Page 75 of The Bossy Billionaire

“There was no baby, was there?” Lucy says confidently, and I stop breathing.

“No. Of course not. I just needed to get Huxley away from you so Dwayne had easy access,” she admits. “I knew he would run to Whispers. He loves that stupid town.” She spits the words as she rolls her eyes.

My heart stops. For days, I have been in a trance, thinking that I was a father, that I was a bad person for not being there for her when she needed me. For creating a life with her and not being the supportive fiancé I should have been. But it was all a lie.

“So what, you never planned to come back?” I ask her, my eyes thinning, my brain scrambling to catch up.

“Oh God, no. I love my life in Mexico, but I got a call, offered a lot of money. So I took the opportunity,” she says, looking at her nails like she is now bored.

“Amy…” Dwayne warns, looking at the cameras the Rothschild men installed around the place. She is saying too much.

“Who put you up to it all?” Lucy asks her, seemingly able to think a little more clearly than I can.

“That’s our little secret.” Amy winks at her, and I feel Lucy stiffen.

“Now you need to fuck off,” Dwayne says to me violently, and I spin around to face him.

“No. You need to leave, asshole,” I say, the atmosphere now riddled with tension.

“I haven’t finished,” Dwayne grits out, and my brow crumples. I push Lucy farther behind me because I know he wants her. I see her out the corner of my eye, her body now shivering, her hair now drenched, plastered against her face. The rain is coming down harder.

“You have finished. Get out of here,” I threaten him, and I feel Lucy right at my back. My nervousness calms a little, knowing she is right there. But I keep my eyes firmly on Dwayne because something doesn’t feel right. I can’t turn my back to him. I am the only person here who can protect Lucy. I need to keep her safe.

“Fuck off.” He thrusts forward and grabs me, pushing me to the left so forcefully that I lose my footing on the wet sidewalk, and I fall, hitting my head hard.

I hear Lucy scream at the surprise attack, and she ducks, trying to get out of the way, but Amy grabs her and flings her across toward Dwayne who is stalking toward her. I try to stand, but my movements are slow, my vision going in and out.

I stand slowly, trying to get to her, but I stumble back a little, unsteady on my legs. When I look up, I see Dwayne grab Lucy’s arm so hard she winces.

“Sorry, Lucy, this is the way it has to be,” Dwayne seethes at her, and I see a flicker of remorse in his eyes before he schools it, his face now set, his nostrils flaring.

“What is going on?” I hear Lucy ask as I continue to sway on my feet, taking steps toward them, but hardly making the distance.

Dwayne remains quiet, then his face is lit up, high-beam car lights coming into view, illuminating the dark, wet street. I turn to look, hearing the rev of the engine, the car speeding up as it comes toward us.

“Let go of me.” I hear Lucy’s panicked words. Fear runs up my throat, and I push myself forward. I see her struggling in his grasp, pushing and pulling, and I hear Amy at the side, cackling in laughter like she is watching a fucking comedy show.

Dwayne's fingers continue to dig into Lucy’s flesh, and she can’t escape. She is trying everything, but he has her firm.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I say, rushing toward them, but I don’t make it in time and watch, stunned, as Dwayne grips on tight and pulls Lucy, throwing her off-balance and straight out into the street. Like a deer caught, Lucy stiffens and stares at the headlights as they approach rapidly. I already know what this is. A hit and run. Just like her parents.

“Lucy!” I scream and push forward, running to her, and I thump into her, knocking her out of the way, our bodies falling onto the street. Then I feel the most intense pain of my life shoot through my shoulders and down my back as my body collides with the bumper. I grit my teeth as I feel like I am floating, my body in the air before I land hard on the ground. The only thing I hear as I lie there are the skids of tires and the screams from Lucy.

I can’t move. Pain laces through me, but I look up and see the door open and Amy getting inside with Dwayne following her.

When I look over to Lucy, my vision blurry, her face is filled with terror.

“Terry?” she says before the car races off, swerving back toward me, but I am quick enough to roll. I keep rolling until I hit the other side of the street and lie in the gutter. All I hear is Lucy’s bloodcurdling scream, then the pain in my heart, before everything goes black.

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR - HUXLEY

As I wake up, I feel like I have gone a few rounds with a boxer. Everything hurts. I moan, wondering what the hell I did last night. The last thing I remember is going to Bloomers, driving in the rain. It was dark. Lucy. Lucy. I gasp a breath before a voice soothes it.

“Don’t move too much,” she says, and my body relaxes immediately. She is okay.

“Luce?” I ask, trying to open my eyes, my throat sore, my eyes watering in the light of the room. I smell the hospital before I see it. The scratchy linens, the pillow underneath my head that is not familiar. My eyes adjust, and I see the bright lights are actually dimmed low. Machines are beeping around me, and my chest feels tight.

“I’m here.” She blows out a breath. “I’m here.” I feel her hand in mine and look over to where she stands at my bedside.

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