I gave him a small smile. “I am now.”
“Police are already here,” Damian announced once he was off the phone. “They’re coming up the stairs. An ambulance is downstairs.” He looked at me. “I want you to get checked out.”
I blew out a light laugh, my adrenaline finally beginning to wear off. “Me? You have a bullet in your arm.”
He wrapped his good arm around my shoulders. “You know, you’re never leaving my sight again, right?”
“Good. We’re married, remember?” I leaned into him, letting him lead me toward the stairs. “You’re stuck with me.”
He chuckled. “It only took you five years to admit it.”
“Better late than never.”
CHAPTER 48
damian
I stared at Talie as she slept, resisting the urge to pull her into my arms and wake her. She was breathing lightly, her face peaceful. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since Jack and Percy had taken her, but other than sore ribs, she seemed to be fine.
I was still a complete fucking mess.
She hadn’t left my sight since then. I had every intention of staying glued to her side until the crippling fear of losing her dissipated. We hadn’t ventured out of the apartment since leaving the hospital.
My eyes darted to my phone on the nightstand when it vibrated. Moving slowly to keep from waking her up, I slipped out of bed. I hissed out a breath when I reached for my phone, forgetting my upper arm was stitched up. Luckily, the bullet didn’t nick the bone but got buried in soft tissue. While it wouldn’t take too long to heal, the pain was annoying every time I moved my damn arm.
I snatched my phone up with my other hand, reading the text.
Ash:
Got his laptop. He didn’t send it anywhere else. Your family is in the clear.
I closed my eyes, blowing out a breath. That was one less thing I had to worry about. Whatever Jack had on my father—and me—was gone now. I’d known some of Christian’s and Jude’s business associates weren’t exactly upstanding citizens, but before all this, I’d had no idea how far it went. They had shell companies set up to launder money. Companies I’d helped with unknowingly.
I glanced down when another text came through.
Ash:
Your dad and father-in-law are wrapped up in some deep shit. Be careful what you sign at the office. Talk later.
Great.Whatever he learned was bad enough. He didn’t want evidence of it. My stomach churned as I paced in front of the bed. When my eyes landed on Talie, my heart squeezed. I didn’t want her caught up in any of this shit. Jude and Christian would never change their ways. Not when they grew their fortune doing it.
I crept into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly cracked before finding my dad’s number in my phone. He picked up after the first ring.
“It’s handled,” I said coldly.
“Handled?”
“Whatever Jack had, it’s gone,” I informed him. “It will never see the light of day.”
He cleared his throat. “Good, that’s good. Jack survived. He’ll stay in the hospital until he’s medically cleared. Then he’llgo straight to jail. I already talked to the detective. They’ll be charging him with a long list of things.”
“You aren’t worried he’ll spill your secrets?” I asked.
“My lawyer had a talk with him at the hospital. He won’t talk…” he trailed off before chuckling cruelly. “If he even survives long enough to go to jail.”
“I thought he was out of critical care?”
“He is. But some of our business associates are not happy with him. He’s a loose end.”