Page 48 of Finding Silence
I give his hand a squeeze to force him to look at me. When he does, I see the turmoil of emotions boiling in those blue eyes. I wonder what that scene must’ve looked like to him. Bile burns up from my stomach when I recall the moment Dunk was shot. The taste of his blood on my lips even as my own slipped through my fingers.
“I’m okay,” I whisper for his ears only.
He nods once, swallowing hard.
“Use the button if you need anything, but for now I’ll let you rest,” Dana announces, “and I’ll let Savvy know. I know she was waiting to hear.”
I register her words but my focus is on Brant, who seems to be struggling with his emotions. I bring his hand, which has been clutching mine, to my lips and press a kiss on his knuckles.
“Talk to me,” I urge him gently.
“Thought I’d lost you,” he finally admits in a low voice, his head hanging down. “Figured getting lucky enough for love to find me twice in this life was too much to wish for.”
“Oh, Brant…”
His eyes lift and lock on mine.
“I’m too cautious to be an impulsive man, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t knocked clear on my ass when I met you. I know it’s too soon, and I’m probably a sentimental fool for saying anything, but after last night proved once again how fleeting life can be, I’m not about to hold back. It is what it is.”
After last night’s nightmare—the horror I lived through, and the taste of bitter betrayal by friends still fresh in my mouth—Brant’s words are like a beam of hope. I can actually see myself building a new life next to this man.
Narrowly escaping death has a way of putting things in very clear perspective.
“Too soon?” I respond. “Not for me. I’m forty-six years old and this is the first time I’ve had someone fall for just me, stripped down to basics. Sure, I’ve been blessed with an exciting life, have felt the adoration of many, but all of that was smoke and mirrors. People fell for the illusion. I’ve always known that, which is why I’ve never allowed myself the risk of falling in love. Until now.”
I smile at him, watching the lines fan out from his eyes deepening, as he slowly cracks his own. A crazy moment of lightness after an otherwise traumatic experience for both of us. I have so many questions, so much is still unclear, but all that can wait. For right now I’m glad to be alive, glad to be sharing this brief pause in time with Brant.
Reality returns when Savvy breezes in the door minutes later, and the energy in the room instantly changes.
I notice Brant sits up straight as his daughter approaches, tension radiating off him.
Brant
* * *
“Hey…” Savvy moves up to the bed and puts a hand on Phil’s shoulder. “I’m so glad to see you awake. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay,” I hear Phil’s soft answer through the ringing in my ears.
The moment my daughter walked into the room, every nerve in my body went on alert.
Last night two ambulances were called. One for Phil, and one for Grace, who’d apparently been clinging on to life. I haven’t wasted too much time thinking about Grace, since my entire focus has been on Phil.
Yet, suddenly I find myself wondering if she made it. Not because I particularly care about her, but because in the thirty years working in law enforcement, I’d never taken another person’s life. I’ve discharged my gun, but never with a fatal outcome, and I’d rather not change that one year into my retirement. Not that I regret shooting her—I’d do it again in a heartbeat—but I’d just as soon not carry the responsibility for taking another life with me for the rest of mine.
That’s why I’m suddenly on alert, trying to read my daughter’s body language.
“Dad? Did you sleep at all?” she addresses me.
“Some.”
She nods. “Do you guys feel up to answering a few questions? I want to get a few details straight for my report. I won’t keep you long,” she promises.
It feels weird sitting on this side of an interview for once. I’m pretty sure it’s the shooting she’s more concerned about at this point. I know she has to ask the hard questions, and it’s especially important to make sure everything is done by the book since I’m her father.
“Of course,” Phil tells her.
“Is she dead?” I want to know first.
