Page 140 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

"I'm on my way, hang on, I'm on my way." His voice cracks. "Stay with me, little tornado. I'm coming."

Chapter 32

Archer

Iride my motorcycle harder than I ever have, speeding across town and risking my life to get there to save hers. The engine roars and I push its limits, begging it to go faster, to not waste another moment.

Skidding to a stop in front of the house where her phone pings she's located inside, I hop off the bike, not bothering to even put the kickstand down before I rush inside, flinging the door so aggressively it buckles on the hinges.

"London," I call out, my chest tight, my fist clenched. I don't have a single weapon but I will kill anyone that stands in the way of getting to her.

She doesn't answer and that only terrifies me more. What if I didn't make it in time? What if this was a trap and I walked straight into it?

I poke my head around the corner of one room, not finding her, and moving on to the next, searching frantically for her.

My sights land on London, tied to a chair, her head hung loosely, blood covering her shirt. I run over and kneel in front of her, my stomach coiling into knots. "London," I whisper, tilting her head up.

Slowly, her eyes flutter open. "Archer?" She blinks a few times. "You're really here?"

"Of course I'm here. You think I wouldn't come for you?" I make quick work of freeing her arms, my anger rising at the marks that remain once she's untied. I hate that this happened. I hate that I wasn't here to stop it.

London's head sways and she rubs at her forearm. "Let's get out of here." She tries to stand but falls right back down, her hand going to her side. "Oh right, I got shot."

"Let me see." I reach for her shirt, lifting it up, having to peel the fabric from her blood-soaked skin. The bullet went through low and to the side, a clean shot through and through. There was a lot of initial bleeding, but it appears to have coagulated. I force myself not to focus on the bruise forming on her face and logically assess the situation. "I need to get you to a hospital. London, can you look at me?"

She stares right into my eyes, hers red and watery. "Hi."

"Hey, baby." I grab her hands. "I'm going to help you up, okay? I'd carry you but I don't want to put too much pressure on that wound until we know for sure what we're dealing with." If it were up to me, I'd scoop her into my arms and run the entire way to the hospital, but that isn't an option and I can't afford to be careless, not with her.

"Okay." She squeezes my hands, a good sign that she still has strength left in her. London might be small and fragile, but she's resilient as hell, and she has a will to live more powerful than anyone I'd ever met. She'd have to, considering Ricardo Gardella is her father.

Was, I remind myself. Ricardo is dead and I refuse to let him haunt me any longer.

With London's assistance, I guide her out of the room and through the house. I leave her leaning against the porch as I rushto pick up my bike and turn it on, riding it up as far as I can and helping her the rest of the way.

"I'm going to lift you onto the back, okay?"

She nods, releasing her hand on her side and wincing when I pick her up and set her on the back.

I unhook the helmet attached to my bike and slide it over her head, securing the strap faster than I ever have. I climb on the front, careful not to hit her, and turn toward her. "All I need you to do is hold on to me. Can you do that for me, London?"

She leans her head against my back and wraps her arms around me, holding on tightly.

I tap her hands, letting her know I'm going to take off, and once I do, I keep a firm grip on her while driving with one arm. I navigate through the desolate streets until I get to the closest hospital, riding all the way to the entrance and through the giant double doors. I don't stop until I'm idling in front of the registration desk, people from each direction rushing toward us.

A man with a security badge is the first to speak. "Sir, you can't be in here on that. You need to leave immediately."

I glare at him and slip my leg off the bike, not giving a single fuck what he has to say. I ignore him while helping London off the back, sliding her arm over my shoulder and doing everything I can not to make things worse for her.

"Gunshot wound to the abdomen," I tell the woman at the desk. "She needs to be seen immediately."

She hops out of her chair. "I can take her back, but you have to move your bike, sir. This is a hospital, not a parking lot."

"Do you want to keep your job? My last name is Sin."

The security guard who spoke to me puts his arm out to stop another one that rushes over, clearly unsatisfied that the first one didn't do his job. "Brandon, let him through," he tells the man.

"Right this way," the lady at the desk says. She presses a button on a walkie-talkie-looking device. "We've got a level one coming in." She releases the button and looks at me. "Which brother are you?"

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