Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“I want an APB on that vehicle!” Debra snarled.
Eugene stood on the front steps with her, body heaving because he’d just run outside.
“No one shoots up my station,” Debra’s fury was clear. “No one.”
“Get off me!” Sloane snarled, and she shoved hard at Preston. “I swear, if you don’t move, now, I will punch you!”
She could punch him all she wanted, but he wasn’t moving until he’d made sure she was safe. Preston searched her for injuries. His heart still thundered far too fast in his chest. When he’d heard the eruption of gunfire, he hadn’t been able to reach Sloane fast enough.
Sloane swatted his hands away when they skimmed over her body. “Get off me!” She blasted again. “It was a red Honda Accord! One with dark, tinted windows!”
Yes, it had been a red Honda. He’d seen the side of the vehicle. Had seen the gun pointing out at them, and for one, desperate moment, Preston had been sure his world was ending.
Sloane could have gotten killed. Right in front of me.
“Late model,” Sloane huffed out. “Didn’t get the tag number, but I did see a decal on the back window. White outline of mountains, like something you’d see a hiker put on a vehicle.”
He rose. Slowly. She immediately tried to bound away, but he locked his hand around her wrist.
She hissed out a pain-filled breath. “Let go!”
He’d hurt her. He’d seen the flash of pain on her face. Preston let her go, but he made sure to keep his body close to hers as he shadowed her movements.
Atlas was on his feet, and he held Lily cradled in his arms.
“I’m okay!” Lily hurried assured everyone. “The bullet just nicked my upper arm. I am all right. Atlas, it’s okay!”
“No, it’s fucking not,” he gritted back. “I’m getting you to the hospital, now.”
“Flesh wound!” Lily shook her head. “That’s all it is. I’m an MD, remember? I know what a scratch is. Nothing vital was hit. I’m just bleeding a little bit. Give me a bandage, and I’ll be as good as new. Don’t you worry, the baby and I are fine.”
Sloane’s body jerked. “Baby?” Her voice rose. “Baby?” Even higher. Then she was poking at Atlas’s shoulder. “Get her to the hospital, now!”
“That’s what I’m doing!”
And he clearly wasn’t waiting for an ambulance. Atlas rushed her toward a waiting silver Lexus GX, one parked near the sidewalk. Atlas carefully settled his wife in the passenger seat while Sloane dove into the back.
Preston surged toward them, needing to follow. Needing to stay close to Sloane.
“Wait!” Debra cried.
The people in the Lexus were not waiting. He couldn’t blame Atlas. Preston realized that if his own pregnant wife had been shot…
The vehicle roared away. He stared after them, his body tight.
If my wife had been shot, I’d destroy the bastard who fired the gun.
“Take her home.” Sloane stood in the hospital corridor.
Still wearing the too big shoes and the jogging suit that felt itchy and stiff.
Her hands twisted in front of her as she glared up at Atlas.
“As soon as the doc gives you the all clear, load her up. Get her out of town. Get her back to your place where you can have her protected by the army of guards you keep at the ready. Do whatever you have to do, but just get her out of this town.”
He whirled away and paced the corridor. Sloane knew that Atlas wanted to be inside with Lily, but he’d been forced out. For the moment. He turned on his heel. Marched back toward her. “Are you telling me to kidnap my wife?”
“Yes, I am.” Zero hesitation. Why did Atlas act like it was such a shocker?
As if she didn’t know the same thought-slash-plan had already run through his head.
“Lily is pregnant, and some jackass just shot at her.” Lily is pregnant!
Lily is pregnant! She’d had no idea until the announcement outside the sheriff’s station.
“A couple more inches, and the bullet wouldn’t have hit her arm.
Instead, it could have lodged in her chest. Her stomach.
” Lily’s own stomach was in knots. She had to swallow. Twice. “Get her out of here.”
“She’s not going to leave you. That’s not who she is.” Each word was bitten off.
“That’s why you kidnap her.” Wasn’t it obvious? Her hands went to her hips. “Don’t be a dick, Atlas. We both know that you are not the type to hesitate at a little bit of kidnapping. Especially when it’s Lily that we’re talking about. Lily’s safety.”
Footsteps tapped on the tile behind her. Sloane whipped around.
Preston. Closing in. Looking grim. Determined.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Atlas demanded. “Thought we left him in our dust.”
She had no idea why Preston was at the hospital. So she faced off against Preston and demanded, basically just repeating Atlas, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Behind her, Atlas grunted his approval.
“Apologizing.” Preston’s gaze swept over her. Lingered. So many emotions—emotions that she could not name—swirled in his green stare. “I never should have let you get taken to the sheriff’s station.”
