Page 144 of Cougar

“She has a fractured skull and cheekbone, two bruised ribs on her left side, and one on her right.” He’s speaking to me but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him. “Her forearm has a small hairline fracture, and she has three broken fingers.”

Another sob escapes me, and I feel Cam’s hand on my back. My attention moves to Bass, who is sitting on the other side of Jay with his head in his hands, shoulders shaking. Guilt claws at my conscience.

“She has some minor swelling in the brain,” my father continues, “but I feel confident there won’t be any permanent damage. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the swelling goes down and she wakes up. However, there’s deep bruising on her neck, and I’m concerned that there could be some long-term damage to her throat, mainly her vocal cords. Again, we won’t know for sure until the swelling goes down.”

Zach clasps his hands behind his neck and exhales a deep sigh before he turns and strides out of the room. Mike and Liz excuse themselves to go after him.

I can’t even entertain the thought that Jay will never sing again.

Right now, I’m going to focus on the fact that she survived.

* * *

After about an hour, it’s down to just Bass, Lisa, Zach, and me.

The door opens, and Patrick Avery walks in with Troy and Levi.

“I’m gonna step out,” Lisa says, heading for the door.

“Patrick, I’m so glad you’re here,” I say. “How’s Harper doing?”

“She’s in shock, mostly.” He runs a hand through his short blond hair.

“You have any idea why this happened?” Bass asks.

Patrick crosses his arms and leans against the wall with his foot propped up. “Because this is an ongoing investigation, I can only give you a brief summation. Two years ago, Kalista Rosewood—you know her as Kali Brooks—met Austin Boyd at a campaign fundraiser for Austin’s father, Congressman Callum Boyd. They dated for nearly a year. Austin was a bit older, but he treated her like a princess. Behind closed doors, Austin was a bad guy. In fact, he was involved in some pretty shady shit, which I’m not at liberty to discuss.

“Long story short, he terrorized Kalista with physical and verbal abuse. He made threats against her family, using his father’s political ties as a scare tactic and a way to manipulate her. After Kalista disappeared in the middle of the night, my team was hired by the Rosewood family to find their daughter. During our investigation, it was discovered that Kalista had disappeared to protect her family and most likely save her life. She sought help from someone no one would suspect—Yolanda, the family’s house manager. She knew Kalista was in trouble, so she and Mrs. Rosewood—unbeknownst to Mr. Rosewood—helped her get out.

“It all sounds a little crazy and farfetched, but Mrs. Rosewood wasn’t sure how far Austin’s or Congressman Boyd’s political ties reached up the legal chain. Kali’s been living with Yolanda’s niece, Stephanie Brooks, for the last year or so. I’ve had my guys keeping an eye on Austin and his buddies for a while now.

“A couple of weeks ago, photos of Kalista and a young man by the name of Lucas Wild showed up on social media. Austin followed the breadcrumbs and hopped on the first flight to Florida. They were already parked outside Kalista’s place when Emerson picked her up this morning. Austin and Tripp followed the girls to the mall, and Austin, the clever little fucker, parked in the adjacent garage and entered the mall. My guys parked a few spaces down and followed them. Somehow Austin and Tripp managed to lose my guys and snuck into the Nordstrom garage. They were waiting for them when they came out of the mall.”

“Persistent fucker,” Zach mumbles.

“So what now?” I ask.

“The Rosewoods are on their way. Austin Boyd and Tripp Daniels are in custody, facing assault and battery and attempted murder charges. I’m sure Congressman and Mrs. Boyd as well as the Danielses will be raising hell, but not even Congressman Boyd can make this go away. We have a solid case against both men. Along with the security cameras, we have statements from the Martinez boys, Lexi, Harper, Mrs. Mackenzie, and yours.” He gestures to me. “I have to ask.” He scratches his jaw. “Who taught her how to fight?”

Bass straightens. “Why?”

Patrick smirks. “Because she kicked Tripp Daniels’s ass. Broke his nose.”

The corners of Bass’s mouth tip up and he almost smiles.

“I’m sorry this happened to your family, Emerson. I’ve been assured that she’ll make a full recovery.” He drops his foot to the floor and pushes off the wall. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my daughter.” He shakes his head. “That sounds crazy coming out of my mouth.” He gives us a small wave on his way out the door and calls over his shoulder, “I’ll be around if you need anything.”

“Who’s his daughter?” Zach asks.

“Harper,” Cole answers from the doorway, shaking his head in disbelief.

Standing, I open my arms. “Come here, Cole.”

He doesn’t hesitate to step into my embrace.

Cole discovered Harper’s black book of secrets. Needless to say, he was furious with Harper, broke up with her and forbade her from seeing Willow.

“Honey, I know things between you and Harper aren’t good right now, but you have to let it go. I think we’ve all learned something today, and it’s that life is full of surprises, and the people we love can be taken from us at any moment. Don’t waste time being angry.” Pulling away, I look up at him. “I wasted twenty-two years being angry because I was too stubborn and hurt to speak up. Talk to her. Tell her how you feel. If you love her, then forgive her.”

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