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Her bottom lip trembled then her mask slid back into place as she steeled herself, focusing on Corbin again.
Tires screeched to a halt on the lane outside the ER but I didn’t flinch, didn’t look toward them. I had to calm my breaths even if my heart was like a jack rabbit, beating rapidly inside my chest, each thump a warning about what could happen.
Another security guard came into the room, the door closing behind him. They wouldn’t want anyone else in here who could get hurt. There had to be lockdown procedures for this situation.
“He can’t make everything perfect for you,” I said calmly, trying to keep her attention on me and not Val or Corbin. “He can’t fix this.” I ran through different scenarios in my mind, different ways I could try and talk her down. If she were a fighter, someone who came at me with fists, I’d instinctively know what to do but this wasn’t a ring. This was a woman who needed help and held a child hostage. She had a gun pointed and her finger on the trigger.
“What are you doing?” Corbin asked her. “Tell me what’s going on.” It was a battle. He was doing the same thing I was. He wouldn’t want Val, or me, hurt.
I wanted to run to Corbin, to press my back to his chest and cover him. I wanted to grab Val and put him behind me as well. I would take the shot, every bullet, if it meant neither of them were injured.
With her eyes on him, I started inching closer to Corbin. The security guard stayed where he was, gun trained on Pia, the other guard doing the same. Olivia and my men weren’t the only innocents in the room. There were the security guards, the woman behind the desk, the other patients, people who needed medical attention yet were now caught in this nightmare.
A man and a woman huddled together in the corner, trying to push themselves against the wall so they’d be out of the line of fire. One of the security guards placed himself in front of them. A man and a child were inching toward the bathroom Val came out of. I saw a flash of clothing as the man picked up the child and ran into the bathroom. Pia’s finger twitched on the trigger, but she didn’t move or fire. I couldn’t blame the man for protecting the boy with him, but it could have cost me Val if Pia would have reacted without thinking.
“Pia,” Corbin said steadily, bringing her attention to him again. “Let the child go.”
“No,” she snapped, pulling Olivia closer, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Why do you have her? She’s innocent.”
“She’s not. There should have been a life insurance policy. Something to help me raise her. My sister left me nothing.”
“You don’t have a sister.”
“I did, but she’s dead. I never told you about her. Why would I when I always considered her gone? She was useless. She had kids,” she sneered. “I didn’t care about them. She told me she named me as their guardian in case anything happened to her. I never gave it much thought. My sister was always careful, cautious,” Pia said in a mocking tone. “My parents favored her. Always her, the perfect child. Her grades were always better. Her attitude was always impeccable. Why would I tell you about her? So, you could see how you settled for second best with me? You didn’t need to know them.”
Corbin stood in shock with his mouth open as everything clicked into place. Pia was the aunt treating Olivia and Cody badly. The way he looked at her was like he didn’t even know her. And maybe he didn’t. Corbin wouldn’t have married a woman who was like this. She was the opposite of him. Holy shit, this was fucked up.
“You didn’t invite her to our wedding,” Corbin muttered. “You didn’t see her on holidays. How could you write her out of your life? She was your family.”
“Don’t give me your holier than thou bullshit. God, you’re just like her. So nice and sweet and fucking disgusting. Now I’m stuck with her child.”
Corbin took a step closer, and Pia swung her arm toward him, the gun pointing at his chest. Corbin immediately put his hands up, one still clutching his tablet. “Where’s your husband?”
“That asshole left me before this started. I have nothing but the house and my car. No money coming in. No nothing, thanks to the fucking prenup he had me sign. He left me with a roof over my head. A lot of good that did me when I couldn’t pay for it.”
“What about the money I gave you?”
She scoffed. “Pennies compared to what I had and lost. But that’s okay. You can pay me now. I see how much you want to make sure she’s safe. Give me your word that you’ll pay me a hundred thousand and I’ll let her go.”
“What… whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her.”
“You know what? You have a lot more money than that now that you’re with a Dremest. I want a million and she’s yours. I’ll sign over the papers. You can keep her.”
A tear fell down Corbin’s cheek. His ex-wife, a woman he had loved deeply at one time was standing in the very place he saved lives and trying to get him to buy a child from her. Like Olivia’s life was worth nothing but the money Pia needed. It sickened me and put a brutal ache in my chest. Olivia lost her parents. Her brother was not in the same home with her. Her aunt was obviously horrible and was now bargaining for her life. Olivia didn’t deserve this. Cody didn’t either.
Corbin didn’t have that kind of money. I did, just like Pia said. I would give her whatever she asked for if she surrendered her weapon and Olivia. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that when movement on my left caught my attention. Cody rushed past me, his sneakers squeaking on the floor as he sped toward Pia. I lunged for him but couldn’t catch him in time and landed hard on my side.
Everything played out in slow motion. “No!” tore from my mouth as Cody dove forward to knock Pia to the ground, taking Olivia with them. The shot that rang out had my blood going cold as Pia’s arm jerked when Cody hit her. The gun skidded across the floor. A security guard moved quickly to kick it out of the way and secure Pia.
But my eyes were on the man I loved lying on the floor with a growing pool of blood beneath him.
Val rushed forward, dropping down by Corbin’s side as I quickly crawled across the floor, not bothering getting to my feet because it would take too long. Precious seconds were ticking by. I refused to lose someone else I loved. Fucking refused.
I immediately put pressure on Corbin’s leg as I screamed for help. I heard a “Clear!” come from behind me then the doors were slamming open, and hospital staff was rushing into the room.
Val fell backward, a cry leaving him, but I couldn’t focus on him. He wasn’t hurt. Corbin was bleeding out, too much blood coming from his leg.
