Page 39 of The Naughty One
Romy clambered back downonto the tracks, careful to avoid the third rail even though they had been assured the power had been switched off. She scooted behind the pile of wreckage and searched around in the dark. Her foot slipped on some blood and she wobbled, falling backwards—but thankfully, was caught by two strongarms.
“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, turning to face her savior but before she could see who it was, he grabbed her head and slammed it hard against the steel of the wreckage. Romy didn’t even have time to cry out as he attacked her, hitting her head repeatedly against the steel until she was almost unconscious. Blood was pouring from her forehead into her eyes and she could feel herselfweakening.
“Hello, my darling,” a familiar, horrifying voice growled in her ear as she blacked out. “How ironic that your life should end here, Rome, as you do your Florence Nightingalething.”
No … no … it couldn’t be, this wasn’t how it ended. Romy found she couldn’t move her arms to fight him off and as he slipped his hands around her throat, all she could think of wasBlue.
God, Blue, I’m sorry, I loveyou…
“Romy!”
The pressure on her throat stopped and she heard Dacre’s muffled. “Fuck!” Suddenly she knew she was alone and that her would-be killer had gone, but now the darkness was beginning to cloud her vision and the last thing she remembered was Blue’s anguishedcry.
* * *
PartFour
Chapter18
Beau’shandsome face was set and grim as he faced the television cameras. “As you know by now, we have confirmed seventy-eight deaths, one hundred and fifty-three seriously injured, and forty-seven minor injuries in the King Street Station Rail crash. I and my team were on hand to help the first responders, and I would like to thank them for their exceptional service. My team, both with me at the station and here at Rainier Hope, has worked tirelessly for over forty-eight hours since the accident, and I applaud every one ofthem.”
He looked down for a moment, trying to rein in his anger. “Unfortunately, shockingly, during the operation to save the lives of as many victims as possible, one of our doctors, Dr. Romy Sasse, was attacked and seriously injured by an unknown assailant. Dr. Sasse is currently being treated at Rainer Hope for head injuries. We ask anyone who was in the vicinity of the King Street Station on the twenty-sixth of December to come forward with any information they may have.” Quinto looked directly into the camera. “Whoever you are, you should know. No one attacks my staff and gets away with it. Whoever you are, you will be brought tojustice.”
Blue clicked off the television, grateful for his boss’s support. In the bed next to him, Romy opened her eyes as she’d been doing intermittently for a while, but this time her eyes focused on him. “Blue?”
He let out a shaky breath. “Thank God … baby, I was so scared. How do youfeel?”
“A littlewoozy.”
“Do you remember what happened?” Blue asked, leaning down to stroke her hairgently.
Romy nodded, thenwinced.
“Dacre was choking me until he heard you call my name. You saved me,baby.”
“I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off of you,” he said, his eyessorrowful.
“You can’t watch me twenty-four seven, and we had a job to do. Who knew Dacre was psycho enough to do that? Come to think of it … how the hell did he know I was down there? And why would he risk trying to kill me there with the police all around? He’sinsane.”
“Well, we knew that. Anyway, don’t think of that, just get well. That’s all I care about rightnow.”
Romy leaned back further into the pillows. “I honestly feel okay, which surprises me. He really did a number on myhead.”
“They gave you a CT scan before anything. No brain bleeds, thank God, but you’ll be concussed for a fewdays.”
Romy pushed the covers on the bed back and swung her legs over the side. Blue was up in aninstant.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are yougoing?”
“A concussion, I can deal with at home, Blue,” Romy said, frowning as he caught her and made her sit again. “I’m taking up a bed when I don’t needit.”
Blue sighed. “You’re not going anywhere, Romy. Beau wanted to keep you in for observation and he’s theboss.”
“You need the beds for the trainvictims.”
He shook his head. “Honey … the less seriously injured were taken to hospitals out of the city in anticipation that we would need more beds.” His voice was gravelly. “We didn’t need as many beds as we hoped wewould.”
“Oh God,” Romy groaned. “Howmany?”
