Page 54 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)
Queen
I’d seen death before. I’d pulled the trigger myself and watched the light fade from a man’s eyes. But nothing prepared me for seeing my baby girl’s blood pooling on those sterile hospital sheets, her breathing so shallow I had to keep checking to make sure she was still with us.
“Queen,” Nori whispered, squeezing my hand as we sat in those hard plastic chairs outside the ICU. “He’s here.”
I looked up and saw Cannon rushing toward us, his massive frame parting the hospital crowd like Moses with the Red Sea.
His face was tight with worry, those blue-green eyes locked on mine.
In three long strides, he reached me, pulling me up and into his arms. I collapsed against his chest, inhaling his scent, letting his strength hold me up when my legs felt ready to give out.
“Baby,” he murmured against my hair, his large hands cradling my face as he pulled back to look at me. His thumbs wiped tears I hadn’t even realized were falling. “How is she?”
“She’s in surgery,” I said, my voice cracking. “The bullet… it hit her in the abdomen. There was so much blood, Cannon. So much of my baby’s blood on my hands.”
He kissed me then, soft but fierce, like he was trying to pull some of my pain into himself.
“What happened with the boys?” Nori asked him, standing to give us space but staying close enough to hear.
The shadow that crossed Cannon’s face told me everything before he even spoke. “They’re taking them. Gage’s sister Mia and her husband. Reese named them as guardians in her will.”
“Oh, Cannon,” I whispered, fresh pain blooming for this man who’d already lost so much.
“Don’t,” he said, his jaw tight. “I can’t think about that right now. Tell me what happened with ZaZa.”
I took a shuddering breath, the memory of Marcus’s face as I pulled the trigger flashing behind my eyes. “It was Alfred Dixon’s son. He’s been planning this for years, stalking us. Using ZaZa to get close to me.” My voice broke. “He killed my mama, Cannon. And he was gonna kill us both.”
“Where is he now?” Cannon’s voice dropped dangerously low, his body tensing like a predator ready to strike.
“Dead,” I said flatly. “I put a bullet between his eyes.”
Nori made a small sound beside me. “The police were at the apartment when I got there. Queen called me right after the ambulance took ZaZa. It’s… it’s bad in there, Cannon. Blood everywhere.”
“But they’re not looking to charge you, right?” Cannon asked, his hands gripping my shoulders. “It was self-defense.”
“They took my statement at the scene,” I said, my mind flashing back to the detective’s sympathetic face.
“They’re calling it a justifiable homicide.
But they still have more questions.” I shuddered, remembering the detective’s eyes on me, searching for holes in my story.
“It’s like they don’t believe me, even with the evidence right in front of them. ”
Before Cannon could respond, the double doors to the surgical ward swung open. A doctor in blood-spattered scrubs walked toward us, pulling off his surgical cap. My heart stopped, then raced into overdrive as I gripped Cannon’s arm so tight my nails dug into his skin.
“Ms. Davenport?” The doctor’s face was unreadable as he approached.
“Yes,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “How is my daughter?”
The doctor’s serious expression softened just slightly. “ZaZa made it through surgery. The bullet damaged her liver, but we were able to repair the damage. She lost a significant amount of blood, but she’s stabilized now.”
My knees buckled. If Cannon hadn’t caught me, I would’ve collapsed right there on the hospital floor.
“So she’s going to be okay?” I asked, hardly daring to believe it.
“She’s not out of the woods completely,” the doctor cautioned, “but her vitals are strong, and she’s young and healthy. That’s working in her favor. We’re moving her to recovery now, and then to the ICU for monitoring. You’ll be able to see her soon, but only for a few minutes at a time.”
I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “Thank you. Thank God.”
The doctor nodded and turned to leave when the elevator doors opened and Javi burst into the waiting area, his eyes wild with panic. When he spotted me, he rushed over, but froze when he saw Cannon’s arm around me.
“What happened?” Javi demanded, his voice cracking with emotion. “Where’s ZaZa?”
I felt Cannon’s body tense beside me, but I placed a calming hand on his chest. “She just got out of surgery. She was shot, but the doctor says she’s stable.”
“Shot? What the fuck, Queen?” Javi stepped closer, but Cannon shifted slightly, his massive frame creating a barrier between us. Javi immediately stepped back, a flash of fear crossing his face.
“Marcus,” I said, exhaustion washing over me. “ZaZa’s boyfriend. He was the son of a man from my past. He came for revenge.”
Javi’s face paled. “Is he—”
“Dead,” I confirmed flatly. “I put a bullet in his head.”
Javi swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously to Cannon and back to me. “Jesus, Queen.”
