Fuck, I’d struggled with it anyway, but my jealousy had dissolved when Eli had chosen to sit next to me rather than on his family’s side.
It had been nearly an hour since the showdown with Jack in the ER waiting room, and while I’d been able to get Eli back in my arms after Dom had held him and murmured softly to him for a while, he’d been pulled away from me time and time again as Barrettis had started showing up one right after the other. And while I’d lost track of who was who after a while, I’d watched some of the tension ease out of Eli as each person had held him. But it hadn’t completely dissipated until we’d gotten the news that Brennan had survived the surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. Eli was itching to go see his friend for himself, but Declan had insisted on this meeting first so that he could get all the facts he needed to deal with the two dead bodies in Eli’s apartment. He’d already had a patrol car take Jack down to the precinct to be booked for sexual assault. At some point, Declan would need to talk to Caleb, but he’d already agreed to hold off until the following day to give Caleb some time to recover from the events of the afternoon. I knew it would be difficult for the young man since he would not only need to recount the details of his own sexual abuse, but he’d also have to share the details of his brother’s death and their father’s role in it.
“Mr. Wheland,” Declan said as he glanced at his note pad. “I understand you were the first one to arrive at Eli’s apartment?”
Memphis nodded, but didn’t say anything. I had to hide a smile when Ronan kicked him under the table. Memphis sent him a dark look, but then turned his attention back to Declan. “Yes, I was the first one to arrive at Eli’s apartment.”
When he didn’t say anything else, Declan said, “Would you care to expand on that?”
“No-”
“Yes,” Ronan interrupted. “Yes, he would.”
Memphis leaned back in his seat like he didn’t have a care in the world and that he hadn’t just been involved in a double killing.
“When Ronan told me Jack Cortano was possibly on his way to Seattle, I decided to sit on Eli’s place to see if he showed up there.”
“What were you planning to do if he did?”
“Have a chat with him,” Memphis said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.
“Cut the shit, asshole,” Cade snapped, but he fell quiet when Dom put his hand out.
“What happened when you got to the apartment?” Declan asked.
“I got to the apartment about a minute before Brennan arrived with the dog. I watched him take it into the apartment and a few seconds later, I heard a gunshot.”
Eli stiffened next to me. I wasn’t sure if Ronan had already talked to Memphis about all of this, but it was our first time hearing Memphis’s version of events.
“When I got into the apartment, Brennan was lying on the floor and the dog had one of the guys by the arm. His gun was on the ground, but he had a knife and was stabbing at the dog. The other guy took a shot at me when he saw me. He missed, I didn’t.”
“And the guy that Baby had a hold of?” Dom asked.
“I couldn’t risk hitting the dog, but it wouldn’t let the guy go when I tried to call it off. I went to check on Brennan when I heard the guy scream as he fell. The dog got him by the throat and that was it.”
Eli let out a startled gasp at that and I sat back in my chair. I’d seen the blood beneath the guy, but he’d somehow ended up on his front when he’d died so I hadn’t seen his throat. My respect for the Rottweiler jumped several notches. Damn dog would get steak dinners for the rest of his life if I had anything to say about it.
“What happened next?”
“Brennan was still conscious, but he was having trouble breathing. I called 911 and tried to keep him calm and talking.”
I felt Eli reach for my hand under the table and I gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Ronan and Mav arrived a couple minutes later.”
Declan’s eyes shifted to Ronan. “I understand you’re a trauma surgeon, Dr. Grisham,” Declan said.
“I was,” Ronan said. “But I’m not anymore. And it’s just Ronan.”
“So what is it that you do now, Ronan?” Declan asked as he glanced at all three of us one by one. “That necessitates you carrying a gun.”
“Protection,” Ronan said simply and then he looked at Dom pointedly. “Seems we’re in the same business.”