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"You said don't move because I'll break my arm open. What is it? It hurts like hell."
He nodded, feeling a stab of pain in his chest. "You were shot."
She jerked on the bed and started to breathe shallowly, so he stood and squeezed her hand, holding her still.
He brushed the hair out of her eyes soothingly, crooning to her to breathe. Her ponytail holder was missing, and her hair was tangled around her on the pillow. Yet somehow she looked as beautiful as ever, if still pale.
He whispered, "Sh, don't move. It's ok. It didn't hit anything major. Just a scratch, really. You didn't even need stitches."
"Oh my God, I was shot. Oh my God. Mason, I—I can't breathe. Hold me, please—" Her voice broke and his heart right along with it. He couldn't stay away from her if he wanted to.
He crawled onto the bed with her on the non-injured side. They both shifted until her head was lying on his chest, and he had an arm under her head. He held her tight, some of the tension in his shoulders finally easing.
"Breathe with me, sunshine. That's it." He forced his breathing to regulate and soon hers evened out.
"Don't leave me," she whispered against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes hard against the emotions that threatened to choke him.
"Sh, breathe, Luce. I'm not going anywhere." The low words lulled her back to sleep, and he soon felt her relax in his arms.
He kissed her head and whispered, "I swore no one else would ever get caught in the crossfire again. When you were kidnapped, I felt so helpless locked in that closet. Unable to reach you. Unable to save you. You shouldn't have been anywhere near Malia and that mess, either. It's all my fault and I—"
His voice cracked, and he held her closer. Perhaps this was the key to keeping her safe. Just hold her tight and never let go.
Chapter 30
Lucy's head hurt, and she was cold as she blinked awake. She was in a hospital room. Through the dim light from the open bathroom door, she saw Mason was whispering in the corner with a woman.
She tugged the blanket up, and pain shot across her shoulder. She winced and looked at her left arm. A square bandage covered about an inch of her upper bicep. She shifted, testing her movement.
She gasped, and Mason spun around at the sound. In a blink of the eye, he was by her side, touching her hand.
The woman stopped at the foot of the bed and met Lucy's gaze with a smile. She was Asian, dressed in professional, nondescript pants and shirt with a surf shop logo on it.
"Ah, you're awake. Fantastic. How are you feeling?"
Lucy rolled her shoulders and struggled to sit up. Mason strode over on sure feet and helped. His hands were gentle as he leaned her forward and adjusted her pillows, then handed her the remote to control her bed.
She pushed the button to sit up more and smiled tightly. "Fine, thank you. I have a headache and am sore, but fine. Can I help you? Are you with the FBI?"
Lucy looked from the woman to a frowning Mason, his arms now crossed and his face thunderous.
The woman sat in the chair Mason had vacated on her left. "Yes, I'm Mason's FBI contact. I have some questions for you about last night. We need your statement too."
Lucy nodded slowly and answered what she could. The woman's frown kept getting deeper and deeper.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I remember little beyond the fireworks. Just a fancy car, a guy pulling my hair and throwing me on a white leather couch, Malia..." she frowned, her mind foggy and thoughts swirly. "Malia was there, wasn't she?"
She looked to Mason who nodded, his gaze zeroed on the window to her left, his jaw set.
The woman stopped typing on her tablet and closed it with a tight smile. "Yes, she was dating Lee and working as the assistant for the CEO of Seaway Breezology, a biotech company. We have been tracking Lee's work with the international drug trade."
Mason growled, "I was tailing Malia to see if she had any dirt on Lee or could implicate him."
The woman nodded. "Right, but they had been so careful to keep the CEO out of it that we didn't even realize he was involved."
Mason grabbed her right hand from where it lay by the remote and laced their fingers together. "He was the one at the penthouse with Malia."
Lucy nodded as understanding slowly clicked in her sluggish brain. "He was the one in the suit who hurt me."
