Chapter 27
Tabitha’s heart pounded as Ramzi crossed the expanse of grass toward her.
He was so tall, so impossibly handsome—he made every other man fade to dust. It wasn’t just his height or looks.
It was the power in his stride. The integrity in his eyes.
The quiet strength that hummed around him like a current.
Dear heaven, she thought, I love that man.
And somehow… she knew he loved her too.
It was in the way he walked. The unflinching focus in his gaze. The silent dare in his eyes that called her forward, challenging her to meet him halfway.
Her feet began to move.
He wasn’t speaking—but her heart heard him. Felt the pull.
But then—
“TABITHA!”
The scream cracked through the afternoon air, shrill and furious.
Tabitha turned toward the voice—and froze.
Leandra.
The woman stood twenty feet away, a kitchen knife raised over her head. Sunlight glinted off the blade as she charged, her expression twisted with rage.
No…!
The world slowed to a crawl. Tabitha tried to move—run, duck, anything—but her legs felt like stone. Someone shouted behind her, “Don’t you dare!”
Then—impact.
A massive force slammed into her from behind, knocking her off her feet. She crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs, breath stolen from her lungs, ears ringing. Food splattered across the grass. A table tipped over nearby.
And something heavy—someone—was on top of her.
Ramzi!
For a moment, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Her brain scrambled to make sense of what had just happened.
She wasn’t in pain. Not really. Shouldn’t a knife wound hurt?
There was an ache in her backside, but that made no sense. Why would her butt hurt?
She looked down—and saw a massive body sprawled on top of her, shielding her. Food clung to his suit. A chunk of potato salad had landed near his ear.
Ramzi had tackled her.
He’d taken her down to save her.
“Ramzi?” she whispered, nudging him. “Come on. Get up. You’re heavy.”
No response.
A sliver of panic pierced her chest.
“Ramzi?” she said again, louder now, struggling to shift under him. “You’ve got to get off me—I can’t breathe!”
Still nothing.
She touched his side, trying to shake him. Her fingers landed on something warm. Wet.
Sticky.
She pulled her hand back and stared at it.
Red.
At first, she thought maybe it was frosting. A smear of devil’s food cake. But no. That wasn’t right.
Her stomach dropped.
Then she screamed.
“Ramzi!” she shrieked, shifting frantically, trying to roll him off her.
He was limp.
“Ramzi!” she cried again, finally managing to move him onto his back. Blood trickled down from a gash on his forehead, soaking into the collar of his shirt. His suit jacket was slashed at the sleeve—and beneath it, another wound.
Oh god, she got him! Leandra’s knife…!
“Ramzi, wake up!” Tabitha begged, cradling his head as gently as she could. “Don’t you dare do this to me! I love you, dammit!”
She bent over him, trembling, brushing his hair back from the gash. Her breath came in sharp, panicked gasps.
He saved me. He took the hit. And now he’s bleeding because of me.
She looked around wildly.
“HELP!” she screamed. “Somebody help!”
At that moment, she spotted his security team. They’d already subdued Leandra, pinning her face down on the ground. Two of them broke away from the scuffle and sprinted toward her.
“He’s hurt!” she cried. “He needs help! Call an ambulance—NOW!”
One of the bodyguards crouched beside Ramzi, already relaying information into his radio. Another peeled back his jacket to inspect the wounds.
Before Tabitha could fully process what was happening, the familiar black SUV came roaring across the grass, skidding to a halt beside them.
Ramzi was lifted with practiced care and loaded into the back. Tabitha stood frozen—unsure whether she was supposed to stay, follow, do something. Her heart screamed that she had to go with him. She opened her mouth to ask—
But someone beat her to it.
Strong arms swept her up without a word and carried her to the vehicle. She didn’t resist.
The seats in the back had already been laid flat. Ramzi lay stretched out, his shirt soaked with blood, his face too pale. One of the guards pressed gauze to his forehead, but it wasn’t enough.
Tabitha crawled toward him, unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands trembled as she reached out. She didn’t know where to touch him—afraid of making things worse—until finally, she gently gathered his hand in hers and pressed it to her cheek.
“Ramzi…” Her voice cracked. “You’re going to be okay. Do you hear me?” She squeezed his hand. “You have to be okay.”
Her breath hitched, chest heaving.
“I love you. And I’m going to take care of you.
Your team is rushing you to the hospital, and you’re going to be fine.
You have to be fine. Nothing bad can happen to you, because…
because I need you. I love you too much to lose you, Ramzi.
So whatever’s happening inside your body, I need you to fight it. You fight to come back to me. Please…”
The wail of sirens surrounded them now—police and ambulance units escorting the SUV through traffic. Still, she whispered to him, willing him to hear her voice through the haze of unconsciousness.
When the vehicle finally skidded to a stop in front of the emergency department, Tabitha nearly collapsed with relief.
Medical personnel were already waiting. The doors opened and a stretcher was pulled up. Ramzi was lifted again, his hand slipping from hers. She followed, not thinking, just needing to stay close.
But as the medical team wheeled him through the automatic doors, a nurse stepped into her path, holding up a hand.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, you can’t go in there.”
Tabitha stumbled to a halt. “But—!”
“Are you family?”
The word sliced through her panic like a knife. Family?
Her mouth opened… then closed.
No. Not legally. Not officially.
“No,” she whispered, the word strangled with grief.
The nurse’s face tightened with clinical indifference. He gestured toward the waiting area. “Please take a seat.”
He didn’t tell her someone would come with updates. He didn’t offer reassurance. He just turned and disappeared through the same doors that had swallowed Ramzi.
Tabitha stared after him, stunned.
She couldn’t move. Her limbs didn’t work. Her mind refused to accept that Ramzi was behind those doors and she wasn’t allowed to be with him.
“Honey,” a soft voice said beside her. “Let’s go sit down.”
Her mother’s arm wrapped gently around her shoulders and guided her to a plastic chair in the waiting area. Tabitha sat stiffly, the panic rising fast and hot inside her chest, threatening to shatter her from the inside out.
“He’s going to be okay,” Tilda murmured, holding her close.
Tabitha leaned into her mother’s embrace, sobbing now. She hadn’t needed her parents this much since she was a child.
“I love him, Mom,” she whispered, the words torn from her throat.
“I know, darling,” her mother said, rubbing her back. “I know.”
Ben appeared then, sitting on her other side. He took her cold hand in his warm ones and gave it a firm pat. “He’s strong,” he said, his voice steady. “He’ll pull through this.”
Tabitha nodded numbly, but her mind was spinning. What exactly was this? The entire moment had turned into a blur. She could still see Leandra charging at her, knife raised. Could still hear someone scream. Could still feel Ramzi’s body slamming into hers.
Why had Leandra been so furious?
Why had she come at Tabitha with a weapon?
And the question that pulsed hardest of all: Was Ramzi going to survive?