Page 84 of Twisted Prince
I don’t have a second to spare worrying about what they’ll decide to do. Instead, I take the opportunity to sling Mel’s arms over my shoulders, pulling her onto my back like a backpack. I know I shouldn’t move her if she’s injured, but it won’t matter much what state her neck is in if she’s dead.
“Come on, Gabby,” I murmur, offering her my hand, and to my relief, she takes it without question.
Crouching low, I squeeze out through the broken window, doing my best to compromise Mel as little as possible. Gabby follows me out, and I glance around the corner of the car to see what’s happening.
Miko and his partner have the old man by his arms and legs, and they’re carrying him toward the trunk of the Hummer. Neither are looking in our direction. So, staying in a low crouch, I get a better grip on Mel’s arms and pull Gabby toward the shelter of the woods behind us.
Thumb firmly in her mouth, Mel’s daughter stumbles behind me, doing her best to keep up. We don’t stop until we’re entirely out of sight from the road. And I know we don’t have time to delay, but I need to make sure neither girl needs immediate medical aid.
Lowering Mel to the ground, I inspect the cut on her temple, then search her quickly for any further bleeding.
“Are you hurt, Gabby?” I ask, turning my attention to her as soon as I’m confident Mel can make it until we get to the hospital.
Gabby shakes her head, her big eyes watching me as I check her over.
“Good girl,” I murmur. “I want you to stay close and stay quiet, okay?”
She nods, sucking her thumb harder. Then she tenses, her eyes flying to the woods behind me at the sound of rustling footsteps. They came in after us. Which means they must have left the old man’s car to come find us.
Changing strategies, I signal Gabby to climb onto my back, and as soon as she’s on, her tiny arms tight against my Adam’s apple, I scoop Mel’s limp body into my arms. The extra weight makes it more challenging to be stealthy, but we don’t have far to go.
Circling back, I approach the scene of our crash from a different angle, keeping my ear out for any sound that Miko and his partner are catching up. Pausing as we reach the road, I scan the area to make sure it is, in fact, abandoned.
The Escalade is still smoking where it lies upside down. The Hummer appears to have taken some damage to the right fender with a broken headlight. And with a body in the back, I don’t want to take the risk of driving that into town and seeing what authorities make of it.
So I swiftly make my way to the tiny gold sedan.
The keys are still in the ignition, and the driver’s side door is open.
Stooping, I let Gabby climb down, and I open the passenger-side door. “In you go.”
As soon as she’s inside, I close the door behind her. Then I open the back and gently lower Mel onto the bench seat. Slipping into the driver’s seat, I lean across the console to buckle Gabby in. Then, I crank the key in the ignition and pull back out onto the road.
36
MEL
The sound of Gabby’s joyful giggle brings me from my deep sleep, and an inexplicable wave of relief washes through me. Despite the throbbing pulse in my temples, I can’t help but smile.
I love that sound. It might just be one of the sweetest things in the whole world.
Opening my eyes, it takes me a minute to make sense of my surroundings. Based on the sterile white walls and fluorescent lighting, I’m most definitely not in our room at Kieri’s boarding house. And the sharp scent of antiseptic confirms that I must be in a hospital even. I take in the beeping monitor and hospital bed, the chords attached to my arms, and all at once, my aches and pains seem to come to life. I feel like I was run over by a bus.
What happened?
I try to sit up, and as my eyes land on the lithe figure sitting cross-legged on the floor beside my daughter, it all comes flooding back to me. We were on the run. Vinny’s men were chasing us in their car, and we started to roll… I must have been knocked unconscious because that’s the last thing I remember.
But even as concern for my daughter floods my body, seeing her playing happily with Gleb puts me at ease. I take a moment to watch them together, and it brings tears to my eyes to see how tenderly Gleb interacts with Gabby. The softness of his expression is something I’ve never seen before.
He’s always come across as a fierce protector if not dangerous even, always serious and brooding. But with our daughter, he has a gentle side that warms my heart. It steals my breath away.
And my little girl looks so comfortable with him, entirely trusting as she smiles and giggles in their quiet game.
As if sensing my gaze, Gleb glances up toward me, and his intelligent green eyes meet mine with an intensity that makes my stomach tighten. “Mel.”
The single word cues Gabby to turn, and when my daughter sees that I’m awake, she jumps up off the floor and rushes toward me.
“Hi, keiki,” I murmur, reaching down to help her up onto the hospital bed with me. But the chords attached to my arms pull me up short, and I hiss as the needles tug against my skin.
