Page 43 of The Gentleness of Rage

“You’re fired!” Slate roared and pointed at Candy.

Candy’s mouth dropped and then she began to shriek her innocence. Slate shook his head and headed towards the exit. “Get your shit and leave. I won’t have dancers attacking dancers. Goodbye, bitch!”

The door slammed behind him, and Slate hit his bike. A few minutes of riding and everything would be fine and dandy again.

Chapter Nine.

Apache

He paced back and forth. Silvie had been taken from him exactly two hours ago. Apache had stayed with her until she was prepped, and then nurses had taken Silvie down.

Ace had picked his younger brothers and sisters up and had taken them to his home with Artemis. Apache bet his redheaded daughter-in-law was pulling her hair out by now. Either that or Artemis was putting them through mercenary training. It was a toss-up which.

Drake lounged in a chair with Phoe at his side. Texas and James Washington were also present. Gunner was pacing back and forth while Autumn spoke to Phoe. The rest of the Rage brothers had been told to stay home, although he’d received texts from all of them. Apache looked up as Doc Paul walked towards him, removing a surgical mask. A smile crossed Doc Paul’s face, and Apache relaxed.

“Silvie’s fine and in recovery. As you know, SPD is caused by the weakening of the fibrous ligaments that hold the pelvic bones in place. Pregnancy is usually the cause of this. What we have done is cut into Silvie’s lower stomach and realigned the pelvis, we’ve then inserted a plate and used pins to stabilise the joint.

“Silvie will still feel pain at first, but it’ll begin to ease very quickly, and she’ll be able to walk again without being in agony. The operation went well. The x-rays didn’t show the full extent of damage, but it was reparable. They’re going to be moving Silvie out of recovery and into the private room you paid for. You can go wait for her there,” Doc Paul explained.

“How soon until Silvie can walk?” Apache inquired.

“Usually within a day or two of the operation. But Silvie’s used a wheelchair for a long time. Apache, I’ve asked physio to come and access Silvie, as she may need some help learning to walk again.”

“Anything else we gotta know, Doc?” Drake questioned.

“No. Silvie’s recovering well, and I couldn’t be happier,” Doc Paul replied.

“Thanks, Doc. Drop by for a beer sometime,” Apache said and disappeared down a corridor with James and Gunner on his heels.

“Good job I informed the nurses to relax the two visitors-only rule. Otherwise, there’d be a brawl.” Doc Paul chuckled.

Slate

“My client has answered all your questions. Even better, we have provided a detailed accounting of his actions over the last week. There’s not much more to say, gentlemen,” Slate’s lawyer stated.

“Thanks, this was helpful,” Ramirez replied. “We’ll check this out and should be able to clear you.” He tapped the notebook Slate had handed over.

“Interview terminated,” Ben added and switched off the recording. “Slate, don’t relax your guard. Keep tracking your movements.”

“Do you need me to stay?” his lawyer asked, and Slate said no and thanked him. Once he’d left, Slate turned to the two detectives.

“What’s known regarding Jaelynn and this cop?”

“Not much. We couldn’t pry because that would have tipped off her home PD. Jaelynn was reported missing by Lucy Rogers, who claims she’s a friend. It’s Jaelynn for certain, Slate, even though she looks different now,” Ramirez announced.

“What’s Jaelynn’s surname?” Slate asked.

Ramirez and Ben swapped amused glances, and Slate frowned.

“Slate,” Ben answered.

“Yeah?”

“Jaelynn’s last name is Slate.” Ramirez chuckled.

“The fuck it is!” Slate exclaimed, and both men burst into laughter.

“Seriously, Jaelynn’s surname is Slate,” Ben responded, and Slate remembered a comment Jaelynn had made when they met. She’d commented on his name being Slate and that it was funny. Now he knew why.

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