Page 52 of Redemption

“Neither was Mom,” Ky says with a laugh. “She’d probably say something horrific, like, ‘What’s meant to be will be.’ Something meant to make you feel better but comes out in the totally wrong context.”

Her laugh startles them, and she wipes her eyes. “Yeah, Mom was definitely not the sensitive one, either. But I do wish she was here right now.”

“I wish she was here all the time,” Diesel says, his voice quiet. It’s no secret their father misses their mother all day, every day. “And she would’ve sided with Lex when it came to whether we should bless your relationship.”

“It may not have been as eloquently put as Lex, but she would have,” Ky agrees. “As tough as she was, she wanted us to be happy. No matter what.”

“You really think she’d be okay with me dating a cop? I love him more than anything in this world, but part of me always worries she’s even more ashamed of me than before.”

Diesel stands and pulls her into his arms. “Your mother was never ashamed of you. Even when you were in the height of your addiction, she was probably more pissed at us for not doing what we needed to in order to get you out of it.”

“I can’t help but feel like a disappointment.”

“If you’d gotten together with a Devil, she would’ve been disappointed. And we would’ve had to kill you to let her deal with the post-death consequences,” Ky says. “But then she’d be disappointed with us, and the two of you would probably gang up and haunt us, and it would really have just gone to hell fast.”

Reaching over, she slaps his arm. “You’re such a dick.”

Dr. West, the unofficial club doctor at this point, walks out. “Family of Grayson Tate?”

“I’m his girlfriend,” Ashley says.

He glances down at the paperwork and nods his dark brown head. “You’re on his list. He’s out of surgery and on a ventilator. We lost a heartbeat a couple of times on the table, and we’re not sure if there are any lasting effects just yet. We’ll know more if he wakes up.”

“If?” she murmurs. “If?”

Ky watches her blink as she processes the words. He vows to murder whoever the hell did this to his sister. After everything she’s been through, she doesn’t deserve this.

“There’s always a chance. I’m confident he’ll make a full recovery, but there’s always a level of uncertainty. I like to prepare for the worst but hope for the best. He lost a lot of blood, and we had to repair three vital organs. But we remain hopeful.”

“Can I see him?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet. We just moved him to his room from recovery.”

“But what if he wakes up and no one’s there?” Tears stream down her face. “He can’t wake up alone.”

“Come on, Doc, have a heart,” Lex says and walks into the room from the same direction Dr. West just came from. Ky eyes her suspiciously. “By the way, he’s awake.”

The doctor turns around and stares with a frown. “Alexis? How did you-”

“Really? At this point in our relationship, you’re really going to ask how?”

“How many times do we have to talk about this? That is for authorized personnel only.”

She shrugs in her blood-stained dress and twists from side to side like a school kid. “A sign is just a sign if you choose not to read the words on it.”

Rolling his eyes, he turns back and walks through the doors without another word. Ashley pulls her into a hug. “He’s really okay?”

She nods and gives her a reassuring smile. “Of course, he’s going to be okay. You really believe he’s going to let a biker take him out? Come on, now.”

Ky shakes his head as his sister hurries back to see him. “She’s learning too much from you.”

“Well, it’s about time.”

“What were you doing back there, Lex?” Diesel asks.

“I made a promise to Grayson.”

“You told him you got him when they loaded him up. That wasn’t just about saving his life?”

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