AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let go!” I snapped.
Something inside my head clicked. My body moved on muscle memory alone. I was used to training with Liam, who was significantly larger and bulkier than the photographer, so in one fluid motion I was able to rip myself from his hold and send him flying back onto his ass. As soon as I was free, Liam and Adam whisked me away to safety beyond the office building’s main doors. Two security officers promptly shut and locked it, keeping everyone else outside.
“Where the hell were you?” Adam hissed at them once we were further into the building and out of sight. “You were supposed to be out there keeping them back.”
“Adam,” I rasped. “Adam, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
“No, angel, it’s not fine at all!”
Liam, who stood protectively at my side, reached down and lifted my arm. He slipped back the sleeve of my dress to expose my wrist and forearm. My skin was red and swollen, even turning a light purple. The man had grabbed me so violently that I was actually starting to bruise!
“What did they look like?” he asked me.
I frowned, wracking my brain for details. It all happened so fast that it was a blur. “Um… It was a man. Six foot three? Dark hair and brown eyes.” My frown faded as a weird feeling began to settle in my gut. Now that I had a chance to breathe and think about it, the person who grabbed me… “He looked a lot like you,” I realized aloud.
Adam pursed his lips. “You don’t think…”
Liam shook his head. “No way to know.”
I looked between them, wide-eyed and very much out of the loop. “What?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Liam said. “Stay with Adam. I’ll get you an ice pack.”
Before I could interject, Liam was gone like the wind.
A few minutes later, Charlie and Kris came rushing over. They’d successfully delivered the duchess to her meeting in a secured conference room one floor up.
“What happened?” Charlie demanded, rushing over to me to inspect my arm. His hands moved gently, like he was handling fine crystal. “Jesus, are you okay? How the hell did this happen?”
“We weren’t given enough ground support,” Adam explained. “There were no barriers, no security personnel. They didn’t even call to give us a heads up about how many people were waiting for us.”
“That’s unacceptable. I called them before we left and gave them specific instructions to keep the crowds back.”
“That’s what I told them, but my Portuguese is rusty, and my Mandarin is non-existent.”
“I’ll handle it,” Kris said, an edge to his voice that I’d never heard before. He sounded pissed, dangerously so. “Are you alright, Sam?”
I nodded slowly. “A bit shaky, but I’ll be okay.”
His jaw tightened. “They can count their lucky stars. I’ll be right back.” Kris left in a hurry, his gait wide and his muscles tense. He looked like he was going to rip management a new one.
Liam returned with the promised ice pack. He knelt down before me and held it to my wrist. “Should help the swelling,” he said. “You did good out there. Really held your own.”
“It’s all thanks to you and your training,” I whispered.
“Hm.” I caught a glimmer in Liam’s dark eyes. I liked the feeling, seeing him so proud.
“What do we do now?”
“We have to wait for the duchess to finish her meeting,” Charlie said. “Exiting the building shouldn’t be as difficult. I think we’ll shift to Formation Delta.”
Formation Delta was code for everyone getting into the same vehicle. Liam as the driver, Adam as point man, and Charlie and Kris in the back seat with the duchess and me. It was a bigger unit that offered more manpower, though it was a lot less discreet. I didn’t question Charlie’s line of thinking. If he thought it was an optimal move, then I trusted him.
In fact, I trustedallof them.
Kris returned a short time after, looking much more relaxed than when he left. “Management would like to extend their sincerest apologies,” he informed me. “I promise that’ll never happen again. You have my word.”
I nodded. “I believe you.”
