Page 48
“No, it won’t. We’ll take care of the bill.
And there’s no way we can let you stay on a regular unit, even if we wanted to.
You’re news, Gianna. You’re my anamchara .
The media has discovered your last name.
They’re camped outside the hospital. It appears that someone saw a bunch of us and alerted the media.
We know the staff won’t rat you out on this private unit, and no one can get in here unless they have clearance,” I explained.
“I know people do things like that, but it’s still hard to believe medical professionals would. Or that I would be that big of a draw. I hate that this is costing you so much. Couldn’t we find a way to send me home, and I can recover there?” she asked.
“You will go home with care, but not until the doctors are confident you’re ready,” I told her.
“Watch her, Rian. She’s not patient, and lying in a hospital bed for days will make her crazy. You’ll come in here and find her repelling out the window on bedsheets knotted together,” Alphonso warned me.
Gianna scowled at him. “I have patience. And that only happened once. You guys wouldn’t let me out of my room. I told you I was recovered, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“She seriously did that?” I asked, astonished.
“She did. She was ten years old and had a case of pneumonia. She came home from the hospital and thought she was good to go. We said no. Then, a few days later, I walked into her bedroom to find her with her sheets and blankets tied together, going out the second-story window. I damn near had a heart attack,” her dad admitted.
“It was one of the few times she ever got her ass spanked,” Luc said, grinning.
“Unlike you three, who got one all the time,” she preened.
“That’s because you were a sneaky shit,” Rocco grumbled.
“No, I was just smarter,” was her comeback.
I had to interject with a warning. “ Leanbh , you try that shit with me, and I can promise, a spanking will be in store. But it won’t be one you like,” I warned her.
The DeSantis men groaned. “We can’t make that unheard,” Rocco muttered, but he wasn’t sounding like a dick, so I let it go. Her other brothers muttered about washing out their ears with bleach. She giggled and then yawned.
“That’s our cue to go. You need to rest. We’ll be here. Get some sleep, bambina . Ti amo, love you,” Alphonso told her before kissing her forehead.
“ Anch’io ti amo , love you too,” she replied.
Her brothers kissed her, and I watched as they left the room.
“Wow, that was civilized. I guess all I had to do to get them to behave was get shot.”
“Don’t joke about it. It’ll take a few decades before I get over this.
And so you know, starting now, you will have a bodyguard.
I know you won’t like it, and you’ll argue you can take care of yourself, but that’s not the point.
You were lucky, Reign and Marco were there and followed you.
What was so damn important you had to take off on your own to see me?
Your dad said that was why you were on that road. ”
“Oh, damn, I forgot. Did anyone find and bring my work bag from the SUV?” she asked anxiously as she scanned the room.
I got up and went to the closet. I brought the case and her purse back to her bedside. I handed her the bag. She unzipped it and rummaged inside. When she pulled out her hand, she clutched several papers.
“These are why I was coming to see you. I found it. I couldn’t believe it. I know who Kelvin Lyons is and why he’s helping Clay. Also, I believe this will make him back off and stay away from your business and family for good.”
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“I am. Can you get Darragh and a few others here? I’d like to explain, and I know you’ll want to get to work on this. I wish I could be there when you confront him with this. Wait, can we do this over the phone? That way, we don’t need to wait for them to get here. What time is it?”
“It’s almost seven at night.”
“Then a call for sure. We’ll make it short.”
“Who do you want here?”
“Darragh, your dad if you want, and anyone else you think should hear this.”
I nodded, then typed a short message and hit send.
While we waited, we talked about what she had been working on this morning before she discovered the information she had.
She’d just finished telling me when a brisk knock preceded the door opening, and a group of my family entered. Gianna’s eyes rounded.
“How did they get here so fast?”
“They were in the waiting room. The ladies went home to take care of the kids about half an hour ago, but they told me to tell you they’d see you tomorrow. The others wanted to see you briefly before heading home,” I explained.
“Why didn’t you say so?”
“I was busy doing other things,” I told her.
