Page 55 of Sinful Negotiations

Tessa could only incredulously watch as Marco accepted a file and slid it toward the priest.

The priest turned over each document before smiling. “Excellent.”

Marco squeezed her wrist again causing her to wince from the pressure and pain.

At the same instance, a loud commotion came from the beach. Marco glanced at his guards who hurried off toward the sound. When he turned to the priest again, a gun was pointed at his head.

“Release her now.”

Marco did as commanded but withdrew a gun from underneath the table at the same time and shoved it into her ribcage. “She stays with me.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Lexxa growled, positioning a gun to his temple.

Marco lifted his hands with the gun still in one.

Tessa bolted from her chair.

Alex shouted.

Lexxa fired.

Alex fired.

And another shot pierced the summer morning.

A stinging sensation was the first thing she experienced. Tessa laid one hand over her ribcage and lifted it to her face. Bright red blood coated her hand. Time slowed. Her gaze lowered to her chest and side where blood soaked through the white fabric. Her eyes lifted to lock with the man she loved but wouldn’t get a chance to tell.

“No,” he shouted over the violence erupting around them, fighting to get to her as more officers stormed the house, and helicopters hovered above.

She gasped when she tried to inhale, pain fired through her ribs, and blood spurted from her lips with a ragged cough. Her gaze lifted to the puffy clouds overhead.

“Not today, Tessa. Not ever.”

His voice seeped into her mind when her vision blurred even as he scooped her off the ground. She tried to speak but couldn’tand began to wheeze, struggling to breathe. She attempted to focus on his face above hers as he ran with her in his arms, but peace called to her steady and true, and she succumbed to its peaceful grip.

Chapter 46

Alex held her hand in his, softly stroking her fingers and wishing he could change the way things happened. Her face was still bruised and swollen but beginning to fade. He replayed the event repeatedly in his mind. They did everything by the book. Tessa shouldn’t have been injured.

“How’s she doing today,” Lexxa asked from the hospital doorway, holding two cups of coffee. “You look like hell, Alex. Go home, sleep, and take a shower.”

“I can’t leave her. This is my fault. Why isn’t she waking?”

After pulling a chair on the other side of Tessa’s bed, and handing him a coffee, Lexxa slid into the seat. “She’s been through a lot. From what I saw and overheard it doesn’t surprise me she hasn’t woken. Marco messed with her mind. There was a lot of mental games along with the gunshot to the lung and subsequent surgery.”

“It’s been a week. She should be awake by now and giving me hell.”

Lexxa shrugged. “She’ll open her eyes when she’s ready. Let her rest, Alex. Go home for a bit. I’ll stay with her until you return.”

“This is my fault. All of it.”

“You aren’t responsible for Marco’s actions. You know this, Alex. When in doubt, rely on your training.”

He shook his head and ran one hand through his still blond, curly hair. “I do need a shower.”

Lexxa sipped her coffee but nodded to the door. “And a dye job. Go. I’ll text if anything changes.”

He didn’t want to leave, but knew Lexxa was right. “I’ll be back soon.”

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