Sloane’s body jerked. “Baby?” Her voice rose. “Baby?” Even higher. Then she was poking at Atlas’s shoulder. “Get her to the hospital, now!”
“That’s what I’m doing!”
And he clearly wasn’t waiting for an ambulance. Atlas rushed her toward a waiting silver Lexus GX, one parked near the sidewalk. Atlas carefully settled his wife in the passenger seat while Sloane dove into the back.
Preston surged toward them, needing to follow. Needing to stay close to Sloane.
“Wait!” Debra cried.
The people in the Lexus were not waiting. He couldn’t blame Atlas. Preston realized that if his own pregnant wife had been shot…
The vehicle roared away. He stared after them, his body tight.
If my wife had been shot, I’d destroy the bastard who fired the gun.
“Take her home.” Sloane stood in the hospital corridor. Still wearing the too big shoes and the jogging suit that felt itchy and stiff. Her hands twisted in front of her as she glared up at Atlas. “As soon as the doc gives you the all clear, load her up. Get her out of town. Get her back to your place where you can have her protected by the army of guards you keep at the ready. Do whatever you have to do, but just get her out of this town.”
He whirled away and paced the corridor. Sloane knew that Atlas wanted to be inside with Lily, but he’d been forced out. For the moment. He turned on his heel. Marched back toward her. “Are you telling me to kidnap my wife?”
“Yes, I am.” Zero hesitation. Why did Atlas act like it was such a shocker? As if she didn’t know the same thought-slash-plan had already run through his head. “Lily is pregnant, and some jackass just shot at her.” Lily is pregnant! Lily is pregnant! She’d had no idea until the announcement outside the sheriff’s station. “A couple more inches, and the bullet wouldn’t have hit her arm. Instead, it could have lodged in her chest. Her stomach.” Lily’s own stomach was in knots. She had to swallow. Twice. “Get her out of here.”
“She’s not going to leave you. That’s not who she is.” Each word was bitten off.
“That’s why you kidnap her.” Wasn’t it obvious? Her hands went to her hips. “Don’t be a dick, Atlas. We both know that you are not the type to hesitate at a little bit of kidnapping. Especially when it’s Lily that we’re talking about. Lily’s safety.”
Footsteps tapped on the tile behind her. Sloane whipped around.
Preston. Closing in. Looking grim. Determined.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Atlas demanded. “Thought we left him in our dust.”
She had no idea why Preston was at the hospital. So she faced off against Preston and demanded, basically just repeating Atlas, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Behind her, Atlas grunted his approval.
“Apologizing.” Preston’s gaze swept over her. Lingered. So many emotions—emotions that she could not name—swirled in his green stare. “I never should have let you get taken to the sheriff’s station.”
“Uh, yeah, you should not have.”
“I should have gotten the cuffs off you immediately.”
Again… “Yes.” Brittle. What? Did he expect some sort of argument? He should have kept her at his house. The cuffs should have been a no-go. Bondage wasn’t really her game. Neither was being interrogated as a suspect in a sheriff’s station.
Preston squared his shoulders. “You had nothing to do with the abduction.”
“Thanks for noticing,” she muttered. “Glad you figured that one out. What was the tip off? The fact that I was in the grave with you?”
“I’m fucking sorry.” A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. The stubble on his jaw had just gotten thicker. Deeper. Sexier. “I will do whatever it takes to make this up to you.”
Atlas cleared his throat. “Women like groveling. Works well for them. You should probably get on your knees for her.”
The doctor came out of the hospital room. Atlas immediately jumped into his path. “Lily? The baby?”
The gray-haired doctor motioned toward the door he’d just exited. “Let’s go inside so we can talk with your wife…”
“Fucking hell!” Atlas bolted inside.
Sloane wanted to follow him, but…he was Lily’s family. Atlas and the baby. The baby. Lily is going to be a mother.
