“There’s nothing to apologize for, sweetheart.” Placing a kiss on her forehead, I walk farther inside, my daughter still tucked under my arm.
“How is Luke?” Clementine follows us as I walk into the kitchen.
I rake a hand through my hair. “He’s still in surgery.” I grab my neck, feeling helpless. “He took two bullets and…lost a lot of blood.”
Mere gasps with tears running down her cheeks. It stings my heart to see the scared expressions on their faces, but there’s no way to sugarcoat this.
“Do you know who was behind this?” Clementine hands me a water bottle from the fridge before pulling Merida closer.
I mutter a thanks and guzzle the cold liquid. “I’ve a good suspicion.”
From what Gavin gathered, they were not there for Lukas. My heart clenches at the thought of what could’ve happened.
“He’ll be alright.” Clem squeezes my hand, crushing the thick plastic.
I nod.
Lukas has to get better. I’ll not be able to live, especially now, knowing he isn’t as alone as we all thought.
“I’ll be in the office. I need to collect more information on the incident. You both stay in the apartment. If you need anything, call me.”
A few more hours in my office, I’ve gotten nowhere.
Where the fuck are you, Mikhail Lebedev?
My cell phone rings and I notice it’s already six.
“How’s he doing, Connor?”
“Surgery is over. Both the bullets are out. They’ve shifted him to the recovery room.”
I can hear a touch of hesitation in Connor’s voice. “What is it?”
“The girl is refusing to leave.” He speaks softly and I’m guessing that’s because the said person is nearby.
“You had no knowledge of her?” I still can’t wrap my head around this.
“None. That fucker surprised us all.”
I can hear Connor’s wheelchair tires rolling, the sound of a door opening, followed by the noise of traffic. He must have gone outside.
“Teagers are equally pissed and hurt. Even they didn’t know anything about this,” he says in a clear, irritated voice.
How the hell have you kept such a big secret, Luke? And why?
“How did she even know about the accident?”
“She called on his cell and someone from the hospital gave her the information.” Connor takes a deep breath. “It is what it is. Can you talk to Clementine and Merida about this girl? Once Luke is up, I’d like to send her to his apartment. If she is who she says she is, her safety is equally important.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them now.”
After ending the call, I walk over to Tiki to collect my dinner order. When I enter the apartment, Clem and Mere hastily jump up from where they were perched on the living room couch.
“All’s fine. The surgery was successful. But it’ll take a while for him to fully recover.” I put the food on the coffee table and pass them the cardboard boxes. “There’s something you need to know. A girl came to the hospital for Lukas. She claims to be his family.”
“Like…sister?” Clementine asks, her untouched dinner sitting on her lap.
How do I say this in front of Mere?