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"Sleeping," I replied, my voice barely audible. "Doc says he'll be okay physically."
Jono nodded, understanding the unspoken concern about Matty's mental state. "We need to talk about Coombes."
"Not now," I said firmly, my arm tightening protectively around Matty's sleeping form.
"Bear," Jono sighed, stepping into the room. "Degrassi is dead, and the guys are handling the clean-up. But Coombes is still out there, and he’ll know we have Matty back."
I closed my eyes briefly, wishing I could shut out the world for just a few hours. "What about Tik Tac?"
“We let him go as agreed. His story checks out—his mother's medical records, the blackmail, all of it. He's cooperating, gave us everything he knows about Coombes's operation. I thought he was gonna puke when he saw what they'd done to Matty."
I nodded, unsurprised. Tik Tac had been caught between impossible choices. I couldn't forgive his betrayal, but I understood it.
"We've doubled security around the compound," Jono continued. "No one gets in or out without verification. But we need to decide our next move."
I looked down at Matty's peaceful face, the dried tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. "Tomorrow," I said firmly. "We'll dealwith it tomorrow. Tonight, I'm staying right here." I’d promised, and this was one I’d never break.
Jono studied me for a moment, then nodded. "First thing in the morning. Get some rest."
After he left, I carefully shifted into a more comfortable position, keeping Matty cradled against me. Despite my exhaustion, I knew sleep would be elusive. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Matty kneeling on that cold floor, naked and trembling. If we'd been just an hour later...
I pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the warm weight of him in my arms. He was safe. He was here. Nothing else mattered.
Chapter twenty
Novo
The next morning Mattywas even quieter. Physically, the doc was pleased with him, but he wasn’t interested in watching cartoons or coloring. I’d made soft boiled eggs and toast soldiers to dunk in the egg, but he didn’t seem interested in eating much either.
When he left Patches on the floor where he’d fallen off the bed, I knew I needed help.
The guys also needed to talk to me, and it wasn’t a conversation we could have in front of Matty.
So, when I opened the door to reinforcements, it felt like I took my first deep breath since Matty had been taken. Gunner had escorted Daisy and Annabel and would wait outside. “Matty?” I called softly to where he was curled up on the sofa. “Daisy and Annabel are here. They’re going to stay with you while I go talk to Jono and Bolt. I won’t be long.”
His eyes widened in alarm but he didn’t say anything. I decided to be as quick as I could and jogged to the meeting room in the clubhouse. The only bright point was that everyone stopped me to ask how Matty was.
The room was tense, all my brothers gathered around the big table. Digger and Bolt were in a heated discussion crowded around his laptop.
"Bear," Jono called, motioning me over. "How’s Matty?"
"Honestly? I think he’s still in shock. He’s not talking to me much," I said, taking a seat. "What's the situation?"
"Digger pulled everything we have on Coombes. Financial records, property holdings, known associates." Jono tapped a stack of printouts. "The man's been busy."
"And hemorrhaging money," Bolt added, sliding a financial report toward me. "His development company is underwater. Three failed projects in the last year, lawsuits from investors, and he's been covering it by siphoning from Matty's trust."
I scanned the numbers, my jaw tightening. "How much has he stolen?"
"Almost seven million," Digger said from his laptop. "Through a series of shell companies and fake invoices. Very sophisticated setup."
"That explains the urgency," I muttered. "The trust audit when Matty could access his money would have exposed everything."
Jono nodded grimly. "And with Matty dead, he inherits as next of kin. Clean slate."
"He's not getting near Matty again," I growled, the protective rage I'd been tamping down threatening to surface.
"Agreed," Jono said. "But we need to decide how to handle this. Going after Coombes directly is risky—he's connected, protected."