Page 93 of Sheltered

“Her parents just went back to see her,” I shared. “She’s alive. She was lucky.”

Nodding, Huck said, “That’s good news. We wanted to update you on everything. We waited at the salon for the police and told them what we knew. Someone is going to have to head over there to deal with locking up the place and working out the details of entry, since it’s technically a crime scene.”

“I don’t trust myself to leave here right now, but I’ll talk to her brothers about it,” I said. “Where do we stand with this Laura woman? Have you talked to Royce?”

Greyson didn’t hesitate to ease the concerns I had. “He’s already on top of it. I got a call from him when we pulled into the lot here. He’s working closely with the Steel Ridge PD, and they’re set to make an arrest before the night is over. They want to move quickly, working on the presumption that this woman believed her attempt to kill Harlow was successful and nobody knows yet that she’s the one responsible.”

Some of the tension that had been coursing through my body eased a bit. While Laura hadn’t been caught just yet, I could rest assured it wouldn’t be long before she was. I trusted Royce and everyone else involved in would do whatever was necessary to find the woman who needed to be held accountable.

“I don’t think I’ll be leaving here anytime soon, so will one of you make sure someone keeps me updated on what’s happening?” I asked.

“Of course, Blaze. You know that without having to ask,” Huck returned.

I gave him a nod in return, and a few minutes later, Harlow’s parents entered the room again. Everyone’s eyes went to them, but I didn’t stop there. My feet carried me across the room and over to them, just as Kevin and Austin got there, too.

“How is she?”

If I thought I’d been carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders earlier, it didn’t compare to what I was seeing with Gary and Kim. Their expressions had me bracing for the worst.

“She just looks like she’s sleeping, but the bandages around her head and tubes going into her body tell a different story,” Gary returned. “I know she’s in there and that they expect her to recover, but I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until she wakes up.”

I would have told Gary that he and I shared the same sentiment, but I didn’t think it was necessary. I believed he knew I felt exactly as he did.

Not wanting to delay being able to see her, I turned to her brothers and asked, “Do you two want to go see her next?”

Kevin and Austin looked at one another before returning their attention to me. That’s when Austin said, “We’ll split up, so you can go in to see her now. I’ll go in with you first, then I’ll swap out with Kev.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Yeah. That’s what Harlow would want anyway.”

With that, Austin and I took off out of the room and made our way to Harlow’s room. We didn’t talk as we went there. I couldn’t speak for him, but I was entirely too worked up about what I’d see once we walked in that room. I didn’t trust myself to say anything.

Before too long, we made it to Harlow’s room, and at the sight of her in that bed, I fully understood the looks I’d seen on her parents’ faces only minutes earlier.

There was a mix of emotions I felt. Somehow, there was a sense of peace lingering there, which I assumed was attributed to not only the fact Harlow was expected to make a full recovery, but also that she wasn’t covered or surrounded by blood.

But there was also one wave of regret after another that pounded into me. I should have done things differently. If only I hadn’t been so selfish, she wouldn’t be here like this now.

After taking her in, I moved toward her. Austin moved to the opposite side of the bed. Maybe I was supposed to be mindful of how he intended for his visit with her to go, but I couldn’t think about anything other than my need to touch her.

I curled fingers around her hand, felt the warmth there that had been missing at the salon, and bent down to kiss her knuckles. My lips lingered there. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered.

Harlow didn’t respond.

And throughout the remainder of the time Austin was in the room with me and even when Kevin came in, she still didn’t wake up. An announcement was eventually made about visiting hours being over, and Harlow’s father walked in.

“Blaze, son, would you mind giving us a moment?” Gary asked.

I didn’t want to leave her, but I realized I had no right to keep her parents from spending some time with her, either.

So, I gave him a nod, kissed her once more, and walked out of the room. As Gary and Kim walked back in to see their daughter, I waited outside for them. Kevin and Austin did the same. There was still so much heaviness in the air, something I believed would remain until we officially had her back.

When her parents finally emerged from the room and her brothers went in, I thought it was important to tell them where I stood.

“She won’t be alone,” I said.

“Pardon?”