Chapter 11
At the station, Dallas heard it reported Eddie didn’t make it through surgery. Of Gael’s condition, she heard nothing as of yet. The wait was making her insane. The officers around her were kind and courteous, but paperwork was a slow process, and since her self-defense had turned into manslaughter, things became a little stickier. A lawyer was called on her behalf, and she now sat waiting for Gael’s cousin Diego to show. She might be in for a long wait since the two men were as close as brothers. Diego would probably be at the hospital waiting for news on Gael. The last thing he cared about was defending the woman who put his cousin in jeopardy, she was sure.
Two more hours passed, and Dallas wanted to weep with frustration. She should be there for Gael. What if he didn’t make it? What if complications arose? Helplessness didn’t sit well with her. She was a doer.
At some point she convinced the officer who took her statement to put out a BOLO for her father when the wellness check of his apartment turned up empty. If Eddie had hurt or, God forbid, done worse to Frank, she’d never forgive herself.
When had Eddie gone off the deep end? Apparently when they were teens, but why? And how long had he been unstable without her noticing? The weight of her family’s death sat heavy on her shoulders. Their deaths were her fault.
Silent tears tracked down her cheeks, dropping on to her cuffed hands. Dallas leaned her head back against the wall of the holding cell. She supposed she should feel grateful they hadn’t booked her or tossed her ass into the main jail yet.
Clay had been considerate and provided her coffee along with something to snack on. He’d patted her shoulder and assured her everything would turn out all right. She wasn’t so sure, but she appreciated the sentiment.
How had the day turned so ugly? Sure the day had started with a fight, but Gael had turned it into one of beauty with his love, wisdom, and incredible lovemaking. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life regretting her horrible behavior this morning if he didn’t survive.
“Dallas, you’re going to make yourself sick sitting here worrying like this,” Clay said gently, snagging the seat across from her.
“I can’t seem to stop. I haven’t heard anything more on Gael or my dad.”
Clay studied her and seemed to come to a decision. “Let me see if I can get information on Gael’s status.”
“You’d do that for me?” Dallas was humbled by his offer.
He grinned and wrapped his hands over hers. “Of course. Even though you so callously tossed me aside, you’re still my best girl.” His joking made her heart lighter. They both knew she never tossed him aside. He’d been the one to leave when he met and fell in love with his current fiancée. Since their relationship had been a casual, no-frills sort of thing, they’d parted as friends.
“Thank you, Clay.”
“No need. I’ll be back soon.” He stood and moved toward his superior’s office.
Alone once again, Dallas’s thoughts turned dark. Being optimistic with her track record of losing loved ones wasn’t in her nature.
A commotion in the entrance of the station room caught her attention through the glass pane. It only took a moment for her to assess the situation. A body had been found. Whether dead or alive, she had yet to discover.
Moisture burned behind her lids and she fought valiantly not to let her tears fall again. She sent a prayer up that it wasn’t her father. The last time she’d seen Frank, she was awful. She shouldn’t have been so mean to him. What if she never had another chance to tell him how she truly felt? Or tell him he’d been the best of dads while she was growing up? Or that she appreciated the endless hours he stayed by her bedside nursing her back to health?
Looking back, Dallas realized she’d been an ungrateful bitch. Blaming him for not saving everyone when she should have been thankful he’d dragged her out of a burning building in place of his other two children and wife. If she got the chance, she intended to make it up to him.
Tears were falling in earnest now. She wished she could stab Eddie again—repeatedly—in the heart! Even after he’d departed this world, he was still ripping her heart from her chest. She wished she’d never met him. Angrily, Dallas swiped at the salty tears blurring her vision. When she was able to see again, Clay was standing before her with a fresh cup of coffee in his hands.
“He’s in recovery. There was significant damage to the lower section of his right lung. I was told you saved his life by acting so quickly,” he said as he sat across from her. “Also, the preliminary investigation, along with a scathing phone call from the fire Captain of station 58 asking the boss ‘what kind of damn shit show he was running’, has convinced him you aren’t our run-of-the-mill convict.”
“I don’t know whether that is supposed to make me feel better or not,” she half-joked. Putting a hand on his arm to redirect his attention, she nodded to where she’d seen all the hoopla happening. “Who did they find?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Eddie…” She swallowed and tried again. “Eddie said he spoke with my father, trying to get Frank to tell him where I was. I haven’t heard from my dad in a long while. I’m worried Eddie hurt him in some way.”
“Jesus, Dallas. Okay, let me see what I can find out.”
She watched him confer with another detective. Both men kept casting glances in her direction, which did nothing to put her at ease. Clay nodded his head, shook the detective’s hand, and made his way back to where she waited.
“All they know is it’s an adult male, no identification or identifying marks. He appears to be in his mid-fifties.” Clay’s tone was more serious than she’d ever heard it.
“How long has he been deceased?”
“Long enough.”
“Over a month?”
“Dallas, don’t do this to yourself. There’s no point in it. When they bring the body to the morgue after the investigation, I’ll bring you there if you’d like. We can rule him out as Frank.” He gave her a tight hug. “In the meantime, do you want me to try your lawyer again?”
“Yes, please.”
A few more hours passed, and Dallas dozed with her head on the table. Stress and worry had given way to exhaustion. Outside the door she could hear a man’s baritone voice swearing in Spanish.
“Mierda! Why didn’t you tell me it was Dallas who called? No, no! Sí, I’m here now.”
Diego charged in and rushed to her side.
“Dallas! I’m so sorry, cariño. I only now received the message you needed a lawyer,” he said apologetically, kissing the top of her head and moving to the opposite side of the table.
Damn, the man had charm in spades. Gael’s whole family was lethal to the female population and should come with warning labels.
She waved away his apology with a clank of her cuffs. “What’s the news on Gael?”
“He’s resting. I owe you, cariño. Whatever legal help you need is on me.”
“You don’t owe me, Diego. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t have been in this situation to begin with. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t hate me.”
“Never! My cousin is crazy about you. When you aren’t making him insane, you make him happy. With his childhood, he deserves all the happiness he can get. Now, no more talk about fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s the crazy sonofabitch who shot him.” Diego made a spitting gesture. “May he rot in hell.”
“I can see why Gael adores you,” she said warmly.
“Let’s see about getting you out of here, okay?”