Page 48 of The Billionaires' Gamble
My fist tightens around the metal bar. “Tell me.”
“Roman took a bullet to the abdomen. They took Katherine.”
There’s no way I heard him correctly.
“Say that again.”
“Miss Montgomery. By our count, four guys came and took her. The ambulance just left with Roman. He’s pissed, saying it’s a flesh wound.”
My stomach drops around my ankles and circles, leaving me nauseated and clumsy. I cling to the phone as he continues, but I don’t hear his words. A scream echoes inside me, raw. Wounded.
My body wants to implode, just settle here on the steep steps of my private jet and wallow. This is why I never got involved with anyone. Why I never let anyone into my heart. Because love is fleeting. People can be snatched away in the blink of an eye.
I experienced it with Courtney.
I’ve experienced the loss through my job.
Lungs heaving, I zone back in.
“Mr. Rothburn and Mr. Saint are inside, but they’re not happy that we restrained them from going after her.”
Of course not.
“You guys did the right thing, protecting King and Gabe. Making sure there wasn’t another threat.”
“The police are here. A Detective Garcia is asking questions.” There’s a brief pause and then a curse under his breath. “And the fucking paps just showed up.”
Son-of-a-bitch.
Turning, I march back up the stairs, almost plowing into my own bodyman. “Is everything okay, boss?”
“No,” I answer honestly. This is the nightmare scenario.
Thank goodness my mind takes over. Years of training and habit settle over me like armor. Inside, I’m shredded. Weak and useless, barely able to suck in a breath.
I force my shoulders back and down, lifting my chin, and push aside any softness.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again. It all depends on my next few moves and what happens in the coming hours.
My pilot stands in the doorway of the cockpit, obviously detecting that something’s wrong. “I need to get back to New York. As fast as you can.”
She nods and goes to work making it happen. My lawyer hovers inside the doorway, briefcase in his hands. “What’s going on?”
I wave him back to the plush leather chairs. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
I take the seat I just exited, strap in, and tap the speakerphone button so everyone can hear.
“Tell me everything.”
Tadhg gives me the rough details. My heart sinks with every word. I knew something was wrong. Deep down, my gut whispered things were amiss. I don’t know what, exactly, but I should have pressed harder to find out. Doubled Katherine’s security. Done everything in my power to keep her safe.
How did it all go so wrong?
My knee bounces and I will the plane to move. If I could pick it up and run down the runway, I would. What is taking so long?
I force in a deep breath and hold it.
As I exhale, Vera tells us to buckle up, and a split second later, we’re on the move. Thank fuck.
