getting crazy,” Lucas said.
“No one likes that, brother,” Alex said. “But Mom will be fine. There’s simply not any solution to this other than that. And we’ll find the men who hurt her. They will pay, and they won’t do this to another person.”
“Amen to that,” Mark said.
“Let’s plan on a video conference with the entire family once we have something worth sharing. Don’t make me wait too long. I know all of this takes a while, but speed it up as much as you can while still doing a thorough job.”
“You know we all want this done rapidly. It will happen,” George assured his brother.
Joseph had worked hard his entire life, then taught that same work ethic to his children, and he’d never been easy on them. He’d wanted them to be assets to society and never have anything handed to them. Raising them that way, he knew he could turn anything over to them with complete confidence the task would be accomplished.
He also knew his brothers had the same work ethic. They’d have this solved with or without police help. He had the utmost respect for the men and women in blue. But he was also very aware of what could be accomplished without hands being tied behind backs, and unfortunately, all government entities had their hands tied behind their backs at some stage or another. Sometimes painting outside the lines was the best solution for everyone involved. Joseph was very good at finding his own path, and he answered to no one, so no one could ever tie his hands.
“Keep us updated and let our wives know we’ll return,” Lucas said.
“Of course,” Joseph assured his sons.
They all hugged then parted ways. Joseph’s heart was heavy as he made his way to a bathroom and splashed his face with cool water. When he looked in the mirror he barely recognized the man staring back at him. He seemed haggard and old . . . and broken. But the light he normally saw shining in his eyes was trying to break through. He wasn’t shattered, would never be as long as he had Katherine.
When he got back to the waiting area, his daughters-in-law were there with Jasmine. He moved over to them and sat, giving them a quick explantion of the boys departure. He normally wasn’t a man who could sit around for hours on end. But for now he had little choice.
He leaned back, closed his eyes, and felt a moment of peace as Jasmine’s fingers wound through his. No one said a word. They all just sat together saying silent prayers and they waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . .
Chapter Eight
Avery had always despised hospitals. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate them, it was just that she felt a person could heal more fully at home where they were comfortable. No one she knew had ever said they liked the constant monitoring a hospital was so good at.
As she shifted in her bed for the hundredth time, Avery turned and glanced over at her mother who was napping in a chair in the corner of the room. She’d lasted for hours, but deep exhaustion had finally forced her to rest. Avery wished she could get some sleep herself. She glanced at a clock with a sigh. It was three in the morning.
The doctors had been concerned about the knot on the back of her head and the bruising on her temple. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any internal damage. But with any head wound they insisted on at least one full nights stay. Her mother was refusing to leave her side.
She truly did love and respect her mom. Their life had certainly been less than easy as Avery had grown up, but it had been far from awful. Her mother had made some poor choices early in life, mainly about men. But, she’d always been fierce in her protection of her only daughter. Avery truly appreciated that now that she was an adult and saw the dangers of the world, especially since she’d never known her father.
He’d taken off before Avery had been born. There’d been times she’d wondered about him, who he was, and if he ever thought about her. Did he have other children? Did it even matter? As the years had gone by, she’d wondered about him less and less. Now, it was rare that he crossed her mind.
Maybe she was thinking of her father now because her