Light (The Shadows Series) (25 page)

It is not long before Evan comes into the room with the bags that I asked for. He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. Nothing he could say could make this any better, so he just stands beside me. After a few minutes, he squeezes my shoulder and then leaves me alone with Eve. I should never have left her alone. I wish I would have gotten to her sooner. I also wish that Anne hadn’t shot Ben. I wanted to be the one to pull the trigger. A nurse comes into the room and records some stuff onto Eve’s chart. I suddenly feel exhausted. I excuse myself into the bathroom and change my clothes. When I come out, the nurse is gone. She laid out a blanket and a pillow for me on the blue couch by the window. It takes me a couple of seconds before I figure out how to pull it out into a bed. It’s not very big. In fact, I am too long for it. I try to make myself as comfortable as possible. Turning onto my side to face Eve, I lay quietly just listening to the beeps of the machine and her breathing. I don’t know how long I lay there waiting for sleep to claim me, but eventually it does.

Nurses came in and out all throughout the night. Sleep seems pointless. Even without the constant stirring of people, I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Worry and the feeling of helplessness is eating away at me. I give up around five in the morning, and get dressed. I have just finished brushing my teeth, when I hear a knock on the door. I step out of the bathroom, as a young doctor walks in.

“How is our patient this morning?”

“Asleep. She looks like hell, and she’s still asleep.” I don’t mean to come off as an asshole, but it happens. I don’t care how I’m perceived or about anything else around me, except for my girl.

“I know how frustrating this can be. She’s healing and the rest is exactly what her body needs right now. I’m going to check the sutures on her leg. The swelling in her face has gone down immensely, which is a great improvement.”

Anger seeps through me, as I watch him check her vitals and inspect her injuries. If I could get my hands on Anne…I would burn her alive. I would light the match and take joy in watching her body burn to ashes. I want to hear her scream, knowing that I am the cause of her pain. She deserves every second of torture at the mercy of my hands. I am pulled from my inhumane thoughts, when I see the doctor standing in front of me again. He looks like he is waiting for something.

“I’m sorry. I’m lost in my thoughts. Did you say something?”

“It’s quite alright. Letting her rest and taking care of yourself in the meantime is exactly what she needs. The nurses will be back in for their rounds in a little while. Do you need anything or have any questions right now?”

“No.”

The doctor leaves and once again, I am alone with Eve. I would give anything for her to wake up and just tell me that everything is okay. It seems as though I will just have to wait. I fix the sofa I was laying on, folding up the blanket and placing it in one of the drawers across from her bed. Pulling a chair next to her, I carefully take one of her hands in mine, and watch the clock at the seconds tick away.

For four days, I watch as the seconds, minutes, and hours inch by. Her family comes and goes. Kayla and Evan keep checking on me. I refuse to leave. I don’t want her to wake up and be alone. Her mom stays with her a few times, while I shower or grab something to eat, but I always rush right back. She is laying so peacefully. Closing my eyes, I rest my head on her bed and pray for her to wake up. I am afraid of what I might do if she doesn’t wake soon.

T
here is a tap on the door and I jerk my head up. I must have dozed off again. It is just after ten. Evan walks in and hands me a coffee. I take a drink and shudder at the bitter taste. Eve would hate this coffee. She would have to drown it in creamer and sugar before she drank this crap. I haven’t slept and all I have to rely on for caffeine is this horrible tasting sludge in my cup.

 
“I know. It’s shit, but it is all they have on the floor. I figure I can get you something better later. I wanted to get here, so I can give you a heads up. Detectives Hallows and Markz called me. They wanted to approach me first, so I could get a read on you.”

 “What happened, Evan? I don’t have any patience for bullshit or games.” He leans against the counter across from me with his legs crossed and stretched out in front of him. His face isn’t giving anything away.

 “From what I understand, Anne had quite a lot to say the night they took her in. They want to make sure that you’re stable before they come up here. They need to ask you some questions, and Hallows was insistent on it being today.”

 “Fucking cops. I get that they have a job to do, but shouldn’t I get some kind of time to process all of this. Fuck, Evan. Look at her. They fucking broke her!” Running my hands through my hair, I stand and start pacing back and forth. Why does it have to be today? I look over at Eve. Anne needs to pay for what she has done.

 “Whoa. You alright?”

 I stop dead in my tracks and glare at Evan. “What?”

 “What are you doing in your head, Theron? Your face twisted, you look dark. A dark man does dangerous things. I don’t know what you are thinking or planning, but stop. She needs you right now. If you’re behind bars, it won’t do her any good.”

 “Set up a meeting with the detectives for later today. Linda and Phillip will be here after lunch. Try to set it up so that Eve is never alone.”

 “Will do.” Evan turns to walk out, but I grab his arm.

 “I mean it, Evan. She is never to be alone.” He nods his head, as he walks out the door.

 The rest of the morning slowly creeps by. The only sound is of her machines and her breathing. I watch her for a while. She is laying so perfectly still. This is all so surreal. At noon, one of the nurses brings me a can of pop. I didn’t ask for anything, but I can tell that the nurses feel awful. Every time one of them comes to check on my Eve, their faces are full of pity. I stare back out at the lake through the window, watching the boats pass by. I bet Eve would like to sail. She always loved when the wind blew through her hair at the beach. Closing my eyes, I picture my beautiful angel the first time that I met her. I am pulled from my thoughts by voices outside of the door, and I stand from the window ledge that I am sitting on. Linda and Phillip walk in, whispers ceasing when they see her.

 “Jesus Christ.” This isn’t the first time that Eve’s dad has seen her since everything happened, but every time he comes here, his reaction is the same. All of the color drains from his face, as he walks around her bed. Linda doesn’t say a word. She adjusts some lines and Eve’s blankets, but never looks at Eve’s face. I don’t think that she can handle it.

