Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
I clench my eyes closed. If I hadn’t made that move and ran… what would Vince have done? “Mindy, it’s okay—”
“I wasn’t. He—was about to… no, I wasn’t.”
His gaze is tender and sincere. “Okay. That’s good. You’re very fortunate.”
Justin isn’t. More tears burn. “The officer who got shot? Is he okay? Do you know if he’s going to be okay?”
The medic shakes his head. “I’m not sure. He was taken in another ambulance.”
“Can you call? Ask someone? I really need to know. He has a wife. He’s about to be a dad. He saved my life, and he shouldn’t have.” Tears rush down my cheeks as agony and regret roll through me. He shouldn’t have been there. Why didn’t he go home to his family? Why did he have to risk his life for me?
The ambulance halts, and the doors rush open. The medics talk quickly as they wheel me out and down a chaotic hallway. He repeats the answers I gave him, minus the throat punching. Once we hit another set of doors, he stops, not going any further.
“Miss, can you please tell us your name?” a nurse asks, wheeling me into a room.
“Mindy Parks.”
“Thank you. We’re going to lift you onto this bed on the count of three. One, two, three…” I’m hauled from the gurney to the hospital bed. “Grab her a gown. We have to inspect you for any wounds.”
“I told the medic I don’t have any—”
“Procedure. Get an IV going—”
“No! I said I don’t want it. No needles.”
“It’s just a prick. You’re severely dehydrated. We need to get fluids in you as soon as possible.”
“I said no—ow!” I howl when another nurse captures my arm and inserts a needle into my vein. I twist my head to the nurse. “An officer was brought in. He was shot. Do you know if he’s okay?”
“I don’t.”
“Can you ask? Find out? It’s really important—”
“I need you to stay still—”
“I need to know if the officer who was brought in is alive!” I scream.
“Mindy?”
My eyes dart toward the doorway. “Fay,” my voice cracks, and she runs to me, ignoring the medical staff, and throws herself on me.
“God, I thought you were…” She breaks down and sobs. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what to think. I felt so helpless.”
“I’m okay.”
She raises her head, her mascara running down her face. “Oh my god! I just jumped on you! You could be hurt!” She pulls away, but I reach for her in panic. “Please don’t leave me,” I cry.
“Never. I’m here.” The tears refuse to stop. We hold each other until a nurse forces Fay off me. “You touch me again, and I’ll have all your jobs,” she snaps at them.
It seems impossible at a time like this, but a faint smile forms. “Fay?”
Her eyes land back on mine. “Yes? What do you need?”
“There was an officer brought in. Justin Phillips. He saved my life. He can’t die. You have to make sure they save him. He can’t die.”
Fay turns toward the door where Theo is standing, his expression dark. She doesn’t have to say anything. He nods and disappears, and she turns back to me. “Now, don’t lie to me. Are you okay?”
“Yes. It was scary. But I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” She stares at me, her eyes questioning. I know what she wants to know. “He didn’t rape me.”
Another sob erupts up her throat. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this. If anything had happened to you, I never would have forgiven myself.”
I grab her hand. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I should have made you stay with me. Made Theo lock you up in our house until they found the guy…the right guy.”
“Fay, you couldn’t have known.”
“I know, but someone should have seen the signs. Tate’s been a mess. Me slapping him didn’t help… But that’s a topic for another day. Minds, if it weren’t for him, I don’t know if we would have found you in time.”
A tightness in my chest forms at the mention of him. Then my anger reemerges. “Tate is the reason I was taken. He doesn’t get to play the hero card here. He let me go. He was supposed to protect me, and he let me go.”
“Mindy—”
“No! I don’t want to hear it. He turned his back on me and basically handed me straight to that monster.”
She opens her mouth to say more but stops. “Okay.”
Theo appears back in the doorway, and I sit up. His face looks grim. “Please, no.”
“He’s in surgery. They were able to dislodge the bullet from his shoulder, but the other one nicked a lung, causing some damage.”
I shake my head. “No, he can’t die.”
Theo walks in and grabs my hand. “He’s in good hands. This is the best trauma center in the region.”