Curious, Jerry prompted, “Except for?”
Kirsten ran her hand through her long, brown hair. “I was going to say, ‘except for Sophie.’ She’s as goody two-shoes as they come—before she got arrested, of course.” Her determined eyes bored into Jerry. “Officer Stone, you’ve got to believe me. Sophie is a really good person. She just got lost there for a while, led astray by Logan. She was only trying to help him.”
Jerry rubbed his jaw. “And is she being led astray again, this time by Madsen?”
Hesitating, Kirsten eventually said, “I don’t know Grant very well, I have to admit. But I do know Sophie. And she’s been so happy with Grant. Here she was just getting out of prison—she should have been totally devastated, depressed, aimless—and instead, she couldn’t wait to get out of bed to go to work every morning, to a job he got for her. And when she found out he was Logan’s brother, she was devastated, but she loved him so much she was willing to give him another chance.”
Kirsten looked down and picked at her fingernail. “I know Grant comes from an awful family, and I don’t want to see Sophie get hurt again. But he seems like such a sweet guy. He’s not like them. I kind of wish I had a boyfriend like him, to tell you the truth.”
Jerry gave a wistful sigh. He kind of wished he had a friend who would stand up for him like Kirsten. “I’m gonna get some coffee,” he announced, rising to his feet. “Do you want any?”
“No, thanks. Um, Officer Stone, do you make a visit every time one of your parolees goes to the hospital?”
He paused. “Not usually.”
“So, why are you here for Sophie, then?”
Now it was Jerry’s turn to blush. “Maybe I agree with you,” he said. “Maybe I think Taylor is a good person too.” His face flushed deeper and he set his mouth in a frown. “But don’t tell her that I said that.”
Like a shot he was gone, leaving Kirsten looking after him with a grin.
*
A half-hour later, Sophie’s father had still not arrived, but her parole officer and roommate were led to the hospital room where Sophie was waking up from the anesthetic.
Kirsten rushed to her bedside, dismayed to see Sophie’s left arm heavily bandaged and immobile at her side. “Kirsten,” she mumbled groggily, smiling.
Leaning in to pull the sheet up higher over Sophie’s skimpy gown, Kirsten whispered, “Your PO is here.”
Despite her fatigue, Sophie’s eyes widened, and she allowed her roommate to draw the sheet up to protect her modesty. When Kirsten stepped back, Sophie could see Jerry in the doorway. “Please come in, Jerry,” she called weakly.
He tentatively entered the room, taking in the machines surrounding her, making her appear small and defenseless on the big bed. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay, Taylor,” he said awkwardly.
“I’m fine,” she said. “More importantly, how is Grant?”
“He wasn’t the one who got shot,” Jerry growled.
“But he’s the one who had to shoot,” Sophie countered. “And I know it must be killing him. What’s happening with Grant?”
“Detective Fox is taking him in for booking.”
“Oh!” Sophie drew her right hand to her mouth, and the movement jarred her body, making her wince. She gritted her teeth and begged, “Please, Jerry, you have to go there. You have to convince them it was self-defense.”
“I don’t have to convince them of anything, Taylor. If he’s innocent, he’ll be released.”
“But that’s not how it works!” Sophie insisted. “Once they find out he’s Enzo Barberi’s son, they’ll crucify him. He won’t be given a fair chance. You have to fight for him. You know the way they think. Please.”
“Sophie!” Will Taylor cried, rushing into the room. “Oh, God! Are you okay?” He dashed to her side, his wild eyes sweeping over her.
“I’m okay, Dad,” she replied calmly. “You remember Officer Jerry Stone and Kirsten Holland, right?”
Will barely acknowledged them before returning his attention to his daughter. “What happened? Kirsten said you got shot? Oh, no—your arm is all bandaged!”
“I’ll tell you everything, Dad. Just a second.” She returned her eyes to her parole officer. “Thank you so much for being here, Jerry. But please go to the station. See? My dad is here now. Grant needs you much more than I do. Please?”
Will’s face reddened and he shouted, “Is Grant involved in this?”
Ignoring the angry man to his left, Jerry met her imploring gaze and nodded. “Get well soon, Taylor. I’ll give you a break on Wednesday, but I expect to see you in my office Thursday morning. You have a couple of days to get better.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a half-smile as he left. I hope Grant makes his next parole appointment too.
“Sophie? Answer me, young lady. Did Grant Madsen have anything to do with you getting shot?”
Sophie exchanged a nervous glance with Kirsten. “Well, yes,” she said.
“I knew it, Soph—”
“But not in the way you think,” she butted in. “Grant saved my life.”
Will’s eyes narrowed. “How? Start talking now, young lady.”
“Will you stop this ‘young lady’ stuff? I’m freaking twenty-nine years old, Dad!”
“Is it okay if I explain, Mr. Taylor?” Kirsten jumped in. “Sophie’s pretty wiped out from surgery.”
He folded his arms across his chest and looked warily at Kirsten. “Okay. Just somebody tell me what happened tonight after my daughter decided to leave my house. Which was obviously not such a bright move,” he added snidely.
Sophie rolled her eyes as Kirsten launched into a blow-by-blow description of the evening’s events.
“And then Grant used his belt to make a tourniquet, which the paramedics said was really smart,” she concluded.
Will frowned. “So, Grant’s in jail right now?”
“Yes,” Sophie confirmed.
“That’s where he belongs.”
“It is not, Dad!”
“The way I see it, you would never have been in danger if not for your association with Grant Madsen. You need to stay away from him, Sophie. Or you’ll get yourself killed.”
Even through her anesthesia haze, she knew something wasn’t right with her father’s conclusion. She tried to concentrate despite the throbbing in her arm. She felt a vicious headache coming on. Finally she argued, “No, Dad. The reason Carlo came after me had nothing to do with Grant. He wanted the money the police confiscated—the money Logan left in my office. And he was going to make me go to you to get it. So, if Grant hadn’t shown up, we’d both be in a lot of trouble.”
Will absorbed this information. “I still don’t like him, Sophie. I don’t trust him! Out of all the men in this city, can’t you find yourself one boyfriend who is not in the Mafia?”
She smiled. “Sorry, Dad. You might not like Grant, but I do. I really do. And if you give him a chance, you’ll like him too.”
“Fat chance in hell,” he scoffed.
“Grant’s already won over Kirsten, right, Kir?”
Kirsten returned Sophie’s grin. “I do like McSailor. He’s yummy.”
Already loopy, Sophie found herself giggling, and her laughter only increased when her father asked, “What the hell’s a McSailor?”
37. Back Inside