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“But you didn’t lose him. He’s here and he’s strong.” She digs in her purse and finds a package of soft tissues.
I take a tissue and dab at my eyes and my nose. “His hand, Dani.”
She sniffs. “I know.”
“Time is running out.”
She knows that too.
Everything Micah does is connected to his hands. His drawing. His fighting. He’s a man of raw physical might. Losing a hand will shatter him.
I’m shattered already. For two weeks I’ve been sitting on a massive secret that I had no right to keep. If I’d told him about the baby, his choices might have been different.
Maybe he wouldn’t have closed that gate. Maybe he wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice himself.
Maybe. Maybe.
Dani is watching me with sadness and worry etched into her face. “He’ll get through this. No matter what. You both will.”
I need another tissue. “Do you remember what you told me about him once?”
She’s thinking, hesitant to give the wrong answer.
“You said Micah always seemed like he was willing to fight to the death. Like he was hunting for the chance.”
She shuts her eyes briefly. “Tess, I don’t always know what I’m talking about.”
But I think she does. That’s the problem.
Dani’s phone buzzes inside her purse. She grabs at it and I hold my breath, hoping it’s Conner with some good news.
She makes a face. “Shit.”
“What?”
“That was Gage.” Her eyes have shifted to anger. “Your father has called a press conference here in the hospital.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. It’s the middle of the night.”
But it figures. Stuart Ballerini has sniffed out a publicity opportunity. This is low, even for him.
I stand up, my tears gone, temporarily replaced with wrath. “Let’s crash that press conference.”
It’s not difficult to locate the scene of my father’s public spectacle. The conference room by the cafeteria is crowded with reporters, though when I scan their faces I notice not one of them is Helena Dixon. I suppose she’s outlived her usefulness.
Stuart Ballerini holds court behind a thick wooden table and makes a proclamation in his booming voice. “As of right now, my number one priority as the mayor of this great city is reining in the lawless crime and corruption infecting the east side.” He pauses for effect, inserts emotion into his tone. “Tonight’s atrocity is very personal to me. My own daughter was nearly a victim. I promise you that today is the dawn of a new era in Emerald City.”
If I stay in here for another second I’m going to start gagging again. Dani follows me out the door as the mayor fields questions.
“The absolute fucking nerve.” I lean against the nearest wall and seethe. My father doesn’t actually give a damn about what happened to Micah. And instead of behaving like a caring, worried parent, he makes a beeline for the cameras.
Out of tragedy comes opportunity.
Dani seethes with me. “He has no shame, that’s for sure.”
My head is starting to hurt. “Can we go find that coffee now?”
“You bet.”
