Quinn glanced down again to see a crowd had formed below. Abigail stood in the distance behind the crowd with a gun pointed directly at Quinn.
“Gun,” Quinn screamed the moment the maid fired. A searing pain sliced through her ass. The sudden impact made her lose her grip, and she fell.
Collin caught her. How he’d managed with an injury himself was beyond her. They were both going to need a doctor. The crowd parted as he carried her through the courtyard. He paused at where Garth had Abigail restrained with her hands behind her back.
“Abigail was working with Ramsey, and she set Garth’s place on fire in an attempt to keep everyone busy while she killed me,” Quinn said as her vision blurred. No way was she passing out in front of them.
“Contain her and call the police. Have them charge her with arson and attempted murder.”
He started walking past them, and Quinn glanced over his shoulder and hollered out, “Don’t forget conspiracy to commit theft.” Collin’s face doubled before her eyes. “I’m about to pass out.”
“I’ve got you, Quinn.”
“You saved me.” Her words came out a whisper before her world went dark.
Chapter Twenty-One
Collin heldQuinn in the back of the car while Angus drove to the hospital. The front of his jeans was covered in blood from holding her in his lap, but he didn’t care. He should have never let her out of his sight. He scooted out with her still in his arms. His own shirt was covered in blood from the stitches he’d torn catching her and carrying her, yet he pushed through the pain and walked with her in his arms directly into the emergency room.
The eyes of the nurse behind the counter widened as she hurried to open the restricted door to let them pass. She guided Collin to one of the rooms, where he carefully laid Quinn down on her side. “She was shot in the arse.”
“Doctor,” the nurse hollered as she left the room.
The next three hours passed as slow as molasses. Collin had spent the time being lectured about ruining his stitches as he was being patched up. He had sent Angus to the castle for fresh clothes and had changed. The rest of the time, he spent pacing in the waiting room.
He’d just changed when Ian showed up. He patted Collin’s back and sat down beside him.
“Just say the word if you need me to come over and help protect Quinn.”
Ian’s words would have angered Collin any other day, but the truth was he was doing a poor job at keeping her safe. He’d been too caught up in the passion between them to even consider Ramsey had an accomplice.
“Abigail was working with Ramsey,” Collin muttered and ran a hand through his hair.
“The maid?” he asked.
“Yeah. She burned down Garth’s house and set Quinn’s room on fire before locking her inside. Quinn escaped out the window.”
“Good Lord, Collin. I don’t know how you’re going to talk Quinn into stayin’ after all that.”
“She already told me she’s no’.” His answer felt like a vise grip around his heart. “She’s leaving in the morning.”
“That’s going to be one uncomfortable flight.”
“Aye.”
The doctor walked into the waiting room and lowered the mask covering his mouth.
“How is she?” Collin asked as his heart worked overtime thumping against his ribcage.
“She’s fine. We’ve removed the bullet and stitched her up.”
“Can I see her?”
“Sure. She’s a little loopy from the drugs, but you can see her.”
Collin followed the doctor down the hall and into recovery. Quinn was lying on her stomach. Her red hair covered the pillow.
“She shot me in the arse.”
