Page 93 of Shadow Dance

“I’m sorry I stayed away so long, and that I didn’t try harder to come home when I still could,” I say brokenly. “I’m sorry I chose him over you in the first place.”

“Sometimes we have to let our kids make mistakes,” she says. “We didn’t think he was good enough for you, but we never, ever imagined he was capable of …”

“What do you mean, ‘when you still could’?” asks Dad, zeroing in on my words like a hawk with its prey.

“He was making it really hard to leave in the end,” I admit, shame heating my skin.

He scowls, shaking his head. “That little fuck.”

Just then, there’s a soft knock on the door and one of the doctors who’s been tending to me walks in. “Glad to see you’re awake, Ms. Kelly.” He offers a kind smile before turning his attention to my family. “I’m Dr. Akana. I’ve been overseeing your daughter’s care.”

“Hi, Dr. Akana,” Mom says. “Thank you for … everything.”

“Of course.” He looks at me. “How’re you feeling?”

“My face hurts,” I murmur.

“Understandably,” he says. “It’s time for your next dose of meds.”

“How long do you think Maeve will have to stay?” Dad asks. “Would it be possible to bring her home to Boston?”

“Yes, she’s in the clear.” Dr. Akana nods, looking at me again. “You’re probably still in a lot of pain due to that cheekbone fracture, but it will heal on its own. We didn’t have to do surgery, which is great.”

“Oh, good,” breathes Mom.

Dr. Akana comes closer, tapping something onto a small iPad before focusing on me. “CT scans and X-rays showed no signs of internal bleeding or brain injury, so you’re good to go. I recommend follow-up care with your physician in Boston, obviously, and I’ll write a script for pain management medication.”

“Sounds good.” I offer a wobbly smile. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He cocks his head. “I’m glad you’re okay, Maeve. You’ve been through a lot. I’ll go ahead and sign off on this so the nurses can prep and submit your discharge paperwork.”

After he leaves, Dad looks down at me. “Have the cops been by to see you yet?”

“Yes, but I was too out of it. The nurse made them leave, told them to come back later.”

He nods thoughtfully. “They’ll want to question you.”

“I know,” I groan.Callum. Faint nausea washes over me.

“It’s all over the local news, too,” says Mom. “We saw it on the TV downstairs.”

That shouldn’t be as shocking as it is. Of course, it’s on the news—people died.

“The SWAT team showed up pretty quickly that night,” I muse. “Considering.”

“Callum was obviously involved in some heavy shit because the Feds had already scheduled a raid,” Lucky says, a knowing look on his face. “When calls started coming in about gunfire in the area, they moved right in.”

“Who were the attackers?” I ask.

“I think it’s too early to know.” My father rubs his chin. “At least, for the news to know. I’m sure we can find out. I’ll ask around.”

My battered heart skips a beat. “Is there any word on the guy I was with?”

“What guy?”

“My bodyguard, Jaime. He came back for me,” I say, my heart racing now. “He’s an undercover. Is he okay?”

My parents glance at each other. “He’s an undercover?” Dad repeats.