AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then why was she in so much pain?” Leo asked, squeezing my hand. “If it’s not the baby, then what’s wrong with Sam?”
It really did sound like Leo was concerned about me.
I lifted my head to hear the doctor’s answer, abstractly wondering about my diagnosis. I surely didn’t want to experience that pain again.
“You were having common ligament stretching,” he said. “It can be quite painful. What I think the main issue was, though, is that it was being exacerbated by a severe panic attack.”
“That makes sense,” I mumbled. Leo frowned down at me in confusion.
“It’s important to be as calm as possible for the rest of your pregnancy,” the doctor continued. “Try to rid your life of any undue stressors.”
I snickered at that, causing Leo’s frown to deepen. “I’m just a little bit high,” I explained. “I don’t hate it.”
He settled into a chair beside me when the doctor said they’d keep me there for a while for observation. He never let go of my hand or left my side but remained silent for the entire stay. I continued counting water stains and dozed off for a while. His hand was still clasped with mine when they woke me up to tell me I could leave.
An orderly wheeled me out to the car, and the guy seemed a bit surprised to see our massive driver waiting with a dark look on his face, and the other car that had followed us there pulled up behind.
My sedative had mainly worn off, but I was still sore from whatever was happening with my ligaments. Leo opened the front passenger door, telling the driver to go in the other car. “I want to be alone with Samantha,” he said ominously.
Was he upset with me? If so, why? Despite his somber look, he tenderly helped me into the seat as if I was made of glass. Without the sedative haze to keep my worries at bay, I actually felt like I might break.
We drove silently until we were on the highway, and he turned to me. “What are you so stressed about?”
He couldn’t be serious. I bit back a giggle, which erupted into a full laugh. Pretty soon, I was laughing so hard that tears ran down my cheeks. I stopped as abruptly as I started and wiped my face, sick to death of crying.
“Are you still high?” he asked.
“I am as sober as a judge,” I answered but giggled again. What was I stressed about? Was he serious?
He pulled into a rest area, waving at the other car that everything was fine. They pulled in and parked several yards behind us. He turned to me with a look I didn’t like at all. Like I was the problem.
“What’s going on, Samantha?”
I twisted in my seat to face him, ignoring the twinge in my sides. “What happened to the men who kidnapped me?” There. The question that had been plaguing me was finally out. I swallowed hard. “Did you kill them?”
“Yes,” he said without a bit of hesitation. “And I’d do it again. I’d do it right now in front of you if it meant keeping you safe.”
I stared at him. He said to keep me safe. Not the baby, but me. “Did you kill the guys from the other day?”
He shook his head. “No, but I would have. They shot at you. It was only luck or shitty aim that you’re still here. If that had been me shooting out of that damn truck, you’d be dead.” His voice was ragged. “I’d do anything to keep you safe.”
Once again, he said he did those things for me. My heart couldn’t take that. “You’re the one who put me in danger,” I whispered.
He swore and hit the steering wheel, then looked at me with eyes as full of pain as my heart. “I will never let anyone or anything harm you.”
He started the car and pulled back onto the road, staring straight ahead. There was nothing more to say. I now knew that the man I loved was a killer.
So, how could I still love him so much?
I closed my eyes and rested my head against the side window for the long stretch of the nearly deserted causeway on the way back to the house. Did I just admit to myself that I was in love with Leo? Even after all I knew? This was definitely a stressor.
The car behind us began honking its horn, and I jerked upright to see Leo scowling in the rearview mirror. I swiveled around to look behind us in time to see them being rammed and careening into the low barrier that separated the road from the water. The car that hit them reversed back onto the highway and shot forward with a squeal of tires.
“Leo,” I warned
It was the only word I could get out before I was thrown forward, my seatbelt knocking the wind out of me when it locked. My head jolted forward, tapping the dashboard, and then I was thrown back again when Leo hit the gas.
“Hang on,” he told me, a bit too late.
