Page 112 of Truck Stop Titan

She moved to adjust something on the monitor above my head. “You’re okay to go home today. But if you feel like you need more time, the room is yours.” She leaned closer, a smirk highlighting her dimples. “Apparently, the Rossis have quite some pull here.”

Apparently, they did. My surroundings resembled a five-star hotel more than a hospital room. They’d even brought in a twin-sized bed so Mim could stay with me overnight.

A bitter question burned the back of my throat. I feared the answer, but the longer I waited, the greater my anxiety. I had to know the facts, so I could deal. And heal. And be whole for Mim.

“Is he alive?” The question burst out on a sob.

Leticia grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Yes.”

I’d never heard a more beautiful word.

“And he’s going to be fine. By some miracle, the bullet missed his heart and any vital arteries.”

Oh, God. Thank you. I nodded, swiping at my tears. “Does he know we lost the baby?”

Her own eyes welled. “He’s been in and out of surgery. But when he is conscious, his only concern is you.”

“I don’t know how to tell him.”

“There’s no easy way, I’m afraid.” She brushed a hair from my face and offered a heartwarming smile, those blue eyes comforting and bursting with motherly love. “But the good news is, you’re healthy, and there’s no reason the two of you can’t try again after you both have healed.”

Would Dane want that? Would he want me, still, after I’d lost the one thing binding us?

As if reading my thoughts, Lettie offered assurance. “He loves you. Anybody with half a mind can see that. The two of you will get through this. And you’ll be stronger because of it.”

Her words hit me hard in all the right places, giving me courage, dulling some of the pain. I couldn’t voice my thoughts, though, emotion balling in my throat like a lump of paste.

“You wanna see him?” Tango’s voice broke the silence. “I’ve got a sweet ride, and twenty minutes before the nurses hunt us down.” He stood in the doorway, hands on the back of a wheelchair, bandage above his right eye, devilish grin on his face.

My stomach lurched, nerves taking hold, but I managed to whisper, “Yes. God, yes.”

Leticia and Tango helped me into the chair, my legs rubber, my stomach a hot throbbing mess.

“I’ll go check on the kids.” Leticia gave my shoulder a squeeze. “See you in a bit.”

Tango led me down the hallway, hospital beeps and chatter filling the silence between us. Before we entered the elevator, he squatted at my feet. “I’m sorry about the baby.”

I only nodded, curling my lips between my teeth. I didn’t want to cry again. He cupped my cheek, kissed my forehead, and called the elevator to our floor.

When the doors sealed us in the small space, I asked, “What happened to Hammer?” I hoped he was dead.

“You remember anything?”

“No. Not really.” I remembered chasing after him. I remembered he’d pointed the gun at the kids.

Tango huffed. “He shot at Rocky. But Dane…” His voice broke. He cleared his throat. “Dane took the bullet for my son.”

“Oh God,” escaped my lips, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, desperate to hold back the sobs.

“The Slayers showed up. Hammer knew he was cornered, aimed the gun at his own head, but someone shot him in the leg, and took him down. They dragged him off before the police or ambulance arrived.”

I shivered. “Please tell me the kids didn’t witness that.”

Releasing a long breath, he said, “Mim had made it up the hill. Rocky was hot on her heels. They didn’t see a thing.”

Thank you, Jesus.

Another long silence before Tango asked, “What was he after?”

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