Page 37 of Forbidden Earl

Cassidy hurried across the kitchen to the backdoor, ready to bolt as she touched the handle. “Run!”

Instead, Alexandre reached for the weapon. “Put away the gun, mademoiselle.”

Thunder echoed across the room.

“No!”

Alexandre fell and blood rushed against his light blue shirt. She couldn’t leave.Not now. Cassidy ran forward and pressed against the wound—the bullet was between his shoulder and chest. “You shot him.”

The gun fell onto the floor as Lucinda covered her lips. “I didn’t want to shoot anyone on purpose. He scared me when he reached for it to take it from me.”

An accident? Cassidy wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter—she had to stop the bleeding. In the TV shows, they usually pressed something clean against the wound and called 911. She rushed into his kitchen and found a towel. She pressed it against his chest and reached for the cell phone and dialed. “Lucinda, if you truly want to kill me, just do it. I can’t let this man die.”

Lucinda dropped to her knees beside her and picked up the gun again. “Why not? You don’t know him.”

Because she wasn’t a murderer, for one. Cassidy’s heart raced. “He tried to help me. Now either shoot me and get this over with or put the gun down and help me get him help.”

“You’re not a doctor.” Lucinda put the gun down and opened the door like she’d run.

“It’s freezing out there and the police will catch you, easy.” Cassidy said to her back as Lucinda began to leave. “You might as well wait inside where it is warm.”

With an exhale, Lucinda turned around and walked toward the wine glass. She took a swig and brought the bottle over to Cassidy. “Fine, but this doesn’t make us friends.”

“Kidnapping me proved that.” Cassidy unbuttoned the man’s shirt to see where he was shot exactly. “What was your plan anyhow?”

“I was going to drop you off in Paris where I had some friends to watch you for a month. Then once Remy married me, you’d be set free.”

“I’d have called the police on you first chance. This doesn’t sound well planned.”

“I couldn’t let Remy marry an ugly duckling like you. Not when we made such a perfect couple.”

Not very logical. If Cassidy intended to perform a crime, she’d at least have a fully fleshed out plan. She kept that thought to herself.

Lucinda stood and stared out the window. “Is that a car?”

Cassidy put the phone on the floor. The wound was in the fleshy part near the shoulder. Hopefully he’d live through this fine. She couldn’t let anything happen to Chelsea’s true love!

The lights of the car driving toward the house grew brighter. Cassidy’s skin warmed as if Remy was already beside her and holding her again. She pressed a dishtowel into the wound and said, “It’s Remy. It has to be.”

“You stole my phone.” Lucinda scooped it off the floor and pouted like that was the extent of her worries.

Clearly Lucinda wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack, but Cassidy never blinked. “Yep. You can have it back.”

The door flew open and Marco Aussa grabbed Lucinda’s arms as she shouted, “Get away from me.”

“Cassidy, you’re okay!” Remy hurried past the prince and into the living room. Cassidy looked up and watched Prince Marco cuff her kidnapper with hands behind her back.

Lucinda had cuffed Cassidy in the front of her body, which had allowed her use of her hands so she was able to steal Lucinda’s phone. It proved her point that looks weren’t everything.

Cassidy could breathe as she stared into Remington’s familiar warm brown orbs. He’d come for her as he’d promised. She pressed again on the injury to stop the bleeding. “This man was shot protecting me. We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Let’s put him in the backseat and drive him to the hospital,” Marco said. “Cassidy’s doing a good job as nurse, but the hospital is less than a kilometer away.”

She nodded and turned toward one of her bosses at the palace. “Your Highness, I wasn’t expecting you. Thank you.”

He nodded. “I’ve already alerted the authorities that I have Lucinda in custody. They can meet us at the hospital.” Marco dragged Lucinda out of the house and out of sight.

Cassidy turned toward Remy and let his presence rush through her. She stood and shuffled closer. “I want to go home.”

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