Page 58 of Twisted Trust
Climbing the stairs two at a time, I make it to the roof with adrenaline being my only source of energy after all that sprinting, but I barely feel the exhaustion warming my bones. The roof is spread out, featuring a helipad at the far end that overlooks the city, and several ventilation ducts line the rest of the roof, extending toward the door.
Three men clad in black, similar to what the man downstairs was wearing, hug the wall next to the door and talk in hushed whispers. Ducking behind a duct, I unholster my gun and peer around trying to get a lay of the land. Then I see her.
Maeve.
She’s motionless on the ground lying on her side, and for a few stricken seconds, I don’t see her breathing. Then her chest moves and relief floods through me so rapidly that I’m dizzy for a few seconds afterward. I have to get to her, kill those bastards, and then I’m never coming back to this fucking hotel again.
Surprise is my only advantage in a three against one, so I remain crouched and wait until they start shuffling around the door once more. They fire a few pot shots into the stairwell and my security team returns fire, which gives me exactly the distraction I need.
Launching myself over the duct, I sprint toward them at full speed with my gun raised and firing rapidly. The first bullet misses but the second and third hit the first assassin who collapses noisily to the ground. The fourth and fifth hit the second assassin and he falls into the third, causing him to stumble back and trip into the stairwell. A flurry of gunfire follows and then silence.
I reach the door, panting, and peer inside to see the third assassin riddled with bullet holes and one of my security chiefs climbing the stairs. Then I’m on my knees next to Maeve and very gently rolling her over onto her back. Her thick, wavy hair spreads around her like some kind of halo pillow and her eyes are closed with a fresh bruise forming across her nose. Mostly, she looks unharmed, but she doesn’t stir at my touch.
But she’s alive, and that’s all that matters.
To keep her safe, I have Maeve and Scott seen by one of our family doctors who gives Scott the all clear and assures me Maeve will wake soon once the sedative they gave her wears off. It was fast acting, but thankfully, not long-lasting. She remains unconscious during the trip across the city to a private housing complex where we will live under twenty-four-hour private security. As she sleeps, I debrief the security teams and contact my father to fill him in on the attack. His anger almost matches my own, but his isn’t born from concern about Maeve.
All he really cares about is the engagement and what it could mean if this falls through.
I clean myself up, rebandage my ruined knuckles, and wander the house until a movement alert in the bedroom tells me Maeve is finally awake. I reach her just as she’s easing herself out of bed with her head in her hands.
“Maeve.”
She looks up at me and blinks slowly. “Where’s my son?”
I take her through to the next bedroom where Scott is surrounded by some of his toys and playing quietly. He immediately bursts into tears at the sight of Maeve and launches into her arms. My heart squeezes at the sight of them hugging one another, and that phantom ache of Scott being in my arms returns.
What a strange sensation. They hug until Scott needs the bathroom, and he drags himself away after telling Maeve he can do it himself.
“Thank you,” Maeve says as she climbs to her feet and gently dabs at her tears. “I can’t… explain how overwhelmed I feel right now, but thank you for coming back for him.”
“I came for both of you.”
She doesn’t look like she believes me and instead tenderly touches her nose. “How does this keep happening?”
“Maeve?”
“Hmm?” She turns her gorgeous blue eyes to me, and there are a hundred questions I could ask at this moment, a hundred more important questions that should be on the forefront of my mind, but only one makes it past my lips.
“Is Scott mine?”
19
MAEVE
“Is Scott mine?”
Really? He wants to talk about thatnow? I almost died and he wants to talk about this? Given his dedication to saving me, maybe I should be more grateful and just tell him the truth. But I already look like an unfit mother and if Hillary finds out about this, then it’s all over. What’s to stop her from taking Scott away from me now, or worse, Levi when he learns I lied and hid his son from him?
A son, up until recently, I thought he wanted to kill?
I can’t risk it.
“No, Scott isn’t yours.”
“Are you sure?” His accusation sounds gentle at first, but it hits me like a siren and my already frayed nerves amplify the surging fear inside me.
“Of course I’m sure! Are you accusing me of sleeping around so much that I can’t be sure?”
