Illusion (Billionaire in Disguise 2)

“Sam? Sam! Don’t go to sleep. You can’t pass out on me.”

The elevator was still ticking down as I held her close to my chest.

“Sam, please. You have to hang on, please. For me,” I said in a whisper.

Why the fuck did she do that? Why the hell did she throw herself in front of that damn bullet? The elevator doors finally opened as Sam’s eyes opened wide, the pain robbing her of her breath. I stepped out of the elevator and ran for the front doors. The security guards’ eyes were wide as I barreled past them, slamming out the front door and walking down the steps.

“Get the hell out of my way,” I said. “Move! Now!”

The private ambulance pulled up and took Sam from my arms. They began inserting IVs and pumping her with fluids as another tended to the wound in her arm. Sam just lay there, weak and unresponsive as they heaved her into the car that would whisk her away to a private clinic, one that would give her top-notch care.

“Why the hell did you do that?” I asked as I laid my forehead against hers. “Why did you jump in front of that bullet?”

“Kind of my job,” Sam said breathlessly.

“Sam?” I asked. “Sam, can you hear me?”

“Unfortunately.”

I chuckled as I shook my head before I took her hand in mine. “You shouldn’t have done that. Where was your gun? Don’t you have a damn knife you could’ve thrown?”

“Even the greats make mistakes,” she said.

“You’re not great. You’re perfect. What happened? Where the hell was your weapon?”

She hissed as someone started playing around with her arm.

“She’s nicked her brachial artery. Call the doctor. Tell him we’re going to need blood on site.”

“Oxygen. He heartrate is skyrocketing.”

“She’s gonna crash.”

“Crash?”

“She’s gonna have a heart attack.”

“Sam!”

Her eyes shut again as someone shoved me out of the way. The ambulance was rushing at top speeds, jostling us around as her arm continued to bleed. One of the paramedics was calling someone while another was applying pressure on her arm above the wound. I felt her hand go limp in mine as her heart rate monitor began droning.

“Sam! Wake the fuck up!” I cried.

“If there’s someone she would want to call, I suggest you do it,” a paramedic said to me.

I looked up at her as my mind came to a dead stop. Call? What did she mean by that? I sat back in the ambulance as the paramedics fussed over an unconscious Sam as tears pooled in my eyes.

Was she going to die? Was that what the paramedic meant?

Without thinking, I pulled my phone from my pocket. I dialed John’s number and listened as his gruff voice happened on the other line. I didn’t know what to say. What would Sam want him to do in a situation like this?

“Mr. Steele?” John asked. “Are you there?”

“Yes. Sorry. There’s been an incident at my office. Sam’s been shot,” I said.

“Where are you? I’m coming to you guys.”

“You know that’s not what she would want. I’ve got her in the best care money can buy in this city. Hold your position at the house in case something happens there. I don’t see us returning for a couple of days. Sam’s losing a lot of blood.”