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The lights came flickering back on, and before her, he had a knife in hand that sliced through the ropes with ease. He was crouched in front of her, wearing his typical all-black ensemble except the infamous mask he normally wore while doing his dirty work was missing.
She leaped up from her seat, tossing her arms around his neck and immediately regretting it as her left shoulder protested causing her to whimper. “How did you know I was in trouble?”
He frowned as he pulled back and inspected the blood-saturated shirt she was wearing and the marks on her face and throat. Anger flashed across his face at how extensively Mick had injured her. If Joey could have resurrected and killed the bastard again, he would have taken his time. “Your father’s men up in Boston contacted me. I have some friends on the way to Liam right now.”
She found herself stunned that he managed to coordinate all of this on a dime. When she looked down at the floor, she saw Mick’s body lying face-down in a puddle of blood around his head that was gradually growing larger with each passing second.
Joey spoke in a hurry. “I only have a few minutes, let’s get you outside.”
“A few minutes for what?” Her attention was drawn back to him.
“You’re hurt, Layne, you need to get checked out. C’mon.” Stepping around the fresh corpse in the dining room, he led her outside with a supportive arm around her waist.
As her emotions began to come down from their heightened state, the blood that soaked into her shirt no longer felt warm but cool and tacky. Her head was beginning to float from the lack of adrenaline keeping her from succumbing to the unfortunate side effects of being shot.
Joey recognized the paleness in her face and coaxed her to sit down on the front stoop. “Hey, hang in there. Sit.” Always giving orders this one.
She didn’t have the strength in her to argue. Instead, she did as he ordered and she plunked her ass down on the cold brick step. Her hand held onto her wounded shoulder, unclear if the pressure made it feel better or worse.
“I will be back.” He took off back into the house, for what she wasn’t sure but before she could ask questions he was already gone.
That’s when the lights captured her attention, the reds and blues speeding down the street. Sirens wailed in the air. Once an entire herd of police cars were in front of the house, everything became a blur.
The city’s finest immediately ushered her away from the house, asking her a series of questions until the paramedics arrived on the scene. She half paid attention to the flurry of activity around her, wondering if Joey was still inside the house.
As she sat on the back bumper of the ambulance, refusing to sit on a gurney like a wounded animal, one paramedic asked about her medical history while the other inspected her shoulder. Her head was thoroughly throbbing from the headache that had begun to take over. After medical personnel convinced her she needed to go to Mount Sinai, she began to climb into the back of the ambulance with the assistance of the medics.
Something caught her eye though, causing her to pause mid-step.
It was hard to tell from her limited view, but a man who looked like Joey was standing across the street, talking to one of the officers. They grasped hands and pulled each other in for a hug, with Joey patting the cop on the back with a smile. Everything about the encounter appeared friendly like they were long-time buddies just shooting the shit.
“Ma’am? We need to get you to the hospital.” The sound of the female paramedic’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She blinked a few times, conflicted with what she thought she was witnessing.
The paramedic spoke again, “Ma’am? We really have?—”
“I know.” Layne’s words were impolitely short with the woman.
Up into the back of the ambulance Layne went, where she was transported to the hospital only a few miles away. Her thoughts nagged her as she over-analyzed everything in her head during the ride.
When she arrived at the hospital, she disconnected emotionally from the situation trying to clear her head of anything at all. A series of tests were run, imaging was taken, and so many questions were asked.
As it turns out, Layne had gotten lucky that the bullet had missed a series of arteries, nerves, and bones and only damaged her flesh as it passed through. It physically didn’t feel lucky at the moment, but things were looking up when they began pumping painkillers in through her IV.
Feeling the tug of a drug-induced slumber on the horizon, Layne laid her head back on the uncomfortably shallow hospital pillow and let the meds pull her under.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Having been released from the hospital nearly ten days ago, Layne was still in recovery mode. The doctors sent her home with a series of medications and orders for physical therapy to restore full use of her left arm.
A bouquet of fresh flowers was neatly placed in a vase on her kitchen table. They were a simple and beautiful arrangement of white roses mixed with the rich purples of delphiniums, providing a light yet pleasant scent to the room. The get-well gift had been delivered without a name on the card, though she had her suspicions about who the sender was.
Joey had been M.I.A. since the entire ordeal with Mick leaving her even more cranky than her shoulder was already making her. Her thoughts about what she thought she had seen before getting into the ambulance had consumed her, and now with him being radio silent, she couldn’t quiet her mind about it. She desperately wanted to be angry with him, but that was the thing about her relationship with Joey, she had problems standing and maintaining her ground. He was her Achilles’ Heel, and she was his.
After speaking with the police, she learned that the house lights had been cut remotely through a phone app. Layne hadn’t always been appreciative of new technology, but in this case, she was grateful. The cops had received an anonymous phone call reporting suspicious activity and shots fired at her father’s residence which is what made for the swift arrival of the boys in blue. As for their investigation? It was an open and shut case based on Layne’s recollection of events, sans Joey, and perhaps a little monetary incentive to those on the take thanks to the Scott O’Reilly bribery fund.
Liam had been railing his so-called date at the Four Seasons when a small crew of skull-masked men busted down the door of his suite. The men dragged her brother to a temporary safehouse, barely allowing him to collect his pants on the way out. Whether or not the crew had spooked Mick’s hitman or if it had been a bluff all along wasn’t known.
As for Scott O’Reilly? He hauled ass back from Boston and immediately sorted through the ranks to weed out any potential sympathizers for Mick’s plight. It had been an ugly and violent process, but it sent a message loud and clear: no one is safe if you fuck with his family. As head of the organization, he set forth a new campaign to solidify his foothold in the city. With Franzetti’s faction crumbling without their fearless leader, he was able to salvage a few good little soldiers and left the rest to their own devices.
