If it wasn’t for Archie…
He places a strong arm around my shoulders, and I press my cheek against his chest.
And I thought I was the only one going to be saving lives today.
10
ARCHIE
Victoria sprawls across the couch in front of the roaring open fire wearing nothing but those tiny shorts andthatcami vest top again. Her long legs stretch out over the leather futon. Even in her shaken state, she’s stunning.
The bandage covering her wound is only small, but a significant reminder of how quickly a situation can escalate.
What happened today was an abomination.
Thank God I was there. If Jared hadn’t been relieved of his duty, the entire shit show could have had a very different ending.
I swept her into my arms like a fucking caveman, refusing to put her anywhere but on my lap while Doctor Fucking Dickhead stitched the cut on her clavicle. The man was about as useful as a condom in a nunnery. How could he turn his back? Leave her so vulnerable like that?
And why wasn’t that prisoner cuffed, for fuck’s sake?
Heads will roll for this.
Victoria’s glazed eyes gaze forwards, her attention focused far, far away as she sips neat whiskey from a crystal tumbler.
It’s good for shock, so my sister used to say. That’s precisely why I’m having the same.
Bolognese bubbles on the stove. My own blood bubbles in my veins. How could security be so fucking lax?
Patient confidentiality, my ass. I don’t care about those prisoners’ rights. My priority is Victoria’s safety.
The idea I could have lost her has haunted my every moment since. Imagine being mere metres away, clueless that the life was being squeezed out of her.
And it’s not because I’m paid to protect her. It’s because a world without Victoria is inconceivable.
If I was obsessed with her before I came here, I’m utterly enamoured with her now.
Her laugh.
Her smile.
Her not-so-subtle flirtation.
The way she tries so hard to win me over.
Her attempts at bulldozing my self-preserving walls, asking seemingly innocent questions designed to penetrate my boundaries as we lope through the streets each morning.
I might not be able to have her, but I can’t live in a world where she doesn’t exist.
She’s going to have to start wearing a tracker. Maybe a watch with a heart-rate monitor that I can link to an app on my phone. One that will flag any suspicious spikes or changes.
Huge hazel eyes flick to me. ‘How did you know?’
Her question is ambiguous, but I know exactly what she means.
‘I just knew.’ It’s true. My gut instinct fired like a cannon. A silent alarm sounded from her body, straight to my soul.
The air in the room changed.
