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“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
“Go to the car, Diana. I’ll take you both to the clinic.”
When I attempt to get up on my own, they both help me, which just makes it harder. When I finally do, I stare with my mouth agape at the scene before me. Around fifteen fully armed men are standing around their vehicles, none of which belong to my father. The bridge David tried to pass is up ahead, the guardrail crumpled, half of it hanging over the river.
“Where is the ca…” I trail off when I notice I’m standing on the side of the road with nothing on but my lacy corset and thong. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around myself. “My dress!”
Rowan one-handedly tugs off his black T-shirt and drapes it over me.
“Your car is in the river,” he tells me as I shove him away. “I had to cut the gown off to get you out.”
Heat infuses every inch of my skin as I glance around at the men, who, fortunately, are all purposefully looking away.
“Oh my God, this is happening. This is really happening.” I turn to Rowan, not a figment of my imagination, but the real thing. “And you’re actually here?”
“I saved you.”
“You saved me?” I repeat dumbly.
“From the river. You would have drowned.”
My fingers curl as a snarl escapes me. Then, because the rage he provokes has been simmering just below the surface for so long, I throw myself at him and begin to claw at any part of him I can. We fall back onto the ground with a hard thud, but even that isn’t enough to calm me. “You should have let me die!”
“Louisa!” Mom tries to grasp my arms, but I’m too angry.
I’m straddling Rowan, doing my best to take out those damn eyes I once loved so much, but he wraps his fingers around my wrists and stops me when my hands are just inches from them.
“Lou, I understand you’re mad,” he says in an infuriatingly calm tone. “But now isn’t the time. You’re naked, remember?”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“Well I do!” With one quick shove, he throws me off. Before my ass hits the ground, he’s lifting me to him. He spins me and tugs the shirt over my head so fast, I can barely react.
By the time I turn back to him, I have a man on each side of me, holding my arms.
I grin evilly. “You need these big men to protect you from little ol’ me?”
Rowan grins back but winces as his mouth pulls. He wipes his thumb over his bloodied lower lip. “Apparently, I do.”
“What do you want with us?” I demand.
“Don’t I get a thank you for saving you?”
“For all I know, you caused this.”
“Did you?” Mom asks, touching her fingertips to her temple.
“Boss.” A thin older man approaches. “Duran’s men are on their way. Ten minutes tops. We should go.”
Rowan glances back at my mother. “We should really get that looked at. I have a doctor on standby. I’ll answer all your questions when I know you’re all right.”
“My husband will not take kindly to this,” she tells him. “It would be in your best interest to leave us here.”
“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of capturing you in the first place.”
* * *
Of course a man like Rowan would have a doctor come to his home. Criminals don’t set foot in hospitals unless they’re at death’s door, and even then, it’s likely against their will. Too many risks. Too many chances for the enemy to finish them off.