“She’ll be in recovery soon,” I said, changing the subject. “You should talk to the doctor about when you can see her.”
Javi nodded, clearly relieved to have an excuse to do something besides stand there awkwardly. He looked at Cannon once more, then turned away quickly when those ice-blue eyes narrowed at him.
“I’ll go find him right now,” Javi mumbled, backing away like he was afraid Cannon might lunge at him. I couldn’t blame him after what happened at the club.
“ZaZa’s gonna be okay, Javi,” I called after him, feeling a twinge of sympathy despite everything. He was still her father. “Go talk to Dr. Sharma. He can tell you more.”
Once Javi disappeared down the hallway, Cannon squeezed my shoulder gently. “Let’s get some air,” he suggested, his voice low and steady. “Just for a minute.”
I nodded, suddenly desperate to escape the antiseptic smell and fluorescent lights. “I’ll text you if anything changes,” Nori promised, settling back into her chair with her phone.
Outside, the late afternoon sun felt surreal after hours in the windowless waiting room. I took a deep breath, letting the crisp autumn air fill my lungs as Cannon guided me to a bench in the small courtyard beside the emergency entrance.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whispered, staring at my hands. Though I’d scrubbed them raw in the hospital bathroom, I swore I could still see ZaZa’s blood in the creases of my palms. “My baby could have died because of something I did thirty years ago.”
Cannon pulled me close, his warmth anchoring me. “This wasn’t your fault, Queen. You were protecting your mother. You were a child.”
“But ZaZa—”
“Is going to pull through,” he finished firmly. “The doctor said she’s stable.”
I leaned into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. “I’m so sorry about the boys,” I said after a moment of silence. “After everything you’ve done for them…”
He tensed briefly, then sighed, his breath warm against my hair. “It is what it is. I’ll still be in their lives, just… differently than I planned.” His voice was steady, but I could hear the pain underneath.
“It’s not fair,” I said, anger flaring on his behalf. “After all you’ve been through, to lose them too—”
“Life ain’t fair,” he cut me off gently. “But I’m learning that sometimes when one door closes, another one opens.” He shifted, turning to face me fully. “Queen, these last few days have been hell for both of us. But they’ve shown me what matters.”
I met his gaze, those blue-green eyes intense as they searched mine. “And what’s that?”
“You,” he said simply. “Us. Building something real together.” He took my hands in his. “I know this is crazy timing, but after losing Reese, nearly losing ZaZa… life’s too short to wait for the perfect moment.”
I felt my heart stop as Cannon suddenly dropped to one knee right there in the hospital courtyard. A few nurses passing by slowed their steps, watching us with curious eyes.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, though I knew exactly what was happening.
“Queen Marie Davenport,” Cannon said, his deep voice steady despite everything we’d been through. “I don’t have a ring yet. We can pick one out together once ZaZa’s better. I just couldn’t wait another day to ask you to be my wife.”
The world around us seemed to fade away. There was only Cannon, looking up at me with those piercing eyes that saw right through all my walls.
“I want to build that bed and breakfast for you. I want to wake up beside you every morning. I want to be a buffer for everything the world throws at you.” His grip on my hands tightened. “We’re getting married.”
“Wait… that is not a proposal. You didn’t even ask me,” I laughed.
“Nah, I’m straight up telling you. We’re getting married.”
I laughed despite everything, a bubble of unexpected joy rising through all the grief and fear. This man… this beautiful, damaged, fiercely protective man was telling me we were getting married, not even bothering to phrase it as a question. Like it was just a fact, as inevitable as the sun rising.
“Yes,” I said, pulling him to his feet and into my arms. “Yes, we’re getting married.”
His mouth claimed mine in a kiss so deep and possessive it made my knees weak.
His hands cupped my face like I was something precious, something worth protecting.
For a woman who had spent her life building walls against love, the feeling of being cherished like this was almost too much to bear.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, his forehead rested against mine.
“I love you,” I whispered, the words coming easier now than I ever thought possible.
“I love you too,” he murmured back, his thumb brushing across my bottom lip. “More than you’ll ever know.”
His mouth found mine again, this kiss deeper, hungrier than before. His tongue slid against mine, tasting me, claiming me. My hands gripped his broad shoulders, feeling the solid muscle beneath his shirt. My body pressed against his, craving his touch, his strength, his certainty.
“We should get back upstairs,” he murmured against my lips, his voice husky with desire.
I held Cannon’s gaze, my heart steady for the first time in days. Whatever storms were still coming, I knew we would face them together, and for the first time in a long time, tomorrow actually felt like it could be brighter.