“Cy, go get her.”
He stepped into the room as the ambulance pulled into the lot. The lump on the floor across the room wasn’t moving, and for a moment, he feared she was gone.
Then she put her hand over her eyes and moaned. Relief flooded through him. Willa was alive.
He made sure the door didn’t shut and moved to her. Already, the bruises were evident. He didn’t want to hurt her, so instead of picking her up and pulling her to him, he went low and spoke in a soft voice.
“I’m here. You’re safe.”
Her sob didn’t surprise him. She didn’t open her eyes, but her hand found his.
The guys in the ambulance came in and took over, telling him to move. He stepped back but said he was riding to the hospital with her. They didn’t argue.
She looked like shit with blood crusted in her hair and dirt and bruises on her face. When the EMT opened her eyelids to shine a light into her eyes, he could see that both of her eyes had broken blood vessels, which made her look even worse. Even with that, she was the best-looking woman he’d ever seen.
He stayed by her side or right outside the door to her hospital room. She was exhausted, and the doctors confirmed she had a concussion. The lights were dimmed in her room, and she was hooked up to machines. They had a drip with a painkiller along with antibiotics, so she would be hydrated and medicated.
Hours later, the police showed up. Detective Riser came over and introduced himself.
“It looks like we have a doozy of a situation.”
Cy lifted his chin. “What do you mean?”
“Piecing it all together, from what we’ve found, the texts from Cindy to that guy, Drake. That’s the name of the guy in the parking lot at Aces bar. Turns out, Cindy paid Drake to kill Willa.So I don’t know whether to be glad Robert got hold of her or not.”
“So if Robert hadn’t been there, she would be dead?”
“I can’t say for certain. Loads of people think they can kill someone, but when push comes to shove, they can’t finish the deed. But this Drake guy, I think he could have. He’s not a good dude. Willa’s only interaction with him was at the bar. He admitted as much. Cindy isn’t talking, but we got a warrant for her place and all electronics, so we’ll get the full picture. She didn’t even delete her texts to Drake.”
Cy ran his hand down his face. “Wow. It’s hard to be thankful Robert was there, but I guess I am.”
“It’s not often that a total shithead turns out to be heroic. Still, he ended up abusing her and holding her captive. He will go to prison for a long time. This time, we’ll make sure he doesn’t get bail.”
Cy shook the man’s hand. “Thank you.”
Detective Riser nodded before turning to leave. He turned back. “I’ll be back to talk to her in the morning. Get some rest.”
Cy nodded, but had no plans of leaving the hospital. His buddies showed up after the detective left. They’d all given statements, leaving out the part about Cy wanting to kill Robert.
By midnight, Willa had been moved to a private room, and he was alone with her. His heart broke as he stared at her bruised and battered body.
From his job, he knew evil existed. He’d seen worse on missions, but the damage done to Willa hurt him. It had been a while since he’d cried at anything other than funerals for fallen SEALs, but as he sat beside Willa’s bed, his emotions were too much, and the tears spilled out.
He must have drifted off, but woke when a nurse came in. Willa was also awake, and when her gaze met his, her face litup. The smile only stayed on her lips for a moment because the bruises and cuts must have hurt.
He stood and took her hand. “Hey.”
She choked out a sob as she found his hand and held on. “You found me.”
“I’m sorry it took so long.”
“You’re here, that’s what matters.” She swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment, then flashed them open. “I thought I wouldn’t get the chance to tell you I love you. I love you so much.”
His heart splintered. “I love you, Willa.” Emotions squeezed his throat tight. “I love you, too.”
The nurse left the room, and he lowered enough to brush a gentle kiss over her lips. It would take a while for her to heal, but she would heal, and then he would show her how much he loved her.
“What happened to Robert?”
