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Guard shakes his head. “Not that we know of, but I have Thunder downstairs just to be sure.”
Ghost says, “Chances are she’s going to attempt to contact Camille for sympathy.” He nods at Steady. “Roscoe and War will be keeping watch whenever you’re not around.”
“I found some paperwork in the house,” I tell them. “I gave it to Demon. I’m hoping that Sofia can make some inquiries. I haven’t had a chance yet.”
“After this is all over and your dad’s resting comfortably, we’ll go see her. I’ll set it up,” Ghost says. I agree, and as I do, the main doors open and Saint comes walking through. He lowers his mask, but his expression doesn’t give anything away.
When he reaches my side, Saint clasps a hand on my shoulder. “He’s doing well. It took longer than we expected. We saw a few more blockages and decided to deal with it all at once. He’s in recovery, and we’ll get him into his room soon. Once he’s settled, you and Camille can go see him.”
The heavy weight is suddenly lifted off my shoulders. We tell Camille and Quinn the great news as soon as they rejoin us. Quinn wraps her arms around my middle and jumps up and down.
“I knew this was all going to work out,” she says, her face beaming with excitement.
“Camille and I are going in first. If Dad’s up to it, do you want to meet him?” I ask.
“Absolutely,” she says.
* * *
Dad’s vitals are stable, but he’s groggy and not very talkative. We’re not in there very long, and Quinn got to say a quick hello before the meds take over and he falls asleep. I’ve already arranged for a personal nurse to be with him throughout the night. I’ve settled the bill with the hospital and found out that Guard has made a generous donation to the cardiac unit, which has earned us some brownie points with the senior staff.
Prior to leaving, I tell Camille about the box with her name on it that’s still sitting in Demon’s vehicle. I promise to bring it over after I meet with him and Sofia about the paperwork I found with Mom’s practice signatures of Dad’s name.
“What’s she doing?” Camille asks. She’s worried, and, quite frankly, so am I.
“No idea. Sofia is going to look into it. It could be nothing, sis. Let’s not get all worked up about this until we know what it is.”
“I’m going to stay here for a while longer,” she says. I look to Steady and know immediately that he’s sticking to her like glue. It makes me feel better about leaving. It’s a crapshoot as to whether or not the crazy woman we call Mom will show up.
* * *
Quinn
Priest is looking a lot better today, and after hearing that his father is doing well, he’s in much better spirits. When I met his dad, I gave a little wave, but kept quiet. His voice was faint and groggy, but I did see a hint of a grin.
When we were about to leave, he glanced over at me and motioned for me to come close. I let go of Priest’s hand and bent to hear him say, “Don’t hurt my boy.”
I got a lump in my throat. I think this man has been beaten down so badly that he just didn’t know how to rise from the ashes.
I kiss his cheek. “Never. I love him,” I whisper.
As soon as we leave the room, Priest asks what his father said, and I tell him. He stops dead in his tracks. “He said that? I don’t get it. All this time, he never came to see me or Camille, and now he’s saying that to you.”
“Have you ever played chess?” I ask.
Priest just stares, clearly confused. “What?”
“Chess. You know, the game. It’s very strategic.”
“Babe, I love you, but you’re not making any sense.”
“The point of the game is to win moving the king across the board for checkmate. Capturing the queen is huge. Your father plays the part of the bishop or pawn. I think he sacrificed himself so that she wouldn’t go after you or Camille. If she still has control, or at least thinks she has control over your father, she won’t come after you. Especially now that you have a family that will protect you at all costs,” I explain. I can see the lightbulb going off.
“I guess that might be, but why would he stay with her up to now?”
“Where else was he going to go? He was persona non grata with his kids. He doesn’t know anything else. He was stuck and was in it for so long, he probably couldn’t find his way out alone. In a way, your mother having her last hurrah backfired.”
“I don’t think she’s done, precious. I found a couple of boxes at the bottom of my old bedroom closet, one marked for me, another for Camille, and a letter for each of us.” He pauses for a second, then curses. “I put it in the back pocket of the jeans I was wearing yesterday.”
