When they find out their brother almost died because of me, will they hate me?

“Do you guys know who could’ve done this?” I asked quietly as they approached the bed.

“Not yet, but we will.” Dominic’s voice was hard, his eyes icy.

“And when you do, you better kick their asses,” Sebastien’s voice croaked.

“Sebastien!” I shrieked.

Without thinking, I stood up and threw my arms around him. He winced.

I gasped and quickly pulled away. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

He smiled weakly. “It’s okay, sweetheart, it's nice to see you too.”

“The dead has arisen,” Axel joked, only to receive a swift tap in the head from Nathaniel.

“Ouch!” Axel grumbled, rubbing the spot.

“Seb,” Dominic asked. “Do you remember anything?”

“I remember talking to Delilah on the phone. I hopped into my car, drove out of the parking lot, and everything after that feels scrambled.”

“It’s probably due to the concussion,” Leo said.

“Do you guys know what happened?” Seb asked breathlessly, trying to make himself more comfortable in the bed as he shifted slowly.

Before anyone could answer Dominic’s phone rang. When he checked his phone to see who was calling, he looked a bit surprised.

“Who is it?” Vince asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Dominic didn’t answer; he walked out the door to take the call.

“We only know what Vega told us,” Nate stated as though the last few seconds didn’t happen. “He said you called him. He heard the bullets, and when you weren’t saying anything, he pinpointed your location. He called the cops and the ambulance. Then he called Dom.”

“That call you made probably saved your life,” Vincent stated solemnly.

Tears welled in my eyes again, and I felt Sebastien’s hand cover my own.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here now.” His thumb caressed the back of my hand, and the tears began to fall again.

“How long does he have to stay?” I asked.

I knew the longer we stayed here like sitting ducks, the more likely Hawthorne would strike again. We needed to get home.

“A few days for observation and then he’s free to leave,” Leonardo said. “We’ve already instructed the staff that only immediate family members are to be let in to see him. Dominic has contacted Donovan, the head of his security team, to send over a few men in uniform and plain clothes to keep an eye on Sebastien as he stays here. I also informed them that if anything happens to Sebastien while he’s here that I’ll sue this establishment so badly that their grandchildren will still be paying by the time they are grown.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“No problem. There’s no way we’ll let this incident happen again,” Leo stated.

Dominic walked back into the room. “Seb, sorry to steal your visitors away, but I just got some information, and I need the guys.”

Sebastien frowned. “What kind of information?”

“The only thing you need to focus on is getting better. We’ll take things up from here,” Dominic stated flatly.

A silent conversation passed between the brothers before Sebastien finally nodded. Without another word, the others followed Dominic out.