“Are you all right?” Vivianne’s hug was like a vise, her hot tears streaming down Bianca’s face. “Did she hurt you?”
Sam grabbed a paper towel and moved Ellen’s gun to the other side of the room before taking the handcuffs and giving Ellen a taste of her own medicine. Lying face down on the ground unconscious, hands cuffed behind her back, the woman was entirely powerless.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” Sam slid between mother and daughter, her warm, safe hold encouraging Bianca to finally unleash that pent-up sob. Sam cradled the back of Bianca’s head and kissed her face. “It’s over. You’re safe. I love you.”
Bianca grabbed the lapel of Sam’s jacket and brought her in for a light and airy kiss. That was the best she could do, because the excitement of the moment was the only thing keeping her lucid.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked.
The edges of Bianca’s vision began to blur and darken. Not again! “I… I haven’t eaten anything in a while…”
As the world slipped from her grasp and she met the sweet, cool escape of nothingness, she could still feel the warmth of Sam’s body against hers.