“Mr. Dennon’s being moved to the OR for surgery,” he said. “One of the bullets punctured his lung, the other is lodged in his chest, possibly nicked an organ or two. There’s been significant internal bleeding.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Blane asked.
“Mr. Dennon’s wounds are serious, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. But we won’t know more until after surgery. I’ll do my best and we’ll keep you posted.” He disappeared down the hall.
Blane’s eyes filled and he let out a choked gasp, as though he’d been holding his breath. I went to him, sliding my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest. He buried his face in my hair and crushed me to him.
We held on to each other, and I wasn’t sure who was holding up who. My tears dampened his shirt while my neck grew wet with his.
When we finally parted, my hand stayed in Blane’s as he walked us to the bathrooms. I went into the ladies’ room and washed the blood from my hands, also splashing water on my face. There was nothing I could do about the dress. Every time I caught sight of the bloodstains—Kade’s blood—I felt like I was going to lose it all over again.
A cop came by, taking statements from both Blane and me about the shooting. I couldn’t concentrate, my mind preoccupied with worry for Kade.
Blane and I sat side by side in the waiting room with Mona and Gerard. Gerard had gotten coffee for us, but I couldn’t drink it.
More people entered the waiting room and I glanced up.
“Chance!” I leapt to my feet just as he reached me, throwing my arms around his neck. His presence triggered a fresh round of tears.
He hugged me, brushing his lips across my forehead. When I eventually pulled away from him, I saw that Lucy had come, too.
“Thank you so much for coming,” I said, giving her a tight hug. “Where’s Billy?”
“A friend of mine is watching him,” she said.
“How’d you know?” I asked Chance.
“I’m part of the IMPD now,” he said. “I heard about the shooting and came as quick as I could.” He paused before adding, “You know I’m not a fan of Dennon’s, but I know how you feel about him, so I came for you.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
Lucy and Chance took up the vigil along with the rest of us. He wore a button-down shirt over a T-shirt and shrugged off the former, giving it to me to wear over my bloodstained dress.
Time crawled by and I wanted to scream with frustration. I couldn’t sit and began pacing again. What if Kade didn’t pull through? What if he died, right there on that operating table? Tears occasionally slipped down my cheeks, but I was too numb to notice.
When the doctor finally stepped back into the room, I was both relieved and terrified of what he might say.
“Mr. Dennon came through the surgery all right,” he said. “We had a little trouble getting the bullet out of his lung, but barring any further difficulties, he should recover. The second bullet fragmented, but we were able to get it all. He’s a lucky man.”
My knees shook and I would have collapsed if Chance had not jumped up and put his arm around me.
“Can we see him?” Blane asked.
The surgeon nodded. “He’s in the Surgical ICU and he’s sedated, but you should be able to peek in on him shortly.”
Chance led me to a chair and I sank into it. He sat next to me, supporting me with an arm around my back.
Blane hugged Mona and Gerard before returning to the seat next to me. His hand found mine as we shared a look of deep relief.
Someone else caught my eye and I glanced up, my breath catching in my throat.
Senator Keaston walked into the waiting room, his gaze scanning the occupants before landing on Blane and me. Blane got to his feet.
I remembered what Kade had said, that Keaston had been the one behind the attempt to get Blane to throw a trial—and that he had hired men to kill us. Kandi’s father had been a close friend of Keaston’s. Was he the one who had Charlotte send me to Xtreme? Would he have done that if Keaston had asked him to?
“I heard about Kade,” Keaston said gravely to Blane. “How is he?”
“He’s going to make it,” Blane answered.
Keaston gave a sigh of relief that I didn’t buy for a second.
“And I heard the charges against you were dropped,” he said quietly.
Blane nodded. “The real killer confessed earlier tonight.” Blane’s gaze was shrewd as he spoke, eyeing Keaston.
“Well, that’s convenient,” Keaston said with some surprise.
“Yes, it is. And I have Kathleen to thank for both those events.”
Keaston locked eyes with me for the first time. His expression was a polite one of bare recognition. He gave me a curt nod before turning back to Blane.
“Call me with news of Kade,” he said, reaching out to give Blane a firm handshake.
“Will do.”
And then he was gone as quickly as he had come.
We all sat in silence for a moment, then Lucy spoke.
“I can’t believe you would still speak to that man after what he did,” she hissed, standing and confronting Blane.
“What?” Blane asked in confusion.
“I know politics is a dirty business and the men in it have notoriously short memories,” she spat, “but Kathleen was your fiancée, for God’s sake!”
I rose and got in between them. “Lucy, what are you talking about?”
Lucy tore her gaze from Blane and turned to me, then blanched. “Of course,” she breathed, “you don’t remember, do you?”
“Remember what?” I said, a sense of foreboding creeping over me.
Lucy took a deep breath. “On the boat,” she said, “Matt told us who paid him to take you, that it wasn’t just an accident, that he was supposed to make you disappear. For good.” She looked up at Blane. “It was Keaston.”
Blane didn’t speak, didn’t move, didn’t even blink. “What did you say?” he said at last in a hoarse whisper.
“Keaston used Summers to get Kathleen,” Lucy repeated.
Chance was standing now, too. “Are you kidding me?” he asked Lucy, then turned to Blane. “Your own uncle tried to have Kathleen killed?”
“That’s not all,” I said quietly.
Blane’s head whipped around. “What do you mean?”
I looked up at him. “The photos,” I said. “The photos he gave you. Kade saw them the other day, after you were arrested. He realized something I’d overlooked. No one knew where we were going to be when those pictures were taken. The only guy who knew was the same one who betrayed us.” I paused. “Keaston was the man who tried to have Kade killed in Denver.”
Blane went pale. He turned away without a word, bracing his hands on his hips. I knew he was trying to get control, trying to come to grips with the reality of who and what his uncle truly was.
Chance turned to me. “We’ll go now,” he said. “I’m glad Dennon’s going to be okay.” He hugged me.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, embracing Lucy, too.
“I’m sorry,” she said in an undertone. “This probably wasn’t the best time to tell him that. I just saw that guy…”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “He needs to know.”
Mona and Gerard soon left as well. “Call me if anything changes,” she told Blane. “I’ll come back in the morning so you can go rest.”
The waiting room was empty except for Blane and me, and I watched the clock, anxious to see for myself that Kade was all right. Blane sat down next to me.
“I had no idea,” he said, pushing a hand through his hair. “I can’t—” He broke off, bending to rest his elbows on his knees and pressing his fingers hard against his eyes. After a moment, he took a deep breath and sat up again. “He was like a father to me,” he said. “I just don’t understand why he’d go to such lengths to hurt the people I love.” His eyes were vividly green and too bright.