Page 99 of Blind Justice

Paul exhaled heavily, rubbing his forehead. “She sleeps constantly. Which is good, but it also means she’s not building back muscle tone. She needs physical therapy, a strict routine to regain stamina.”

James, usually the most optimistic, was uncharacteristically quiet. He adjusted his glasses before speaking. “Tomorrow, we will move her to the acute care unit. We will get a full panel of bloodwork and a CT scan.” He looked at Tristan. “It’s a good thing we invested in the scanner.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If her neurological scans are stable, and there’s no swelling, no bleeding, nothing to indicate permanent physical damage…”

Noah narrowed his eyes. “Then why the hell can’t she see?”

Paul hesitated, then leaned back, crossing his arms. “Noah and I talked about this. That’s where things get complicated.”

Alex, who had been silent up until now, let out a slow exhale. “Psychosomatic?”

James nodded. “We will have to confirm the exams are all negative. If that’s the case, then we will let our psychiatric team run a battery of tests.”

Ethan frowned. “So, you’re saying this could be mental?”

Paul nodded. “I think her mind is blocking her vision. It’s a defense mechanism.”

Noah ran a hand down his face, his frustration barely restrained. “So, she saw something so terrifying, so traumatic, her brain just shut down her vision to protect her?”

“That’s our best alternate theory,” James said quietly. “And if that’s the case, there’s no telling when or if she’ll get it back.”

Silence filled the room, thick and heavy.

Brad finally broke it. “So, what do we do?”

Paul looked at him seriously. “For now, nothing. Forcing her to remember could be dangerous. If her brain shut down her sight as a trauma response, suddenly unlocking those memories could break her completely. We have to let her come to it on her own terms.”

Noah clenched his fists. Every fiber of his being wanted to push, to get answers, to fix this. But what if pushing only made things worse?

Alex leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his gaze sharp. “And what about Fairchild?”

Brad nodded grimly. “Noah says he’s found enough to take him down.”

Noah straightened, his expression carved from stone. When he spoke, his voice was ice-cold, every word a death sentence. “He’s done. Bribery, extortion, conspiracy to commit murder—we have more than enough to put him away for life.”

Brad reached for his phone. “I’ll call for the warrant.”

Noah held up a hand, stopping him. “Not just one. We need multiple, timed precisely. Fairchild’s security detail is tight. If we take him down, we need to take them all down.” His voice lowered, full of restrained fury. “The boss is compromised. And not just him. A lot of higher-ups.”

Alex stilled, the color draining from his face. “Tommy? Evan?” His voice barely carried the names, as if saying them aloud would make it real.

Noah exhaled slowly. “Tommy,” he confirmed, his throat tight. “And the mayor of Pierre, the deputy mayor of Pierre, and the fraud bureau chief in the DA’s office. Fairchild didn’t just have influence—he had control. There wasn’t a single part of state government he didn’t touch.”

Silence.

Alex’s hands curled into fists. “Jesus.”

“I’ll call this into the DC branch. We need to protect you two, Noah.” Ethan reached for his phone. “We need to make deliberate moves.”

Tristan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. “And what about his people? The ones still in the dark, waiting to clean up his mess? Are we sure they’re no longer a threat to Ruth?”

Noah’s jaw clenched. “No.” His voice was hoarse, raw with frustration. “We don’t know who or what she saw before the bomb. We have no idea how deep this goes. Until she remembers, we’re literally flying blind.”

“Well, there is enough to take down Matt Brandt and Dylan Grant. Before we left town, Luke Andrews was working her secretary, Melanie. I don’t know what he has on her.”

Alex exhaled. “Shit, Dylan Grant was shot to death in his office.”

“Shooter?” Noah met Alex’s gaze.

Alex brought him up to speed. “No one reported hearing anything. There were only three people in the building at the time. Melanie is high on the list. She was one of the people in the building at the time of death. The shooter took out the secretary too. They were in a compromising position.”

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