Page 79 of Wrecked

His arms tighten around me.

* * *

Everything’s pretty much back to normal after all the drama has blown over. Thank God. I’ve had enough of Luciana and her delusional antics. That woman is a menace! Hopefully she’s finally realized she’s never going to break up Shane and Beth.

Now all the excitement revolves around Beth and Shane making preparations for their upcoming wedding.

Late one morning at the bookstore, Beth and I head downstairs and run into Jamie’s neighbor, Molly Ferguson.

While Beth is happily chatting with Molly, Lia and Jonah show up. They’re on their way to Casa del Sol for lunch, and they thought they’d stop by and see if we wanted to go with them. Beth’s all for it—it turns out Casa del Sol is where she and Shane had their first official date. She even talks Molly into joining us.

The restaurant is only a few blocks from the bookstore, so we decide to walk. We have to wait at the corner for the light to change. As we step into the crosswalk, I hear the screeching of tires on our left.

Everything happens so fast.

A sedan is barreling through the light, coming right for us, and Beth is directly in its path. I shove her out of the way, hard, knocking her back to the relative safety of the curb.

She screams as a crushing force barrels into me, sending me airborne. A crack and my leg is on fire. A blinding pain explodes in my head.

The last thing I remember is hearing Beth scream my name.

Chapter 27 – Cooper

I’m working at the shooting range when Shane calls.

“You need to get to the hospital NOW,” he says. “There’s been a hit-and-run accident. Beth and Sam are both injured. Beth is stable, but Sam’s in critical condition with a severe head injury. They’re both in the emergency room.”

I can barely make out what he’s saying over the roaring in my ears. “Wait—what!”

“Cooper, go! Now!”

And then the line goes dead.

I grab my phone and head out the door to my vehicle. I don’t even remember driving to the hospital, but suddenly I’m in the emergency room parking garage. I pull into the first open slot I find and race into the ER.

“Where’s Sam Harrison?” I demand of the woman seated at the information desk.

She lifts her eyes to me. “And how are you related to Mr. Harrison?”

“I’m his…” I freeze.What the hell am I?And then I blurt out, “I’m his partner! Where is he?”

She consults her computer. “He’s in room five.”

“Sir, wait!” the woman calls as I race toward the doors leading into the ER treatment area. The doors are locked, and we have to be buzzed through.

Just as I get to the doors, someone’s coming out. I grab the opportunity to slip through the opening and race to the closest nurses’ desk. “Sam Harrison! Bed number five.”

A nurse looks up from her keyboard and points down an adjacent hallway. “Last door on the left, sir.”

I race down the corridor, dodging civilians, nurses, and patients lying on gurneys. When I reach the last door on the left, I push inside and come to a sudden halt. Sam’s lying on the bed surrounded by four medical professionals who are all scrambling to care for him. Two men and two women. I can barely make out Sam lying still on the bed.

One of the women, a nurse, notices me and tries to push me out of the room. “Sir, please wait in the hall.”

I dig in my heels. “How is he? Is he okay?”

Her neutral expression gives away nothing. “He’s being assessed right now, sir. I’ll have to ask you to wait out here.”

“No! I’m not leaving him.”