It could’ve been worse. Unspeakably worse.
Still, Forte considered every one of those injuries his fault. If he’d recognized Haydn’s signal sooner, gotten her away from the car more quickly, she might not have been hurt as badly. He had his fair share of scrapes and bruises, too, especially across the outsides of his forearms, but he’d learned a long time ago how to fall and get to his feet ready to take action. Sophie had learned to land on mats at Revolution MMA in the women’s self-defense workshops, not on hard asphalt with things blowing up around her. She’d stiffened up as they went to the ground and hadn’t quite rolled with him as he’d tried to distribute their momentum. It’d been enough for her to come out the worse for wear between the two of them despite his attempt to protect her from flying shrapnel.
“I’ll stay with her.” Forte didn’t expand on how long. It wasn’t even a question. He’d watch over her while she needed him.
“Her family’s out of town, from what I gathered?” Ky didn’t pull out his notebook. The police officer had an excellent memory. Forte guessed he took notes only for the benefit of the people he interviewed.
“Yearly visit to South Korea.” Forte considered the date. “They should be back just before Christmas, in about a month and a half.”
He’d been considering how to reach out to them. He wasn’t her father’s favorite person in the world. Actually, the exact opposite. They hadn’t spoken since Forte had graduated high school, and her father wouldn’t be happy to speak to Forte now. The man had made it clear all those years ago that it didn’t matter what kind of person Forte grew into being; Forte would never be a good enough person.
And her father was right. Forte was not a good man.
“Sophie didn’t want them contacted.” Ky grimaced.
Forte shared the man’s frustration. Family should be contacted, but Sophie was an adult, and even if she was out of it currently due to medication, her life wasn’t immediately in danger. At least not from her injuries.
“I’m betting she managed to mumble about being back on her feet by tomorrow and no need to freak everyone out. She tried to make you promise to let her family enjoy their vacation, didn’t she?”
Even as Forte finished the thought, Ky sighed. “You know her better than anyone.”
Yeah. He did. Forte chuckled. “I’ve known her a long time. Don’t worry. I’ll be here. Lyn and Elisa will probably be here as soon as the doctors say she can have visitors.”
With Lyn Jones and Elisa Hall would come David Cruz and Alex Rojas, respectively. Sophie was a part of Hope’s Crossing Kennels, even if she didn’t work there. Oh, she kept the accounting on track, but in reality, she was the heart of Hope’s Crossing Kennels. Her caring came in the form of home-baked rolls, pastries, and cupcakes. Her laughter filled the shared kitchen in the main house, and every dog had learned the sound of her footsteps on the grounds.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Blood is family.” Ky paused. “Family can be more than blood. I’ll have a word with the doctor about each of you.”
“Thank you.” Forte’s throat closed some at the thought. Yes, the others from the kennels were Sophie’s family, too. What he felt for her was…a different kind of connection. “We’ll keep watch while she’s recovering.”
And once she was discharged from the hospital, having him keeping watch nearby would liven up her apartment complex some.
Ky only nodded, his brows drawing together. “We’re actively investigating the explosion. The forensics team is on site now and studying what they can of the car. There aren’t any immediate answers. Let me ask her what happened when I get back. Until then, if she wakes up, keep conversation away from anything I’ll need to ask her later. It’ll be better if she answers me to the best of her memory, without the filter of anyone else’s impressions on what happened.”
Forte nodded. Sophie would be full of her own questions when she woke up. But he understood the implicit warning in Ky’s words. With her at the center of an active investigation, it would be best if she didn’t receive influence from anyone around her, accidental or not.
For his part, Forte raised his eyebrow at Ky. He couldn’t ask Ky about an ongoing investigation, and Ky couldn’t tell him anything anyway. Not directly.
Ky snorted. “It could still have been a random incident. A lot of people could’ve been caught in the explosion with it going off in a public place, and it was lucky no one else was hurt. It was good for every person in the general area that you and one of your dogs were present to call out the warning. Who is this, by the way?”