Page 94 of Anything for You
The sound of a shot was near-deafening in the small room, but I heard it and felt it and was shoved to the ground because Hawk had released me. He hadn’t shotme.
I looked up just in time to see Dorian hunch, hands pressed to his side.
That’s when horror struck and chaos ensued.
Somewhere behind me, people were moving, shouting, begging. I didn’t know. I didn’t care. I couldn’t hear or see any of them as I crawled to Dorian where he’d stumbled back against the wall and slid to sit on the floor. I stripped away the heavy-duty Velcro keeping his vest in place, begging anyone who would listen for the shot to have hit Kevlar and nothim.
A swell of relief so great it almost knocked me over struck when I saw the bullet lodged into the vest. He groaned, and I scrambled up to see his face.
“You okay?” he asked, voice pinched like the wind had been knocked out of him.
“Am I? Dorian, you just got shot!” There was more than a little hysteria churning in my body and leaking into my words.
“I’m okay. Maybe bruised ribs, though.”
His hand reached up and cupped my face, and as our gazes locked and held, the chaos roiling around us seemed to still. Of course it hadn’t, but my perception narrowed to him and only him as the calloused pads of his fingers brushed my cheek.
“Are you okay, Dove? I’m so sorry.”
Ipressed my hand over his, savoring his touch. “I’m just fine now. Thank you for coming for me.”
His thumb brushed away a tear. “Nothing could’ve kept me away.”
My cheesy smile could’ve powered the city, and he chuckled, then jerked with a wince.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. You probably need to head to the hospital.”
“He definitely does,” Adam confirmed, crouching to take a look. “You’re going to have a nasty bruise at the very least. Based on the breathing, I’m thinking they might be broken.”
Dorian nodded, and my heart pinched. I hated that he’d gotten hurt. I prayed no one else had. Then I remembered. “Did you find Catherine?”
“Yes. She’s okay. Shaken up and a bit dehydrated, but she’s outside with Eddie and Elizabeth, giving her statement to the police.” Adam gave me a small smile, then turned to Dorian. “The bad news is, we’ve gotta get you up.”
Adam and I helped get Dorian on his feet, and the low grunt of pain as we levered him up made me want to scream. By the time he was up, Hawk was face down on the floor, and a Silverton police officer was talking to Kenny.
Dorian’s eyes never left mine for long. I wanted to hug him and kiss him and have him wrap me in his arms so I could cry my guts out. I’d kept it together for a remarkably long time, especially for me, and I just knew a big spill was coming.
Adam patted my arm. “I’m sure they’ll want your statement before you go to the hospital. We can take him and you can come with the others?—"
“I’m not leaving without her.”
Dorian’s words brooked no argument, and even though his breathing was still shallow to protect his ribs, he was steady.
Adam chuckled low. “Alright, my friend. If you can handle it, and unless something else pops up, we’ll wait until after they wrap up with Dove.”
The something else could be any number of issues caused by the impact of the bullet to the vest and then his body, or issues with his ribs if they were broken. Pulmonary issues on the heels of rib injury—contusions, lacerations, and even lung collapses—danced at the edges of my brain but I shooed them away. Sometimes, medical knowledge could be a curse, and I needed to focus and get this next part over with so we could get Dorian checked out.
When we finally stepped outside the building where I’d been stuck for over eighteen hours, the November sky was dimming. I inhaled the fresh air and felt tears gathering at the corners of my eyes.
“Give us a minute.” Dorian ushered me to the side of the building, some distance from the crowd of police officers, Saint Security people, and onlookers from the compound.
He stopped and wrapped his arms around me. I held on to him lightly, praying I wasn’t hurting him, and shut my eyes. The tears fell as I soaked up the warmth of him and the shuddering relief of knowing this horrible ordeal was over.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered into my hair.
“No, I’m sorry.” I looked up into his beloved face. The one I’d dreamed of coming for me—the one Iknewwould come. “I knew you’d come for me. I knew I’d get out of here. I’m so sorry for all of this.”
His hands came to my face, cradling me with that wayof his that sent swirls of lovely sensation all through me. “I love you.”
