Page 98 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
I need to keep this creepo talking to buy time for Larson and Melanie to come up with a plan to save us. Should I yell? It’s New York. People mind their business here. They’d probably keep walking with their head down or give us a wide berth to stay out of potential danger.
“You think Rey is just going to hand over money to you? The police will swarm you the moment it’s in your hands. You’re a fucking idiot.”
He growls and pulls out a knife. My stomach sours and I cover my mouth to hold back bile. Okay, maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. My eyes widen, darting frantically to Larson and Melanie, silently telling them to move in.
When Kyle lunges for me, I turn away, tucking Addy against my body to protect her. I vaguely register a burning pain across the back of my upper left arm.
Behind me, I hear grunts and scuffling as I assume the bodyguards are beating the asshole up. When he’s cursing them out, demanding they let him go, I know it’s over.
Sirens sound in the distance. Someone called the police. Damn, they responded fast. The adrenaline coursing through my body dissolves to relief. That’s when the tears follow. I crumble to the ground, hugging Addy tight while I cry and rock her. She’s shivering in my arms, sobbing right along with me.
“Savvy,” a familiar voice echoes in my head. “You’re bleeding.”
I lift my head to see Sarah next to me. She’s holding her side and has a cut over her right eye.
“What happened? Are you okay?” I ask.
She smiles and extends her hand to me. “Don’t worry about me. Let’s get you checked out.”
I take her help and stand. Addy hugs my waist, her head buried into my side. I pet her hair, hoping to soothe her. I can’t even imagine how scared and confused she must be right now. Sarah leads me to an ambulance that just pulled up. The burning sensation kicks back in. Blood trickles down the backside of my arm and onto my clothes on my left side.
That fucker slashed me.
The medic gestures for me to climb in so she can patch me up, but I shake my head.
“Help her first.” I nod my chin to Sarah. She tries to argue but sways where she stands.
“Another ambulance is on the way,” the medic says while keeping Sarah steady and helping her inside the rig.
I stand at the ambulance, watching Sarah get patched up as two uniformed officers lead Kyle to a cruiser in handcuffs. He spews hateful words and curses at anyone who will listen. I cover Adeline’s ears and pay no attention to the wannabe kidnapper.
Henry—glad to see he’s okay—and Larson stand off to the side with a detective in street clothes, perhaps giving him the rundown of what happened. I’m not even sure what happened.
Despite some minor cuts and bruises from the struggle with Kyle, Melanie resumes her bodyguard role and stands with me and Addy at the ambulance. After the scare at the carousel, I made Reynold introduce me to my hidden protectors. Melanie has a similar build to Sarah: tall with muscles and dark brown hair up in a ponytail.
I glance down at Addy, who sniffles against my hip. “You okay?” I ask softly.
She nods. “Yeah, but I was really scared.”
“I know. Me too.” Not so much scared for myself. I totally could have taken that guy. I broke up a lot of fights working at Lilies all those years. I was more worried about him trying to snatch Addy.
Larson and Henry finish talking to the cops and walk over to where we stand. Larson’s face is full of anger. I don’t blame him. He’s got a couple cuts on his beefy arms where Kyle slashed him too. A feat for such a thin and frail man like Kyle when Larson is probably twice his size.
Just before Henry opens his mouth to give me an update, I hear Reynold. He’s shouting our names and running up the sidewalk, his face tight with fury. An officer tries to stop him from crossing the yellow police tape that was erected around the crime scene. A crowd has formed, curious onlookers wondering what happened. News crews are pulling up now too.
“That’s my daughter and fiancée.”
Fiancée?
The officer lets him through. He scoops both me and Addy in his arms and squeezes us tight, then kisses our heads. When Reynold releases us, he spots blood on his hand. He panics, searching Addy’s body, then starts for me when he finds her injury free.
I hold up my arm to show him. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“Savannah, you’ve bled all down your left side. It’s too much blood. You’ve lost too much and you’re slightly pale. You arenotfine.”
A second ambulance pulls up at that moment and Reynold takes Addy’s hand, then presses his other to my lower back and leads us to the rig. The medic checks out the cut and tells me I’ll need stitches. He covers the wound with a bandage and asks if I want a ride to the hospital.
“I’ll take her,” Reynold answers for me.
