Page 40 of Secrets & Desires
Someone waswatchingthem.
ChapterSeventeen
At Livia’sscream of fright, Nox took off, immediately grabbing his pants and shoving his legs into them even as he began to run to the door. Livia followed him down the long hallway of the mansion, but she stopped as he yelled at her, “Stay inside, baby,call911.”
Adrenaline was spiking in her veins as she grabbed her cell phone and called, cursing for once the fact that Nox refused a security team. She got through to the emergency services, who assured her someone was ontheirway.
“Keep calm, ma’am, and stay on the line. Is yourpartnerback?”
“No,” Livia tried to stop her voice from trembling, “he’s still out there.” She went to the door, peering out into the cold night, shivering from terror and from the cold. She had only managed to grab Nox’s shirt to cover herself. She couldn’t see Nox, couldn’t hearhim. “Nox!”
“Stay inside!” His voice was far away but she felt a little relief that he was still withinearshot.
“He’s still looking for whoever it was,” she told the dispatcher. “Pleasehurry.”
“We are, sweetheart, juststaycalm.”
A gunshot rang out in the night and Livia screamed, dropping the cell phone. “Nox!” Her terror made tears pour down her face as she ran out into the night, not caring about her own safety as long as she got to him. She heard shouting, and another gunshot. She ran towards the sound, screaming his name, and it was a huge relief when he cameintoview.
Nox looked at her, a strange expression in his eyes, and Liviastopped. “Baby?”
“I told you to stay inside,” he said softly, and to her horror, blood began to drip from his hairline down his perfect face. He reached for her as his knees gave way, and Nox Renaud collapsed to theground.
Livia didn’t knowhow she had managed to stop screaming. After the police arrived, followed a few minutes later by a medical team, she watched Nox being loaded, unconscious, into the ambulance. A policewoman wrapped a blanket around her and when they got to the hospital, a kindly nurse gave her some scrubs to put on. They wheeled Nox straight into the emergency room and it wasn’t long before the doctor came to lookforher.
“Mr. Renaud was shot in the head but, thankfully, it’s a relatively minor wound. I sayrelativelybecause, obviously, any head shot will have its complications. What’s encouraging is that the bullet took out a chunk of skull bone but didn’t penetrate his brain. We’re going to go in now and see how much damage was done, and I’ll come update you as soon as weknowmore.”
“Doc? Will hebeokay?”
“We’re going to do everything we can. Keep thefaith.”
The police officer with Livia thanked the doctor. When they were alone, she asked Livia to go over what had happened again and Livia told heragain.
“Could you make out whether the intruder was male orfemale?”
“I saw them for maybe a split second before whoever it was stepped away from the window.” Livia was calm, knowing the police had to ask these questions, but desperately worried about Nox. “Nox went out after them and I called you. The next thing I know, Nox is on the ground, bleeding.” Her voice broke as the shock hit her full-force. “Oh god…ohgod…”
She dropped her head into her hands and began to cry. The police officer rubbed her back, and shortly afterward, Livia heard a familiar voice as someone sat down next to her and pulled her intohisarms.
“Shh, it’s okay.” Sandor held her tightly as she leaned against him. She cried herself out then looked up. Sandor, drawn and shocked, tried to smile at her. He handed her a tissue and rubbed her back. “He’s going to be okay,sweetheart.”
“You bet your ass, he is,” Amber stated determinedly was she walked into the room, nodding at the police officer. “Hey, there. AmberDuplas.”
“I know who you are, Ms. Duplas, and thanks forcoming.”
“You called them?” Livia, wiping her eyes, looked surprised. The police officernodded.
“You were in no condition and we know Mr. Renaud’s contacts. We thought it would be best tocallthem.”
“Thank you, you’reverykind.”
“I’m going to step out now but I’ll be back to ask morequestions.”
“Ofcourse.”
When she was alone with Sandor and Amber, she told them what had happened. “Theyshothim,” she said, incredulously. “They actuallyshotNox.”
Amber put her arm around her. “Listen, the docs say he’ll be fine…mostlikely.”
