“You’re in the wrong job.” His voice trickled down the phone; deep, commanding, hypnotic.God, I’ve missed that sound.
“So you’re back now? Everything’s okay?”
There was a pause. “I’m at the hospital. I may have been shot.”
I pushed my fingers through my hair frustratedly.
“Just in my shoulder,” he added as if that made it better.
“And Melissa?” I asked.
“In surgery. She got shot too.” Regret dripped from his words.
“Shit, Thomas… what did you do?”
“Not enough, apparently.”
“I’m on my way.”
“No, you don’t need to. I just wanted you to hear about my apparent resurrection directly from me before I became town gossip.”
I tutted. “I’m on my way. I want to see you’re okay for myself before I murder you for being so stupid.”
I ended the call and typed out a message.
Me: I need to leave. Something urgent came up. I’ll grab a cab.
Vee: What’s happened?
Me: Thomas is in the hospital.
Vee: ???
Vee: Wait, we’re coming with you.
I stood in the doorway and stared across the room at the man I didn’t think I’d see again. He was dressed head to toe in black, his arm held to his body by a tight sling. Head dropped, he letout a sigh while a group of annoyed people, including Red and Sean, glared in his direction.
“Always one for the dramatics, Boss,” I said as I walked toward him, trying to act annoyed and not show my relief that he was still here.
Thomas looked up, his tired eyes landing on mine. “You had a makeover while I’ve been away, Helen?”
“I had a makeover before you left. I think you ‘dying’ might have made me lose my mind if these trousers are anything to go by.”
He huffed out a laugh, but he didn’t smile.
“Melissa?”
He patted the empty seat next to him. “Still waiting for news.”
“Then I guess we’re all waiting with you.” I sat next to Thomas, taking his hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. “Bloody insufferable man. Don’t ever do that to me again,” I muttered under my breath.
Thomas squeezed back, his eyes locking on the door as if he was willing a doctor to walk through with news of Melissa.
After waiting for what felt like hours, where I’d hugged him more than either of us were comfortable with and burst into tears on more than one occasion as he explained why he left and what he’d done to save Melissa, Thomas was allowed in to see his injured fiancée. His relief that she was going to be okay was as palpable as the anger of the people in the waiting room who had grieved him for the last month.
Needing a coffee, as I was too old to be staying up all night, I stepped into the lift, reminding myself to find a phone charger. It was only a week until Jasper left and he’d been blowing up my phone recently with messages about talking to Jax.
I pressed the button for the ground floor and leaned back against the cool metal wall, letting my eyes flutter closed for a second.