You two go get some rest. When she wakes I’ll give you a call.”
They both are shaking their heads.
“I mean it. I need you both ready for the transition.” I don’t mention going to DC. LL only lent me his services while I was running, having spent nearly two years away from his successful practice and family to help me simply because he knows I’m sincere in my desire to help the people of Alabama. Nat, on the other hand, will probably go to DC with my blessing but not as my chief of staff as she anticipates. No matter what has transpired in the past few days or how dedicated she’s been, Nikki’s wishes come first. She is the woman I love. The woman I live for. She doesn’t want Natalie around. She doesn’t trust her, with good cause, and I respect that.
They both pull away, Nat squeezing my waist in what I assume is leftover affection from when we were closer.
“Okay.” LL nods. “Call us first thing. I’m staying just around the corner at Mamma-Pete’s old place.”
“I’m at my mom and dad’s if you need anything,” Nat says unnecessarily, then shrugs, embarrassed. “You know that, though.” She gets on her tiptoes to press a kiss on my cheek in another unnecessary move. It reminds me so much of how Nik always kisses me that I take an involuntary step back, gently pressing Nat away.
“Yeah, I do.” I give her a brief smile as she and LL move past me before I turn to Nikki’s assembled family.
I don’t miss the little frown all her cousins are sporting or the cold blankness of Kiyoshi’s visage. Angel’s frown is more pronounced as he holds Easy and her new baby bump in his big hands. Santiago is rubbing soothing circles on Mimi’s back since she let her professional shield drop for a moment to seek comfort from her husband. Mama- and Pa-Pete stand together, his arm draped around her much shorter shoulder, absently rubbing her it, while she’s reached across to rest her hand on his chest. Then there is Kandie, sitting alone in handcuffs, her face stony. She was arrested again for threatening to kill Joi. Ulysses has snuck her in every day so she can watch over her sister after she escaped twice from the county jail. How she keeps getting out, no one knows.
Seeing all the people gathered here for Nikki makes my heart swell. I swallow the knot in my throat.
“Y’all should go get some rest too,” I say to the group writ large. “I’ll call as soon as she wakes up.”
“Nope. Nopity. Nope. Nope,” Kandie says, rocking from side to side, shivering from what could be exhaustion or alcohol withdrawals, I’m not sure.
“I’m good. I have Tk & Tk handling the kitchen,” Krie says in reassuring tones, but not to me.
Kiyoshi looks down at her with a stern impassivity that brooks no argument, yet his tone is gentle. “You promised just the other day that you would rest once we got the news, little chef. You also promised a feast for everyone at the Camillia when she wakes. You have much to do in order to accomplish these things you have promised. You will keep your word.”
Pouting, she lets him envelop her in his arms, then place a cashmere coat around her arms preparing to leave.
“I think—”
“Don’t you even try it,” Angel growls. “I’m going to report you for elder abuse. Got your grandparents out here when I told you Mathias had it handled. Judah misses his mom. Lourdes is good, but she’s not you, Ezekiel-Jane.”
“Baby, come on, you know he’s serious when he uses your church name,” Mama-Pete then looks to Mimi asking, “How’s my other grand baby?”
“She’s doing good. We’ve brought her out of her coma.” Mimi raises her hand. “She’s still intubated and got really agitated when I told her who all was waiting for her. So we had to sedate her again because her blood pressure was going through the roof. It’s going to be a little while before she wakes.”
I try to tamp down the rage spiraling through me. Part of me wants to stalk in there and strangle Joi as soon as she opens her treacherous eyes, but I know Nik would never forgive me for killing her cousin when she risked her life to save her. The fact she saved Joi still baffles me; Nikki was going into shock by the time the ambulance got there and it was touch-and-go for the first twenty-four hours even though the gunshot went through the skin. The fall was the major concern. Her spine was bruised not broken, and because of that, they put her in a coma to flush her with frozen saline, then packed her with ice keep her from becoming paralyzed.
The prognosis is good, but she will need at least four to eight weeks of intense therapy.I will never forget my relief when Nat’s cousin, Dr. Lex Spencer told me that. We clasped hands and he walked out, reminding me so much of his brother, Leon, but with a much harder edge.
Grateful as I am for my wife, I hold none of that feeling for her cousin. “As soon as she wakes, you need to let Ulysses interrogate her and get to the bottom of why she targeted Nikki.”
“Jealous, she’s jealous. Period.” Kandie pipes up from where she’s sitting. “All those questions about Nikki, like she was concerned you were using her—doing her dirty. Every time I told her that y’all only knew each other from graduation, she started saying that was a lie. She wouldn’t tell me how she knew, but she just did.” Kandie rolled her eyes.
