Chapter 6 - The Mafia Boss Took a Bullet Protecting Her—And His Confession at the Hospital Left Her in Tears
The threat changed everything.
I wanted Jenna to remain inside my house until the investigation ended.
She refused.
Not recklessly.
Not because she underestimated the danger.
Because she understood that hiding indefinitely would give Ryan and Shaw control over her life.
"I'll follow reasonable security precautions," she told me.
"But I won't disappear."
I admired her courage.
I also hated how frightened it made me.
We agreed on a plan.
She would stay at a secure residence arranged through her attorney.
She would travel with licensed security professionals.
She would avoid predictable routines.
And she would continue cooperating with Detective Foster.
I moved into the same residence temporarily, but Jenna insisted on having her own space.
I respected that.
Our relationship was changing.
So was my organization.
I had begun separating legitimate businesses from criminal operations under the supervision of independent counsel.
It was complicated.
Expensive.
And dangerous.
Some associates considered the decision a betrayal.
Others welcomed it.
Marcus supported me.
"You should have done this years ago," he said.
"Thank you for your encouragement."
"Anytime."
But the greatest danger remained Victor Shaw.
Investigators believed he had orchestrated the contract theft and unauthorized shipments.
Ryan had helped move money and conceal ownership.
Daniel Voss had handled surveillance and intimidation.
Samuel Price had discovered enough to threaten the entire operation.
And now Samuel was missing again.
Three days after the threat, Detective Foster contacted Rachel.
A witness had reported seeing Samuel being forced into a vehicle near his hotel.
Security footage supported the account.
The vehicle was connected to a company controlled by Shaw.
A warrant was issued.
But Shaw had vanished.
Ryan remained in Denver.
His attorney claimed he was cooperating.
Jenna didn't believe it.
Neither did I.
On Friday afternoon, she received a message from Matt.
He wanted to meet.
Privately.
She showed it to me.
"Why privately?" I asked.
"I don't know."
"Call him."
She did.
Matt answered immediately.
His voice sounded strained.
"Jen?"
"What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Ryan."
I moved closer.
Matt continued.
"I found something in Olivia's father's development files."
"What?"
"Payments to Westbridge."
Jenna looked at me.
"How much?"
"Almost two million dollars."
My stomach tightened.
Thomas Bennett.
Olivia's father.
The man who had hosted the engagement dinner.
Matt continued.
"I think someone used his company to move money."
"Does Olivia know?"
"Not yet."
"Then tell her."
"I will. But Jen, there's something else."
"What?"
"Ryan threatened me."
Jenna went pale.
"When?"
"This morning."
"What did he say?"
"He told me to stop asking questions if I wanted the wedding to happen."
I took the phone.
"Matt, this is Evan."
A pause.
"Mr. Blackwood."
"Don't meet Ryan. Don't confront anyone. Preserve the documents and contact Detective Foster."
"Okay."
"Where are you now?"
"At my office."
"Stay there until you speak to the detective."
He agreed.
Jenna ended the call.
Then she looked at me.
"This is spreading through my entire family."
I took her hands.
"I know."
"I just wanted to attend my brother's engagement dinner."
The sadness in her voice broke my heart.
I pulled her close.
"I know."
That evening, Matt and Olivia met with Detective Foster.
Thomas Bennett also agreed to provide records.
The payments appeared to be connected to fraudulent development consulting contracts.
Thomas claimed he had trusted Ryan's recommendations.
Investigators would have to determine whether he was telling the truth.
Meanwhile, Jenna and I tried to find one quiet evening together.
We ordered dinner.
We watched an old comedy.
She fell asleep against my shoulder.
For two hours, I almost believed we could have an ordinary life.
Then the alarm sounded.
A security sensor had detected movement near the rear entrance.
Marcus called.
"Possible intrusion."
I woke Jenna.
She sat upright.
"What?"
"Stay close."
The security team checked the perimeter.
At first, they found nothing.
Then a vehicle crashed through the outer gate.
The impact echoed across the property.
Marcus shouted through the phone.
"Move to the safe room!"
I took Jenna's hand.
We ran toward the reinforced hallway.
A gunshot cracked outside.
Then another.
Jenna stumbled.
I caught her.
"Keep moving."
We reached the corridor.
A security officer appeared at the far end.
"Sir, this way!"
We moved toward him.
Then a side door burst open.
A masked man stepped into the hallway.
He raised a handgun.
Everything happened in less than a second.
I pushed Jenna behind me.
The shot struck my upper shoulder.