“Uh, yeah, you should not have.”
“I should have gotten the cuffs off you immediately.”
Again… “Yes.” Brittle. What? Did he expect some sort of argument? He should have kept her at his house. The cuffs should have been a no-go. Bondage wasn’t really her game. Neither was being interrogated as a suspect in a sheriff’s station.
Preston squared his shoulders. “You had nothing to do with the abduction.”
“Thanks for noticing,” she muttered. “Glad you figured that one out. What was the tip off? The fact that I was in the grave with you?”
“I’m fucking sorry.” A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. The stubble on his jaw had just gotten thicker. Deeper. Sexier. “I will do whatever it takes to make this up to you.”
Atlas cleared his throat. “Women like groveling. Works well for them. You should probably get on your knees for her.”
The doctor came out of the hospital room. Atlas immediately jumped into his path. “Lily? The baby?”
The gray-haired doctor motioned toward the door he’d just exited. “Let’s go inside so we can talk with your wife…”
“Fucking hell!” Atlas bolted inside.
Sloane wanted to follow him, but…he was Lily’s family. Atlas and the baby. The baby. Lily is going to be a mother.
“Do you want me on my knees?”
A swift inhale. “Right now, I just want to be told that Lily is okay. That the baby is okay.” She raised her chin as her focus locked on Preston. “I want Lily out of this town. She can’t get caught in the crossfire because of me.” Nothing can happen to her because of me.
“So you told Atlas to kidnap his wife.”
“Caught that part, huh?” She rocked forward, then back, feeling the too big shoes slide a bit against her feet.
He nodded.
Naughty Preston. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it isn’t nice to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?”
Preston simply shrugged. “I never claimed to be nice.”
No, she supposed that he had not.
“They’re not going to leave if they think you are in danger.” He’d taken a step closer to her. “Your friend Lily won’t abandon you.”
She knew that. Getting Lily to leave would be problematic but…
“So she has to think you’re safe. If you want her to leave, that is. Let her believe that your protection is fully covered.”
What was she supposed to say to Lily? That the sheriff had given her a guard? That—
“Tell her that you’ll be staying with me. That I’ll provide you with twenty-four, seven security.”
He was almost touching her. Almost. Not quite. His gaze had swept down over her body. He seemed to be paying particular attention to…wait, was he staring at her hand? Her wrist?
His fingers reached out and curled along her forearm. He lifted up her hand, staring at her wrist. At the darkening circle around her wrist. The bruise from the handcuffs. “It won’t happen again,” he said.
“What won’t?” He should be far more specific. “A bastard shooting at us? You believing I’m here to kill you? What, exactly, won’t happen again?”
“All of the above?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t make jokes right now.”
“I’m not joking.” He brought her wrist to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss to the skin. “My priorities have shifted.”
“What in the world does that even mean?”
Once more, the doctor exited the hospital room. This time, he marched past her, his white coat flapping.
Sloane took that cue to rush into the room. But, once inside, she staggered to a stop because Atlas was sitting on the bed next to Lily, holding her hand tightly, as his head bowed near her. “Oh, God. Oh, no.” Tears stung her eyes. “Lily…?”
“I’m okay,” Lily assured her instantly. “The baby is okay. It’s just a graze. Something I believe that I told you all at the scene. But no one seemed to be paying much attention to my diagnosis.”
If Lily was okay, then why did Atlas look that way?
He turned toward Sloane. “The doctor says…two heartbeats.”
“Two?” Well, yeah, that would be Lily and the baby, right?
“Twins. Two heartbeats when they put the monitor on her because she’s carrying twins. They’re going to take her for an ultrasound any moment.” He stood up and faced Sloane. “She’s so small. How the hell is she supposed to carry two babies? My babies?”
“Uh…” Lily was not, in fact, particularly small. And lots of women had twins. Sloane craned around him.
Lily rolled her eyes.
“And some fucker shot at her,” Atlas added grimly.
She could feel Preston standing behind her. She was not particularly surprised that he’d followed her inside the small room.
“You think I’m just going to let him get away with that?” Atlas demanded. “You think I’m not going to make his life into a living hell?”
“Atlas,” Lily chided. “Calm down. Remember what I told you about threatening to kill people?”
“Yes. Don’t do it in public. This isn’t public. And I said I’d make his life a living hell. Didn’t say I’d kill him.”
But he would. She could see it in his eyes. Sloane nodded. “It’s time for you both to leave.”
“What?” Lily tried to get off the bed.
Atlas pushed her right back on it. “Don’t you dare.” His voice had deepened. He didn’t normally get firm with Lily but…he just had.