“No!” I drop to my knees so hard it jars my bones. My hands are on her instantly, cradling her head, lifting it carefully off the floor.
Her skin is pale. Lips parted. Eyes closed.
Behind me, I hear footsteps pounding toward us.
“What the hell—” Lawson.
“Jesus Christ.” Lincoln.
Beau doesn’t say anything. But I can feel him as he storms past us.
My focus remains locked on her. “Abbie girl,” I rasp, tapping her cheek lightly. “Abbie. Open your eyes for me.”
Nothing.
Her lashes flutter weakly but don’t lift.
My eyes move to the slow rise and fall of her chest. She’s breathing.
Thank god.
Linc drops beside me, already pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’m calling 911,” he says.
I can’t look away from her face. There’s a faint red mark forming near her temple where she hit her head on the floor. Rage floods my bloodstream so fast it makes my vision blur.
Behind me, there’s a heavy thud.
Beau.
“Did you touch her?” Beau’s voice is low. Deadly. “What the fuck did you do to her?” he yells.
I can’t turn my head.
I want to plow Keller through this fucking floor, but I can’t turn my head.
Lincoln presses a hand to my shoulder briefly. “Ambulance is on the way.”
Abbie’s mouth moves slightly, and I lean closer. “Come on, Red. Stay with me.”
Behind us, Beau is seething. Words spill out of him in sharp, furious bursts, but they blur together in my ears. All I hear is blood rushing through me.
I move to stand, but Lincoln’s hand clamps around my arm like a vise. “Beau’s got it. She needs you,” he says firmly. “Stay here.”
My jaw clenches so tight it aches.
Behind us, Lawson’s voice joins in—controlled but strained. “Beau. Not here. Too many eyes.”
Beau’s breathing is ragged. “What the fuck did you do to her?” he asks, quieter this time, but his tone is no less venomous.
Keller laughs. “Actually, I didn’t do a thing. Just wanted to introduce myself to your… plaything.”
Beau practically snarls. “You son of a—”
“Beau!” Lawson snaps. “Not. Here.”
I look behind me just in time to see Lawson pull Beau off, where he still has Miles pinned against the wall. Keller just smiles, straightens his suit jacket, and says, “Have a good night, gentlemen.”
Then he walks back down the hallway, all the confidence in the world in his stride.