My family gathered to tell her hello and express their happiness at seeing her awake. Once that was out of the way, Darragh nodded to her. “Hit us with what you found, Gia.”
She pressed the remote to lift her into a better position.
When she was, she smoothed out the papers.
“It took a while to find, and it was cleverly hidden. You said you were surprised Clay had the patience or know-how to be calm and skate the edge of slandering you. You were right. However, his friend Kelvin Lyons does. Or I should say Keane Lynn does. Being calm and patient would be an asset in his profession.” She smiled as she said it.
“Woman, you’re driving us crazy. Tell us,” Rory groaned.
“Patience, Rory. A little suspense is warranted. Keane Lynn is a well-known pastor in the Aspen area. He heads up a large congregation at a very wealthy church.”
“Why would a pastor be associated with and help Clay?” I asked.
“I found an email that was deleted from Keane’s account. It explains why. It was about money. Clay thought that if he made enough noise and impacted the Crystal’s bottom line enough, you’d offer to pay him off to go away. When that happened, he’d accept, and his life would be set.”
“Okay, I can see that, but what does the pastor have to do with it?” Darragh asked.
“The pastor’s congregation is wealthy and provides an excellent living to their pastor, his wife, and two kids.
They have a large house, drive nice cars, and the kids attend a private preschool.
And it’s a conservative church, meaning they believe in what they refer to as the strict teachings of the Bible.
If they found out the truth about Keane, he’d lose everything.
And before you ask, learn what? I’ll tell you.
Keane Lynn and Clay Mathers are lovers. And they want the money they think they can get from you to run off and start a new life together.
Lynn plans to leave his wife and children for Clay.
It seems it wasn’t until he met Clay that Keane acknowledged feelings he’d had most of his life.
He’s decided he’s gay, not heterosexual or bisexual. ”
This revelation took a few moments to sink in, and there was a lot of murmuring while it did. When it did, I had to ask, “Gianna, did you find out how they met? I don’t see Clay attending church.”
“You’d be right, he doesn’t. However, it seems after his last arrest before this current one, he’d been ordered to undergo anger management classes. And wouldn’t you know it, Pastor Lynn runs one. They met, and it grew from there.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Not what I expected at all. Great work, Gianna. Do those papers you’re holding contain the email?” Darragh asked.
“It does,” she said with a pleased smile.
“Good. We’ll take that and get both of them out of our lives. We’ll deal with them,” Alistair said.
Gianna turned to me. “I wish I could go with you and see this. Promise me that you’ll record it if you can.
And I know you’ll be gone a few days, but take your time.
Make sure Monty and the Crystal are all straightened out.
I’ll be fine here. It seems I have plenty of people to watch over me. ” She winked at my family.
“ A stór mo chroí , as much as I would love to see Clay’s face when we tear his plan to pieces, there’s no way I can leave you. My family will be able to handle it. Won’t you?” I asked.
“Absolutely. And after I’m done with that little prick, we’ll see if he and his lover are able not to shit themselves,” Alistair growled.
“ Miele , you don’t need to worry. I’m good,” she told me.
“I know you are, but we have a job to do here. It’s finding who tried to kill you. And that takes precedence over Clay. I need to be here with you,” I confessed, lifting her hand to my mouth. The tender, loving look she gave me caused my heart to melt.
“And I think we should leave and let these two have some privacy. Reign is bringing your bag, Ri. I’ll see you soon, deirfiúr beag ,” Darragh told her.
After goodbyes and they left, she asked, “What does deirfiúr beag mean?”
“It means little sister.”
“And how would I say, big brother?”
“ Deartháir mór and little brother is deartháir beag,” I added.
She repeated them a couple of times each, then nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Aspen? I doubt we’ll know and find who did this in two days.”
“I’m sure. And even if we don’t know and can’t find them that fast, I have to be with you. My heart won’t allow me to be away when you’re like this.”
“If you’re sure, I’ll gladly have you. Now, give me a real kiss,” she demanded. I was more than happy to comply.
Table of Contents
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- Page 48 (Reading here)
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