Tony must have thought the bodyguard she’d written about in her journal was the officer guarding her last night. But that wasn’t true.
The man Tony wanted to hurt was Sebastian.
Sebastian was the man she was falling in love with.
God forgive her for being grateful that Tony had jumped to the wrong conclusions. She wouldn’t be able to survive if she was the reason Sebastian was hurt or killed.
“And the man who saved us is here at the hospital?”
Dr. Carey nodded, then turned to one of the other doctors waiting by the door. “Did you get his name? I don’t remember what it was.”
The man nodded, then said, “Mr. Luttrell is the man who carried Ms. King into the emergency room.”
Her heart fluttered. “I know you said I couldn’t have any visitors, but is it possible for me to see Mr. Luttrell?”
Chapter44
The fifth floor of St. Killian General Hospital was reserved for the island’s elite citizens—elected officials, dignitaries, industry billionaires, and celebrities. The King Family was at the top of that list, so an entire floor wing had been evacuated for Gabrielle. The other rooms were filled with family members waiting their turn to see Gabrielle and wouldn’t be available for other patients until Serena King said so.
Sebastian hadn’t been invited to wait with the family.
Despite insisting that he and Lachlan had rescued Gabrielle and the officer from Tony Brooks’s attack, Sebastian was still a potential suspect in Serena’s eyes. She didn’t know if she could trust his version of what happened at the safe house without corroboration from the officer, who had been whisked into surgery when they’d arrived at the hospital.
None of that concerned Sebastian.
All his thoughts were singularly focused on Gabrielle.
When she regained consciousness, she’d expect him to be there.
It was the only place he wanted to be.
Seeing her naked and sedated on the bed, vulnerable to that psycho, had ripped his heart out. His mind raced through the possibilities of what Brooks might have done to her. Each thought was more soul-crushing and deplorable than the last. If his thoughts turned out to be accurate, there wasn’t a rock that fucker could hide under that would keep Sebastian from finding him and making him pay.
“Mr. Luttrell.” A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Sebastian glanced up at the older woman with salt-and-pepper braided hair twisted into a complex chignon and dressed in crisp white. Her badge indicated she was a nurse.
“Is Gabrielle okay?” Sebastian asked, his heart kicking up a notch in his chest.
“Yes. She’d like to see you.”
The nurse led him to the private elevators.
All he wanted was to pull Gabrielle into his arms and hold onto her forever. He knew that she loved him. He’d listened to her declaration of love for him read by a fucking psycho, but they were still the sweetest words he’d ever heard. He couldn’t wait to tell her how much he loved her.
The elevator dinged, and the doors opened.
The nurse turned to him. “This way, Mr. Luttrell.”
Sebastian’s ears perked up as they approached the end of the hallway.
“You can’t go in there,” a male voice said.
“The King Stalker is my case,” Detective Shannon thundered. “I have a right to question Gabrielle. If you want to tag along, fine, but I’m going inside!”
“No, you’re not. This isn’t your case anymore. It’s been reassigned to us. We aren’t here to work with you. We are taking it over. You’re to report back to the St. Xavier Police Department … immediately.”
“You can’t do this to me. I need to break this case—”
“Why? So you can land the Chief of Police gig in St. Felipe?” The man scoffed, laughing under his breath. “You’re lucky to have a job to return to in St. X. You’ve fucked up your reputation big time with this one. There won’t be any more promotions in your future, buddy.”
