As they’re loading Griff into the ambulance, I see Kynan, Cruce, and Saint each talking to three separate police officers. Their expressions are grim, and I have a moment of fear shoot through me.
Is Kynan going to be in trouble over this?
I told Griff I didn’t care that he shot and killed Bogachev, but now that Griff is on his way to get medical help, I know I really didn’t mean to be dismissive of Kynan’s plight.
Spinning from the gurney, I trot over to Kynan and the cop he’s talking to. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I speak to Kynan for a moment?”
I don’t give the police officer time to argue with me, simply pull Kynan away by the arm. We step several feet to the side before I ask, “How much trouble are you in?”
His smile is confident and reassuring. I don’t trust it a bit. “Don’t worry about me. Just head to the hospital to be with Griff, and we’ll meet you there when we finish up. I’m sure a police officer will come there to get your statement too.”
“Will you really?” I ask, feeling like I’m going to hurl. “Or are you going to be arrested?”
“I’m not going to get arrested,” he promises me.
I don’t believe him. “Promise on Joslyn’s life.”
Kynan’s face clouds over. “That I’ll never do. But you don’t need to worry, Bebe.”
“Ma’am,” one of the paramedics calls. When I look over to him, I see Griff has been loaded into the ambulance. “We need to go.”
“Get going,” Kynan says, his hand coming to my shoulder and squeezing.
I hesitate just a moment, but then nod. “Okay. See you at the hospital.”
?
The glass door to Griff’s hospital room slides open with a soft hiss, and Kynan walks in. I immediately rise from the reclining chair a nurse had brought in a few hours ago.
“How’s he doing?” Kynan murmurs, nodding toward Griff.
I move over to him, leaning in to speak softly so as not to wake Griff. “Good. Surgery was pretty easy. The bullet went through and didn’t damage much of anything. They said he’ll probably be released tomorrow. He’s been sleeping the anesthesia off.”
“Good,” Kynan replies with relief. “That’s really good.”
“What about you?” I whisper urgently. “An FBI agent came and talked to me while Griff was in surgery, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”
Well, that’s not exactly true. He told me Ken Battersham was severely injured in the bombing Bogachev set into motion. He’s in critical condition in the ICU, and Griff is going to be devastated when I finally tell him.
“It’s all good,” Kynan says, and I dare to hope.
“I need more than that,” I demand.
“They aren’t going to press any charges against me,” he says, and my knees go weak with relief. I put a hand on the wall for support. “The FBI intervened with the prosecuting attorney’s office, and they also put some pressure on the police because someone inside the precinct leaked the information to Bogachev in the first place. But bottom line… I was acting in defense of you and Griff. They get it.”
Letting out a sigh that completely deflates my lungs, I feel my eyes fill with unwanted tears. I try to blink them away, but they keep coming, spilling over the edge and streaming down my cheeks as I realize it’s all over.
I try to hold it in, which is a bad idea because I end up releasing a horrible, racking sob that has my head whipping toward Griff to see if it woke him. He slumbers on, but I’m immediately pulled into Kynan’s arms.
The minute I’m wrapped in his secure, strong embrace, I let loose. Burying my face into his chest, I let the tears flow and I don’t hold back in the slightest.
“Shh.” His hand rubs the middle of my back. “It’s all over, Bebe.”
I cry even harder, muffling my sobs into his strong chest.
“Shh, shh, shh,” he urges, hands going to the side of my head to push me back from his chest a bit so he can look down at me. He’s blurry from the cascade of tears flowing, but I blink them back. “Hey… it’s over, Bebe.”
I nod furiously, blinking away more tears. “It’s over.”
“Then why the tears?” he asks gently.
Why indeed?
It’s monumental, really. “Because I’m finally free. Free of my past and the terror Bogachev always held over me. Free of my mistakes and the losses they produced. I’m just free… and it’s overwhelming.”
Smiling, Kynan nods in understanding. He glances at Griff. “That guy there is part of your newfound freedom.”
I look over my shoulder at the hospital bed where my man sleeps peacefully, thanks to the pain medications. My lips curve upward, even as a few more tears slip free.
Yeah, I’m finally free… and Griff is part of the future now spread wide before me.