Page 128 of Cannon

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 scrubswalked 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 barrierbetween 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.”