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“Call the police!” I shouted, shoving to my feet. “Now!”
Several people immediately got their phones out, and I focused back in on Jason and the other guys holding Bill down. He was still struggling against them, but he didn’t have a chance of getting away and just wiggled helplessly on the ground.
“You got him?” I asked.
Jason met my gaze and nodded. “Yeah, we got him. Check on Sam.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I turned and hurried over to her. She was crying and shaking as she stared at Bill, as though afraid he’d jump back up and attack her again. When I reached her, I wrapped her in my arms and held her tight to my chest.
“Sam, are you okay?” I murmured. When she didn’t answer right away, I pulled back, so I could look down at her. She appeared to be in a terrified daze. I cupped her face in both my hands and looked into her eyes. They were wide and glazed over. I wasn’t sure she was actually seeing me. “Sam? Sam, baby, come on. Snap out of it. Everything’s okay now.”
I stroked my thumbs along her cheeks, and she slowly blinked. Her gaze sharpened, and she focused in on me.
“Ryan, are you okay?” she whispered.
I sighed with relief and nodded. “I’m fine. What about you? Did he hurt you?”
She looked momentarily confused but then shook her head. “No, no, I don’t think he did. I think I’m okay.”
I frowned, instantly concerned. She didn’t seem okay.
“Sam,” I said in a soft voice. “Baby? I think you might be in a little bit of shock. We should get you inside, so you can sit down, maybe have some water.”
She clutched my arm, and her breathing quickened. “Wait, no, don’t go!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her. “It’s all right, Sam. You’re going to come with me. The cops will be here soon and take Bill away. I promise, you won’t have to see him again.”
She flung herself back into my arms and buried her face against my chest. Her breathing grew even harsher, clearly having a panic attack.
“I’m so scared,” she whimpered. “Please, I don’t want to be here anymore. Please, Ryan.”
I hugged her and rubbed my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her.
“I’m not going to leave you,” I promised. “I’m going to stay with you, you don’t have to worry. Let’s get you out of here, okay?”
She nodded, and we turned to walk back toward the reception hall. However, Sam caught sight of Bill once more, and almost at that same moment, he lurched forward, nearly knocking some of the guys holding him down off balance. They maintained a firm grip on him, but Sam jumped and let out a terrified shriek. The color drained from her face, and she swayed on her feet. I realized she was about to faint and I quickly moved to catch her when she began to fall backward.
“Sam!” I exclaimed, cradling her in my arms. She was pale, so freaking pale. “Come on, sweetheart, wake up!”
She didn’t, but she was still breathing. I picked her up completely and ignored everything else as I took off, running with her back to the reception hall. I trusted Jason and the other guys to keep Bill at Bay. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was Sam and making sure that she was okay. I didn’t care about Bill anymore. He was no longer a threat. I’d make sure of that.
Sam was my first and only priority. She was my life. Her and Henry. As long as I had the two of them and they were safe, I didn’t need anything else.
Chapter twenty-eight
Samantha
Iwokewithastart and gazed around in confusion. It took me several moments to realize I was in a hospital room and a bit longer to realize I was hooked up to beeping machines with an IV stuck in my wrist.
Panic seized me, and I began to hyperventilate. How’d I get here? What happened?
My heart monitor began to go crazy, and within seconds, a nurse came rushing into my room, followed closely by Ryan.
“Miss Berner?” the nurse said in a calm voice as she reached my bed. “Miss Berner, it’s all right. Can you take a deep breath for me? We need to get your heart rate down.”
She took my hand and held my gaze as she showed me how to breathe. I watched her and mimicked her as she sucked air in and slowly blew it out again and again.
It took a bit of time, but I managed to pull myself out of my panicked spiral as I focused on my breathing. The machine stopped beeping at last, and I didn’t feel like I was on the verge of a heart attack. The whole time, Ryan stood at the end of my bed, looking tense and anxious, his hands clenched at his sides as though he were barely keeping himself from rushing toward me.
