Page 115 of High Water

“I went willingly. The governor said he’d trade Fallon for me, so I did it. You can’t put that at Jay’s feet.”

“He facilitated it.”

“What choice did he have? Leave Fallon there to die? Not tell me? If that’s the case, I’m glad he did,” I argue.

“Hey. Hey. Don’t get worked up.” Ramsey squeezes my hand again. “You need rest. We’ve got it all taken care of, and you’re right. Jay helped save you. Even Bishop agreed with that. He did the best he could under the circumstances.” I see Ramsey shoot our brothers a look to silence their tempers.

I know they’ll see Jay as a villain. Maybe he was. But he sacrificed himself in the end to save us. To save me. When he could have just as easily walked away.

“What about Jay’s daughter? He has a daughter, doesn’t he? Has someone called her?”

“I’ll call her tonight. I promised Jay I would take care of her, and I will.” Grant’s furrowed brow begins to smooth as Ramsey shoots him another look.

“What about Zephyrine?” I look at Levi. “She’s supposed to return the sword.”

“I’m not worried about that right now. She and Charlotte are talking to someone at the abbey now, and they’ll let the Vatican’s curators know about the circumstances. I’m sure—” Levi stops short when I grab his hand and squeeze tightly. The rush of the knowledge the governor gave me flooding back into my memory.

“The abbey. There’s a mole.”

“A mole?” Levi looks at me in confusion.

“The governor told me it was how he found out about the mine and the sword. It was the reason he knew to kidnap me. Someone there was reporting everything back to him and he was monitoring our communications. You have to tell Zephyrine and Charlotte.”

Levi and Grant exchange looks.

“Okay. I’ll call her now.” Levi nods, running his hand over my shoulder one last time before he disappears from the room.

“I assume they’re all dead as well. The governor and his sons?” I look at Grant.

“They are. First responders arrived at the scene, but they left after a couple of hours. The mine collapse was catastrophic. They’ll have to decide whether they want to try to search for the bodies. It’ll be dangerous and expensive.”

“And they’ll need a fucking warrant if they think they’re gonna tear my ranch apart looking for a piece of shit that should stay buried.” Ramsey glares into the distance.

“Don’t get upset.” I look at my baby brother and shake my head. “It’s not worth it.”

“They gonna find anything if they decide to look?” Grant’s lashes lift, and I know what he’s asking.

“I dropped the sword when I was climbing the ladder. It was dark and loud. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t hear. I have no idea what happened to it.”

Ramsey smirks and Grant nods, his lips flattening for a moment as he confirms it.

“Very dark, I imagine. I’d guess you and Bishop didn’t see much of anything once the chaos started.”

“Impossible really,” I answer him.

“I’ll make sure the lawyers get your story and are on call just in case the police want to hear about the death trap the governor dragged you into on some wild goose chase for an alleged relic. I assume he was desperate for money to help pay for all of the trial preparation he was having to undergo for his corruption.”

“I imagine that was his motivation.”

Grant nods. “Glad we agree. Unfortunate that he was losing his mind along with everything else.”

“And Zephyrine? Is she upset? Is that why she’s not here? I didn’t want to ask in front of Levi. I know that’s got to be complicated.”

“Not complicated at all. No love lost between her and her father and half brothers. They were cruel to her over the years. Despicably so. I think there was some initial shock.”

“Understandably.”

“But she was okay otherwise. She was more worried about you than anything else. She sat through the night holding Fallon’s hand and apologizing for everything she went through.”