Pain exploded through my chest.
I fell against the wall.
Jenna screamed.
"Evan!"
The security officer returned fire.
The attacker fled through the doorway.
I slid to the floor.
Warm blood soaked my shirt.
Jenna dropped beside me.
Her hands pressed against the wound.
"No. No, no, no."
I tried to speak.
She was shaking.
"Stay with me."
"Jenna."
"Don't talk."
I almost smiled.
"Still giving orders."
Tears streamed down her face.
"Please."
I touched her cheek with my uninjured hand.
"I'm here."
Marcus arrived seconds later.
He called for medical assistance.
The security team secured the corridor.
Jenna refused to leave my side.
She kept pressure on the wound until paramedics arrived.
I remember the ambulance.
The bright lights.
The sound of Jenna telling someone my blood type.
Then everything blurred.
When I woke, I was in a hospital.
My shoulder burned.
A monitor beeped beside the bed.
Jenna sat in a chair, holding my hand.
Her eyes were swollen.
She looked as though she hadn't slept.
I tried to speak.
My throat was dry.
"Did we win?"
Her head snapped up.
For one second, she stared.
Then she began crying.
"You absolute idiot."
I smiled weakly.
"Good morning to you too."
She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
"Don't ever do that again."
"Get shot?"
"Yes."
"I'll add it to my calendar."
She laughed through her tears.
Then she hit my uninjured arm.
Gently.
"That's not funny."
"I know."
She looked at the bandage.
The bullet had passed through soft tissue without striking major blood vessels.
I had been lucky.
Very lucky.
The doctors expected a full recovery.
But Jenna had spent hours believing I might die.
She held my hand tightly.
"I thought I'd lost you."
I looked at her.
"I'm sorry."
"You pushed me out of the way."
"Yes."
"Why?"
The question surprised me.
"Because I love you."
She shook her head.
"That's not what I mean."
I waited.
"You didn't even hesitate."
I looked at our hands.
"I couldn't watch you get hurt."
Her voice broke.
"And I couldn't watch you die."
I closed my eyes.
She was right.
I had acted instinctively.
But loving someone meant more than sacrificing myself in a dramatic moment.
It meant staying alive.
Making responsible choices.
Building a future.
I opened my eyes.
"Jenna."
She looked at me.
"I need to tell you something."
Her expression changed.
"What?"
"I've spent most of my life believing that being feared made me strong."
She listened.
"But when I saw that gun pointed toward you, I realized how little any of that mattered."
Tears gathered in her eyes.
"I don't want a life where violence is normal," I continued.
"I don't want you wondering whether I'll come home. I don't want our future built around enemies and threats."
She squeezed my hand.
"Then change it."
"I am."
"Not for me."
I looked at her.
"For yourself."
I nodded.
"For myself."
She leaned closer.
"And then maybe we can build something together."
I smiled.
"Maybe?"
She laughed softly.
"Don't get arrogant. You're still in a hospital gown."
I looked down.
"Fair point."
She kissed me.
This time, I didn't care who saw.
Later that afternoon, Detective Foster visited.
He had news.
One attacker had been arrested near the property.
The man had connections to Daniel Voss.
Investigators believed the assault had been intended to frighten Jenna into withdrawing her cooperation.
The attacker claimed he had been instructed not to kill anyone.
But the bullet in my shoulder proved how meaningless that distinction was.
Foster also told us that Samuel Price had been found.
Alive.
He had escaped from his captors near Pueblo and reached a police station.
He was injured but able to speak.
His testimony had given investigators enough information to identify several members of Shaw's operation.
I exhaled.
"Good."
Foster studied me.
"Mr. Blackwood, Samuel also made allegations about your organization."
"I expected that."
"Some concern activities that occurred while you were in charge."
I nodded.
"Then investigate them."
He seemed surprised.
"You understand what that could mean?"
"Yes."
Jenna looked at me.
I continued.
"I'll have counsel present. I'll protect my legal rights. But I won't obstruct the investigation."
Foster nodded slowly.
"That's the right answer."
After he left, Jenna sat beside me.
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes."
She looked surprised.
I smiled faintly.
"Turns out I'm human."
She rested her head against my shoulder.
"The good one."
I kissed her hair.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph.
Ryan Mercer standing beside Victor Shaw.
The photograph appeared to have been taken inside an airport terminal.
Beneath it were six words.
"YOUR SECRETARY WAS NEVER THE TARGET."
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
May you like
"YOU WERE."
And suddenly, the entire conspiracy looked different.
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