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Martha soothes Penny, rubbing her back and telling her everything will be okay. Scott turns around to look at me. His skin is pale, and a frown mars his features. He looks at Penny, and it’s clear that what he has to say isn’t good news, but he isn’t entirely sure whether or not he should inform me in front of her.
Reggie doesn’t care. “Scott, I need to know if my son is all right. Did anyone get hurt?”
Scott glances at me before hesitantly answering the man who pays his check. “Your son and Swank are both okay. David, on the other hand, took a bullet to his shoulder, and the officers are taking care of him until the EMTs arrive on scene. He should be on his way to the emergency room soon. Jeremy is with Aiden and Swank, only a few minutes behind us. They’ll meet us at the house.”
When we finally pull up to the family estate, I rush Penny inside and into the kitchen with Reggie and Martha hot on our tails. I wet a cloth with warm water to wipe her tear-stained face. “Your dad is in good hands and is on his way home as we speak. Jeremy and David took really good care of him.”
She gives me a timid smile, “God answered your prayer, Anna. God kept my dad safe.”
Martha hugs me. “Thank you for caring enough to pray for our boy. I guess you owe God a favor now.”
I cringe a little. “You heard that, huh? He didn’t spare David, so I think the deal is off.”
She laughs lightly despite the situation. “I did hear you, and don’t you go reneging on your end of the bargain. You didn’t ask God to keep David safe, even though He did. David might be out of commission for some time, but he’s alive and will pull through. God works in mysterious ways, taking a bad situation and using it for good. Just think, now I have to hire more protection. Where, oh where, could I possibly find capable bodyguards on such short notice?”
This time, it’s me who chuckles. It looks like my team will be joining me, soon.
Martha takes Penny upstairs for a bath just before Aiden bursts through the door, looking frantic and wearing a blood-stained shirt. “Where’s Penny? Is she hurt? Is my daughter okay?”
“Calm down, Aiden. Penny is fine and getting cleaned up before bed. She was scared, but the bodyguards did their job and kept everyone safe.” Reggie says.
“That was crazy!” Swank shouts, coming in shortly after. “David went left when Jeremy went right, tackling us to the ground like pro football players. I even got an extra boo-boo out of the deal.” He lifts his arm to show everyone the torn shirt and scraped elbow. “Wanna kiss it and make it better, Anna?”
“No, but I can make sure that you have a matching one on the other side, though,” I say with narrowed eyes.
“Why don’t you go tend to your wounds in the cottage, Swank? I’ll give you a ride to the game tomorrow since your car is still at the arena,” Aiden tells him, slightly annoyed.
Swank raises his hands in surrender, “Fine. I can tell when I’m not wanted. I’ll let you two love birds figure things out. I’ll go and watch reruns of Friends and wallow in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.”
“Swank!” Aiden and I shout out at the same time.
Swank leaves out the back door, and Reggie clears his throat before skedaddling upstairs. “I’ll go help Martha. Aiden, why don’t you take a quick shower before tucking Penny into bed? I don’t think David’s blood is something she should see. That is David’s blood and not yours, right?”
Aiden looks down at his shirt and gasps, seeing the stain for the first time. “Yeah, it’s his. I’m fine, Dad. David saved my life. I’ve never been more thankful that you and Mom made sure that they came with us. I’ll never argue with them or you about that again.”
“That’s good to know, Son, because I’m sure your mom has plans to hire more security after what just went down, and I doubt she wants any complaints on the matter,” Reggie says with a knowing grin before he departs.
Aiden calls out the names of the three remaining bodyguards hovering just beyond the kitchen. Upon their arrival, he shakes each of their hands and thanks them for what they did to keep his family safe. Scott glances my way briefly but says nothing, keeping my involvement in the encounter a secret.
“Can you guys check the house and outside before leaving?” Aiden asks the men.
Jack looks confused by the request. “Sir? Don’t you think it would be best if we stayed close tonight?”
Aiden pats Jack’s shoulder. “You have a friend and colleague in the hospital who needs to be surrounded by people who care about him. Please go, be by his side, and let him know that he’s in our prayers.”
As the men turn to leave, Scott looks over his shoulder toward Aiden and says, “Thank you, Mr. Shaw.”
A minute later, when Aiden and I are alone, I ask him, “I know what you told your dad, but how are you really doing? That had to be quite a scare.”
“Honestly? I’m still processing everything that happened. One second, I’m answering a reporter’s question, and the next, I’m being tackled to the ground. I spent the entire drive home worried about all of you, even though I could hear every reassuring word Scott was saying to Jeremy through the hands-free.
“I don’t know why Jeremy and David were so persistent about coming along and sticking by our side, but I’m grateful that they did. I haven’t taken the threats seriously enough, and this was a major wake-up call. But right now, I’m going to take my dad’s advice and grab a hot shower to decompress and clean up before Penny goes to bed.”
Before he heads up the stairs, he turns back to me and adds, “There’s bubble bath under the counter in your bathroom if you want to have a long soak in the tub. It’s been a long day and I’m sure it’s a lot to take in. Please don’t leave on account of this, Anna. I need you now more than ever to stay here with Penny.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Aiden, including the game tomorrow. We’ll watch from the living room and catch every second of it.”
Aiden dips his chin once. “I agree. Until we figure out who is behind the shooting, I don’t want Penny anywhere near that arena. I’d like to talk to you and my parents after I tuck Penny into bed. Will you wait up for me?”
