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“There’s a man with his wife, daughter and son out there. The man hasn’t left but the wife and children came back this morning and have been sitting out there all day, waiting for news.”
It has to be Imogen.
I bow my head, glancing at my lap. I made a lot of mistakes over the years, but she is my only regret. Regret that I never gave in. Regret that I didn’t tell her how I feel. And regret for being unable to stay away, even when I know I should.
When I was lying in the pantry, bleeding profusely, I thought of Imogen. She’s the only person who has ever made a crack in the walls I’ve put up, and the only woman I’ve ever liked who has been untouchable. For so many reasons.
But it was her I wanted to see before I died. It was her voice I wanted to hear. And I wanted her touch, to make me forget about the pain, and what I thought was to come.
Death.
“You can tell them to go home and that I’m fine,” I tell the nurse.
“Why are you punishing yourself? You have people out there who want to come in and check on you. They clearly care a lot about you.”
I can’t meet her gaze. “Because I let my boss down. I can’t face that just yet. I let them all down.”
“How did you let him down?” she asks, getting to her feet to check the drip.
“Because the people I was protecting got hurt. If it wasn’t for her crazy-arse friends, we’d most likely all be dead right now.”
“Hey, what you did for that family was heroic. The nurses talk, and from what they have said, the family you saved are so grateful to you, and they feel awful you got hurt.”
There’s a knock on the door to the private room I’m in. I glance up as Cole and Emily step inside. Both look like they’ve been in a car wreck. Bruises cover every inch of their skin, and Cole looks like he’s been in the ring with River Knight.
I finally close my lips from the shock of seeing them so soon.
Emily tucks her blonde hair behind her ear as tears fall down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry you got hurt,” she declares, moving closer to the bed.
Cole clears his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Man, what you did for me… I’m so fucking grateful.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I choke out, my throat suddenly dry.
Cole walks to Emily’s side, next to the bed. “Yes, you did. That knife was for me. Not you. If you hadn’t pushed me aside when you did, he would have gutted me there and then out of anger. You gave me time.”
“You gaveustime,” Emily whispers. “I know it wasn’t the plan, but it still helped everything fall into place.”
“How did your friends capture him? The police said his ankles and wrists were tied, and he was laying on his front when they arrived.”
Emily’s cheeks flush as she glances away. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re okay and we’re so grateful to you.”
“I know money isn’t going to change anything that happened, so I did something that would mean more to you. I have paid off the debt for your mother’s restaurant. The entire building now belongs to you and your family.”
My jaw drops. “Cole, we can’t accept that.”
Since the economy has gone to shit, there have been property owners who have abused it and profited by increasing their costs. My mum was behind on the rent because her mortgage rate went up. With five children to support, and with the restaurant closed for repairs, she began to struggle. What he’s done has saved our family. Our livelihood will be restored. But mostly, my mum will get to keep the one place she feels the most connected to my dad.
“Well, it’s done. And even if I listen to you, I don’t think they’ll approve a refund. We want to do this.”
“But I was doing my job,” I argue. “And not doing it well, so this is unnecessary.”
“I was going to do this before you got stabbed. You researched me, so you know what companies I own and why I own them,” Cole begins. “I researched you too, and I found out that your mum cooks for the homeless and hires school kids to deliver food packages each night. It’s one of the reasons she was going out of business.”
It is. She’ll never stop cooking for them. Even before they had the restaurant, she would be in her kitchen, cooking up meals for those in need. She does it for low income families who she knows are struggling.
“We’ve also set up a charity so your mum will no longer be the one paying for the food. And with her help, we will get other businesses with good resources and with a high number of homelessness in their area to join.”
“Thank you,” I breathe out. “She will no doubt invite you to eat at her restaurant.”
