Page 42 of Tyler

“Sorry,” the men said in unison.

“What do you say I ride to the station with you, Sheriff? Mac asked.

Gabe nodded then they left the room.

“Piper.” Ty reached for her hand. “How are you? What did they find?”

“A bruised hip and a bruised elbow.” She held up her bandaged arm and shrugged. “I didn’t even realize it was hurting.”

“That happens when you’re in shock.”

“But they’re only bruised, not fractured?” Ty asked, a flicker of worry reflected in his eyes.

She squeezed his hand. “Correct. The x-rays showed no fractures. They’re just bruised. I get to take Tylenol and compresses for pain. Now, what about you?”

Ty wasn’t as lucky.

As he’d predicted, his clavicle had fractured again, and he had two broken ribs, a bruise on his temple, and a slight concussion.

“Oh, Ty.” She sucked in a strangled breath caused by the heart lodged in her throat.

“It could’ve been worse,” Rylee said, blinking an overbright gaze.

Exactly what kept going through Piper’s mind ever since it had happened.

She’d dealt with theworseonce before. Piper couldn’t do it again.

And the incident kept replaying through her mind. The car racing for her, Ty pushing her out of the way, then…

For two hours, Piper managed to sit by Ty’s bed before the sounds and smells of the hospital became too much. The walls began to close in. Her hearing was fading in and out, her stomach nauseous.

All the fear, sorrow, and negativity from the many times she’d sat by Zane’s bedside came flooding back.

Although she wanted and had intended to do the same for Ty, she couldn’t. She needed air. So when they wheeled him away to take a second x-ray of his shoulder, Piper excused herself, claiming to need the bathroom, but she rushed past them and headed straight outside.

The cool air was heaven in her lungs as she inhaled long and deep. After a few moments, she moved to the side, out of the way of the doors, and leaned against a pillar.

How was she going to walk back in there?

She wasn’t.

Piper already knew she couldn’t, and she wasn’t sure if she could go back to Ty either. He’d almost been killed. If she learned anything from today, it was that she couldn’t go through that pain again.

That left only one choice, and God, that hurt just as much.

“Don’t turn around,” a man said from behind as a hand clamped around her arm and something cylindrical was shoved into her back. “Don’t make a sound, or I’ll shoot you right here.”

Chapter Ten

Piper’s heart plunged to her toes as a scream raced up her throat.

“Don’t even think about it, sweetheart,” the man muttered, digging the gun into her back. “Or they’ll be wiping your heart off the sidewalk for days. Now walk.”

No, they wouldn’t, the hysterical thought flickered through her head. Because she’d left her heart in the ER with Ty.

“Walk,” the man growled.

Piper gazed around frantically, looking for someone—anyone—to help. But it was after visiting hours. The muted tones of the building softened by the night, offered an aura of calm authority. She needed authority of a different kind. The soft cascade of artificial light of the entrance cast a welcoming glow upon the surrounding landscape, but darkness awaited beyond.

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