Finally, a doctor came out and walked up to Ariel.
I rushed to her side, not caring if she slapped me or pushed me away. I needed an update on Crewe, to know he was still breathing.
Ariel gave me a fiery look but didn’t tell me to leave.
“We got the bullet out and patched up the severed artery,” the doctor explained. “We gave him a transfusion because he lost a lot of blood. There weren’t any other complications, so he’s going to pull through. We’re going to keep him for a few more days to monitor his progress, but I think he’ll be okay. As long as there’s no infection, he should be alright.”
I covered my face as I felt a new wave of hot tears emerge. They dripped down my face and coated my lips. I knew everyone was staring at me, but I didn’t care. Relief washed over me in waves. “Thank god…”
“Thank you, Dr. Mitchel,” Ariel said as she dismissed him.
He walked away, leaving us alone together.
I pulled my hands down and looked at her, unashamed of how ugly I looked at that moment. Now that Crewe was okay, she was probably going to threaten me. The second I left that hospital, I was dead meat.
“You have no right to be here.” She had a tiny drop of blood on her cheek, probably Crewe’s that she hadn’t noticed yet. “You got what you wanted, so now you need to leave.”
I wanted to see him, but I didn’t know what I would say. Everything was different now. He knew I played him, and even if I told him I cared about him, it wouldn’t make a difference. The relationship I enjoyed was gone. He didn’t trust me anymore—not that he should. There was nothing keeping me there. While I wished things had worked out differently, my desire was the same. I wanted to be a free woman, and now I was. “I didn’t mean for it to happen this way. I told Joseph to back off. I wanted to talk to Crewe myself—”
“I really don’t give a shit,” she said coldly. “I knew what you were doing long ago. I warned Crewe, but he didn’t listen to me. Now some of our men are dead, and Crewe nearly died too. You outsmarted the most intelligent man I know, so congratulations. But you no longer have a purpose here. Enjoy your freedom.”
My feet remained glued to the tile. I could hear the quiet conversations around me, people concerned about their loved ones while sitting in the emergency room. I heard some of Crewe’s men speak on the phone, instructing other men what to do while their leader was incapacitated. “I know you’re going to kill me, so I don’t have any freedom.”
Her eyes narrowed like I’d said something new to offend her. “You wanna know what I whispered to Crewe?”
Actually, I did. I nodded, surprised she would share that information with me.
“I told him I was going to kill you if he didn’t get to his feet. I threatened to cause you as much pain as possible if he didn’t do everything he possibly could to get to the hospital. That’s why he got up, London. That’s why he’s alive right now—to protect you.”
19
London
Joseph picked me up at the hospital. There was a silent declaration of a truce between Crewe’s men and him since he was only removing me from the situation with no intention of causing any further damage.
I wouldn’t have called him—but I had no one else.
He drove me to a hotel near the airport so I could get some sleep. I hadn’t closed my eyes in forty-eight hours, and now that I knew Crewe was okay, I could finally rest my head against a pillow.
Joseph left because he had to take care of my paperwork to make sure I could catch a flight when I woke up. So far, we had said very little to each other. He was pissed at me, and I was just as pissed at him.
But we were still family.
When I woke up the next day, Joseph gave me all my paperwork, along with something else. “I’ve set up an account in your name in the US. It has more than enough to cover any expenses that you have.” He handed me the card as well as the account information.
“Joseph, you don’t need to give me any money.”
“It’s gonna take you some time to put your life back together. Trust me, you’ll need it.”
Knowing Joseph, it was probably a fortune. “I’ll pay you back.”
“You don’t need to pay me back,” he said quickly. “Do you want me to fly out with you? I can help you get settled back in New York.”
There was nothing I wanted more. I would love to have him for support as I moved back home and put my life back together. But I knew he had more important things to do here. “I’ll be fine.”