 “Theron, how was she during the night?”

 I shrug my shoulders and drop my head. My voice is so tight it cracks, as the words leave my lips. “Nothing has changed.”

 “She’s just resting. You’ll see. My brave girl is stubborn and she is a fighter. We’ll make it through this.”

 I swallow hard and nod my head, as Linda takes a seat in the chair beside the bed. Looking over to Phillip, my expression matches his. Lost, anger, heartache, desperation, hatred, and fear all play their parts on our faces. With her parents here, I decide that I could use a few minutes out of the room, even if it’s just to gather my nerves.

 “I’m going to step out for a minute. I won’t be far. I’m just going to the family lounge to get some coffee.”

 “That’s fine. We have her.”

For some reason, Linda’s words offer me so much comfort. They have her. I know she will be okay if I step away. As I walk down the white hallway to the family lounge, my phone buzzes in my pocket. “Theron.”

 “It’s Evan. The detectives would like to see you. They swear that it’s urgent. It’s not my place, but I feel that they are withholding information.”

 “I’m not sure what they could withhold. Her parents are here now, so I’m getting a fresh cup of coffee. How long before they get here?”

 “I’d give an ETA of about twenty minutes. Maybe less.”

 “That’s fine. I’ll be waiting.” This is hell. I have been in hell for almost five days now. It feels like it has been so much longer than that. The family lounge is small. There is a microwave, mini refrigerator, chairs, coffee pot with paper cups, and a bathroom. I make myself a cup of coffee, as my brain tries to make sense of everything that has happened. I don’t understand Ben’s obsession with her. Was he like this before, or was it knowing how much I was worth that spurred his actions? My phone buzzes in my pocket and I almost spill my coffee trying to answer. “Theron.”

 “We’re here.”

 “We?”

 “Yeah, listen I have a really bad feeling. Something’s off. I wasn’t going to sit by and let you meet with them alone. I met them in the lobby. Where are you?”

 “In the lounge on her floor. There’s a visitor limit. How can you come up with them?”

 “Cops don’t count as visitors when there’s an investigation going on.”

 “Right. Okay.” I end the call and shove the phone back in my pocket. My stomach sinks, as I accept that fact that this isn’t over, yet. Sitting in one of the chairs, I start bouncing my knees, as I stare at the door. I have to keep moving. I need to do something or I am going to lose my mind. Evan walks in, followed by both detectives. Standing, I shake their hands. “Detective Hallows. Detective Markz. Have a seat. That black shit behind you in the pot is supposed to be coffee, if you want a cup.”

 “Now with a sales pitch like that, I’d say that I’ll have to pass. Though, I don’t think we have anything better at the station. It all tastes like shit to me. I’m not really the sitting type, but I think Markz will have a seat.” Hallows nods with his head towards a chair, and Markz finds himself a seat. All three of us stare at Evan, waiting to see if he is going to sit or stand. He slowly sits down in the chair to my right. Markz clears his throat and our heads turn in synchronization towards him.

 “I know how bad this looks. I know how bad this is, but I want you to know that this case is our priority. Obviously, her coworker, Ben was a huge player in this, but we believe that he was just simply a piece in a game of chess. Anne had a lot to say the other night, but she got real quiet when her lawyer showed up.”

 “I bet. Any lawyer would advise their client not to talk.” Evan says exactly what I am thinking.

 Hallows turns around, making himself a cup of coffee. “I think what should interest you is who her lawyer was.” I stare at his back, waiting for him to tell me. He turns back around and I stare him dead in the eye.

 “Who?”

 “Ronald Guzman.”

 “Mother fucker.” Once again, Evan says exactly what I am thinking. Out of all the lawyers around, my dad’s personal attorney shows up.

 “God damn it!” I stand from my chair and kick the door as hard as I can. It slams shut. It only offers me a second of reprieve from the anger boiling inside of me. Hallows grabs my shoulder, but I shake him off. “I should have fucking known. At first I knew it was him, but at the board meeting he honestly looked surprised when I mentioned the notes.” 

 “We couldn’t figure that one out, either. It seems that Anne didn’t even know about the notes.” Hallows takes a sip of his coffee, looking over at Detective Markz before he continues. “She also didn’t know about the hundred grand Thomas had transferred over to Ben that morning. It seems our man Ben was keeping secrets from everyone.”

 “Theron, I don’t think this is over, yet. What does your dad have against you?”

 A sharp laugh escapes me, as I look at Markz. “My life. He has hated me since the day I was born. He blames me for my mom’s death, and would love to see me shatter. He wants nothing left of me, but a shell. I’ll tell you something, he’s already fucking done that. My life, my reason to breathe, and the reason my heart still beats in my chest is lying in a hospital bed, mangled by people she thought were her friends. They turned her over for money, as if she was nothing to them, just a paycheck. Well, fuck them! Fuck, Thomas! Fuck anyone who stands in my way! Unless you have him in cuffs or his feet are buried in buckets of cement sinking to the bottom of the lake, stay the fuck away from me.”

 “I get you’re hurting right now. We all do. Don’t do anything rash. Detective Hallows and I can only protect you legally from so much.”

 “Rash? Rash would be me waiting outside his house in the middle of the night. Then just as he falls asleep, I slip in through his window, startling him awake. I’d make him watch, as I carved his body with a sharp blade before I slit his throat. That detective would be rash. I’m not doing anything rash. No, I’m getting vengeance.” Hallows grabs my shoulder again. I stare straight into his eyes, so that he can see exactly how capable I am of holding true to my words. He pulls in a breath and drops his hand. I don’t turn around, as I turn the handle of the door. “Evan.” It is all I have to say, he knows to follow me.