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“Because the whole fiasco is on every news channel out there,” a new voice says, making the hairs at my nape prickle.
Sebastian shifts underneath me. “Mom?”
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
SEBASTIAN
Pain shoots through my arm, and I have to grit my teeth to stop the wince from coming out. “What are you doing here?”
Mom’s sharp gaze takes me in as she stands in the doorway, her eyes stopping on the brace holding my arm in place. She tilts her chin in the direction of my arm. “How bad?”
Hurts like a bitch.
“I’m fine,” I say evenly, my good hand tightening around Penelope. “What happened last night? Did they… Did they catch Bobby?”
Or is he still a threat?
The silent question hangs in the room for a heartbeat; my palms turn sweaty just thinking about our paths crossing. About the possibility that this might not be done yet, and he’ll try to pull something again. Try to hurt Penelope again, so he can hurt me in the process.
“Bobby… He’s no longer an issue.”
“Did they catch him?”
“He was shot during the interaction,” Mom says evenly, not a flicker of remorse on her face.
Penelope sucks in a breath, and I pull her closer to me. The need to reassure her—reassure myself—that this is over is almost overwhelming.
Silence stretches in the room as we process her words.
It was over. Actually over.
“He can’t hurt you again,” I whisper, brushing my mouth against Penelope’s forehead.
A part of me felt relieved—a big part if I’m completely honest. But there was this other part that felt sorry for the life that was lost. Sorry that there was another person who I wasn’t able to help.
“What about that other guy?” Penelope asks suddenly.
My brows furrow. “What other guy?”
“Just before we left to meet you, Brianna got a call from the police saying they found out the guy who attacked you at the award show is detained because they found evidence that he was stalking you.”
What the actual fuck?
“I was planning to tell you once the show finished, but now…”
I brush my mouth against the top of her head. “That’s fine.”
“The guy is still in custody since he’s definitely been stalking you online and in real life. He took some photos from a distance, but he wasn’t behind the text messages you got or the car attack,” Mom explains. “The police will be in later to talk to you, but it’s more of a formality since the footage from the concert was pretty straightforward. I also talked to your doctors, who said you’re doing well. And if today goes as planned, they’ll discharge you.” Her gaze moves to Penelope. “Both of you.”
“Great.”
I was so done with being stuck in this hospital. I just wanted to get back home and have some peace and quiet. And Penelope. That’s the only thing I needed. Penelope.
“They think there shouldn’t be any permanent damage, but you’ll need PT once your stitches heal.”
Penelope must feel my gaze on her because she tries to pull back, but I hold her close. “Can you stop wiggling?” I ask softly, although there is zero privacy in here. Between her family and my mom, the room was full, all eyes on us, monitoring even the slightest of movements.
“I should probably go back to my bed,” Penelope protests.
