Candace pulled out her phone to check on updates. Those two dudes she’d knocked out had been arrested and were snitching like it was going out of style. Soon the third guy would be in custody, but he was on the run.

Good. Hope they bust his ass for shooting me.

“Ari?” a voice rasped.

Candace lowered her phone and spotted Mr. White glancing around all glassy-eyed.

She sent a quick text—He’s up—to Ari and set her phone aside. “She’s getting food.”

He snapped his attention to her and stared.

For several seconds, nothing happened, save the faint beeping of the monitor as Candace held his gaze.

“Why’d you do it?” he finally asked.

“Do what?”

He pursed his lips, looked to the door, then back to her. His attention went to her shoulder and the sling.

She arched an eyebrow. “Fell down some stairs.”

He snorted a laugh that ended in a cough. She shifted forward to hold out a glass of water. He drank the whole thing in slow pulls, then settled against the pillows.

“It was you,” he mumbled. “In the bank.”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ’bout.”

“You saved my life. After I almost ordered my officers to fire on you.”

Candace went quiet. There was no point in denying it, but she wasn’t going to admit to anything just yet.

“Those men were going to shoot me or beat me and leave me to burn.” He stared at the ceiling, his eyes misty, his lips trembling.

“Sounds like you had a rough night.”

“You stopped them.” His eyes found her again.

“Daddy!” Ari burst through the door and rushed over to the side of her father’s bed. A nurse came in behind her and started checking the machines.

Mr. White hugged his daughter as they exchanged a tearful greeting, with all the “I love yous,” and “I was worried,” and “thank goodness,” and so on.

Ari drew back to let the nurse work and flashed a wide smile, which Candace returned. When the nurse finished she left Mr. White with orders to try and get some more water down, then they’d move to broth. She’d be back with some medications and to check on him shortly.

He watched the nurse go before looking back at Candace. She watched him watching her. Her thumb played across Ari’s fingers where she held her hand.

Ari glanced between them, chewing at her lower lip. “Daddy, it—”

“Thank you,” he murmured, dropping his gaze.

The look of surprise that moved across Ari’s face mirrored the shock that jolted through Candace.

“You didn’t have to do what you did.” He swallowed thickly. “You had every right not to, but . . .”