Page 179 of In the Air Tonight

My cell phone rings.

Jack sits up so I can grab the phone from my coat pocket.

“It’s Josh.” I press the button to take the call, while nearly dropping the phone. Everything is more difficult with my right hand and arm in the cast. “Hey, Josh.”

“Well, that was quite a spectacle, huh?”

“Sure was.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Sienna is being charged with felony assault.”

“Oh, wow. Okay.”

“And we’ve agreed to a plea deal with Denise and Ryder’s attorney. Pending Ryder’s approval once he’s able to review the terms, he’ll serve five to ten years with several years of probation after he’s released and lifetime listing on the sex offender registry.”

“So it’s over then?”

“Pending Ryder’s approval of the deal, which he said he wanted, and the judge sentencing him, yes, it’s over.”

I close my eyes and release a deep breath. It’s over. Once and for all, it’s really over. “Will I have to testify against his father?”

“I’ve just received word that he was in a shootout with the Marshals in western Massachusetts. Mr. Elliott was killed.”

“Oh God.” How is it possible to feel sorry for the Elliotts, even after Mr. Elliott tried to kill me?

“The good news is we can release you from protective custody now that he’s no longer a threat.”

“Okay.”

“Are you all right, Blaise?”

“I will be. In time. I never could’ve imagined everything that would happen after I reported what I’d seen to Houston.”

“No one could’ve predicted this.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Louisa’s brother should be charged with anything. He’s already been through enough.”

“I tend to agree. I’ll discuss it with the AG. We’ll do what we can for him.”

“Thank you for everything, Josh.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you for your courage. It made all the difference here.”

“It’s over,” I tell Jack after I end the call and tell him Mr. Elliott has been killed.

“Thank God it’s over.”

“I want to go home and sleep for a week.” I pause and then glance at him, feeling shy all of a sudden. “I’m not sure when it happened, but when I think of home, I think of your house.”

“That works out rather well, because when I think of home, I think of you, and I know exactly when it happened.”

“When?”

“The day a gorgeous redhead drove into my driveway and turned my whole life upside down in the best possible way.”

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