As she heard the door’s dead bolt finally retract, Axel suddenly appeared from the shadows in the cavernous room behind the psycho. He had his weapon drawn and gripped firmly in his beefy hands, his face fierce, his stance all warrior.
Relief swept through Mystery. Her knees almost went out from under her. “Axel.”
He didn’t look her way.
“Put the gun down,” he demanded of Reverend Grace. “Or I’ll kill you before you can twitch, you scum-sucking motherfucker.”
He didn’t turn to face Axel. “Her first.”
As the televangelist moved to pull the trigger, the door in front of her whooshed open, and Heath filled up the portal. His eyes went cold as he shoved her down toward the ground. Suddenly, gunfire echoed all around her. Her head hit the metallic doorframe. Pain ripped through her skull. She fell, crumpling on her side, and saw Axel sprinting toward her with worry and fear all over his face. Heath loomed above her.
“Are you all right?” one of them shouted.
“You came,” she managed to eke out. “I saved it. Right pocket.”
Then everything went black.
Chapter Twenty
MYSTERY woke in the hospital to the sounds of a man murmuring softly.
“She suffered a mild concussion, but she’ll be fine with rest. We’ve treated her other various abrasions and contusions. She required two stitches in her scalp from a blow to the side of the head. With a gun, according to the police report. But she’ll recover fully soon. All in all, she’s a lucky woman.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Worry tightened that familiar voice. Though it wavered a bit, Mystery would have recognized it anywhere.
“Dad,” she managed to croak out as she struggled to open her eyes.
The sounds of scuffling came next, and she felt a strong hand grip hers with such care. “Mystery, my baby girl.”
“Excuse me, sir. This is the first time the patient has been conscious since the ambulance brought her in. You’ll have to let me examine her first.”
Her father squeezed her hand and reluctantly let go. Mystery wasn’t ready to release his familiar comfort yet and tried to reach out for him again, but her arm seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. With the lure of sleep trying to pull her back under, she simply couldn’t lift it.
The doctor moved closer. He smelled like antiseptic and latex. When he touched her cheek, he felt cool but gentle.
“Can you open your eyes, Ms. Mullins?”
Mystery summoned her strength and lifted her lashes. Everything in her view looked fuzzy at first. She focused from the blur of white all around her to the flashing lights of the monitors keeping track of her vital signs. The doctor wore blue scrubs. Beyond him, she saw the Oscar-winning director she’d always called her father. He looked haggard and frantic. No matter what the press thought, that fame didn’t shield him from normal human emotions and concerns. She froze. Did he know the truth about her parentage yet?
The doctor checked a few more vitals, read her chart, and asked questions. Yes, her head still hurt. Yes, she knew her name and what had happened in the abandoned building. Yesterday? Had she been unconscious for a whole day?
“Sedated,” said the doctor, a kind man in his forties with brown eyes and a calm demeanor. “You don’t remember coming to the hospital?”
She shook her head.
“It’s not uncommon to have lapses in memory with concussions. Your CAT scans look otherwise normal, and I’d like to monitor you one more day. But I think you’ll be able to leave here tomorrow.”
Mystery thanked him in a croaky voice. The man she’d always considered her father shook his hand, then rushed to her side as the doctor left.
“You had me so worried,” he said, his voice breaking.
“When did you get here?” It was good to see him, but he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. He’d clearly raked his fingers through his shaggy salt-and-pepper hair a lot.
“A few hours ago. I spoke to a nurse on the phone, then I saw Heath and Axel, followed by the police. I’m just now reaching your side.”
Her stomach tightened. “So you know everything?”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. His face softened. “I’ve always known. Not who Julia had the affair with, but that you weren’t mine biologically. It simply wasn’t possible.”
Her eyes watered, and it immediately made her head hurt worse. “You never told me?”
He brushed the tear from the corner of her eye. “Your mother and I intended to when you were older. After she died, I meant to. I knew I should. But I never considered you any less than my daughter. I guess . . . a part of me worried that, if you knew the truth, you would.”
“Never.” Her voice sounded more like a squeak as her eyes filled again. “You’re my father and you always will be.”
Past her IV and all the electrodes for the monitors, her dad hugged her as tightly as he dared. “I worried about you so much, kiddo. If it hadn’t been for Heath and Axel, I don’t know what would have happened.”
As he choked on his words, Mystery absorbed all his worry and pain. She cupped his face, wincing as the tape over her IV pinched her skin. “I was thisclose to escaping by myself, but yeah, they got me out safely. I’m going to be fine.”
She wanted to ask where they were, but her father jumped in. “I thanked Heath with enough money to live well for a couple of years. He, um . . . gave me his notice, effective immediately. He passed on a recommendation for a few capable colleagues but—”
“I knew he was going to quit.” She winced.
God, she would miss Heath so much. He’d been a part of her everyday life for over six years. But it wasn’t fair of her to cling onto him when she couldn’t cling back. He deserved the chance to make a life with a woman who could devote herself utterly to him. Maybe he’d find a nice British woman with some cats who taught primary school and would give him a few children. Mystery couldn’t picture him settling down again, but stranger things had happened.
“Did he finally admit that he loves you or did you figure it out?” her father asked.
“You knew?” Mystery blinked.
“I’ve known for a while.”
“I suspected, so I asked. I don’t feel the same way.” And she felt terrible about kissing him the way she had. She’d like to apologize to him again, but at this point, it would soothe her more than help him. “Has he already returned to London?”
“Not just yet.” Her father grimaced. “In saving you, he took a bullet. A nick in the forearm, really, but he’s just come out of surgery, so I think he’ll be here at least a few days. The good news is, Peter Grace is dead. Heath and Axel both landed a headshot, one in front, one in back. Wasn’t much left. The cross he gave your mother is part of the police evidence, but will eventually be returned to you. But the SD card you retrieved from your mother’s safe-deposit box mysteriously vanished.” He sent her an expression of mock innocence. “Regardless, the press has already run with the story that he killed both your mother and your aunt, so it’s a huge scandal. His religious fiefdom is done.”
“Do the press know . . . why that bastard murdered them and tried to kill me?” Do they know I’m not your daughter by blood? She couldn’t bring herself to voice the question.
“No,” he murmured. “The police have refused to comment about Grace’s motive or the particulars.”
Mystery breathed a sigh of relief. “Were they able to discern the events from the scene of the crime?”