Chapter thirty-one

As Donnie and I walk through the hospital's sliding doors, Detective Carter and Javier, the man I met at Jo's funeral, are standing near the nurse's station.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" I ask once we reach them.

"Hi, Sadie," Javier says softly.

Before I can respond, Carter jumps in. "I'm sorry to just show up, but when your mother was first brought in, I asked the doctor to contact me once she woke up."

"Oh, okay." I turn to Javier. "Javier, why are you here?"

"Please call me Javi." He whips out his badge. "I'm an FBI agent."

Say what now?

"What's going on?" Donnie asks with a hint of hesitation in his voice. He presses his chest against my back and places his hands on my hips protectively.

Javi's eyes follow Donnie's movement, and a smile tugs at his lips.

"I take it you're her current boyfriend?"

"Present and future boyfriend," Donnie says, pulling me closer. The truth in his words sends a warm sensation to my belly.

"Good, that's good." He nods in approval.

"Sadie, that's not the only reason we're here," Carter says.

I feel a sudden stab of anxiety in my gut.

Donnie senses the tension in my body and squeezes my hips.

Before I can ask Carter what he means, I look over my shoulder and notice Nurse Abbey approaching.

"Hey there, sweetheart." She pulls me away from Donnie and into a hug. Abbey was one of my favorite nurses when I stayed at the hospital. She went above and beyond during my stay, to the point of sitting with me off the clock instead of being at home with her family.

Abbey pulls away and rubs her hands up and down my arms. "Dr. Morales wanted to talk to you before you see your mom. Follow me."

We follow Abbey down the hall past the gift shop and into a spacious waiting room with CNN playing on the TV. There's a window you can see the hallway from the waiting room.

"I'll let the doctor know you're here. In the meantime, help yourself to refreshments and snacks." Abbey points to the counter at the back of the room.

"Abbey, why does the doctor need to speak to us? Is-is Mom okay?" I can't lose her too.

"Oh, sweetheart." She must've seen the panic on my face. "The doctor wants to prepare you before you see her."

That still doesn't make me feel better, but the warmth of her tone settles the anxiety vibrating through me.

Donnie takes my hand in his and leads me toward the couch. He pulls me onto his lap while Javi and Carter sit across from us. Javi casually rests one leg over the other, but his body is tense.

"Sadie," he starts, but stops himself. He rubs his bald head and then up and down his face before letting out a breath. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs.

"Sadie, you're in danger."

My heart stops.

Donnie tightens his hold on me.

What. The. Fuck.

"You can't just blurt it out like that," Javi snaps. He turns to glare at Carter.

"What do you mean, she's in danger?" Donnie asks, voice hard.

"Sadie, your father was in deep with a gambling ring. He stole money from a sports-betting operation, but they decided to go after you when they found out he was dead."

"Fuck," Donnie hisses, but it comes out as a whisper. I know he's angry by the way his body tenses around me.

"I don't understand; why would they come after me?"

How is this possible?

How did we not know?

I shut my eyes, focusing on the beating of my heart. Donnie stays perfectly still, gripping my waist hard enough to leave a bruise.

Carter sighs. "They think your father gave you the money."

"Me?" I ask, dumbfounded. The only thing my father gave me was years of abuse.

"We intercepted a call between the brothers and your father prior to his death." Carter pauses and I watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.

"Sadie, your father agreed to trade your life to them to pay off his debt."

Donnie wraps his arms around my stomach and pulls me closer to him.

"They would've sold you to the highest bidder—human trafficking."

"Jesus, fucking Christ," Donnie growls.

I sit silently, biting my lower lip to keep from crying. How could my father do this? Why did he hate me so much? What did I ever do to him?

The questions I've asked for years will remain unanswered.

"So, now what?" I ask, waiting for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Carter and Javi stare at me for a second as if they're having second thoughts about telling me.

"Witness protection," Javi responds.

"No way," Donnie interjects. He pulls me off his lap and gently sets me on the seat beside him and gets on his feet.

Javi eases onto his feet and comes face to face with the love of my life. "You don't want her to be safe?"

"Of course, I do," Donnie sneers, "but taking her away from her family after what she's been through"—Donnie runs his hands through his hair with frustration—"you can't take her away from the people who love her and would do anything for her."

Donnie bows his head, resting his hands on his hips. "You can't take her from me. Not again." He shakes his head.

"I understand how you're feeling," Javi said quietly.

That must've been the wrong thing to say because Donnie's head snaps up to Javi.

And he explodes. I try to reach him, but I am not fast enough.

"You understand what I'm feeling? Are you serious right now?"

"Yes, I am."

"No, you don't! She's pregnant with my baby. You don't know what it's like to be forced apart from your best friend for years. You don't know how much I was dying inside when she was abused all those years, and I wasn't there to keep her safe! You we—"

"I do understand! She's my fucking sister!" Javi roars, and the room goes silent.

Donnie staggers back, glancing over at me and back to Javi in shock.

I freeze solid like an ice sculpture.

Nothing will thaw me out, not even the fucking sun.

How is that possible?

Did Mom or Dad have an affair?

What the ever-loving fuck is happening right now?

I stare at the man in front of me and can't help but see the similarities. Dark short black hair, brown eyes like whisky, full lips, and a square chiseled face…just like…Josiah.

Why didn't I notice that before?

"How did Jo die?" The one question I was afraid to ask, but need to know.

A flicker of confusion flashes in Carter's eyes, like he is taken aback by my question.

"He didn't kill himself, Sadie," Carter says.

"Then how did he die?" I ask cautiously, afraid to hear the answer.

"Sadie, he was…murdered." Carter's words came out in a pained whisper.

My heart stops beating.

Donnie crouches before me with a heartbreaking look on his beautiful face. I see his lips move but can't hear what he's saying.

I try to respond, but the words refuse to form a sentence.

He was murdered. Someone killed my brother.

A sob rips its way from my chest.

Who would want to kill him? Jo was caring, loving, selfless, and protective.

"Sadie, please—" Javi reaches for me, but his words are cut off when he glances over my shoulder and his eyes widen in fear.

"GET DOWN!" Javi bellows.

Before I know what is happening, Donnie throws himself at me, and we both fall to the ground.

To be continued in book four…