Page 74 of Teach Me
“What’d Gaines find at the lake house?”
“Nothing good. Enough to make me wish the bastard could die all over again.” The brown of Jack’s eyes was almost as dark as Conlan’s, his anger was so fierce. “We couldn’t find evidence at his apartment because it was all stashed at the family vacation spot. Pictures, journals, computer files, clothing and other stuff from Jess’s apartment. Videos.”
“Videos?” Ben asked.
Jack shook his head. “Apparently our boy had a penchant for filming his girlfriends—and ex-girlfriends. With and without their knowledge.”
Now it was Con’s turn to growl. “Jess?”
The short jerk of Jack’s head confirmed his fears.
“Don’t worry, Con. She never has to know—thanks to you.” A malicious grin lit Jack’s face. “No trial.”
Ben grunted his approval.
“Anyway, it will be a while before it’s all sorted out. There’ll probably be a grand jury hearing into the shooting, but Gaines doesn’t expect anything to come of it.” He rubbed a finger over one dark brow. “Final coroner’s report on Rebecca Wellsley crossed Gaines’s desk. Injuries very similar to Jess’s.”
Con swayed, and Jack reached out to grasp his biceps, keeping him upright. “It’s okay. She’s safe. She’ll recover.”
Con prayed Jack was right.
“Conlan!”
The high, feminine voice caused Con to wince.
“Conlan James!”
He stepped reluctantly back into the hall, not wanting Cris to disturb Jess before he could get her calmed down. The little blonde dynamo almost overshot him as he came through the door, then pivoted to grasp his arms in a shaking death grip.
“Where is she?” Cris demanded.
“Hon, calm down. It’s gonna be all right.” Steven came to a stop next to Con and reached out to wrap his wife in a one-sided hug. “Remember the baby.”
Cris growled but subsided. The fiery look she shot Con said it all.
“She’s with the nurse right now,” Con told her. “She’s gonna be fine.”
“How bad?”
Con glanced at Steven, then down to Cris’s stomach. The weight of worry made his shoulders ache. When Jack and his dad stepped up to flank him on each side, the support brought profound relief.
This wasn’t his problem alone. They all loved Jess, and they would all take care of her.
“How bad?” This time Cris’s words verged on teary.
He sighed. “Bad enough they’ll keep her a few days.”
“Oh.” She started to cry. Con looked to Steven in sheer panic.
Cris’s husband soothed her, murmuring nonsense and rocking her back and forth until the tears finally subsided. “Hormones,” he said, but his eyes were moist as well.
Cris punched her husband in the belly. Good thing she was tiny; her reach didn’t allow for much momentum. But when she turned back to him, the hurt in her eyes made Con flinch.
“What the hell happened?” she asked.
Con drew the couple back into the lounge before Cris’s rising voice could disturb the entire hospital. They settled onto the various mismatched couches and worn chairs around a circa-1970 plywood coffee table, and Jack diplomatically stepped in to describe the basics of what had happened, keeping the worst details out of it. Con was grateful for that; his ability to deal with the never-ending questions had dwindled to nil. His heart and mind were focused on one thing—getting back to Jess as soon as the nurse would let him.
When Jack finished, Cris turned to Con, her cheeks red from the return of tears, her eyes reflecting her pain clearly. “You said you’d keep her safe.”
