Page 51 of Her Faithful Protector

She couldn’t answer. No words would come out. When she finally did open her mouth, all that came out was a sob. She bit it back and somehow composed herself, but she still couldn’t manage to say a word.

He knelt down. “Ma’am?” He carefully pulled the cloth out of her clutched fingers and gently draped it around her body, his hands resting soothingly on her shoulders. That simple act of kindness broke through her wall of self-defense, and another sob escaped. And another. And another.

Even though he was still giving her comfort, he tilted his head like he was listening to something.

Camilla was somehow able to look past him and saw three more men carrying Phyllis, Roxanne, and Leslie.

Beside her, the man leaning over Lisa was talking to her softly. She seemed to be listening, but that was all.

“She’s hurt,” Camilla told him now that she was pulling herself together. “They cut her arm three days ago and I think it’s still bleeding.”

“We’ll have our medic look at it.” The man smiled at her.

“And you,” Cullen said to Camilla. “We’ll have the medic look at you too.”

“What about the church?” Camilla asked. “A man set explosives.”

“We got word that they’ve been disarmed,” Cullen said soothingly.

“Huh?” That didn’t make any sense. She knew Asher was inside trying to disarm them, but how would Cullen know?

He tapped a device around his neck. “Our communication system. Asher told us that he disabled the bomb.”

“Where is she?” a man’s voice roared from the top of the church’s steps. He sounded frantic.

“Cami!” He yelled even louder.

She watched in amazement as he pounded down the steps and stood in the middle of the group of students. Camilla peered around Cullen and looked at the huge man. Power emanated off him as he looked from one student to the other.

“Cami, talk to me,” his roaring voice sounded desperate. “It’s me, Nic.”

Nic?

Her Nic?

Camilla leaned farther, trying to see him, desperate to get a better look at him, but she couldn’t tell if he was Nic Hale, not with all that paint on his face.

“Cami!”

That voice.

“Nic?” she whispered.

He whirled around. Hazel eyes lasered in on her face.

What little strength she had left deserted her, she slumped into Cullen, and he caught her. Nic came skidding to her on his knees. He thrust Cullen out of the way and pulled her into his arms.

“Cami. I’ve got you, baby.”

She stared up at a face she didn’t recognize, but clung to his voice and fell into his eyes. How was this even possible? She had to be hallucinating. Nothing this wonderful could be happening.

Camilla knew she must be close to death. She gave a deep sigh as she felt herself pressed against his strong chest, his big hands stroking down her back.

These were her last moments on earth. She was strung up with a knife slicing through her neck. She knew it, and she didn’t care, because somehow she was in Nic’s arms at the end.

“Cami, come out of it. Come back to me. I’m here, baby,” his voice was desolate.

He cradled her close, his hold tightening. It began to hurt as he squeezed even more. She moaned.