Page 32 of Second Chance Savior

Agent Torres took my arm. He pressed his earpiece and spoke rapidly into his mic to Rainey, who’d been keeping an eye on things from the other side of the party. I saw Rainey make a beeline toward the exit.

“Wait, we can’t leave Brynn.” I turned to her. She was bent over, retching again. “You need to get to a hospital.”

“Go,” she coughed.

Torres tugged me away from her. “Rainey is requesting medical assistance for her. We have to get you secure. How are you feeling? Did you drink anything? Eat anything?”

“No.”

“Maybe it’s a false alarm, and Somerton has a stomach bug. But we can’t take chances.”

“I’m not okay with this. Brynn needs help.” Yet when I looked around for River, I didn’t see him anywhere. A lot of usehewas.

Jessica, the head of the charity, appeared at my elbow. “Charlotte? What’s going on?”

“Agent Somerton is sick.” I’d told Jessica about the FBI agents here tonight, though I’d been vague about the reason. “She needs a place to sit down until paramedics get here.”

“Oh my goodness. Of course.”

Torres hustled me away from the party. We’d managed to sneak away without causing a scene that would disrupt the rest of the event, but I kept thinking of Brynn. I hated leaving her behind.

We reached the side entrance to the gardens. We would need to pass through the lobby of the staff building. The windows were dark. Everything was quiet over here. Since it was after hours, the administrative employees were long gone for the night.

“Rainey is bringing the car,” Agent Torres said. He kept glancing around while he listened to his earpiece. “Two minutes at most. Let’s go into the lobby. I’d prefer if you weren’t out in the open.”

“Sure. Makes sense.” I pressed my clutch purse to my chest, feeling my heart thump against it. With one arm around my waist, Torres opened the door into the building.

“Lieutenant Governor McKinley! Hold on a moment.”

Torres and I both whirled around. There was a figure approaching. White goatee, the stooping gait of an older man.

Immediately, the agent pushed me behind him into the doorway. “Can I help you, sir?” Torres barked.

It was Mr. Wall Street. The man who’d been boring me with tax advice earlier. “Just needed a word with the lieutenant governor. Glad I caught you before you were gone.”

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to return to the fundraiser. Ms. McKinley is on her way out.”

“Sure, I see that, but there’s just one more thing.” Grinning, Mr. Wall Street pulled his hand from his pocket. He was holding something.

A gun.

CHAPTER NINE

Charlotte

Torres went for his weapon.At the same moment, there was a loud pop. A dark spot appeared in Mr. Wall Street’s forehead. But Torres hadn’t shot him.

Strong arms closed around me from behind, tugging me backward. I drew in my breath to scream.

“Charlie, it’s me.” I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.

“River?”

Torres had his weapon out now. He spun to face me, eyes wide as he saw River behind me. “Drop it!”

“Not advisable,” River said. “We’ve got more coming.”

He put me behind him. A new figure had just emerged from the darkness of the gardens with a pistol in his fist, a ski mask obscuring his face. He charged at us, leaping over Mr. Wall Street’s limp form on the ground. River fired twice more.Tap. Tap. Just like the first shot, the sound was muffled. River had a suppressor on his gun. Otherwise, my hearing would be far worse, considering how close I’d been when he fired those shots.

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