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But this time we were all grown up, and it was undeniably….different.
“Damn,” he said in a teasing tone. “With you in this condition, I might have a chance of winning a debate.”
“You always win anyway,” I protested weakly.
“My father was a Parisian,” he grumbled. “I had plenty of practice. And you got your point across often enough.”
I tried to smile, but it was painful. I remembered how much Torie’s father had loved a lively debate.
“We’re here,” Wyatt said in a firm, no-nonsense tone. “Let’s get this bird moving.”
I felt the bump of the boat connecting with land and grimaced.
Shit!I hurt everywhere.
“This is going to be painful, Vanna. I have to move you to the helicopter. I’m sorry,” Chase said, his voice radiating with remorse.
“I can’t see anything, Chase. Is someone here to fly us out of here?” I asked, disoriented because I couldn’t see anything but darkness.
I assumed that Chase and Wyatt were wearing some kind of night vision goggles since they appeared to have no problem navigating in the dark.
“Yeah,” he answered in a joking tone. “Me. You ready to put your life in my hands, sweetheart?”
It suddenly dawned on me that Chase was piloting me out of herehimself.
I held back a cry as he shifted me in his arms. “Not frightened at all,” I answered honestly as I panted through the pain. “According to Torie, you used to be one of the best helicopter pilots on the planet.”
“Still am,” he shot back as he stood. “Hang tight, Vanna. This is the really unpleasant part.”
I let out a whimper of pain I couldn’t stifle as he started to move. Everything hurt so much that I felt the darkness closing in. I fought it. I was finally somewhat aware of what was going on. I didn’t want to lose that awareness now.
“Christ! I’m sorry, Vanna, but I have to get you off this damn boat. I think your shoulder is dislocated, and I know this is going to hurt like hell,” Chase rasped against my ear.
When he hopped off the boat, the agony of my injuries became too much to handle, and I decisively lost my battle not to fall into unconsciousness.
Chase
Two weeks later, I felt like I’d been dragged through hell and back again.
Savannah had recovered at the best medical center in Panama City, but the road to that improvement had been way too precarious for me.
When I’d finally seen her condition in the light of day, I’d wanted to kill all four of the bastards who had abused her.
Now, I still wanted to kill them, but my mind was slightly calmer since she’d made it through the rough patches. It also helped that the four assholes responsible for her kidnapping had all been apprehended, pled guilty and had been put in prison already.
I knew I’d never forget the cry of anguish that had left her mouth the moment I’d jumped down from the boat to get her on the helicopter. Or the helpless whimpers of agony after that.
The flight to Panama City had seemed like the longest I’d ever flown, even though it was relatively short. Vanna had lost consciousness and had stayed out cold for the entire duration of the flight, which had been a blessing for her.
In hindsight, it was a damn miracle that Vanna had even had the strength to speak while she was on that boat.
They’d fixed her dislocated shoulder and it was out of a sling. Her fractured ribs were healing. A plastic surgeon had done his best to repair the deep wounds on her face. The doctors had gotten her pain under control soon after we’d arrived, and after so many IV antibiotics that I’d lost track of them, she was finally clear of the infection that had invaded her entire body.
So why did Istillfeel so hypervigilant even though her condition was improving and I was taking her home to finish her recovery?
Hell, truth was that she stilllookedfucking fragile as she sat on the bed in my bedroom on board my private jet.
She hadn’t regained all the weight she’d lost, and the repaired lacerations on her face looked painful and angry against her pale skin.
