“Revenge. Petty revenge. Hurt feelings. And once you were closer to him than his own brothers. You make me sick.”
“I don’t know why you love him. Jonathan saw Sean as I did. Selfish and disloyal. Jonathan was a great man. I can’t believe he’s gone. He’s…” Colton sighed, put his head down on his knees. Then he said, “There’s a basement under the guesthouse. The code on the door is oh-two-one-seven.”
Lucy turned, then looked back. “Oh-two-one-seven?”
“Your birthday. Jonathan used it for everything.”
She forced that thought out of her mind and followed Pierce across the courtyard and behind the garage to the guesthouse.
She let Pierce go first, though it almost killed her to wait. “Clear,” he said.
She ran down the stairs. The basement was dark, a single bulb lighting the narrow hall outside the cage. Sean’s ankles were shackled, his hands cuffed, and he was still dressed in the orange prison jumpsuit—it was bloody and filthy. His face was bruised and he was pale. Tears ran down his face when he saw her.
“Lucy?”
“We’ll get you out of there.”
There was a keypad on the wall. Pierce typed in the code; it worked.
The cage clicked open.
Lucy ran in and hugged him while Pierce looked for a key to get him out of the chains.
She kissed him, held him, started crying.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, holding her.
She had no words. Nothing. “I love you. I love you.” It was all she could say, over and over.
Sean broke down sobbing and held her tight.
Chapter Fifty-two
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
The Houston police had Sean handcuffed to a hospital bed until they were satisfied with the evidence the FBI had retrieved at Jonathan Paxton’s estate and the FBI recording from Lucy’s wire that Elise admitted she’d killed Mona Hill. They tried to stomp their feet and demand an investigation into the other claims Elise made about Sean letting Mona escape and blackmailing her, but Steven Pierce got them to stand down. Lucy greatly appreciated his efforts.
Kate finally convinced Sheffield to tell the truth about the shooting in the van, so Sean was cleared of escaping from custody and killing a cop. That, coupled with Erica Anderson’s testimony, fully cleared him.
On Monday morning, Nate drove Jesse to see Sean in the hospital. Sean hadn’t wanted Jesse to see him hurt, but Lucy told Sean that they both needed each other.
She was right.
That night, when Sean was released from the hospital, Patrick and Nate drove everyone back to San Antonio, except for Kate, who stayed in Houston to help wrap up the reports with Houston PD and the FBI. There was a lot to do and Kate would be there all week making sure that Sean was completely cleared by all law enforcement authorities—as well as making sure that the media reported on it so a private citizen didn’t see him and pull a gun, thinking Sean was still a wanted fugitive.
When they arrived home that night, Jack and Kane were already at the house along with Siobhan. They’d set up a large buffet of food for the group, but Sean said he was tired and wanted to sleep.
“What can I get for you?” Lucy asked him quietly as she helped him up the stairs.
“Nothing. I want to shower. Sleep. Just—go talk to Jack and everyone. Tell them I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
He kissed her. “I will be.”
“Do you need help?”
He shook his head. She wanted to help him … but maybe he just needed space.
Bandit followed him into their bedroom and Sean closed the door.
Lucy was worried about Sean, but maybe he was right—a shower and sleeping in his own bed was what he needed. He was home safe, and that’s what mattered.
She went back downstairs. Siobhan hugged her. “You need food.”
“I will. In a minute.” She watched as Nate, Patrick, and Jesse all dished up food. They were worried about Sean, too, but now that they were all home the pressure was off.
She sank onto the living room couch and sighed. It had been the worst three days of her life.
Jack sat down next to her. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she said.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” She looked up the stairs. “He’s safe, he’s alive, but I’m worried about him.”
“He has you, Lucy. He needs some time to process all of this. I can stay as long as you need me.”
She took her brother’s hand and squeezed it. “You and Megan and Patrick—everyone rallied for Sean. I—” Tears threatened and she didn’t want to cry