Page 91 of Sheltered

If I thought her family liked me for her before, I wasn’t so sure how they’d feel about me now.

I took the phone from Forrest and moved toward the exit. Then I followed behind the ambulance all the way to the hospital, feeling nothing but a mix of rage, fear, and that continued helplessness.

I’d alternated between sitting in a chair and pacing the length of the room from the moment I’d entered the waiting room while Forrest looked on from a chair.

Nothing worked.

Nothing made any of this better.

Harlow was somewhere in this hospital, fighting for her life, and I felt like I was coming out of my skin.

There was a part of me that felt the need to leave, only to find the woman responsible for doing this to Harlow.

But I couldn’t go.

I couldn’t walk out of here without knowing her fate.

Plus, I knew Forrest wouldn’t let me walk out of here, even if I’d been stupid enough to make that decision.

So, I stayed.

And though it felt like time just kept passing me by, I tried to look on the bright side. If a doctor hadn’t come out yet, that meant there was still a reason to hope.

That’s when the door opened, and my body ground to a halt.

Harlow’s family had arrived, their faces looking as horrified as I imagined my own did. Slowly, apprehensively, they moved in my direction. I stood still, waiting for them to close that distance.

“What happened?” her father, Gary, asked.

I swallowed hard.

When I’d called them on the way here, I told them Harlow was in an ambulance and for them to meet me at the hospital. I didn’t give them any additional details then.

They needed to know the truth, but I hated knowing what this was going to do to them. “Harlow was shot tonight in her salon.” Her mom, Kim, gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. I continued, “From what I could tell, there were two gunshot wounds. One to her leg, the other…”

“Where?” her brother, Kevin, pressed.

My eyes cut to his. Following a beat of silence, I revealed, “Her head.”

Kim’s knees buckled, and Gary’s arms went around her. Harlow’s other brother, Austin, turned around and started to pace.

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand exactly what he was going through. I gave them all some time to digest that information, and when Gary had gotten Kim in a chair with Austin sitting down beside her, Kevin asked, “Why would someone do this to her?”

This was the part I was dreading the most. Would I even be able to tell them the truth and have them not want to kick me out before I knew if Harlow survived?

Regardless of how they’d react, I couldn’t keep the truth from them.

So, I revealed, “She was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire.”

“Of what?” Austin questioned me.

I inhaled deeply, attempting to buy myself some time, but it didn’t help much. “Someone had decided to seek revenge against Harper Security Ops. I’ve been working on this case with a couple of the guys I work with for nearly the entire time I’ve known Harlow. When I realized what was happening, I should have walked away to keep her safe. It’s my fault she might not survive.”

“Do you believe that?” Kim asked.

“What?”

“Do you believe she won’t survive?”