Page 108 of Redeeming Melodies

My heart stopped. "What'd he say?"

"That he misses you. That he knows you're fighting for him." Jake's voice went gentle. "That's what matters, El. Not Vanessa's interview, not Anderson's nose. Just that."

Fuck. Had to sit down, legs suddenly weak. Because yeah, that was what mattered. Tommy knowing the truth.

"Need to call Riley." The decision formed as I spoke. "Get our side out there. Not some PR spin, just reality."

"You sure?" But Jake's tone said he already knew my answer.

"Yeah." Standing straighter now, certainty filling me. "Time to stop letting Vanessa control the narrative."

Riley answered fast, like he'd been waiting. Maybe he had been.

"Saw the interview." No preamble needed. "Ready when you are."

"Tonight?" Had to be fast, had to counter Vanessa's poison before it spread.

"Give me an hour to get to your hotel." Professional Riley now, not small-town Riley. "We'll do this right."

Ended the call feeling lighter somehow. Because yeah, Vanessa had thrown the first punch in this media war. But we were ready.

"You know this changes everything." Sarah was back, watching me with careful eyes. "Once we do this interview, there's no going back."

"Good." Meant it with everything in me. "Done hiding. Done letting her twist everything into weapons."

"Okay then." Her smile turned fierce. "Let's give them something real to talk about."

Cassidy started gathering papers, legal mind already working. "I'll draft talking points. Keep it focused on Tommy, on stability."

"And Jake?" Had to ask. Had to know how much to share.

"The truth." Simple answer from both women. "All of it."

HOUSEBOUND

Ramirez sat in his cell across town, probably smirking while he waited for his lawyer. Asshole had the nerve to look smug during booking, like getting caught trying to kill Jimmy was just a minor inconvenience. My shoulder throbbed at the memory of our fight, a reminder that some brothers in blue weren't brothers at all.

The paperwork sat half-finished on my kitchen counter - incident reports, arrest documentation, everything needed to nail the bastard to the wall. Rio and Smith were handling surveillance, making sure Ramirez's New York connections didn't try anything stupid. But something about it still felt unfinished. Like we were missing pieces of a puzzle that stretched beyond our small town.

Jimmy still hadn't woken up. Doctors said his vitals were improving, but the waiting game was killing all of us. Every time my phone rang, I expected news - either the kind that would let me breathe or the kind that would send me back to that cell to finish what Ramirez started.

Garlic sizzled in olive oil, filling my kitchen with scents that should've felt comforting. Should've. But my mind kept drifting between Ramirez's betrayal and New York, where Elliot facedVanessa's cameras and lawyers alone. The sauce needed stirring but my hands felt useless here, so far from where they needed to be.

The pasta water boiled over, hissing against the stovetop. Matched my mood perfectly - everything spilling out, nothing contained. Grabbed my phone for the hundredth time, checking for messages. Nothing since our video call, since I'd seen the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight of everything pressing down.

Fuck being stuck here. Fuck this shoulder injury keeping me from driving up there. Fuck Ramirez for

The knock cut through my spiral. Three quick raps, familiar rhythm. Liam.

Found him on my porch looking worn thin, circles under his eyes telling stories about hospital chairs and endless waiting.

"Shouldn't you be with Jimmy?"

"Caleb's there." His smile came tired but real. "And you're cooking. Smells better than hospital cafeteria shit."

Let him in because what else could I do? Some bonds run deeper than choice. Built on broken things we'd managed to fix.

"Beer?" Offered automatically, then remembered. "Shit, wait. I'm on pain meds. Got that fancy tea Elliot keeps buying though."

---