"Oh my God," I yelp and see the smirk on his face.
"You can call me that, beautiful, because your life is in my hands. That asshole doesn't know what's coming to him. Come on, or I'll force you." They drag me to a waiting car. Roman's birth mother jumps into the front passenger seat after they shove me into the back, closing the door. I try to yank on the handle, but it doesn't unlock. Son of a bitch.
"What are you going to do with me?" I ask as the asshole opens the driver’s side door to climb in.
"Well, he's gonna have some fun while we lead your mother on a pathetic wild goose chase. They will never find you. I’ve never had to try this hard to get rid of girls in Roman’s life. You’re just too stupid for your own good.”
"You shouldn't tell your captives that you're gonna kill them. It gives them no reason to behave," I shout, kicking at the passenger window.
"Bulletproof glass, little bitch. You better behave." I sit back in my seat, thinking about what's in my textbook bag. A cute pencil set that I didn't need but absolutely wanted. Smiling to myself, I close my eyes and say a silent prayer. They've turned up the radio so loud that people outside won't hear me scream, so they also can’t hear me open the package.
I brace myself because this is going to be insanely dangerous and fucking nuts, but I don't have a choice. With a quick action, I grab the fucking asshole's hair and jab the pencil in his eye. He screams like a bitch, losing control of the car, and we go careening off the road into a grassy area and through a black fence.
Momentum taking me, I fall forward, half landing on the bitch with my feet hitting the roof of the car. I barely fight him off when she grabs my hair. I slam her head against the dashboard and reach for the handle. He's going almost slow enough, so I move to jump out, but he slams on the gas and I fall hard out of the vehicle. Suddenly the world goes dark.
Chapter Thirteen
Roman
My heart’s racing as I run through the hospital lobby. I’m met with security, and I snarl. “Tell me where Amelia Reeves is immediately.” I don’t have the patience for this.
“The school called me. I’m her emergency contact,” I add when he’s looking at me with suspicion.
“She’s just coming out of surgery.” Surgery? Fuck, I didn’t protect her.
“What the hell? Please tell me she’s going to be okay.” My legs feel like they’re going to give out.
Someone in hospital scrubs approaches. “Are you Mr. Edwards?”
“Yes. Please tell me how my Amelia is,” I pant, demanding answers.
“She’s in recovery now. We won’t know the severity of the head trauma until she wakes, but the surgeons were able to relieve the pressure on her brain.”
My eyes slam shut as I process her words. “What happened to her?”
“She was in a car accident. More like she jumped from a moving vehicle,” she says.
“What? Did you guys get the license plate or anything? This is New York City, for fuck’s sake.”
“Calm down, sir. The man and woman who were in the car with her are in the hospital as well. It happened near the far end of Central Park. At that time of day, there weren’t many people around to know what happened.”
“I can’t fucking believe this. Can I see her?” Why was she in the car with anyone? She refused a personal driver. I can’t get a hold of her guard either.
“Yes, let me take you there.” Those words are like music to my ears. She leads me to the ICU where my heart refuses to settle down. Amelia and I were supposed to meet today. She’d only been in New York one damn day.
My guy was supposed to be watching her, and he failed. I’m going to have his head for this. The nurse opens the room and there she is, bandaged up pretty damn well. I wipe the first tear that runs down my cheek. I haven’t cried since Anna took me away from my dad.
I move to her side and brush my hand down her forearm. “Princess, I know you tell me not to say I’m sorry, but I’m really fucking sorry. Sorry for not being there to greet you when you arrived. Sorry that I didn’t protect you enough. God, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you I love you.” Tears have blurred my vision as I drop to my knees beside her bed.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to say sorry?”
I frantically wipe my tears from my eyes so I can see Amelia. “Forever, my love. Forever.” I give her fingers a squeeze, feeling like I could finally breathe again.