The agent glances at his superior, and she nods in agreement. Two minutes later, I’m sitting in the ambulance with Stella and a federal agent as our escort. The ride to the hospital is a blur. When I reach for Stella’s hand and feel her warmth against me, nothing else exists outside of this moment. I know that nothing is okay, but I need to hear her lies right now.
“Tell me you’re okay.” My voice fractures as I study every square inch of her body.
I almost lost her.I almost fucking lost her.
“I’m okay,” she insists, but I still can’t believe it. Not until the hospital staff examines her, and I hear it directly from the doctor.
As soon as we arrive, the agent tries again to separate us, but I refuse to leave Stella’s side.
“We need to question you both separately, sir,” he tells me.
“That’s not fucking happening.”
“Sebastian,” Stella rasps. “Please just do what they say so this can be over with.”
The exhaustion in her voice nearly breaks me. In her eyes, I can see she’s barely fucking holding on to herself, and I know she’s right. The sooner we can get this over with, the better. But it doesn’t make it any easier to accept.
“We can talk in the hall,” the agent says. “My colleague will stay with Stella, and she’ll be safe here.”
“I’ll be right outside,” I promise her. “If you need anything, tell the nurse to get me.”
She nods, and I lean down to kiss her forehead, whispering the only truth I know. “You can’t leave me, Stella.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
STELLA
AFTER A LENGTHY CONVERSATIONabout how I ended up in a car chase with my father, the doctor comes to examine me and give me a few stitches for the cut on my head. She tells me my baby is fine, but they want to keep me overnight for observation anyway. I agree to stay until they tell me otherwise because right now it’s all I can do to keep from breaking down.My baby is safe. Sebastian is safe.That’s what I try to focus on, but eventually, I have to ask the question I’ve been dreading.
“Is my father okay?”
“He’ll be fine,” Agent Allison assures me. “He sustained a gunshot wound to his arm, so he’ll be spending a couple days in the hospital before he’s processed into jail. From there, he will be charged and tried for the crimes he’s committed.”
“I’ve never seen him like that.” I squeeze my eyes shut as I recall him jamming the pistol into Sebastian’s face all over again.
“Running from something like this changes people,” Agent Allison says. “The isolation and paranoia leave them in a bad way sometimes. There’s nothing you could have done to change that.”
“Am I in trouble?” I ask her.
“No.” She shakes her head. “We won’t be pursuing any charges against you, Miss LeClaire. But might I suggest you take this as a life lesson and learn from it.”
“Trust me, I have.” I blink away the tears. “I already cut my mother out of my life. And honestly, after today, I’m not sure I’ll ever want to see my father again either.”
“Well, you’ll likely have a very long time to think about it,” she says. “He’s looking at a lengthy sentence, and he won’t be going anywhere.”
“We have a room available for you,” the nurse interrupts. “I can take you up now, if you’re finished.”
“We are.” Agent Allison stands up and heads for the door.
“What about Sebastian?”
“He’s just down the hall,” she informs me. “I’ll let him know where he can find you.”
AS SOON AS my head hits the pillow, my eyes start to feel heavy, but I don’t want to fall asleep until I talk to Sebastian. Fighting that battle is difficult because the events of the day are catching up with me. Too much has happened, and I haven’t even begun to process the entirety of it.
I close my eyes just for a moment, and I can’t tell if it’s been a second or an hour when the door creaks open. I smell Sebastian’s cologne before I feel his lips ghosting over my forehead as he breathes me in. When I open my eyes and meet his, he draws in a ragged breath and pulls me upright into his arms.
“God, Stella.” His entire body trembles against me. “I almost fucking lost you.”