Page 86 of Wrecked

The two attendants transfer me from the wheelchair to the bed. As soon as I’m situated, Cooper fusses over me, tucking pillows beneath my broken leg to elevate it.

Beth stands on the opposite side of the bed. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was nervous. Fidgeting, she gives me a sad smile. “Hey, you, welcome home.”

I hold out my arms. “You’d better give me a hug.” I pull her down onto the bed beside me. “Sit with me and tell me what I’ve missed.”

She says not much has happened. She does tell me that Miguel is filling in for me as her primary bodyguard. Miguel is a great guy, and he’ll do a great job, but I hate being replaced, even temporarily.

“Don’t let him get too comfortable,” I say. “Make sure he knows it’s a temporary assignment. I want my job back, just as soon as I’m physically fit.”

“I don’t think you need to worry on that score.” Finally, she starts to relax a bit. She even gives a little laugh. “There is one other thing.”

“What?”

She looks like she’s about to bust with excitement. “I’m pregnant. I just found out when I was in the hospital. I’m about ten weeks long.”

“Pregnant?” I feel like I’ve just been hit by a car all over again. “Wow. But everything’s okay? With the baby, I mean? God, Beth, I pushed you so hard. I saw you fall.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “We’re both fine.” She reaches for my hand. “You saved my baby’s life, Sam.”

Shane walks up to the bed and offers me his hand. “I’m in your debt, Sam. You saved the two most important people in my life. I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”

Now it’s my turn to tear up. “Oh, I’m sure we can come up with something.”

Cooper, who’s standing at the foot of the bed, clears his throat. “While you guys are getting reacquainted, I’ll go start dinner. I promised Sam chicken and dumplings tonight.”

Cooper leaves, and Shane follows him out, leaving me and Beth alone.

I start digging for information. “All right now, spill it, Princess. What else the hell’s going on?”

Her eyes widen. “What do you mean?”

“Cooper hasn’t told me a damn thing, but I know for a fact that I had guards on my hospital room door around the clock. Why?”

“Guards? I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised.”

“Why? What’s going on?” When she winces, I realize there’s a lot going on I don’t know about. “Beth? What the hell’s going on.”

“It wasn’t an accident.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lia apprehended the driver who hit you. Otherwise, he would have driven off, left the scene.”

“Yeah? And?”

She proceeds to explain that the so-called accident—the hit and run—wasn’t actually an accident. It was intentional. Lia managed to apprehend the driver before he could escape, and he’s in custody right now singing like a canary in hopes of getting a plea deal.

“He had a photograph of me in his wallet,” she says quietly, as if the horror of the event is still sinking in. “It wasn’t an accident, Sam. He was trying to run me over. It was a hired hit.”

“Do we know who hired him?” In my gut, I already know, but I need to hear it confirmed.

Beth shrugs. “There’s no proof yet, but Shane’s pretty sure it was Luciana.”

“That woman is a nutjob. Who in the hell does she think she is? If I see her again, I’ll runherover.”

Laughing, Beth leans over and hugs me. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you.”

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