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"The prison warden reached out to the local sheriff who, in turn, reached out to us," Nolen was the one to answer my question. "Alejandro was attacked early this morning and is in critical condition."
Words escaped me. My mind went blank. I'm pretty sure I blinked. Several times actually. I let what Nolen said wash over me, and when they finally sunk in, it was game over.
Laughter bubbled out of my mouth. I bent over at the knee and just let it consume me. Tears leaked out of my eyes. Hadn't I just been thinking how great it would be if he died? Maybe there was, in fact, a guardian angel watching over me after all.
"I'm sorry," I wheezed. I fanned my face and tried to control the amusement pouring out of me but it was no use.
Really I wasn't sorry at all but it wasn't appropriate to laugh so hard when someone explained that the father of your child was in the hospital after being attacked in prison. Come to think of it, normal people didn't have those kinds of problems, so who was I to say what was appropriate or not?
"Not that I don't love a good fit of laughter, but care to share with the class so we can all enjoy it?"
I wiped the tears from my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When I finally felt like I had myself under control, I answered Hendrix's question.
"I was laughing because it wasn't that long ago that I thought how much easier life would be if Alejandro was dead. I didn't expect you to give me such good news. I know that's morbid, but seriously, I can't find it in me to be sad."
"Not that I would prefer you were sad, but this might not be the good news you think it is."
I didn't like Maverick's tone. Not one bit. And I really didn't like the expression on his face. I didn't think it would be possible to wipe away such joy so quickly. Apparently I was wrong.
"Why's that?"
The guys glanced back and forth at each other. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was bad news.
"Based on the information we have, we don't know yet if the attack was targeted or a general-population riot. If it turns out to be targeted, that could be a problem."
I didn't know the first thing about prison life or how things worked on the inside. For obvious reasons, I never visited Alejandro. But the concern on their faces told me I needed to take this seriously.
"Nolen, can you please explain this to someone who doesn't understand gang or prison life?"
I glanced at the clock on the microwave. Lucien had an early dismissal and would be home shortly. As much as I preferred to keep my son oblivious to what was happening, it was better if he found out from me rather than someone else. I needed them to give me as much information before he arrived so I could prepare to pass it along to Lucien.
"Prison riots aren't uncommon. They certainly aren't the norm at most places, but some facilities have it worse than others. Normally people like Alejandro have protection. Their position before they were arrested provides them with that. The protection usually comes from their own gang members, or recruits who are promised affiliations once they are out. The fact that only Alejandro was seriously hurt tells me he was targeted, which means someone is either trying to overthrow him, or a rival gang wants to take him out."
The longer Nolen talked, the bigger the cold dread in my stomach grew. I had no idea what I did in a past life, but the karma was real. No matter how good of a mother I tried to be, there would always be something working against me where my son was concerned. So much for having a guardian angel.
"What does that mean for Lucien?" I finally asked.
"It means more protection." Easton was quick to answer. "It means I'll be spending every night outside your house until we have this figured out."
Sure, I wanted Lucien safe, but every night until who knew how long seemed a bit extreme.
"Can't it just be the nights I work my overnight shift? That's when they like to strike."
"Are you forgetting the cookies at work yesterday?"
Shit, I had almost forgotten about that. Trauma response. My mind decided it didn't want to remember the incident.
"That was a one-off," I tried to argue.
"That's what we like to call escalation and probably will only get worse over time. Especially if more people are learning the paternity of Lucien."
That statement stopped me dead in my tracks. Outside of our small town, I had done everything to ensure no one knew who the father was of my son. If what Easton said was true, would that put Lucien in danger? Or God forbid, in the middle of some gang war.
"Do you think that's a possibility?" I hated that my voice quivered when I asked. This whole problem started because of some stupid mailbox, but in a matter of days, it had gone from a minor inconvenience to a big problem. Thank goodness Lyla convinced me to call Easton's company. It was better they were here now rather than coming in after the fact.
Easton came around the kitchen island to stand next to me, and it hit me what a great hostess I was. We were having this conversation in the middle of the kitchen. I hadn't even asked anyone if they needed or wanted anything.
"Is Alejandro aware of Lucien's paternity?"
