Page 2 of The Maid Married To The Billionaire

‘You’re hurt,’ Enzo registered in consternation. ‘Was there an accident? Should I call the police?’

‘No, please don’t get the police,’ she urged with a shiver of dismay.

‘Then what can I do to help you?’

‘Just drive on. You did the kind thing and stopped but I’m not really in a position tobehelped, unless you can fix the car,’ she muttered shakily.

‘I can’t leave you out here on your own,’ Enzo objected, peering down at her as she shifted position. She was very small, possibly about five feet tall and probably only about a hundred pounds soaking wet as well as being pretty young. ‘Surely I can drop you off somewhere?’

As she moved forward, he saw her swollen face, the partially closed eye and the ring of dark bluish bruising circling her throat like a macabre necklace. ‘Madonna mia, you’ve been attacked and you’re hurt! Is that why you left home in such a hurry?’

‘Yeah, we’re running away, just not doing a very efficient job of it,’ she mumbled shakily.

‘I’ll ring a breakdown company,’ Enzo informed her, digging out his phone, only vaguely wondering why she had referred to ‘we’ when she was alone.

‘I’m not sure I can afford one.’

‘Then let it be at my expense,’ Enzo urged, searching for the nearest breakdown service on his phone, keen to find a solution and move them on. ‘But let me take you to the nearest hospital now. You need medical attention.’

‘Do I look that bad?’ she asked baldly.

‘You look like someone tried to strangle you and you got punched in the face,’ Enzo bit out in a taut undertone, for although he knew that some men beat up women he had never come across it in his own life and he was very much shocked by the state she was in. ‘A doctor should look at you, but I still believe that the police would be the best option as a first port of call.’

‘Ican’tgo to the police.’

Enzo lowered his phone with a frown of irritation. ‘Your car can’t be picked up until tomorrow. I’ll drive you into town.’

‘I don’t know you... I can’t get into a car with you!’ Skye gasped.

‘My name is Lorenzo Durante. My friends call me Enzo. And you are...?’

‘Skye Davison,’ she provided reluctantly.

‘If I leave you here,’ Enzo murmured drily, ‘I’ll be informing the police of your location and the condition I found you in.’

‘Why on earth would you do that?’ Skye gasped.

‘In case something happens to you, or the driver of one of the cars that have already been past assumes that I’m responsible for your condition!’ he completed grimly.

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Skye exclaimed, out of all patience.

‘I have a solution. One of my employees is a qualified paramedic,’ he told her. ‘If you were agreeable, Paola could check you out at my home but, firstly, let’s get you some shoes.’

‘Paola...is that a woman’s name?’

Enzo nodded confirmation and saw some of her tension evaporate because she found the mention of another woman reassuring.

‘But first we’ll get you a pair of shoes,’ he repeated stubbornly, evidently finding her shoeless state intolerable.

Skye caved in. ‘I’ll have to move the car seats over...and I hope you don’t mind dogs.’

Enzo frowned in bewilderment as she moved round to open the passenger door. ‘Car seats? You have a dog?’

Over her shoulder inside the dim interior of the old car, he glimpsed a baby covered to the chin by a blanket and beyond her a dozing toddler. Something small and wriggly bounced out of the passenger seat foot well to dance round his feet.

‘That’s Sparky,’ she said hoarsely, detaching the straps holding the baby and lifting the baby to settle her down in the foot well while she removed the car seat.

As another’s car’s headlights lit up the night, Enzo bent down and scooped up the little dachshund and put him straight into his car before he could streak off and become roadkill. As Skye struggled to lift the baby’s car seat, he lifted it out of her arms and settled it into the back seat. Registering that she was in too much pain to bend and do what had to be done, he reached in and took care of it, reaching out for the baby and tucking it into the cosy carrier to snap the belt closed again.

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